THe blushing morning gan no sooner appeare from the desired bed of her old paramor, & remembring hir of hir Cephalus, watered the bosome of sweete floures with the christal of hir teares: but both the armies (awaked by the harmonie of the birds, that re­corded their melody in euery bush, be­gan to arme them in their tents, & speedily visit their trenches: Among the rest the two emperors (the one, Protomachus of Mosco, the other, Artosogon of Cusco) considering with themselues, the care Princes ought to haue that commaund multitudes; the prefixed houre of their fight alreadie arriued, sodainely armed themselues, commanding their corronels by sound of trumpet to draw out their companies into the plain: Then marched forth ech squadron, deaffing the aire with their cries, dimming the sunne with the reflexion of their costly cu­rets, their high lookes promised happy forwardnes, and their haughtie hearts were portraied in their dreadlesse demeane. At the last embattailed in due order, the pikemen in a Mace­donian phalanx, the horsemen in their out-wings, the shot as gards to the pikes, al as protectors of their colours, the fatall charge was sounded, and both the armies marched forward to incounter; (when sodainly an old man, whose sober lookes be­tokened his seuere thoughts, whose morneful garments, sha­dowed, his melancholie minde,) bearing the Image of the Gods, (whom he most honoured) betweene his armes, and the homage a true subiect ought to haue in his heart, thrust him­selfe betweene both the armies, when sending many sighes [Page] from his breast to famous pittie, and teares from his eies to moue compassion, he fixed both his hands on their knees (who were neerely encountered to enter combate) and began in their termes to perswade both the monarchs (whilst both the armies withdrew their weapons, to giue diligent attention to his words:) Stay your vnbridled furies, O you Princes, & let not the world say, that you who were borne to be the defen­ders of the monarchies, are (through your il-gouerned furies) become the destroyers of mankinde. Whereto tendeth this your vniust armes? if for your priuate grudges; oh how fond are you, that to reuenge your mislikes, are the murtherers of many innocents? If to enlarge your signiories; oh how vaine are you, that seek to attaine that with bloud, which you must keepe with care; that labor to sell that with stripes, which you haue bought with peace; that trauel to loose your own estates and signiories, for alitle name of souerainty? Heare me O you Princes (nay rather be aduised by me:) you haue spent huge treasures, made many widdowes, lost three yeares, and for what I pray you? for the right of one citie, the whole confines and reuenewes whereof is not sufficient to acquit for one mo­neth of your charges: O vnhappy Mantinea, the cause of such hartburning: O lawles name of seigniory, the occasion of such sorrows. Heare what Plutarch saith, Ye potentates, there is no warre that taketh head amongst men, but of vice: for ei­ther the loue of pleasure, either couetousnes, ambition or de­sire of rule, prouoketh the same. If this be true, as it is most certaine, why blush you not (Princes) to behold your owne follies? why reconcile you not to amend your misdeedes? If you say there are more pleasures in Mantinea, then in your seueral countries, you detract from whole prouinces, to make proud one poore cittie: and if it were, what a vaine thing is it, that such as are in authority should purchase a priuate delight by publike danger? Plato being demanded why he praised the Lydians so much, and dispraised the Lacedemonians so high­ly, answered thus: If I commend the Lydians, it is for that they were neuer occupied but in tilling the field: and if I do re­proue the Lacedemonians, it is because they knew nothing else but to conquer Realmes: so vertuous a thing hath it bin [Page] held by the learned to maintaine peace, and to shunne occasi­ons of contention. If you will be held vertuous and monar­chies (as I wish you should be) desire nothing to the domage of your common weales, lest in satisfying your owne humors ye subuert your subiects happines. If for couetousnes ye hunt after conquests, how vaine are you, labouring like mad men to lay more straw on your houses to burn them, and cast more water on the sea to drowne it? Couetousnes is an affection that hath no end, an extreame that hath no meane, a profit full of preiudice. Wel said Aristotle in his Politikes, there is no extreme pouertie but that of couetousnes. If for ambitiō, wel may ye weep with Alexander, to be laughed at, practise with Zenos, to repent with him: for in desiring beyond your reach, you fall besides your hopes. But if all these euills be growen to one head, if your incontinencie in desire, your excessiue thirst after pleasure, your couetous longing after riches, your ambi­tious hunting after seignioritie, haue occasioned this warre; subdue these errors in your selues for your subiects sakes: and sith Protomachus hath one daughter, and no more to inherit Mosco, and Artosogon one sonne and heire to suceede in the Empire of Cusco; let both these be ioyned together in happie matrimonie: so shall the cause of this different be quicklie de­cided, your selfe may roote out your ingrafted errors, your subiects enioy their desired peace, and finally, your Children shal haue greater cause to praise their fathers foresight, then to repent hereafter their vniust furie. Hereunto I coniure you, O you Princes, by these holy gods, whom you honour, by these hoarie haires which you should reueren [...]e, lest your subiects hereafter ruinated through your rashnes, haue rather occasion to curse you then commend you. In Octauius Cae­sars time, each one thought himselfe fortunate to be borne vn­der his emperie, and him happie that maintained his prouince in peace: so let it be said of you (good Princes) and leaue you such memorie to your succession: than shall I thinke my selfe happie in my perswasions, and you shall be famous to all po­steritie.

No sooner had he ended his oration, but both the emperors resolued, by his reasons, and pacified by the perswasions of [Page] their nobilitie (who after long debate and consultation, and cheare behoouefull) drew to an accord: wherin it was conclu­ded, that Arsadachus the youthful heire of Cusco shoulde bee sent to the emperor of Mosco, where, (considering the worthi­nes of his court) he shuld find fit companions, & apply himself to fancie, being continually in the presence of his faire Mar­garita: finally (after the decease of both the Princes) it was enacted that both Mantinea and the whole empire, should re­maine to Arsadachus, and Margarita and their heires for e­uer. These articles thus concluded vpon, both the campes brake vp; the braue knights who to-fore time delighted in tos­sing of lances, now haue no other pleasure but in talking with faire Ladies, the souldiers sword, was changed to a husband­mans sithe; his gay Curets, to a grey frocke; the gates which beforetime were shut against foes, were now opened to all sorts as vnsuspected friends: Such libertie followeth peace, exempted from the tyranny of warre. Artosogon withdrew his folowers to his owne frontires, & returning to his court, made honourable prouision for his sonne Arsadachus to send him to Moscouia. Protomachus (after he had rewarded each souldier according to his desert) withdrew himselfe to the ca­stel of that aged father, who had so faithfully councelled him, (yeelding him for rewarde the dukedome of Volgradia, the chiefest place of honor through all Moscouy) whither, as to the open theater of al delights, the nobility & ladies resorted, among the which the chiefest, fairest, and chastest Margarita, presented her selfe, reioycing at the happie reconcilement: where being resolued by hir father of y ^e contract that was concluded vpon, with blushes at first shewed hir modestie, & with obedience at last condescended to his minde. In this rare for­tresse of Arsinous (scituate by a gratious and siluer floting riuer, inuironed with curious planted trees to minister shade, and sweete smelling [...]loures, to recreate the sences; besides the curious knots, the dain [...]ie gardin plots, the rich tapestrie, the royall attendance) Protomachus found as euident signes of high spirit, as of huge expence: at the entrance, of his chamber (which had a prospect into a delicious garden in which al sorts of birds inclosed in a Cage of christall recorded their harmo­nies, [Page] whilst the gentle fall of a bubling fountaine seemed to yeeld a sweet and murmuring consent to [...]heir musicke) was placed that sentence of Drusius Germanicus which he carried alwayes ingraued in his ring.

Illis est grauis fortuna quibus est repentina.

About the walles of the chamber in curious imagerie were the seuen sages of Greece, set forth with their seueral vertues, eloquently discouered in Arabicke verses: The bed appointed for the prince to rest himselfe, was of blacke Ebonie enchased which Rubies, Diamons and Carbun [...]ls, made inform of an arch, on which by degrees mans state from infancie to his olde age was plainly depictured, and on the testerne of the bed the whole contents of the same most sagelie desciphered in these verses.

Thus sumptuous was the lodging of Protomachus, but far more glorious the chamber of Margarita which seemed from the first day to be fashioned to her affections, for ouer the en­trance of the doores was drawen and carued out of curious white marble, the faire goddesse of chastitie blushing at the sodaine interception of Acteon, and her naked nymphes, who with the one hand, couering their owne secret pleasures with blushes, with the other cast a beautifull vaile ouer their mi­stresse daintie nakednes: the two pillers of the doore were beautified with the two Cupids of Auacreon, which well sha­ped modestie often seemed to whip lest they should growe ouer wanton: no sooner was the inward beauties of the chamber discouered, but the worke wrought his wonder, and the wonder it selfe was equalled by the worke, for al the chast [...] Ladies of the world, inchased out of siluer, looking through faire mirrours of chrisolites, carbuncles, saphires & greene Emeraults, fixed their eies on the picture of eternitie, which fixed on the toppes of a testerne, seemed with a golden trumpet to applaud to them al: in the tapistrie (beutified with gold, and pearle) were the nine Muses curiously wrought, who [Page] from a thicket beheld amorous Orpheus making the trees leape through his laments, and as he warbled his songs the flouds of Hebrus staied their sources; and the birds that be­held their comfort, began likewise to carrol. It was strange to thinke, and more strange to behold, in what order Art mat­ched with nature, and how the lymning painter had almost ex­ceeded nature in life, sauing that the beauteous faces wanted breath, to make them aliue, not cunning to proue them liuely. Thus was both the emperor and his daughter lodged, wan­ting neither delights of hunting, nor other princely plesures, to entertain them: so curious was the good olde man, in plea­sing his emperor and master. But among al other courtly de­lights Margarita met not the least, who in this castle found a companion to accompanie hir in life, and a chaste maide to at­tend her in loue, who (beside hir education, which was excel­lent, hir virtues such as equalled excellence, hir beauty so rare as exceeded both) was beloued by a noble lord of Moscouy, who for his singularities in poetry, & science in feats of arms, was rather the seignior, then second of al the empire. The en­terchange of which affections was so conformable to the fan­cies of the princesse, that she, who was ordained to be the mi­racle of loue, learnd by them & their maners the true methode of the same: for when Minecius courted his Philenia, Marga­rita conceited her Arsadachus; and by perceiuing the true heart of the one, supposed the perfect habite of the other. If at any time cause of discourtesie grew betwixt Philenia and her friend, Margarita salued it, hoping by that means to sacrifice to Loue, to gratifie him in her fortunes, which were to suc­ceede. How often would she make Minecius deserts excel­lent by her praise, and he his Philenia famous by his poetrie? It was a world to see in them, that when loue waxed warm, those louers waxed wittie, the one to command, the other to consent: if at any time Minecius wrote an amorous sonnet, Margarita should see it: and if at any time Margarita read a sonet she would commend it to satisfie Philenia, and in that Arsinous (the father through the good opinion of Protoma­chus the Emperour, thought not amisse of the marri [...]ge be­tweene his daughter and the Moscouite,) he rather furthered [Page] then frouned on their p [...]stimes: and Minecius hauing a [...]iued her father and intangled the daughter in fancie, sough [...] all meanes possible to satisfie her delights; sometimes therefore vnder a pastorall habite he would hide him in the gr [...]es and woods where the Ladies were accustomed to walke, where recording a ruthful lay as they passed by; hee through his harmonie, caused them beleeue that the tree tattled loue, & such was his method in his melancholy fancies, that his coate was accordant to his conceit, and his conceit the miracle of conceits: among the rest these of no small regard, I haue thought good in this place to register, which though but few in number are worthie the noting. First being on a time melancholy by reson of some mislikes of his mistris he wrote these sonets, in imitation of Dolce the Italian, and presented them in presence of the Princes Margarita, who highly com­mended them, ouer the top whereof he wrote this in great Roman letters.

[Page]The other was this which seemed to be written with more vehementle of spirit▪ and [...] great [...] melancholie, which i [...] a shepheards habite, sitting vnder a [...]ie [...]le tree he had morn­fully recorded in the presence of his mistresse.

This mourning passion pleased the ladies very highly, espe­cially Philenia, who thought her selfe no little blessed to bee thus beloued: among the rest they gaue this that follows his deserued commendation; for being written in the desolate sea­son of the yeare, and the desperate successe of his earnings, being so applied to his affects, and accordant with the yeares effects, (in my minde) deserueth in small good liking.

This written in an amorous and more p [...]ausible vaine (as that which most pleased the Ladies) and was not of least worth, I haue set downe last.

Many such like were deuised by Minecius, and allowed by Philenia, thorow which, Loue, that had newe vurgend his wings, began to flie, and being shut in close embers, brake out to open fire: so that like the Alcatras that scenteth farre, Philenia consented to yeeld him fa [...]ou [...] who sought it, know­ing that his wit like the rose being more sweet in the bud then in the floure would best fi [...]er [...] and (as the h [...]arb Epheme­rus that hath in his spring a sweete and purple floure, but bee­ing of tenne dayes growth conceiueth nothing of beauty, but is replenished with barrennesse, so course of time woulde change him▪ she made choise of him, since in that estate of life wherein he then liued, was fashioned to all pleasures and dis­furnished [Page] of no perfection, she knew him most meetest to enioy his beautie, and most accordant to possesse her marriage bed.

But leaue we Philenia delighted in her Mineciu, Mar­garita applauding them both, Protomachus conuersing with Arsinous, and the whole courtely traine of Mosco liuing in them co [...]ent; and let vs haue an eie to Cusco and the empe­rour thereof, who no sooner arriued in this court, but like the good gardner, knowing his time to plant; like the fortunate husband well trained to yoake and pl [...]ugh, learned of Triso­lium, who lifteth vp her leaues against tempest; and the emo [...], who by her prouision and trauel foretelleth a showre and trou­ble that followeth, thought good (hauing beene taught by ex­perience to take the opportunitie, knowing that princes and monarchs mindes are most subiect to alterations, according to the humours of their counsailes) to send his sonne Arsa­dachus to Mosco: whereupon furnishing him with prince­ly attendance and great treasures, he see him forward on his way, and at his last farewel, [...]ooke his lea [...]e of him in this fa­therly and kingly manner: My sonne, as thou art yoong in yeres, so hast thou yong thoughts, which if thou gouerne not with discretion, it will be the cause of thy destruction. Thou art leauing thy country for an other court, thy familiars, for new friends, where the least mite of follie in thee, will shew a mountaine, the least blemish, a great blot. Since therefore thine inclination is corrupt; and the faults which I smother, in that I am thy father, others will smite at, being thy foes? I wil [...] counsell thee to foresee before thou fall; and to haue re­garde before thy ruine. Thou art borne a Prince, which be­ing a benefit sent from heauen, is likewise an estate, subiect to all vnhappinesse, for, whereas much durt is, thither come many carrions; where high fortunes, many flatterers; where the hugeredat growes, the thistle springeth; where the foorde in deepest, the fish are plentiest; and whereas soueraigntie is, there are many seducers. Be thou therefore warie like the Unicorne, which, for feare she should taste poison, toucheth with her horne, before she lap it with her lippe so seeme thou, in [...] credit to chuse, who meane to fawne on thee in thy [...] them in their s [...]ight [...], [...] [Page] [...]oth the Locust, and preuent them in their [...] the fish Nibias doth the sea dragon. In chusing thy friends, learn of Augustus the Romane Emperour, who was strange and scrupulous in accepting friends, but changelesse and resolute in keeping them. Chuse not such companions, I pray thee, as will be drunke with thee for good fellowshippe, and double with thee in thine affaires, but vse such as the chriftier sort doe by their threede-bare coates, which being without wooll, they cast off, as things vnfit for their wearing. And especially re­member these short lessons, which the shortnesse of time ma­keth me vtter by a word, where indeede they require a whole dayes worke; beware of ouer-trust, lest you commit the swee­test of your life to the credite of an vncertaine tongue. Use all such courtiers as visit you, in like manner as Goldsmiths do their mettall, who trie it by the touchstone if it be forthall, and melt it in the fire, before they vouchsafe it the fashion; so doe thou, and if they be counterfeit, they will soone leaue thee; if faithfull, they will the more loue thee. Trust not too much to the eare, for it beguileth many; nor to the tongue, for it be­witcheth more. Striue not with time in thy affaires, but take leasure; for a thing hastily enterprised, is more hastily repen­ted. In your counsailes, beware of too much affection: and in your actions be not too prowd, for the one will pro [...]e your little regard of conscience; the other the corruption of your na­ture. And since thou art going into a forren court, and must follow the direction of a second father, whose fauour if thou keepe, thou maist hap to be most famous, looke to thy selfe, for as Plato saith; to be a king, and to raigne, to serue, and be in fauour; to fight, and ouercome, are three impossible things, and are onely distributed by fortune, and disturbes by her fro­wardnesse in following. Therefore ( Protomachus) seeke in all things to follow his humour; for opinion is the chiefe step to preferment: and to be thought well of by the Prince, is no small profit; and if so be thou wilt please him, doe him many seruices, and giue him few words. In thy speech be delibe­rate, without hashfulnesse: in thy behauiour courtly, without pride; in thy apparell priueely without [...]; in thy reuen­ges holde, but not too [...] loue be [...] [Page] [...] [Page] his corrupt manners. From this so sowre a stocke [...]hat fruit may be expected but crabbes? from so lewd beginnings, how lamentable issues? At last, arriuing in Mosco, he was infor­med of the emperours being in the castle of Arsinous: wher­vpon addressing himselfe thither according to the mightinesse of his estate, he was by Protomachus entertained royally, who receiuing the prelents of Ar [...]osogon ▪ returned them backe, who brought them with high rewards, chusing among al the princely gentlemen of his court, those for to accompany Arsadachus who were vertuously disposed and wel indewed. Among the rest Minecius was appointed chiefe, whom Mar­garita highly trusted by reason of the trial Philenia had made of him. But among all other subtile demeanours in Court, this one was most to be admired, that Arsadachus shoulde make signes of great deuotion toward Margarita and delu­ded her with most hatefull doublenesse; it was wonderfull to see him counterfet sighes, to faine loue, dissemble teares, to worke treasons, vow much, performe little; in briefe▪ vow [...] faith, and performe nothing but falshoode. Margarita (poore princesse) thinking all that golde which glistered; the [...] pretious, by reason of his faire foile; the water shallowe▪ [...] reason of his milde silence, trusted so long, vntil [...] perished in her trust, wholy ignorant that loue is like the sea-starre, which whatsoeuer it toucheth it burneth: for knowing the resolution of her father, the conclusion of the nobilitie, she beganne to straine her thoughts to the highest reach, f [...]ncying euery moti­on, wincke, [...]ecke, and action of the Cuscan Prince, in such sort as that (assisted by the vertuous, constant, and vnspot [...]d simplicitie of her nature) she seemed not to suspect whateuer she saw, nor to count it wrong, howsoeuer shee endured. A­mong all other the counsellers of this yoong and vntoward heire (about that time the flame of his follie long time smo­thered, beganne to smoake, besides his owne countriemen▪ which were Brasidas, Capan [...]us, and other) there liued a great Prince in the court of Protomachu [...] ▪ who delighted rather to flatter then counsell, to feede corruptions then purge them, who had Macheui [...] [...] in his [...] to giue instan [...], and mother Nana the Italia▪ [...] in his pocket to show his ar­tificall [Page] villanies. This Thebion being in high account with the Emperour for his ripe wit, was quickely entertained by this vngracious Prince for his cunning wickednesse; who where Arsadachus was prone by nature to doe ill, neuer cea­sed to minister him an occasion of doing ill. For, perceiuing one day how with ouer-lustful eies y ^e yong prince beheld Phi­lenia, egged him onward which had too sharp an edge, vsing old prouerbs to confirme his odious discourses and purposes: to be briefe, Arsadachus perceiuing Philenia and Margarita alwayes conuersant, resorted often to them, giuing the Em­perours daughter the hand for a fashion, whilest Arsinous darling had the heart for a fauour. And the better to cloke this corruption, be vsed Minecius with more then accustomed fa­miliarity, seeming to be very importunate in his behalfe with Philenia, where indeede he only sought opportunitie to disco­uer his owne loue. Whereuppon beeing one day desired by Minecius to worke a reconcilement betweene him and his mistresse, by reason he knew him to be both eloquent and lear­ned, bee taking the occasion at a certaine fest [...]all, whilest Minecius courted Margarita, to withdraw Philenia do a bay window in the castle, which ouerlooked the faire fieldes on e­uery side; where taking her by the hand he beganne thus:

Beautifull Philenia, if I knew you as secret as you are sage, I would discouer that to you in wordes, which I couer in my heart with sighes. If it bee loue, great prince, (saide Philenia little suspecting his treacherie) you may commend it to my eare, in that it is setled in this heart; as for silence, it is louers science, who are as curious to conceale, as cunning to conceiue: and as Hunters carrie the feather of an Egle a­gainst thunder, so louers beare the hearbe Therbis in their mouthes, which hath the vertue to stay the tongue from dis­course whilest it detaineth the heart with incredible pleasure. If it be so saide Arsadachus ▪ blushing very vehemently (for natures sparkes of h [...]pe were not as yet altogether rui [...]ted) I will holde Ladies weakenesse for worth, and disclose that secret which I thought to keep close. And what is that quoth Philenia? Loue saide Arsadachus, it is loue, and there hee paused▪ Loue, my Lord (quoth the Lady) why it is a passion [Page] full of pleasure, a god full of goodnes, and trust me, Marga­rita hath of late dayes stollen him from his mother at Pa­phos, to make him her play-fellow in Mosco, she prom [...]th his winges euerie day, and curleth his lockes euerie houre; if he crie, she stilles him vnder your name, if he be wanton, she charmes him, with thinking on you: since then she hath the sicknesse in her hand, that loueth you in her heart; complaine not of loue since you command it. Here Arsadachus vnable to endure the heate of affection, or conceale the humour that re­strained him, brake off hir discourse in this sorte: Ah Philenia, if I did not hope, that as the hard oake nourisheth the soft silke­worme; the sharpe beech bringeth forth the sauourie ches-nut, the blacke Bdellium sweete gumme; so beautiful lookes con­cealed pittifull hearts, I would furf [...]et in my sorrowes to the death, rather then satisfie thee in my discourse. But hoping of thy silence ( Philenia) I wil disclose my minde: I loue Phile­nia; faire Philenia, I loue thee; as for Margarita, though she cherish beauty in her bosome, thou inclosest him in thy beu­tie; she may haue his feathers, but thou his fancies, she may please him well, but thou onely appease him. You do speake Greeke Arsadachus (saide Philenia) I vnderstand you not. I will paraphrase on it then (quoth the Prince) to make it plainer (for now occasion had emboldned him.) I come not to pleade a reconcilement for Minecius, as you suppose, but re­morce for my selfe (sweete madam) on set purpose, for vpon you (faite madam) dependeth my life, in your handes consi­steth my libertie; your lookes may deifie my delights; your loures dare me with discontents. I pray thee therefore, deere Philenia, by those chaste eies (the earnest of my happines) by this faire haire (the minister of all fauours) take compassion of Arsadachus, who being a prince, may preferre thee, and an emperour, wil loue thee: as for Margarita, let Minecius and her accord them, for onely I will make thee empresse, and she may make Minecius Emperour. Philenia vnable to indure his diuelish and damned assaults, s [...]ang from him with this bitter and sharpe answere: Did not my promise locke vppe these lippes (thou iniurious Prince) thy doublenes shoulde be as well knowne in this Court as thy name; but since my [Page] promises haue made thee presumptuous, I will heereafter heare before I answere, and trie before I trust▪ Is this the faith thou bearest to Margarita? thy friendship thou vowest to Minecius, to falsifie thy faith to one, and delude the trust of the other▪ Hence, poisoned, because I abhorre thee; and if heereafter thou haunt me with these lewd and lecherous sa­lutes, trust me, the Emperour shall know thy treasons, and others shall bee reuenged on thee for thy treacheries. This saide, she thrust into the company of other Ladies, leauing him altogether confused: yet being made confident, by reason of her promise, he withdrew himselfe to his chamber, where tossing his licencious limmes on his soft bed, he fed on his de­sperate determina [...]on, till Thebion and Brasidas (the one a Cuscan, and the other a Moscouian, both of his dissolute coun­sell) entred his chamber: whe after they had sounded the cause of his sorrowes, and the manner of the disease, quickly mini­stred the methode of curing it; for the day of Minecius mar­riage being at hand, and the nuptiall feast ordained the Mon­day following: they seeing the grounded affection of the Prince, concluded this; by the death of Minecius to minister Arsadachus his remedie, the complot whereof they layde in this sort: that (where in Mosco it was accustomed, that such nobles as married yong heires in their fathers house, shoulde after the ioyning of hands conduct them to their owne castles, there to accomplish the festiualles;) Arsadachus and they his counsellers with the assistance of their followers should lie in wait in the woodes of Mesphos, by which Minecius and his bride should needly passe, where they might surprise Phile­nia, and murther Minecius

Arsadachus too toward in all tyranny, no sooner conceiued the manner, then consented to the murther: and hauing a sub­tile and preuenting wit (and being very carefull howe to ac­quit himselfe of the matter) he asked Thebion how he should answere Protomachus. Tut said he, feare not that, for in the enterprise you shall be disguised, and Brasidas here your true counseller shall onely take the matter on him, and flee into Cusco, where your credit can countenance him against all iu­stice: for your selfe, fashion your minde for these few dayes [Page] to please Margarita, to appease Philenia, to further Mineci­us; seeme likewise discontented with your former motions, so shall you rid suspect in them, and be more readie in your selfe to effect; seeme now to be more deuout to the gods then euer, for this opinion of deuotion is a great step to performe any waighty action: for where we offer much to the gods who are most pure, our actions are least suspected; and reuenge is better performed in the Temple where wee pray, then in the field where wee fight: for the offender in that place trusteth sufficiently to his forces, wherein the defender presumeth too much on his deuotion. Tut the king that nipt AEsculapius by the beard, gaue instance to those that follow to gripe the e­nemie by the heart. But (mightie prince) I must ende with &c. Arsadachus knowing the cloth by the list, the bill by the Irem, the steele by the marke, and the work by the words, with a smile commended that which was concluded; and thereup­on hasted to Court, where finding Margarita, Philenia, and Minecius in the priuie garden, he counterfeiting maruellous melancholie, hauing his coate sutable to his conceit, presented both the Ladies with this melancholie, which Minecius ouer­reading most highly commended.

Margarita ouerreading this sonet, supposed it to be some melancholie report of his prettie wanton discourses with her, whereupon she spake thus: Arsadachus were I the priest to confesse you, you should haue but small pennance; since in loue (as Philostratus saith) Cupid dispenseth with an oth, and words are good weapons to winne women, but if ei­ther of these haue defaulted in you, blush not, they shall be borne withal, for as the Mole hath foure feete and no eies; so a louer may be borne withall, for one maistaking among a many vertues: to be briefe as the Logicians say passion is no more but the effect of action, the one whereof I haue gathe­red in these lines, the other thou must shew in thy life: this said she ceased, and Philenia blushed. Minecius to cut off these mute melancholies of his mistresse gaue the dagger a new haft, turning ouer the leafe to a second discourse, mini­string Arsadachus by that meanes occasion to court Marga­rita, and himselfe opportunitie to pacifie Philenia, who by the carriage of her eie, shewed the discontent of her mind. In short words Arsadachus so behaued himselfe with his Mi­stresse, that neither Tiberius for his eie, neither Octauius for his affabilitie, neither Alexander for his scarre, nor Cicero for his mole, were so much commended, & noted, as the yong Cuscan was for his behauior. Lord how demurely would he loooke, when he thought most deuillishly? how could he fashi­on himselfe to haunt there, where he did most hate? to smooth [...]holer vnder colour of friendship? so that Margarita, laughed for ioy, to see his grauitie, Minecius admired to behold his [Page] demeanour; but Philenia mistrusted his double and sinister subtilties. In a word, as the day succeedeth the night, and the shutting vp of the euening, is followed by the serenitie of the morning, so time passed, so long, til the present day aproched, wherein the marriage was to be solemnised: whereon the emperor (the [...]ore to dignifie the nuptials) countenanced the marriage with his presence. Thither likewise resembled the flower of the nobilitie and Ladies; among whom Margari­ta was not least sumptuous, for on that day hir apparel was so admirable, hir cariage & behauior so execelent, that had the wisest Cato beheld her, he would haue in some parte dismis­sed his stoical seueritie: hir golden haires curled in rich knots, and enterlaced with rich bands of diamonds and rubies, see­med to s [...]aine Apollos golden bush; enuirond with hir wreath of chrisolites, her eies like pure carbuncles, seemed to smile on the roses of her cheekes, which consorted with the beau­tie of the lillie, made her beutie more excelent, her eies, briars like the net of Vulcan, polished out of refined threeds of sine ebonie, her alablaster neck was encompassed with a coller of orient perle, which seemed to smile on her teeth when she ope­ned her mouth, claiming of them some consanguinitie; her bodie was apparrelled in a faire loose garment of greene da­maske, cut vpon cloth of tissue, and in euerie cut, was incha­sed a most curious Iewell, wherein al the escapes of Iupiter, the wanton delights of Venus, and the amorous deceits of Cupid were cunningly wrought. Thus attired, she atten­ded the bride, being hir selfe waited on by a troupe of beauti­full dainsels that day. Arsadachus, though with little deuo­tion accompanied the Emperour, being that day clothed in red cloth of golde, betokening reuenge. It were a vaine mat­ter to reckon vp the order of the bridegroome, the maiestie of his fauorers, the maner of the lords and ladies, the sumptu­ousnes of the feasts and triumphs, the harmonie and musicke in the temples; sufficeth it, that by the consent of Arcinous, Philenia was betrothed to Minecius, who seeing the day welnigh spent, & the time conuenient to depart to his castell, (after he had with humble reuerence inuited the emperor, his daughter, with the other Princes the next day to his festiual, [Page] which he had prepared in his owne house) made all things in a readines, and departed, hauing receiued by the emperor and Arcinous, many rich rewards. Arsadachus seeing the long desired houre of his delights at hand, stole out of the courte in great secret to his lodging, where arming himselfe accord­ing as Thebion had giuen him instructions; and attended by Brasidas and other Cusca [...]s, his trustie followers, he present­ly posted vnto a groue, thorow which the new married couple should needly passe, where he priuily hid himselfe and his am­bush. By that time the bright and glorious light of heauen, abasing himselfe by degrees, reposed his sweatie steedes in the soft bosome of cleere looking Eurotas; and euening the fore-messenger of the night had haled some starres to illumi­nate the hemisphere, when as Minecius (in the top of al his felicities) accompanied with his faire Philenia and other folo­wers, without either suspect of treason or other trouble entred the wood, and through the secretnesse thereof, hied them to­ward their determined abode. But al the way Philenia took no comfort, dreadfully suspecting the subtile dealings of Ar­sinous; and oft she sighed, and often she dropt downe lillies on the roses of her face, or rather, such sweete teares wherewith the blushing morne enchaseth the soft Hyacinth. Minecius seeing her in these passions, perswaded her vnto patience: but euen as (according to the opinion of Aristotle) lions, beares, eagles, griffins, and al other birds and beasts whatsoeuer, are then more egre and cruel when they haue yong ones: so Phi­lenia hauing now a second care annexed to her owne safetie, (which was for her deere husband) could not cease to perplexe her selfe, and to feare for him. Long had they not trauelled, but they discouered the ambush, and the ambush assaulted them: among which Arsadachus greatly disguised, as he that enuied the fortunes of Minecius, tooke holde on the reines of Phileniaes palfrey, whilest Thebion, and Brasidas, with o­thers, with their naked swordes beganne to assault Minecius and his followers. He that hath seene the faul [...]on seizing his keene talents in the flesh of a sillie doue, and playing his sharp bill on her soft feathers, might haue thought on Arsadachus, who no sooner tooke holde on her, but pulling the maske from [Page] her face, enforced many violent kisses on her soft lips, whilest she exclaiming on the name of Minecius, and crying, help, re­pulsed the iniuries with her white hands, which were iniuri­ously offred to her delicate face. Minecius suspecting no more then was true, and vnable to endure further violence, deemed it greater honor to die in defence of his mistresse, then beholde the impeach of her credit, left his companions who fled, and with naked sword smote Arsadachus a mightie blowe on the helme, through which he staggered, and lost his hold-fast; then renewing his mistresse which was almost dead for feare, hee boldly spake thus to Arsadachus; Traitor, and coward, that in time of peace goest thus armed, and with vniust armes as­saultest naked knights, if any sparke of honor raigne in thee, giue me armes and weapons; if thou seek my life, take it from me with courage like a knight, not by treason like a coward; if my Loue, I pray thee take these eies from their sight, these handes from their sense, and this tongue from his speech: for whilest the one may see, the other fight, and the third threaten: thou shalt haue no part of that wherein my felicity is reposed; thus saying, he remounted Philenia: whilst he was thus oc­cupied, Arsadachus swelling with impatience after he had bin animated by his followers, replied thus: Soft (amorous sir) this is no meate for your mowing, you best were rather to fall to your prayers, then to vse prating, to beseech for life, then to seech loue: for assure thy selfe, there is no way with thee but death, nor no loue for Philenia but mine. This said, he gaue Minecius a mightie stroake on the head, so that the blood ouerflowed his costly attire, and he fell to the ground. Philenia halfe madde with melancholie, leapt from her pal­frey to comfort her paramour: and seeing the whole troope of assailants ready to charge her husband, and assured that Arsa­dachus was the chiefe of them, with such a piteous looke as Venus cast on bleeding Adonis shee behelde Minecius, and wiping his wounds with one hand, and touching the knees of Arsadachus with the other, she spake thus: Ah Cuscan prince though thy face is shadowed, I knowe thee by these follies, though thy raiments are changed, I iudge thee by thy rash­nesse, what seekest thou? if my fauour, it is already bequea­thed: [Page] if reuenge, how base is it against a woman? if Mine­cius life, how iniurious art thou to wrong him that loues thee as his life? Ah cruell as thou art (yet would thou wert not cruel) thou knowest Chrises teares could moue Achilles, the one proceeding from a seely maid, the other pitied by a prince­ly man: thou knowest that Alexander to Campaspe, Pom­pey to his prisouer, and other great conquerours haue rather shewed compassion then victorie; and wilt thou who art equall to all in power, be inferier to al in vertue? Ah wo is me poore Philenia that haue planted my affections there where they are watered with warme blood, and heape my compassion there where working teares haue no boote. I pray thee gra­cious prince, I pray thee be gracious: diuide not those by murther, whome the gods haue vnited by marriage: seperat not those soules by death whome the destinies haue appointed to liue. In speaking these words she beheld Minecius, who through the grieuousnesse of his wounds, fell in a swowne: wherevpon she casting off all care of life, and hope of comfort, closed her soft lippes to his, breathing the balme of her sighes into his breathlesse bodie, clapping his pale cheekes with her pretie hands, moisting his closed eies, with her christal teares, so that they who were the very authors of her sorow, gan sigh to see her ceremonies. Wilt thou hence (said she) Minecius? Oh stay for Philenia, let our soules post together to Elizium that on earth here may not enioy their happinesse; for nothing shall separate me from thee (my loue:) if thou do banish sight from thine eie, I will driue out blood from my heart: if thy beautie grow pale as [...]ying death, my cheekes shall pine as seeking death: if thou faint through feeblenesse of bodie, I will default through waightinesse of discontent: and since we may not liue together, we will die together. With this Mi­necius rowsed himselfe: and Arsadachus inflamed, replied; Philenia, there is no raunsome of thy husbands life, but thy loue, nor no meanes to pacifie me, but my pleasure of thee: speake therefore, and sound the sentence of my delight, or Mi­necius destruction: which said, he approched to kisse hir: whom Minecius though halfe dead beganne to rescue: and Philenia halfe bedlam enforced her selfe in these termes: Traitor di­sloyall [Page] and damned leacher, since neither teares, nor tearmes will satisfie thee, vse thy tyranny (for better were it for me to be buried with honor, then bedded with infamie) do therefore thy worst, thou hated of the gods, and despised among men, for no sooner shalt thou assaile my husband, but thou shalt slaie me: each drop of his blood shall be doubled by mine: and [...]s in life he should haue beene the shelter of mine honor, so e­uen in death wil I be the shield to defend him frō the assaults of his enemies: come therefore ye murtherers, in growing cruel to me, you wil proue pitiful: first take my life, that Mi­necius beholding my constancie, may die with more comfort. Thus cried she out with many teares; and Minecius disswa­ded her. But the time passing away, and Arsadachus fearing delaies, seeing all hope lost, grew to desperate furie, so that animating his followers, they set on Minecius, who valiant­ly defended himselfe. It was a world to see, how during the conflict Philenia bestirred her, letting no blow slip without the warde of her body, lying betweene the sword of the enemy for her husbands safetie, crying out on the heauens til she was wellnie hoarse with crying. At last Minecius lacking blood, Philenia breath, both of them entangled arme in arme, fell downe dead, leauing the memorie of their vertues to be eter­nized in all ages. Arsadachus seeing the tragedies perfour­med (not without some sighs which compassion extorted from him, as strokes do fire out of hard flint: he presently sent Bra­sidas away, as it was concluded (attended by those Cuscans that followed him in the enterprise) and hee with Thebio [...] speedily posted to their lodging, both vndiscouered and vnsus­pected.

By this, such as attended Minecius to his castle had with speedy flight entred the court of Arsinous; who certified of his daughters danger, aduised the emperour, and presently with certaine armed souldiers, posted on to the rescouse: meane while Protomachus made search through al the court for such as were absent; and they that were appointed to the action entring Arsadachus chamber, found him in his foxe sleepe: where-through the emperour being aduertised, gan little sus­pect him: in like sor [...] found they Thebion, only Brasidas was [Page] missing. In the meane while Arsinous hauing attained the place of the conflict, found both the murthered bodies swelte­red in their blouds: whereupon falling from his horse in great furie, he thus exclaimed on fortune. Oh fortune, wel art thou called, the enemie of vertue, since thou neither fauourest such as deserue wel, nor destroyest those that performe ill▪ for hadst thou not beene partiall, my daughters chastitie had preuented her death, and her murtherers crueltie had beene their owne confusion: woe is me that haue lost my floure in the bud, my hope in the eare, and my haruest in the blossome. Ah my deere Philenia, deare wert thou to me, that bought thee with much care, and haue lost thee with more: deere wert thou vnto me, who hast cost me many broken sleepes to bring thee vp, many carefull thoughts to bestow thee, more fatherly teares to pre­uent thy ouerthrow, and now hauing reared the fortresse of my delights, the tempest of iniurious fortune hath destroyed it: wo is me that am carefull to publish my paines, and negligent to seeke remedy; fond am I to defie fortune from whom I can­not flie: ah Arsinous weepe not her that may not be recal­led with teares, but seeke to reuenge her; shew thy selfe ra­ther fatherly in act, then effeminate in teares? Which said, he gouerned himselfe, causing the dead bodies honorably to be couered and conueied with him to his castle, where within a temple erected to chastitie, hee reared a faire tombe of white marble, wherein with the generall teares of the emperour and his whole court, these two faithful louers were entombed, and ouer their graues thus written:

This register of his loue did Arsinous with many teares write [...]pon the toobme of his deceased sonne in law & daugh­ter, who had no sooner furnished the funeralles, but Phidias a page of Philenias, who during the mortall debate, & blou­dy massacre, had hid himself in a thicket, and ouerheard the whole discourse of Arsadachus, repaired to the court, who calling Arsinous aside, with pitious teares discoursed vnto him the whole tragedy in such ruthfull manner, as that it was hard to say, whether the lad in bewraying it, or the father in hearing it, were more compassionate. The old man certified the truth, though scarce able, yet smothered his griefes, till o­portunitie offered, suffering the emperour (like a wise man) to follow his owne course, who the next morning assembling his nobilitie, forgot not Arsadachus, who making semblance to haue but new inteligence of the murther of Minecius & his loue, repaired to the Court in mourning apparrell and being present when the matter was debated, seemed to weepe bit­terlie, crying out on the emperour for Iustice, exclaiming on the iniquitie of time, the crueltie of men, and tyrany of loue. Protomachus was not a little pleased herewith, neither was Margarita aggreeued to heare it, but Arsinous boyled in choler to see it: at last it was found out, by a scarfe which Bra­sidas had let fall (and was after taken vp by one of those who fled) that he was at the murther, whereupon his absence was sufficient to conuic [...] him, and Arsadachus called forth to an­swere for him in that he was his attendant, spake thus: No­ble emperor, the gods that haue placed thee in thy kingdome, shal beare me witnes, how I grieue this accident, & willingly would reuenge it, and since my follower to my defame, hath (as it is supposed) bin a principall, vouchsafe me noble empe­rour [Page] licence for a time to depart to Cusco, where I will both discharge my choller, purge my griefe, and be so reuenged of Brasidas (who as I heare is fled, and by the token is guilty) as all the world shall ring of the iustice, and ridde me of suspi­tion. The emperour not hearing one that dared say his let­ters should suffice, endeuouring himselfe to seeke the confede­rates; and because by his lookes he perceiued some discontents in Arsadachus, he sought al the means he could to please him, and remembring himselfe (that those good deeds which are done to our self beloued, are esteemed as to our selfe) he high­ly promoted Thebion, thinking thereby to winne the heart of Arsadachus, so that he pretermitted no consultations, where Thebion was not chiefe, neither bestowed benefits, wherein he had no part. The yong prince measuring al this according to the corrption of his nature, supposed these fauors were but to sound him, and that Thebion being wonne by benefits, would easily consent to bewray him, whereupon he conceiued a deadly hate against him, and perseuered it so long till he ef­fected it in this maner to his death: For knowing that Mar­garita deerely loued him, ayming all her fashions to his fan­cies, hir behauiours, to his humors, he began anew to cloake with her, shewing her [...]o vndoubted signes of assured affecti­on, that she seemed in a paradise of pleasure, to see his pliant­nes, and hauing with sweete words, trained her to his lewer, he attended such an occasion, as that he found her alone wal­king in the priuie garden in her meditations, (for those that loue much, meditate oft) where nying her with a courtly sa­lute; he thus found her affection: Faire Princesse, if either my vnfained loue haue any force, or your vertuous nature true compassion, I hope both my sorrowes shal be pittied, and my discontents succored. Why what aggreeueth my deere Lord said Margarita? (and heartily she sighed in saying so) is ei­ther our court vnpleasant, our entertainement vnworthie, our ladies vnapt to worke your delights▪ beleeue me good prince, if Mosco cannot suffice to please you, Europe and the worlde shall be sought to satisfie you. Kinde words good madam, said Arsadachus, act and silence must content me, which if you will vnder the faith of a noble and famous princesse pro­mise [Page] me, I shall be heades man, to pray for your happinesse, and rest yours vnfained in all seruice and loyaltie. Margarita hauing gotten such an oportunitie to please him both vowed and reuowed all secrecie, swearing although it were with the hasard of hir life to do whatsoeuer him best liked, and conceale whatso it please him to discouer, so great is the simplicitie of women, who are soone led where they most like. Arsadachus finding the iron hot, thought good to strike; the fruit ripe, be­gan to gather, the floure springing, ceased not to water: and thus began to worke her. True it is madam, that where loue hath supremacie, all other affections attend on it, so that nei­ther the eie beholdeth, neither the sent smelleth, nor the eare heareth, neither the tongue speaketh any thing, but is to the honour of the best beloued: this finde I true in my selfe, who since I surrendred you the sort of my fancie, finde my de­lights metamorphosed into yours, ye so much am I tied vn­to you, as that danger which either attempteth or toucheth you, or any of yours, wholly attainteth me. The proofe wher­of you may perceiue in this, that hauing heard through my intire acquaintance with Thebion, a certaine resolued deter­mination in him, to make your father away, by reason of his familiar accesse to his maiestie euerie morning, I could not choose but discouer his drift vnto you sweete Princesse, whose dangers must needely second your fathers subuersion. The­bion said Margarita, alas my lord what reason should moue him hereunto, since no one is more fauoured by my father then he [...] can fauour possibly be requited with such falshood? Doubt you it said Arsadachus ▪ why madam where is greater treason, then there where is least mistrust? vnder the cleare Christ all lurketh the mortall worme, vnder the greene leafe the greedie serpent, and in fairest bosomes are falcest hearts. Thinke not that liberallitie hath any power in depraued minds, for whereas the thoughts hant after emperie, hem [...] are each supposes, faith dieth, truth is exiled nulla fides reg­ni, if you haue read histories, you shall finde that they soonest haue supplanted their Princes, who haue bin least suspected, as may appeare by Giges, and other: cast therefore hence (my deare ladie) all thought of excuse, and bethinke you of preuen­tion; [Page] for it is greater wisedome, to see and preuent, then to heare and neglect. Thebion hath conspired and doth conspire, resoluing with himselfe to vsurp the empire, murther Proto­machus, banish you; all which I haue learned of him, dissem­bling my affections towards you, and soothing him in his cor­ruptions; yea so farre haue I brought him, and so neere haue I wrought it, that I can assure you to morrow morning is the last of your fathers life, vnlesse you preuent it. Alas my lord (said Margarita weeping) how may this be? Thus my sweete loue and thus it is concluded (quoth Arsadachus) you know he hath euerie morning of late priuate accesse vnto your fathers chamber, where being alone with him and the vnsus­pected emperour in his bed, he hath resolued with his dagger to stabbe him to the heart; which secret, since the gods haue opened vnto me, I think good to discouer vnto thee (my deere heart) the meanes to preuent (which shall the more easily be performed if thus you worke it) no sooner let the day appeare, but in the morning betimes enter you your fathers chamber, where after you haue saluted him, you may seeme to vtter this; that in a dreame this night you were mightily troubled about his Maiestie, and so troubled, that you thought The­bion entring his chamber with a hidden poiniard stabbed him to the heart. But what needes these circumlocutions or de­laies quoth Margarita if the treason be so manifest? My lord, if it please you I will discouer it presently and plainely. The gods forbid (said Arsadachus) that my desires should be so hindered, for (my noble princesse) the delay I seeke, and the order I prescribe you, is rather to ground your fathers affec­tion towards me, and get the credite of this seruice then other­wise; yea the loue I beare thee sweete Ladie; (with that hee sighed and sealed it with a kisse) for hauing by this meanes wonne fauour, both our fortunes shall be bettered, our marri­age hasted, and our fames magnified.

Margarita (poore princesse) supposing all that golde that glistered, yeelded easie consent; whereupon after many amo­rous promises, the yong prince tooke his leaue, willing her to be carefull in the morning, and to leaue the rest of the affaires to his faithfulnesse, and thus they parted.

[Page]But marke the nature of malice (which as the poet descri­beth is sleepelesse, restlesse and in satiate) for Arsadachus being departed from Margarita, and earnestly bent on his reuenge, sought out Thasilides the page of Thebion, whom he so cun­ningly wrought with othes, gifts, and gold, that he made him both promise and practise the meanes to put a certaine scedule into the pocket of his masters gowne which he vsually ware, the which he himselfe had wrote, and wherein he behaued him selfe with such art, as that he had not only counterfeted The­bions hand, but also the names of al such as either he thought his fauorites, or else likely to thwart his proceedings in court (among which hee forgote not Ctesides a graue counseller of the emperors, who the day before was very earnest with Pro­tomacus to marry his daughter, shewing him euident reasons of Arsadachus counterfeiting. All these things falling out according to his own deuise and fantasie, he sought out The­bion that night, whom he vsed with the greatest familiaritie that might be: and to insinuate the more into his fauour, hee bestowed on him a poiniard, whose pummel was a bright car­buncle, the haft vnicorns horne, a iewell which Thebion had long time greatly desired, praying him of all loues to weare it for his sake; and since he was in such estimation to continue him in the good grace of the Emperour. Thebion made proud to be intreated and presented by so high a prince, promi­sed both to weare his gift, and to winne him fauour. Where­vpon since the night was farre spent Arsadachus repaired to his lodging, Thebion to his rest. But vaine is the hope that dependeth on the next day, and those worldly honours that doe wait on this life; for the one is preuented oftentimes by iniu­rious fortune, the other altered by our ouerweening mistrust­ing words, actions, and desires, and shall manifestly appeare in the sequell of this historie. For no sooner gan bright day to chase away blacke darkenesse, and the stooping stares doe ho­mage to the rising sunne, but Margarita arose, apparelling herselfe freshly like Maie, in a gowne of greene sendall, em­brodered with all kind of floures in their natiue colours, and remembring her selfe of the affaire she had in hand; she vnder the conduct of loue (who is both a cunning dissembler and nice [Page] flatterer) hasted to her fathers chamber, and humbly admitted to the presence of the emperour by the groomes that attended him, (with a trembling hand, and a bashfull c [...]untenaunce: spreading the mute oratorie of her teares, vppon her blushing cheekes) she awoke him. Protomachus amased to see his daughters sodaine accesse, and sad countenance, began thus: How now my deere Margarita, what, hath loue awaked you this morning, threatning you with some apparant sorrow to make your after-good in deede more sauourie? why hangeth your countenance? why tremble your limmes? what moueth this your amasednes? sweete maiden tell thy father. Ah my Lord (said Margarita) it is loue indeede that disturbes mee, but not that loue that is painted with feathers, wanton looks, that loue that whispereth affections in ladies eares, and whet­teth womens wittes, making the eie traitor to the heart, and the heart betrothed to the eie; but that loue which was ingen­dred by nature, ordained by the heauens, attired by reuerence and duetie, and tired with nothing but death, that loue (and so speaking she wept) hath awaked me, to forewarne you. Protomachus somewhat vrged by these teares, rowzed him­selfe on his pillow, and began more intentiuely to listen, ask­ing her what had hapnes? Ah deare father, said she, this night that is past I was greatly troubled with a grieuous dreame; me thought I saw Thebion, a man in high authoritie in your court, attended by many insolent rebels, who violently brake open your maiesties priuie chamber, murthered you in your bed, and dispossest me of my heritage, me thought euen then you cried vnto me; ah Margarita help me! and I with out­cries calling for rescouse, Arsadachus came in hastily, who with his sword berest Thebion of life, and me of feare: And so you waked and found all false (quoth the emperour) Tut, doate not on dreames, they are but fancies: and since I see (swe [...]te daughter) that you are so troubled by night, I will shortly find out a yong prince to watch you, who shall driue a­way these night-sprights by his prowesse. Thus spake Pro­tomachus smiling, yet smothered he suspect in his heart: for such as haue much, suspect much.

No sooner were these discourses finished, but Arsadachus [Page] knowing how to take his time, hastily approched the Empe­rors chamber, where intimating some occasion of high import, he required to speake with Protomachus, and was presently let in. The Emperour conceiuing new suspitions vpon this second assault, beganne to misdeeme: and seeing Arsadachus with gastly lookes entring the chamber, was ready to speake vnto him when as the yong Cuscan preuented him, saying: The gods be blessed (noble Emperor) that haue by their fore­sight rid me of feare, and rest you of danger; for sore haue I feared lest your maiestie should haue perished before you had beene aduertised: Alas, why in such dangers are you vnatten­ded vpon, when the foe is at the doore? why is not the guard in a readinesse? Ah royall Moscouite rowze thee and arise, and honour the sequele of the greatest treason that euer was con­triued. Why what tidings bringeth Arsadachus said Proto­machus? Thus mighty prince (said he) yesternight very late when I entred Thebions chamber vnawares, I found his page (his master being absent) laying certaine waste papers out of his pocket vpon his table, perusing which, (as I was accustomed) by reason of the neere familiarity betweene vs, I found one among the rest where (alas that subiects should be so seditious) there was a conspiracy signed by Thebion, Cte­sides, and others (whose names I remember not) to make your mightinesse away, and Thebion to enioy the crowne: the maner to execute their stratageme, was when you least suspe­cted, this morning; at which time Thebion by reason of his neere familiaritie and accesse to you, should enter your cham­ber and murther you. This paper when I had ouer-read, I laide aside, making semblance of no suspition, resoluing this morning early to signifie the whole vnto your maiestie, whose life is my libertie, whose happines is my honour, whose death were my vtter ruine and detriment. Thebion a traitor quoth Protomachus; are my fauours then so smally regarded? is my curtesie rewarded with such cursednesse? Well Arsada­chus (said he) happy art thou in bewraying it, and vnfortunate he and his confederates in attempting it, for they all shal die.

This saide, he presently attired himselfe, laying certaine of his trustiest gentlemen in guard behinde the tapistrie of his [Page] priuy closet, expecting the houre of a most cruell reuenge: when as sodainely Thebion knocked at the doore, and was presently admitted, who had scarcely said, God saue the em­perour, but euen in the bending of his knees, hee was thrust through by Arsadachus, and the other of the guard hearing the broile, came and mangled him in peeces, casting the resi­due to the Emperours lions according as hee had appointed. Protomachus grudging at the sodaine death of Thebion, be­gan to chide Arsadachus for his haste, saying, that it was in­conuenient for a subiect to be punished before hee were conuic­ted. Conuicted (said Arsadachus? why doth your grace sus­pect his guiltinesse? Beholde saide hee (drawing out the poinyard which Thebion had at his back) the instrumēt that should haue slaine you, see (saide hee) taking the schedule out of his pocket the confederacie to betray you; and should such a wretch liue then to iustifie? No (mightie Emperour) my soule abhorres it; the care I haue of you will not suffer it; the loue I beare Margarita will not indure it. The Emperour ouer-reading the writing, and seeing the poinyard, gaue cre­dible beleefe, and with teares of ioy imbracing Arsadachus he said thus: Ah my sonne, the gods haue blessed vs in sending vs such a friend, who hath saued mee from imminent danger, and will make me fortunate by marriage, hold take thee (said he) my Margarita, and with her, enioy my empire; and more, take thou my loue, which is so rooted in me toward thee, that death may not vntwine it. Arsadachus thanked the Empe­rour for this fauour, and recomforted Margarita with sweete words, being almost dead to see the stratageme passed. Meane while the Emperour gaue present direction to hang all the o­ther conspirators, and put them to other tortures, who pre­sently without knowing why, or licence to answere, were ty­rannously executed; so great is the tyranny of princes which are subiect to light beliefe, and led by subtil suggestions.

The rumour of this accident spread through the Court, moued sundry imaginations in mens minds, some praised Ar­sadachus, some suspected the practise, all feared; for whereas iustice sleepeth being ouerborne with tyranny, the most secure haue cause to feare; among the rest Arsinous wept bitterly, [Page] knowing in himselfe the vertue of Ctesides, and remembring him of the murther of his deere Philenia, hee could not cease but welme bedlam to crie out on the heauens, whose tragedie we must now prosecute, and leaue Arsadachus and his Mar­garita to their mery conceits and discourses.

Protomachus after that this late treason had beene disco­uered, beganne to be more warie, to keepe greater guard, and to vse Arsinous and the rest of the nobilitie with lesse familia­ritie, who good old man, hauing before time beene shrewdly hurt, tooke this vnkindenesse to the heart (for where greatest loue is, there vnkindenesse is most grieuous) for that cause al­most desperate he sought out the emperour, and finding op­portunitie, he humbling him on his knees beganne thus: As Traiane (dread Monarch) was commended in Rome for bearing poore mens complaints, so art thou condemned in Mosco for shutting thy gates against all kind of sutors, so as (nowadayes) thou hearest by others eares, workest by others hands, and speakest by others mouthes, where-through iu­stice is made a nose of waxe warmed, and wrought according to all mens pleasures, and the poore are left to complaine: the which the gods (if thou repent not) wil shortly punish in thee. Beleeue me (good Emperour) such as shut their gates a­gainst their subiects, cause them not to open their hearts wil­lingly to obey them; and they that norish feare in their bosoms without cause, make themselues guilty of some crime by their suspect. Wh [...]refore sliest thou the sight of those that loue thee? shutting thy eares lest thou heare those complaints that haue already deaffed the heauens for equitie. O prince, looke abroad, it behooueth thee; doe iustice, for it becommeth thee, and heare olde Arsinous a haplesse father; father doe I say, being thus robbed of my children? nay a desolate caitife, and doe me right. That iustice becommeth thee, marke these rea­sons: Homer desirous to exalt it, could not say more, but to call kings the children of the God▪ Iupiter, and not for the na­turalitie they haue, but for the office of iustice which they mi­nister. Plato saieth, that the chiefest gift that the gods haue bestowed on man is iustice; that therefore thou may seeme [...]ightly descended of the gods, vouchsafe me audience, and to [Page] the end thou may boast thy selfe to enioy the least gift of the gods, su [...]cour me. Thou knowest my Philenia is [...]laine, but by whose hands thou knowest not; thou hearest Minecius is murthered, but by whom thou enquirest not, thou hast rubbed the gall, but not recured the wounde; thou hast tempered the medicine, but hast not ministred it: yea thou hast refreshed the memorie of my gri [...]fes very often, but remedied them neuer. Three moneths are past, since thou hast made inquirie of my daughters death, and she that I nourished vp twentie yeares and better, is forgotten of all, but her olde father, lamented of none, but Arsinous: and can be reuenged by none but Proto­machus. O Emperour I heare their discontented griefe cry­ing out in mine eares, and appealing to thee by my tongue for iustice, me thinkes bloudlesse Minecius standeth by thy throne vpbraiding thee of his seruices, and conuicting thee of ingratitude. Philenia crieth iustice Protomachus, iustice, not against Brasidas, who was but agent, but against Arsa­dachus the principall, that wretched Arsadachus, who in her life time assaied to moue her to lust, and wrought her death, in that she would not consent to his lust, against Arsadachus the viper nourished in your bosome, to poison your owne proge­nie, the locust▪ dallied in Margaritaes lap, to depriue her of life. Ah, banish such a bewitched race of the Cuscans, I meane not out of your kingdome, but out of life; for he deser­ueth not to beholde the heauens, that conspireth against the gods, root out that bloodthirsty yongman, root out that mur­therer, roote out that monster, from the face of nature, that the poore deceased ghostes may be appeased, and their poore father pacified. Shew thy selfe a prince now Protomachus; the surgeon is knowen, not in curing a greene wound, but in healing a grieuous fistula; the warriour is knowne, not by conquering alittle village, but a great monarchie, and a prince is perceiued in preuenting a capitall pestilence, not a priuate preiudice. That I accuse not Arsadachus wrongfully, be­hold my witnesses: which saide, he brought out Phileniaes page, who confidently and constantly auowed all he had told his master in the presence of the emperour: wherefore (noble monarch) haue compassion of me, and by punishing this tra­gicke [Page] tyranny make way to thine owne eternitie.

Protomachus hearing this accusation was sorely moued, now thinking all trueth which Arsinous had said by reason of that vertue he had approued in him in times past, now deem­ing it false, in that Arsadachus (as he supposed) had lately and so luckily preserued him from death. For which cause, calling the yong prince vnto him, he vrged him with the mur­ther before the old man, and the yoong ladde his accuser, who shooke off al their obiections with such constancie, that it was to be wondered: what saith he Protomachus, am I, who haue lately manifested my zeale in sauing your life made subiect to the detraction of an old doting imagination with his pratling minister, I hope your Maiestie (saith he) measureth not my credit so barely, nor wil ouerslip this iniurie so slightly, since you know, that when the murder was done I was in my bed, when the tragedie was published, I was the first that prose­cuted the reuenge; and more, the friendship twixt Minecius and me should acquit me of this suspition. But it may be, that this is some set match of Thebions confederates that seeke my death, which if it shall be heere countenaunced, I will returne to Cusco, where I dare assure my selfe against al such subtilties. This said, Arsadachus angerly departed: for which cause, Protomachus fearing his speedy flight, sent Margarita to pacifie him; and causing the tongue of the guilt­lesse lad to be cut out, and his eies to be prickt out with nee­dles, both which were guiltie (as he said) the one of preten­ded seeing, the other of lewd vttering. He banished the olde Duke of Uolgradia, who for all his faithfull seruices, had this lamentable recompence, and remoued himself, his court, and daughter to Mosco, where wee will leaue him a while.

Arsinous thus banished from the Court, after he had fur­nished himselfe of necessaries conuenient for his iourney, tra­uelled many a weary walke towards the desarts of Ruscia, crying out and exclaiming on the heauens for iustice; his hoa­rie lockes and bushy beard he carelesly suffered to grow (like to those Moscoes who are in disgrace with their emperors) seeming rather [...] sauage man than a ciuile magistrate (as in time past he had beene.) Long had hee not trauelled among [Page] many barren rockes and desolate mountaines, but at last hee arriued in a sollitarie Groue encompassed with huge hilles, from the toppes whereof, through the continuall frosts that fell, a huge riuer descended, which circling about a rocke of white marble, made it (as it were) an Island, but that to the northward there was a pretie passage of twelue foote broade, deckt with ranks of trees, which gaue a solitary accesse to the melancholie mansion; mansion I call it, for in the huge rocke was there cut out a square and curious chamber, with fine loopes to yeeld light, hewen thereout (as might be supposed) by some discontented wood-god wedded to wretchednesse. Here Arsinous seated himselfe, resoluing to spend the residue of his dayes in studies, praying to the gods continually for re­uenge, and to the end (if happily any shoulde passe that way) that his deepe sorrow might be discouered, he with a punchion of steele in a table of white Alablaster engraued this ouer the entrance of his caue.

In this solitarie and vncouth receptacle, Arsinous liued, turning of his steede, to shift for foode amid the forest, and as­sending euerie day to the height of the rocke, hee shed manie salte teares before the Image of Minecius and Philenia, whose pictures he had brought with him from his castell, and erected there: and after his deuotions to the gods for reuenge, and to the ghosts to manifest his grief, he accustomed himself to walke in that desolate coppesse of wood, where sighing, he recounted the vnkindnes of his prince, the wretchednes of his thoughts and life, melting away in such melancholie, as the trees were amased to beholde it, and the rockes wept their springs to heare it, as the Poet saith, on a desolate and leaue­lesse oake he wrote this:

In these melancholies leaue we the desolate duke of Uol­gradia, [Page] till occasion be ministred to remember him, and return we to Margarita and her louer. Arsadachus resi [...]t nowe in Mosco ▪ whom Protomachus by reason of the forepassed tra­gedies, thought to refresh with some pleasant triumphs: for which cause he proclaimed a iusts throughout all the empire, assembling al the Dukes, Lords, and gouernours of his pro­uinces, to dignifie the open court he meant to keepe. Thither also repaired all the faire ladies of Moscouia; among the rest Margarita as one of most reckoning, made not the least ex­pence, for whatsoeuer, either to dignifie hir person, or to set out her beautie, or to present her beloued, could either be bought from India, trafficked in Europe or marchanded in Asia, was sought out, and especially against the day of the tilt, and tur­ny, at which time, like a second Diana, hauing her goldilocks tied vp with loose chaines of gold, and Diamondes, her bodie apparreled in cloth of siluer, (ouer which she had cast a vaile of blacke and golden tinsell, through which her beautie appeared as doth the bright Phoebus in a summers morning: leauing our Hemisphere our faire Hecate, chasing away balefull darkenesse with her bright beames) shee was mounted on a high arch of triumph couered with cloth of golde: neare vnto her sate her olde father in his soueraigne maiestie; about her a hundreth damselles in white cloth of tissue, ouer-cast with a vaile of purple and greene silke loosly woue [...], carrying gold and siluer censors in their hands, from whence issued most pleasant odours, such as in the pride of the yeare breath along the coast of Arabia Foelix or drops from the balmie trees of the East.

Thus seated, the Challengers with their seuerall deuises entred the tilt-yard, each striuing to exceede other in expence and excellence; whose trumpets cleered the aire with their me­lodie. After these the Defendants entred; among whom Ar­sadachus was chiefe, whose pump in that, exceeded al others I haue seene, and the other are ordinarily matched in our Courts of christendome, I will set downe vnto you. First, before the triumph entred the tilt-yard, there was a whole vo­lie of a hundred cannons shot off; the noise whereof somewhat appeased [...] hundred knights hauing their horse, armes, crests, [Page] fethers, and each part of them couered with greene cloth of golde, with lances of siluer, tr [...]tted about the yard, making their steedes keepe footing, according to the melodious sound of an orbe, which by cunning of man, and wonderfull art was brought into the presence of the prince, which whilst it conti­nually turned, presented all the shapes of the twelue signes, dauncing as it were to the harmonie, which the inclosed mu­sicke presented them. After these marched a hundred pages apparelled in white cloth of siluer with crownets of siluer on their heads, leading each of them in their right hands, a braue courser trapped in a caparison purple and gold; in their left, a scutchion with the image of the princesse in the same. After these Arsadachus in his triumphant chariot drawen by foure white unicornes entred the tilt-yard, vnder his seate the image of fortune, which he seemed to spurne, with this posie, Quid haec? on his right hand enuy, whom he frowned on by hir this posie, Nec haec; on his left hand the portraiture of Cupid, by whome was written this posie, Si hic; ouer his head the pic­ture of Margarita with this mot, Sola haec. These armes were of beaten golde far more curious then those that Thetis gaue hir Achilles before Troy or Meriones bestowed on V­lysses when he assaulted Rhesus, being full of flames and half moones of saphires, chrisolites, and diamonds. In his helme he bare his mistresse fauour, which was a sleeue of salaman­ders skinne richly perfumed, and set with rubies. In this sort he presented him before the Emperour and his daughter, who was not alittle tickled with delight to behold the excel­lencie of his triumph. The trumpets were sounded, and the Iudges seated, Arsadachus mounted himselfe on a second Eucephalus, and taking a strong lance ouerbore Stilconos the earle of Garania, breaking his arme in the fall; in the second encounter he ouerthrew Asaphus of Tamir [...]e horse and man, neither ceased hee till [...]. of the brauest men at armes were vnhorsed by his hardinesse. All this while with blushes and sweete smiles Margarita fa [...]ored euery incountery, seeming with the egernesse of eie to breake euery push of the lance that leuelled [...] Arsadachus. His races being at end, Plicotus of Mac [...]ra [...] entred the [...], who [...] himselfe like a braue [Page] prince, conquering as much with the sword, as the other with the lance: in this sort, this day, the next, and that which follo­wed were ouerpast, wherein Arsadach, made euident proofes of great hope: so that Protomachus at the last cried out to his other princes; See ye Moscouites the hope of the empire, whose endings if they prooue answerable to his beginnings, Europe may perhappes wonder, but neuer equall.

The third day being ended, and the honours bestowed on them that best deserued them: the emperour in the chiefest of the festiuall caused the tables to be remoued, and the musicke to be called for; thinking by his meanes to giue loue more fuell, in hope it should burne more brighter: whereuppon the princes betooke them to daunce; and Arsadachus as chiefe, led Margarita the measures. And after the first pawse began thus with her; Princesse said he, by what means might loue be discouered if speech were not: By the eies (my lord said she) which are the keys of desire, which both open the way for loue to enter, and locke him vp when he is let in. Howe [...] then (said he) that Cupid among the poets is fained blinde? In that (my lord quoth she) he was maskt to poets memo­rie; and you know that falcons against they flie, are hooded, to make them more fierce and clearer sighted, and so perhaps was loue, which was blindfold at first (in the opinion of Po­ets) who neuer could see him rightly vntill they felt his eie in their hearts. Why sticketh he his eie in their hearts? I had thought (madam) it had beene his arrow said Arsadachus. Why his eies are his arrowes, quoth the princesse, (or I mi­stake his shooting;) for the last time he leuelled at mee he hi [...] me with a looke. I beshrew him (saide the Prince) and then sounded the next measure, when Arsadachus continued his discourse in this manner: Madam, if loue wound by the eie, how healeth he? By the eie (my lord said she) hauing the ma­pertie of Achill [...]s sword to quell and recure. Then gracious lady quoth the prince, since loue hath wounded mee by your lookes, let them recouer mee, otherwise shall I blame both loues crueltie, and your iudgement. Margarita replied thus: Great prince, if mine eies haue procured your offence, I will plucke them out for their follie; and if loue haue shot them for [Page] his shafts I besh [...]ew him, for the [...] time they look [...] on you, they left my heart in you. In [...] Arsadachus? Yea in you my lord quoth Margarita. Can you then liue heartlesse (said the prince?) Yea since hopelesse replied shee. This saide, the musicke cut off their merry talke, and the so­daine disease of the Emperour brake vp the pastimes. Wher­vpon euery prince and peere, lord and knight, taking leaue of their mistresses, betooke them to their rest. Onely Marga­rita, in whose bosome loue sate enthroned, in whose heart af­fections kept their watch being laide in her bed, fared like Or­lando sleeping in that bed his Angelica had lien with Me­dor, each feather was a fur bush; now turned she, now tos­sed she, now groueling on her face, now bolt vpright, hamme­ring ten thousand fancies in her head; at last, breaking out into a bitter sigh she beganne thus: Alas vnkind loue, that season­est thy delights with delaies. Why giuest thou not poore la­dies as great patience to endure, as penance in their durance? why are not thy affections like the figges of India, which are both grafted and greene of themselues, and no sooner sprung to a blossome, but spread in the bud? Why giuest thou Time swift wings to beginne thee, and so long and slowe ere hee seaze thee? I bes [...]ech thee loue, [...] how she sighed when shee besought him pl [...]ine thou the wings of Time, lest he punish me, for thy delay is so great that my disease is vnsufferable: a­las poore wretch that I am why prate I to loue? or pray I for reliefe, being assured that the beginning of loues know­ledge is the ending of humane reason, loue is a passion that may not be expressed, conceiued beyond conceit, and extingui­shed beside custome; stay thy minde therefore foolish Marga­rita, for it beganne first in thee beyond expectation, and must end in thee beyond hope: for, as there are no reasons but na­ture to prooue why the swanne hateth the sparrow, the eagle the Trochilus, the asse the bee, and the serpent the hogge; so likewise in loue there can no cause but nature be alleadged ei­ther of his sodaine flourish or vehement fall, his speedie wax­ing and slow waining: Temper thy selfe therefore, though loue tempt thee, and waies thine oportunitie: for the wanton if you fawne on him, will flie you; and setting light by him, [Page] will leape vppon you. Fond that I am, why talke I thus idlely, seeming with the prating souldiour to discourse of the for [...]resse I haue neuer conquered, and of the fancies I shall neuer compasse? Why doth not Arsadachus smile on mee? as who knoweth not that the aspis tickleth when she pricketh; and poisons that are delightfull in the swallow, are deadly in the stomach: why hath be not courted me these fiue moneths: fond that I am, the more neare am I to my fall; for as the philosopher faith, men are like to the poison of scorpions, for as the sting of the one killeth in three dayes, so the pride and crueltie of the other quelleth a kinde heart in lesse then a mo­ment. Woe is me, I had rather neede Philoxenus to cure me of loue by his laies, then Anippus to continue loue in me: better were it for me to heare Tripander play then Arsada­chus preach.

(In these thoughts and this speech loue sealed vp her eies till on the morrow; but what she dreamed I leaue that to you Ladies to decide, who hauing dallied with loue, haue likewise beene acquainted with his dreames.) On the morrow, the day being farre spent, and the court replenished with attendants, Margarita arose, and scarcely was shee attired, but that a messenger came vnto her in the behalfe of the earle Asaphus. beseeching her presence to grace his feast that day, for that he had entertained and inuited Arsadachus and the best princes and ladies in Court, by the Emperours consent, to make a merry festiuall; whereunto Margarita quickly condescended, and thought euery houre two till noonetide; at which time cor­dially attended, she repaired to Asaphus house, where were assembled, of princes, Arsadachus, Plicotus, and S [...]lconos; of ladies, beside her selfe, Calandra, Ephania, and Gerenia: all these Asaphus entertained heartily, placing them accord­ing to their degrees, and feasted them with as great pompe and pleasure as he could imagine.

But when he perceiued their appetites quelled with de­lights, their eares cloyed with musicke, and their eies filled with beholding, he being a Prince of high spirit, began thus: Princes and Ladies, I haue inuited you to my house, not to entertaine you with the pompe of Persia, or the feast of Heli­ogabalus, [Page] but to dine you according to the the directiō of the phi­sitions, which is to let you rise with an appetite, which both whetteth your memories and helpeth your stomackes; and for that the after banker may as well please your humors, as the former appeased your hunger, I must beseeke you to rise frō this place, and repaire vnto another, where because the wea­ther is hot, and the time vnfit for exercise, we will spende the time in pleasant discourse, feeding our fancies with pleasant talke, as we haue feasted our fast with curious cates. To this motion all the assembly easily consented, in that for the most part, they had bin buzzing in their eares, & baiting their harts, whereupon be brought them into a faire arbor, couered with Roses, and honisuckles, paued with Camamile, pinkes, and violets, garded with two pretie christall fountaines in euerie side, which made the place more coole, & the soyle more fruit­full. They all being entred this arbor, A saphus being both learned & pleasant witted, began thus. My ghests said he (for name of Princes I haue sent them lately vnto pallaces) now let each of you be thinke him of mirth not of maiestie, I will haue no stoicall humor in this arbour, but all shall be either louers, or loues wel-willers, and for that, each of vs may bee more apt to talk of Venus; we wil taste of her frend Bacchus; for a draught of good wine, (if Lamprias in Plutarch, may be beleeued) whettes the conceits, and be when he had drunke most, debated best: Aschilus therefore ere he had dipped his penne in the inks to write tragedies, diued into the bottome of a wine put to find termes; for as, where the wolfe hath bitten most soundest, the flesh is most sweetest, so wheras wine hath warmed most hotely, the tongue is armed most eloquently, I therefore carowse to you my familiars, and as I giue you licour to warme, so will I crowne you with ioy and ro­ses to alay: then haue at loue who list, for me thinks I am al­readie prepared for him: This said be drunke vnto them, and all the rest gaue him the pledge, and being crowned after the manner of the philosophicall banquets, they sate downe. And Arsadachus spake thus: Asaphus I haue heard that the motion is vaine, vnlesse the action follow, and delights that are talked of before such as like them, except they grow in [Page] force, breede more discontent in their want, then pleasure in their report: as therefore you haue hanged out the Iuie bush, so bring forth the wine, as you haue prefixt the garland, so be­gin the race, as you intimated delight, so bring it to entrance, Asaphus smiling replied thus: Do then all these Ladies and braue louers giue me the honour and direction to gouern these sports: They do, said Margarita: Then sit aside quoth he and giue place to your commander; whereupon all the as­sembly laughed, and Asaphus smilingly sate downe in the highest roome, placing the Ladies opposite against theie lo­uers, and himselfe seated in his soueraintie, began thus: Since in bankets the place is not to be giuen for the maiestie, but the mirth, be not displeased though I preferre my selfe (my sub­iects,) since I know this, that I haue crothets in my head, when I haue tasted the cup, and no man is more apt to talke then I when I haue trafficked with good wine, and were it not so, you had no cause to waxe wroth with my presumption, for as the mason preferreth not the attique stones in his building for nobilitie, neither the painter his precious colours in lim­ning, for their liuelines, neither the shipwright his Cretan ce­dar in framing for the sweetenesse: so in festiualles the ghests are not to be placed, according to the degrees, but their dispo­sitions, for their liuelynesse, not their liuelyhoods, for where pleasures are sought for, the person is smally regarded, which considered, I am iustified. But to our purpose, since loue is the affection that leadeth vs, at him we will leuill our fan­cies, canuassing this question amongst vs, whether bee so best worketh, by the eie, the touch, or the eare, for of the fiue sences I thinke these three are most forcible. Nowe therefore wee will and command you, our masculine subiects, said Asaphus, to beginne to our feminine Philosophers, and since you Arsa­dachus are of greatest hope, incipe. After they had all laughed heartily at the maiesticall vtterance of Asaphus, and his im­perious manner, the yong Cuscan saide thus: The Thebi­ans in time past, who confined vpon Pontus, begat such chil­dren, who when they beheld their parents killed them by their lookes, as it faved with them, so falleth it out with me, who be­thinking my selfe of those thoughtes, which I haue conceiued [Page] in respect of loue, am confounded in thinking of them, such power hath fancie, where it hath hold-fast. I must therefore as they quelled the one, kill the other, or I shall die by thoughts as they did by lookes: but since to die for loue is no death but delight, I will aduenture to thinke, talke, and dis­course of him, and rather perish my selfe, then suffer these pa­stimes to be vnperformed. Our question is of loue faire la­dies, whereat you blush when I speake, and I bowe when I thinke, for he giueth me words to discourse, and courage to decide; for as Plato saith, loue is audacious in all things, and forward in attempting any thing: hee yeeldeth speech to the silent, and courage to the bashfull, hee giueth industrie to the negligent, and forwardnes to the sluggard, making a courti­er of a clowne; and lighting on a currish Minippus, hee softe­neth him as iron in the [...]te, and maketh him a courtly Ari­stippus vnder his safeconduct; therefore I will talke of him, and with your patience I will satisfie you, that loue hath soo­nest entrance by the eie, and greatest sustenance by the sight; for sight whereas it is stirred vp by many motions, with that spirit which it darteth out from it self, doth likewise disperse a certaine miraculous fierie force, by which meane we both doe and suffer many things: and as among all the senses, the eie extendeth his power furthest, so is his working most forcible; for as the clay petrot draweth fire, so the lookes do gather af­fection. And that the forcible working of the eie may be proo­ued to exceed all other the senses, what reason can be greater, since according to euery affection of the heart or distempera­ture of the minde, the radiations of the eie are correspondent; if the heart be enuious, the lookes dart ou [...] beames of fierce enuie, as may be considered by that of Entelidas in Plutarch [...]

For it is reported that this Entelidas taking a delight in his owne liuely beauty, and beholding the same in a spring, [Page] grew in enuy against the same; and by that meanes fell into a sickenesse, whereby he lost both health and beautie. Narcis­sus, neither by taste, nor the ministerie of speech, nor the office of scent affected his owne forme, but his sight bereft him of his senses, and the eie drew fancie to the heart; for this cause the poets call Ladies eies Cupids coach, the beames his ar­rowes; placing all his triumph and power in them as the [...]hiefest instrument of his seigniorie, and that the eie only be­side the ministerie of other senses, procureth loue, you may perceiue by these examples following. Xerxes, who despi­sing the sea, and scorning the land found out new meanes to nauigate, and armies to choake the earth, yet fell in loue with a tree; for hauing seene a plantane in Lydia of huge greatnesse, he staied vnder it a hote day, making him a shel­ter of his shadow, a louer of his loues; and afterwardes de­parting from the same, he adorned it with collars of golde and iewelles, as if that that tree had beene his enamoured, o­uer which he appointed a guardian to assist it, fearing lest any should doe violence vnto the branches thereof. And what I pray you) moued this affection in Xerxes but the eie? A no­ble yong man of Athens loued so much the stature of good fortune erected neere vnto the Prytaneum, that he embraced it, and kissed it, and offered a great summe of money to the Senate to redeeme the same, and not attaining his suite, hee slew himselfe; and what wrought this in this noble yong man but the eie? for this marble image had neither sent to delight the sent, speach to affect the eare, nor other meanes to moue affection; it was then the sole force of the eie which conduct­eth to the heart each impression, and fixeth each fancie in the same: what resteth there then but to giue the honor to the eie? which as it is the best part in a woman, so hath it the most force in loue. Soft (saide Plicotus) claime not the triumph before you heare the triall; for if vertue and the whole praise thereof (as the philosophers say) consisteth in act, let the touch haue the first place, and the eie the second; for lookes doe but kindle the flame, where the touch both maketh it burne, and when it listeth, quencheth the furie. Such as beholde Anter are healed of the falling sick [...]nesse (saieth Arsadachus) and [Page] they that sleepe vnder Sinilan at such time as the plant swel­leth and beareth his floure, are slaine. Quoth Plicotus, saf­fron floures procure sleepe; the Amethist staieth drunkennesse, by which reasons you ought to ascribe as much power to the scent as to the sight. But heare me, you detracters from the touch; the hearb Alissus taken in the hand, driues sighes from the heart. Yea but (said Arsadachus) the mad elephant be­holding the raine groweth wilde. Yea but the wilde bull tied to the figge tree, and tasting thereof, is no more wrathful (said Plicotus) ascribe therefore to the touch farre more then the sight; heape all the argument that can be for the eies, it bree­deth the sickenesse: but wee rather commend the hearbe that purgeth the disease, then the humour that feedeth it, the salue that healeth the wound, than the corrosiue that grieueth it, the floure that comforteth the braine, and not that which cloy­eth the same: the touch therefore in loue should haue the pre­rogatiue which both reareth it, and restraineth it; and that the touch hath greater power then the sight, what greater reason may be alleadged then this, that we only see to desire, especi­ally to touch? the furniture of all delight is the taste, and the purgatorie in loue, is to touch, and want power to execute the affection, as may appeare by this example. In the dayes of Apollonius Tianeus, who by euery man was held for the fountaine of wisedome, there was an eunuch found out in Ba­bylon who had vnlawfully conuersed with a paramour of the Kings; for which cause the king demaunded of Apollonius what punishment the eunuch ought to haue for that his rash and bold enterprise: no other answered Apollonius saue that he liue to behold and touch without further attempt. With which answere the king being amazed, demaunded why he gaue this answer. To whome Apollonius replied; Doub [...] not you, O king, but that loue shall make him feele exceeding paines and martirdomes; and like a simple flie, he shall play so long with the flame vntill he fall to cinders. And for further proofe the Egyptians (as Ororius reporteth) when as they would represent loue do make a net: and the Phenitians de­scribe him in a hand laide in fire, approuing them by the touch which of all senses suffereth most, and hath greatest power in [Page] the bodie. Asaphus that was still all this while, sodainely brake off the discourse, saying thus: What sense (I pray you) was that (ye philosophers) that perswaded Ariston of Ephesus to lie with an asse, and to beget a daughter, which was af­terwards called Onoselino? what sense had Tullius Stellus to be in loue with a mare, of whome he begat a faire daugh­ter which was called Sponano? what made Cratis the Ilo­ritane shepheard to loue a goate? Pasiphae to fancie a bull [...] Stilconos hearing that question, replied thus: Truely a senslesse desire, which hauing no power of loue but instinct of life, ought neither to be mentioned by modest tongues, nor vttered in chaste hearing: that loue which is gathered by the eie, and grounded in the heart, which springeth on the vnifor­mitie of affection, hauing in it selfe al the principles of musike (as Theophrastus saith) as griefe, pleasure, and diuine in­struct that loue which the Graecians call Ghiciprion, which is as much to say as bitter sweete; of that we talke, and no o­ther, which sacred affection I haue both tasted with the eie, and tried by the touch, & haue found so many effects in both, that as the sea ebbes and flowes by the motion of the moone: the Tropi of Egypt waxe and waine according to the flouds, and fall of Nilus, so haue I by smiles, and louers pleasures, & repulses, found such a taste in loue, that did not the eare claim some greater preheminence, I should subscribe to you both: but as loue beginneth by the sight, and hath pleasure in the touch, so gathereth he his eternitie from hearing, by hearing Cupid a boy, is made Cupid a god, by hearing Cupid scarce fligd gathereth store of feathers; for euen as breath extingui­sheth fire in the beginning, but when it is increased, both nou­risheth and strengtheneth it, so loue that is couered members by the aire, and scarce enabled and fashioned by the touch, is angrie with those that discouer him; but when he flies abroad, and braggeth in his wrings, he is fedde with sweete wordes and laughes, at pleasant languish if he faint, kinde wordes do releeue him; if he be sicke, perswasions purge him; if hee misdeeme, reasons recouer him; in briefe, by the eare loue sucketh, by the eare loue thriueth, and by the eare all his es­sence is fashioned: and for that cause Melpomene and Ter­psicore [Page] the Muses are gouernours of our hearing, whereas not any muse or godhead hath any affectiō to the eie or touch: for delight and gladnesse in loue proceedeth from eloquent perswasion, which receiued by the eare, changeth, mooueth, altereth and gouerneth all the passions of the heart. Marga­rita blushing in that her turne was next, draue Stilconos out of his text in this sort: My lord (saide shee) if loue were ga­thered by the eare, olde men for their wise discourses shoulde winne more credite then yong men for their worthy comlines; or if by the touch, loue had his triall, the diuinitie of loue would be wronged by too much inhumanitie. It must be the eie then which can discern the rude colt from the trained steed, the true diamond from the counterfet glasse, the right colour from the rude, and the perfect beautie from the imperfect be­hauiour: had not the eie the prerogatiue, loue shoulde bee a monster, no myracle: and were the touch only iudge, the soft Ermine for daintinesse, the Seale for his softnesse, the Mar­terne for his smoothe sweetenesse, would exceede both Ladies best perfections, and the finest skinne of the choicest louer. If by the eare loue were discerned, the Syren by her sweet song should winne more fauour then Sibilla for hir science, and the flatterer should be held for the best fauourite: let the eie ther­fore haue the prerogatiue, which is both curious to beholde, and emperious to conquer. By it the heart may discouer his affections as well as fine phrases, and more sweete hath of­tentimes beene gathered by a smile then a touch: for by the one, we gather a hope of succeeding pleasure, by the other, a ioy in suspect for feare we be deceiued, which beginneth in a minute and endeth in a moment. All cattes are grey in the darke (said Calandra) and therefore (good madam) you doe well to preferre the eie. Yea but said Ephania, the eie had neede of a candle to light it, or else (perhaps) the fatte were in the fire. Well (said Gerenia) I will trust mine eare then: for where neither the eie seeth, nor the touch feeleth, certainely by darke let me heare the words, for they are the tell-troths, Ah Gerenia (said Stilconos) trust them not, for they that are false for the most part by day, wil (perhappes) faile you in the night. Leaue your talke (quoth Asaphus) and shut mee all [Page] these three sences in one, and then tell me the felicitie, when the eie shall giue earnest of the heart, the heart take comfort by the eare, the wordes we haue heard, and the sights wee haue seene confirmed by touch, this is the loue I had rather haue in mine armes then heare it in this place discoursed by argument. Since therefore (my subiects) you are at my o­beisance, and vpon my direction are to doe homage to loue, I giue you free licence to discourse, free libertie to looke, the sweetes whereof, after you haue gathered, come to me, and after the priest hath hand-fasted you, come touch & spare not, you shall haue my pattent to take your pleasure. It is a dan­gerous matter (said Arsadachus) to enter those lists where women will do what they list. Wel (saide Margarita) diuels are not so blacke as they be painted (my Lorde) nor women so wayward as they seeme. A good earnest peny (quoth A­saphus) if you like the assurance. With that they brake vp the assembly, for it was supper time, and the prince intreated them to sit downe, where they merrily passed the time, laugh­ing heartily at the pleasant and honest mirth wherein they had passed that afternoone.

The supper ended, each louer tooke his mistres apart, where they handled the matter in such sort, that Margarita which was before but easily fired, now at last grew altogether infla­med, for the night calling them thence, & the companie taking their leaue, she with a bitter sigh and earnest blush, tooke her leaue of Arsadachus thus: My Lord said she, if time lost bee hardly recouered, and fauours wonne are to be followed, haue a care of your estate, who may bragge of that fortune that no one in Mosco can equall: which saide, she in all her periode of sighes ending as abruptly as she had begun, and so departed. Arsadachus that knew the tree by the fruit, the cloth by the list, the apple by the cast, fained not to see what he most percei­ued, and taking his leaue of Asaphus departed to his lodging where in a carelesse vaine, as if cloking and smothering with loue, he worte these verses.

And other he wrote in this manner, which came to the hands of his mistris, who prettilie replied; both which I haue vnder­written.

Thus passed the affaires in Mosco til such time as the em­perour growing more and more in sicknes; by the consent of his nobles, hasted on the marriage. The rumor whereof be­ing spread abroad, made euery one reioice; but among the rest, Margarita triumphed, who called into open assembly by the Emperour, was betrothed to Arsadachus in the presence of the nobilitie, who by his lowring lookes at that time, shewed his discontents; yet will he, nill he, the day was appointed, the sixteenth of the Calends of March, next insuing: against which time there were high preparations in Court, and throughout all the prouinces for pastimes. But since it is a most true axi­ome among the Philosophers, that whereas be many errors, there likewise must needs follow many offences: it must need­ly follow, that since Arsadachus was so fraught with corrupt thought, hee should practise and perforne no lesse vngratious corrupt and vngodly actions, for no sooner was hee departed from the presence of the Emperour, but he presently beganne [Page] to imagine how to breake off his nuptialls, forcing in himselfe a forgetfulnesse of Margaritaes vertues, her loue and good deserts, so that it may euidently be perceiued and approued that which Ammonius saith, that things concluded in neces­sitie are dissolued by violence, and truely not without reason was loue compared to the sunne, for as the sun thrusteth forth his purer & warmer beams through darknes and the thickest cloude, so loue pierceth the most indurate heartes, and as the sunne is sometime inflamed, so likewise is vnstable loue quicklie kindled. Moreouer, as the constitution of that body which vseth no exercise endureth not the sunne, so likewise an illiterate and corrupt mind cannot entertaine loue, for both of them after the same manner are disturbed from their estates, and attainted with sicknes, blaming not the force of loue, but their owne weakenesse. But this difference is betweene loue and the sunne, for that the sunne sheweth both faire and foule things to those that looke on vpon the earth: loue onelie ta­keth care of the beautie of faire things, and onely fixeth the eies vpon such things, enforcing vs to let slip all other. By this may be gathered that Arsadachus being vicious coulde not iustly be attainted with loue, but with some slight passion, such as affect the greatest tyrants in beholding the pittifull massacre of the innocent, as shal manifestly appeare by the se­quele: for after long debating in his restlesse minde, somtime to flie the court, and by that meanes to escape the bondage which he supposed was in wedlocke; sometime to make the princes away by poison, ridding himselfe thereby of suspect, and Artosogon of hope. Fortune is as well the patronesse of iniuries, as the protector of iustice, the scourge of the inno­cent, as the fauourer of the nocent, who is rightly blind in ha­uing no choice, and worthily held for bedlam, in that she re­spectetth no deserts, so smiled on him that in depth of his doubts a remedy was ministred him beyond his imagination, which fell out after this maner. Artosogon his father being so tired with yeares, as he must of force yeeld speedie tribute to death; so loaden with sickenesse that he seemed welnie past all succours, bethinking him of his succession, and like a kind father, desirous (before his death) to beholde his sonne, not [Page] without the earnest entreaty of the empresse, and his nobility, sent present messengers to Mosco, beseeching the emperour Protomachus presently to dispatch Arsadachus vnto him, assuring him of the perilous estate of his life, and the desire he had to stablish his son before his death: for therfore the empe­rour of Mosco (though loathly) dismissed his pretended tri­umphs, and gaue Arsadachus licence to depart for Cusco.

The vngodly yong prince seeing his purposes fall out so happily, sacrificed to Nemesis, cleering his browes of those cares wherewith discontent had fraught them: and hauing with all expedition furnished himselfe to depart, hee thought good to cast a faire foile on his false heart, to colour his cor­rupt thoughts with comfortlesse throbbes; and comming to Margarita, (who was almost dead to heart the tidings) with a fained look and false heart he thus attempted her. Madam were I not assisted with my sighes, & succored by my teares, [...] disburthen the torments of my heart, I feare me it shoulde euen now burst, it is so fraught with bitternesse, Alas I must now leaue you, being the bark to the tree, the blossome to the stalk, the sent to the flower, the life to the bodie, the substance to the shadow; I must now leaue you being the beautiful whom I honor, the chast whom I adore, & the goddesse of al my glo­rie; I must now leaue you to liue in sorrow without comfort, in dispaire without solace, in tears without rescouse, in pains without ceasing; I must now leaue you as the dam her yong kid, the [...] her deare lambkin, the nightingale her prettiest nestling, fea [...]ing lest the cuckow hatch those chickens which I haue bred, the Callax bring vp those yong fish I haue got, & forren eies feed on those beuties which only fasten life in me: Ah Margarita, so faire, as none so faire, more vertuous then vertue her selfe; if these troubles attaint me, in what temper shal I leaue you, being the mirror of beauty, and euen the mi­racle of constancie? me thinkes I see those iniurious, though faire hands, beating those delicate brests, these eies surffeting with tears, these lips with blasting their roses with sighing [...] but (ah deere lady) let not such follies be your familiars▪ for as the thorne pricking the dead image in waxe pierceth the liue­ly substance indeede, so euerie light [...]lip you [...] [Page] will fell this bodie, euery light teare that trickleth from these eies, wil melt me to water, the least sighs steaming frō these lippes, will stifle me, haue therefore patience (sweete ladie) and gouerne your passions with discretion; for as the smallest kernell (in time) maketh the tallest tree; so (in time) these shadowes of sorrow shall turne to the substance of delight: yea in short time my returne shall make you more happy then my present departe nowe maketh you heauy. With these words Arsadachus was ready to take his leaue. When Mar­garita presaging the mischiefe that was to follow; casting her armes about his necke, gaue him this sorrowfull adue.

Since my misgiuing mind assureth me of my succeeding harme: ah suffer me (sweet prince) to embrace that which I neuer heereafter shall beholde and looke vpon; that with my weeping eies which is the cause of all my wastefull enuies: Ah my soule, must thou leaue me when thou wert wholy in­corporate in this bodie? Ah my heart, must thou forsake mee to harbour in this happy bosome? What then shall remaine with me to keep me in life, but my sorow? being the bequest of misery shal assist me in my melancholy: ah deare Arsadachus since thou must leaue me, remember thou leauest me without soule, remember thou leauest me heartlesse: yea I woulde to the gods thou mightst leaue me lifelesse, for then disburthe­ned of this body, I might in soule accompanie thee, vniting our partes of fire: since our fleshly persons must be parted, farewell (deare Lord) farewell, euer deare Lord, but I be­seech thee, not for euer (deare Lord) remember thou hast con­quered, and art to triumph, thou hast gotten the goale, and art to reape the garland; thou hast taken the captiue, and mai­est enioy the ransome: hie thee therefore, oh hie thee lest hea­uinesse ouerbeare me; returne to her that shall liue in terrour till thou returne. But if some angrie fa [...]es, some vntowarde fortune, some sinister planet detaine thee, and with thee, my soule, heart, life and loue; now now, oh now ye destinies, end me. This said, she fell in a swowne, and her Ladies coulde hardly recouer life in her. Meane while (by th [...] direction of the emperour) who heard her impatience, Arsadachus was called away, to whom Protomachus presented many gifts, [Page] swearing him in solemne manner before the whole assembly of his nobilitie, to make a speedy returne to Mosco, to accom­plish the marriage. In the meane time Margarita was reui­ued, who seeing her Arsadachus absent, demeaned her selfe in the most pitifull manner that euer poore lamentable Ladie did: at last remembring her of a rich iewell which Arsinous had giuen her, which was a pretious box set with emeraulds, the which at such time as he gaue it her, hee charged her to keepe vntill such time as he she loued best should depart from her; she sent the same for a present to Arsadachus, beseeching him as he loued her, neuer to open the same boxe vntill such time as he beganne in any sort to forget her (for such counsell Arsinous had giuen her.) This present was deliuered the prince when he mounted on horse, who promised carefully to keepe it; and with his retinue rode on his way towards Cus­co: where we leaue him to returne to Margarita, who no sooner heard of the departure of Arsadachus, but laying a­part her costly iewels, her rich raiment, and princely plea­sures [...]closed herself vp in a melancholy tower, which through the huge height thereof beheld the countrey farre and neere: on the top whereof, each houre she diligently watched for the returne of her beloued Arsadachus. Her lodging was hangd about with a cloth of black veluet embrodered about with dis­paires; before her bed hung the picture of her beloued: to which she often discoursed her vnkindnesse conceiued, offering drops of her blood daily to the deafe image; such a fondling is loue, when he groweth too fierie, no day; no night passed her, wherein she spent not many houres in teares, and many teares euery houre, neither could the authoritie of her father, the perswasions of his counsaile, nor the intreatings of her at­tendants, alter her resolution.

In which melancholie a while I will leaue her to discourse the damned treasons of Arsadachus, who arriuing at last in Cusco, after long iourneis was after many hearty welcomes conducted to his father, who receiued such sodaine ioy at the sight of him, that he recouered strength, and cast off his sicke­nesse; so that calling his nobilitie vnto him, hee ordained a time wherein Arsadachus should be inuested in the empire, [Page] publishing the same through al his prouinces. In the meane time with much mirth and festiuall, the yoong Prince liued in his fathers court, deerely tendered by the empresse Lelia his mother, and duely attended by the best of the nobilitie; among whom Argias the duke of Morauia, being a prince of deepe reach, and of great reuenues, following the custome of such who desire to grow in fauour with Princes, entertained Ar­sadachus with huge feasts and bankets: and among the rest, with one most especiall, wherein as he had imployed al what­soeuer the country could afford to delight the [...]ast, so spared he no cost to breede pastime and triumph. Among all other, af­ter the supper was solemnized, he brought in a maske of the goddesses, wherein his daughter (being the mirrour and the Aperse of the whole world for beautie) was apparelled like Diana, her haire scattered about her shoulders, compassed with a siluer crownet, her necke decked with carkanets of pearle, her daintie body was couered with a vaile of white net-work wrought with wiers of siluer, and set with pearle, where through the milke white beauties of the sweete Saint gaue so heauenly a reflexion, that it was sufficient to make Saturne merry and mad with loue, to fixe his eie on them: a­mong all the rest that had both their partes of perfection and beautie, and great louers to like thē, Arsadachus made choise of this Diana (who not onely resembled her in that shew, but indeed was called by the name of Diana) on whose face when he had fixed his eies, he grew so inflamed as Montgibel yeel­deth not so much smoke as he sent out sighes: to be briefe, he grew so sodainely altered, that as such as beheld the head of Medus were altred from their shapes, so he that saw the hea­uen of these beauties, was rauished from his sences: to bee briefe, after he had danced the measures, passed the night, and was conducted by Argias and his attendants, hee tooke no rest, but tossing on his bed, grew so altered, that on the mor­row all the court was amazed to behold his melancholies. It cannot be reported how strangely he demeaned himselfe, for his sleeps fled him, his colour changed, his speech vncertain, his apparel carelesse: which Argias perceiuing as being mar­uellous pollitique, ministred oile to the lamp, fuel to the fire, [Page] flaxe to the flame, encreasing his daughters beautie with cost, and Arsadachus loue by her companie; for he ceased not to inuite him, hoping that at the last the cloudes would breake out and raine him some good fortune. Diana was trained by him to the lewre, & taught her lesson with great cunning, who was as apt to execute as her father to counsell. Arsadachus one day among the rest finding the opportunitie, & desirous to discouer his conceits was stricken so dombe with her diuine beautie, as he could not disclose his minde. Whereupon cal­ling for pen and inke, he wrote this, thrusting it in Dianaes bosome, walked melancholy into a faire garden on the backe side of Argiaes pallace, where he wept so bitterly, that it was supposed his heart would burst.

Diana tooke no daies to peruse this ditty, but hauing ouer­read it, gaue it her father to iudge of, who faining a seueritie more then ordinarie, and glad of the opportunitie, entered the garden where the prince was welnie forespent with sorrow, & taking occasion to interrupt his meditations, he began thus: Most royall Prince, I thinke the heauens lowre on me, that labouring by al indeuours to procure your delights, I rather find you more melancholy by my motions, then merry by my entertainment: Alas my Lord, if either my actions do dis­please, [Page] my entertainement bee too bace, or if in anie thing I haue defaulted, wherein I may make amends, I beseech you let me know of you, and you shall finde such readines in me, your humble seruant, as no hasard, danger, or discommoditie whatsoeuer, shall driue me from the accomplishment of your pleasures and behests. Arsadachus seeing Argias so ply­ant beganne to recouer hope, whereupon fixing his eies vp­pon him a long while, at last he brake his mute silence thus: Argias, thy curtesie can not boade my discontents, for thy kindenesse is such as bindes me vnto thee, and breeds me no melancholie; and for I see thee so careful for my good, I will first therefore shew thee of what important, secrecie is, and declare vnto thee, those punishments antiquitie bestowed on those that reuealed secrets. Lastly vpon thy faithfull oth I may ventre further, but so as thy silence may make thee hap­piest man in Cosco. To be of faire words ( Argias) becom­meth a man of much vertue; and no small treasure findeth that Prince who hath a priuy and faithful secretarie, in whose bosome he may powre his thoughts, on whose wisedome heé may repose his secrets. Plutarch writeth that the Atheni­ans hauing warre with king Philip of Macedon, by chaunce lighted vpon certaine letters which he had written to Olim­pias his wife, which they not onely sent backe sealed and vn­searched, but also said, that since they were bound by their laws to be secret, they would neither see nor reade other mēs priuate motions, Diodorus Siculus, writeth that among the Egyptians it was a criminal act, to open secrets which he proueth to be true, by example of a priest, who had vnlawfull companie with a virgin of the goddesse Isis, both which tru­sting their secrecie to another priest, and hee hauing little care to keepe their action concealed, sodainely cried out, where through the offenders were found out and slaine, and he bani­shed. And where as the same priest complained against the vniust sentence, saying: that whatsoeuer he had reueled was in fauour of religion, he was answered by the Iudge, if thou alone hadst knowne it without being priuie to them, or hadst thou had notice without corrupt consent, thou shouldst haue reason to be aggreeued; but sodainely whereas they trusted [Page] their secrecie vnto thee which they had in hand, and thou pro­misedst them to keepe silence, hadst thou remembred thee of thy bond and promise, and the law which we haue to be secret in all things, thou hadst neuer had the courage to publish it. Plutarch in his booke of banishment saith, that an Athenian sought vnder the cloke of an Egyptian, asked him what hee carried hid, to whom he answered: Thou shewest thy selfe smally read and worse nurtered (O thou Athenian) sith thou perceiuest not that I carrie this hid for no other respect, but that I would haue no man know what I carrie, many other are the examples of Anaxileus, Dionisius, Plato, and Bia [...], which were too long for me to report, and too tedious for thée to heare, my onely desire is to let thee knowe the waight of secrecie, and the punishment that knowing the one and the o­ther (my Argias,) thou mightst in respect of thy life keepe si­lence with the tongue.

Argias that knew the bird by the feather, and the eagle by the flight, the leopard by his spot, & the lyon by his claw, cut off his circumlocutions, with this discourse; Aristarchus the Philosopher (most noble prince) was wont to say, that by reason of their instabilitie, knew not that which the most men ought to desire, nor that which they should flie, because that euerie day changeth, and swift Time flieth: Eubeus the Philosopher, was wont many times to talke this at the table of great Alexander; by nature euerie one is prompt & sharpe witted, to giue counsell and to spea [...]e his opinion in other mens affaires, and fond and [...]low in his owne purposes. Truely this sentence was both graue and learned, for manie there be that are discreet in other mens causes, & iudge right­ly, but among ten thousand there is not one that is not decei­ued in his own causes. This considered, your grace doth most wisely, to seeke to disburden your thoughts in a secret bo­some, and to aske counsell of another in your earnest occasi­ons, for by the one you shall benefite your griefe, by the other conquer it. Histories report that the valiant captaine Nicias, was neuer mistaken in any thing which atchiued by another mans counsell, neither euer brought any thing to good ef­fect, which he managed according to his owne opinion. It [Page] is therefore vertue in you (good prince) if in immitation of so great a Chiefetaine, you rather trust other mens wisedome, then your owne wit: and since it pleaseth you to grace me with the hope of secrecie, your excellencie shall not neede to misdoubt, for by all those gods whom I reuerence, by this right hand which I lay on thy honourable Ioines, so may my pastures be plentifull my barnes filled, my vines burthened, as I vow to be secret, resolued to seale my faith with such as­surance, as death it self shal neuer be able to dissolue it. Arsa­dachus hearing his zealous promises, and weighing his wise answeres, by the one, assured himselfe of [...] loyaltie, by the o­ther, gathered his great wisedome and learning; whereupon taking Argias by the hand, and withdrawing himselfe into a verie secrete and close arbour in the garden, hee, after hee had a while rested himselfe, and meditate [...] on that he had to say, with a bitter sigh brake out into these speeches. Oh Ar­gias, had the destinies made vs as prone to indure the assaults of loue, as they haue made vs prompt to delight in them, if they had fauoured vs with as much power is pacifie the furie of them, as they haue giuen vs will to perseuer in the follie, I could then be mine owne phisition, without discouering my griefe, and salue that with discretion, which I nowe sigh for through dispaire. But since they haue denied vs that grace in their secret wisedome, to haue wil to relieue our own weak­nesse, purges to expulse our poysons, and constancie to endure loues conflicts, I must haue recourse vnto thee, in whom cō ­sisteth the source of all my safetie, beseeching thee (deare Ar­gias) if thou hearest that thou shouldest not, consider that I suffer that I would not, and so temper my defects, by the force and effects of thy wisedome, that I may be relieued and thou nothing greeued. Thou knowest sweet friend the con­tract I haue past with Margarita, thou knowest the resolu­tion of my father wholly bent to accomplish it, thou knowest the expedition is required to accomplish the mariage: al which shall no sooner be accomplished, but I shall perish, and that day I shall become the bridegrome of Margarita ▪ I wish to be buried in my graue: this is the first mischiefe must be anti­cipated, this the first sore must be salued, this the first con­sumption [Page] must haue a cordiall: Mightie prince said Argi­as, those conditions that consist on impossibilities may be bro­ken, and marriage which by an inuiolable law of nature was ordained to knit and vnite soules & bodies togither, cannot be rightly solemnised betweene such, whose good likings haue not the same limits, whose affections are not vnited with selfe like faculties, for as to ioyne fire and water, moist and drie, were a matter impossible, especially in one subiect, and more, in that they be contraries; so to couple loue where there is ha­tred, affinitie where there is no fancie, is a matter against right, repugnant to reason, and such a thing as since nature doth impugne it, the gods if it be broken will easilie dispence withall, whereas therefore you are a prince in your wax [...]g yeares, your father in his waining, in your pride of wit: your father is impouerished in his vnderstanding; since the cause concerneth you in act, him but in words, since this domage is but the breach of a silly vowe, if the marriage be broke, your detriment the miserie of an age without all manner of con­tent, you may (good prince) in reason to preuent your owne harm in iustice, since you cannot affect, break off those hands: and if Protomachus shall threaten, let him play the woulfe & barke against the sun, hee cannot bite: you haue power to re­sist him, and friends to assist you, I but my father ( Argias) how shal we pacifie him? either by perswasions (good prince) said Argias, or by inpulsiō, by the laws of Solon old men that date must be gouerned by yongmen that haue discretion, if he gainsay you there are meanes to temper him, better he smart then you perish, my shirt is neare me my Lord, but my skin is nearest, the cause concerneth you and must not be vallied. Arsadachus hauing found a hauke fit for his own lure, and a counseller agreeable to his owne conceit, with a smiling re­gard he greeted Argias againe in this kind of manner: deere friend, thou hast rid me of my doubtes, and wert onely re­serued me by the gods, to redresse my domage. Thou haste [...]mplotted the means to displace Margarita, to appease Ar­tosogon now if to pacifie that raging affection that subdueth me, thou find me a remedie, I wil make thee the chiefest man in Cusco, of most authoritie in court▪ yea thou shalt bee my [Page] second hart (my Argias) and yet this which I require of thee though it be the difficultest in me, is the easiest in thee; for if it be lawfull for me as thou prouest, to breake my first marri­age, to bridle my father, and worke also whatso is mine own will, what letteth my second wedlocke with which thy fauor shall be solemnised betweene thy angelicall Diana and me, wherethrough I shall haue peace, and thou preheminence? Argias that had alreadie caught the foxe in the snare, now laide hands of him, and with a pleasing countenance beganne thus. O Prince this last doubt is your least daunger, for where you may command my life, where you are lord of my wealth, can I be so forgetfull of duetie, thinke you to denie you my daughter, whose worth is of too great weakenesse, to entertaine such dignitie? but since it pleaseth your excellence to daine it her in vertuous sort, command me and her to our vtmost powers, we are yours. Arsadachus thinking him­selfe in heauen, thanked Argias for his courtesie, who at last wholly discouered vnto him, how secret he was to his affec­tions, shewing him his sonnet: to be briefe, it was so com­plotted that without further delay, Arsadachus should bee presently wedded to Diana, which was effected so, that both these two married couples in the height of their pleasures, passed their time in wonderfull delight in Argias castle. But as nothing is hidden from the aid of Time, neither is any thing so secret which shall not be reuealed: the emperor Ar­tosogon (by reason of Arsadachus continuall abode at Ar­gias house) discouered at last both the cause and the contract: whereupon, storming like the Ocean incensed with a north­east brise, he presently sent for Argias; and without either hearing his excuses, or regard of his intreaties, presently caused him to be torne in peeces at the tailes of foure wilde horses, then casting his mangled members into a litter, hee sent them to Diana in a present, vowing to serue her in the same sawce her father had tasted, that durst so insolently ad­uenture to espouse with the sole heire of his empire. The poore ladie almost dead, to see the dead bodie of her father, but more moued with her owne destruction which was to fol­low, fell at Arsadachus feete, beseeching him with brinish [Page] teares, which fell in her delicate bosome, to be the patrone of her fortunes. Arsadachus who loued her entirely, comforted her the best he might, assuring her safetie, in spight of his fa­thers tyrannie; whereuppon he leuied a guard of his chiefest friends to the number of three thousand men, and shutting Diana in a strong fortresse, left her after many sweet embra­ces in their custodie: and for that the time of his coronation drew neere, be assembled foure thousand such as hee knew most assured; he repaired to the court, vowing in his mind such a reuenge on his father, as all the world should wonder to heare the sequele. Being arriued in court, hee cloyed the gates thereof with armed men, placing in euery turning of the citie sufficient rowts of guard to keepe the citizens from insurrection: Then ascending the royall chamber where the Emperour his father with his nobilitie were resident, hee prowdly drew him from his seate royall, in which action those of the nobilitie which resisted him were slaine, the rest that tremblingly behelde the tragedie, heard this which ensueth: Arsadachus prowdly setting him in his fathers seate, was ready to speake vnto the assembly, when the olde Emperour that had recouered his fall, awaking his spirites, long dulled with age and weakenesse, beganne in this sort to vpbraide his vngracious heire: Uiper villaine and worse, auaunt, and get thee out of my presence. How darest thou lay handes on thy Lord? or staine the emperiall seate with thine impure and de­filed person? Canst thou behold thy father without blushes, whom thou hast periured by thy peruersenesse, making my othes frustrate through thine odious follies? ah caitife as thou arte! more depraued then Caligula, more bloudy in­deed then Nero, more licentious then Catuline: would God either thou hadst beene vnborne, or better taught. Thou se­cond Tarquine fostered by me to worke tragedies in Cusco: thou prowd yongman, thy beauty thou hast employed in riot, thy forces in tyranny; Oh vnkind wretch, I see, I see with mine eies the subuersion of this Empire, and that which I haue kept fourtie yeeres, thou wilt loose in lesse then thirtie moneths. How can thy subiects be obedient to thee that des­pisest thy father? How can these Nobles hope for iustice at [Page] thy hands, that hast iniuriously attempted mee, an olde man, thy father, that bred thee, thy lord, that cherished thee, the emperour that must inherite thee. What may strangers trust in thee, that hast broken thy faith with Protomachus, abused the loue of Margarita, and all for a faire faced minion, whom if I catch in my clawes I will so temper as thou shalt haue little lust to triumph: O what pittie is it thou peruerse man, to see how I haue bought thee of the gods with sighes; how thy mother hath deliuered thee with paine; how we both haue nourished thee with trauelles; how we watched to sustaine thee; how we laboured to releeue thee; and after, how thou rebellest, and art so vicious, that wee thy miserable parents must not die for age, but for the griefe wherewith thou doest torment vs? Ah woe wo is me that beholdeth thy lewdnesse, and wretched art thou to follow it: well did I hope that thy courage in armes, thy comelinesse in person, thy knowledge in letters were vertues enow to yeelde me hope, and subdue thy follies: but now I say and say againe, I affirme and af­firme againe, I sweare and sweare againe, that if men which are adorned with natural gi [...]ts do want requisit vertues, such haue a knife in their hands wherewith they do strike & wound themselues, a [...] on their shoulders wherewith they burne themselues, a rope on thei [...] necks to hang themselues, a dag­ger at their [...] stab themselues, a stone to stumble at, a hill to tumble downe. Oh would to God that members wanted in thee, in that [...]ice did not abound: or woulde the losse of thine eies might recompence the lewdnes of thine er­rours. But th [...]lmighest to hea [...]e me lament, which shew­eth thy small hope of amends, thou hast [...] touch of consci­ence, no feare of the gods, [...] aw [...] of thy parents, wha [...] then should I hope of thee? would God thy death, for that were an end of detriment: if thy life, I beseech the gods for mine own sake close mine eies by death, lest I see thy vniust dealings.

In this state Arsadachus that was resolued in his villany without any reply (as if scorning the old man) caused his tong by a minister to be cut out, then commaunded his right hand to be strooke off, wherewith he had signed the writ of Argias death: afterwards apparelling him in a fooles coate, and fet­ching [Page] a vehement laughter, he spake thus: Cuscans, wonder not, it is no seueritie I shew, but iustice; for it is as lawfull for me to forget I am a sonne, as for him to forget he is a fa­ther, his tongue hath wronged me, and I am reuenged on his tongue his hand hath signed to the death of my deere Argias, and it hath payed the penaltie: and since the old man doateth, I haue apparelled him according to his propertie and impa­tience, wishing all those that loue their liues, not to crosse mee in my reuenges; nor assist him in his sinister practises. This saide, he made all the nobilitie to sweare loyaltie vnto him: and Diana laughing incessantly at the old man, who continu­al pointed with his left hand, and lifted his eies to heauen for reuenge, sometimes he imbraced the nobles, inciting them by signes to reuenge, but all was in vaine, feare subdued their affections.

In the meane while, the newes of these nouelties were spread thorow the citie, so that many tooke armes to reuenge the old emperour, who were presently and incontinently slain by the souldiers: in briefe, as in all conflicts, the weake a [...] last went to the wall, and necessitie inforced such as misdeem­ed of Arsadachus proceedings, to allow of them in shew: the day of coronation drew on, against which time Lelia the Em­presse (little suspecting that which had fallen out) arriued in Cusco, who hearing of the hard measure was offered her hus­band by her vngratious sonne (for Artosogon was shut vp all the day till meale times, when Arfadachus called for him foorth to laugh at him) she entred the pallace with such cries, as might haue made the hardest heart melt to heare them, where clasping of her armes about the necke of the olde and aged man, who melted in teares to behold the melancholy of the chaste matron, she cried out and complained in this man­ner: O you iust gods, can you see these wrongs without re­medie? are you deafe to heare, or pittilesse to redresse? Ah, looke downe, looke downe from your thrones, and behold my throbbes, witnes such wrongs as the sunne hath neuer seene the like; the dogge is gratefull to his maister for his meate, the elephant to his teacher for his knowledge, the serpent to the hunts-man for his life; but our vntoward sonne, for re­leeuing [Page] him, hath grieued vs, for giuing him sweete milke in his youth, doth feede vs with bitter aloes in our age; and I for bearing him with many groanes, am now betraied by him to many griefes: Ah Artosogon, ah my deere Artosogon, it is enough griefe for thee to indure, let me weep (for the old man, to see her, shed many teares) because thou sufferest, that as thou decayest through tyrany, I may die with teares. This said, sorrow stopped the passage of her speech, and they both swowned, bee to beholde his Lelia so forlorne, she to see her Artosogon so martyred: he that saw Venus lamenting A­donis, Aurora bewailing Memnon, Mirrha her tosst for­tunes, saw but the shadow of cares, not the substance of com­plaints; for this sorrowe of the princes was onely beyond compare, and past beleefe; wherein so long they demeaned themselues, till age and sorrow, after long strife surrendred to death, who pittied the olde princes, being despised of their lewd sonne, and ended their sorrowes in ending them. The rumour of whose fall was no sooner bruited in the eares of Arsadachus, but that instead of solemnizing their funeralles, he frequented his follies, instead of lamenting for them, hee laughed at them, causing them for fashion sake to haue the fa­uour of the graue, not for any fauour he bare them: then cal­ling for Diana to his court, he honoured her as a goddesse, causing his subiects to erect a shrine, and to sacrifice vnto her: and such was his superstitious and besotted blindnes, that he thought it the only paradise of the world to be in her presence, no one was better rewarded then he that could best praise hir; sometimes would he (attiring him like a second Diana readie to chace) disguise himselfe like a shepheard, and sitting apart solitarily, where he might be in her presence, he would recount such passions as gaue certaine signes in him of an excellent wit, but matched with exceeding wickednes: among which these tenne, as the most excellent for varietie sake, after his so many villanies, I thought good to set downe in this place.

This other for the strange forme therof, though it haue the second place deserues the first, which howsoeuer you turne it backward or forward, is good sence, and hath the rimes and cadence according, the curiousnes and cunning whereof the learned may iudge: the first stands is the complaint, the second the counsel; both which he wrote in the entrance of his loue with Diana.

[Page] The third though shore for the method, is verie sweete, and is written in imitation of Dolce the Italian, beginning thus: Io veggio, &c.

The fourth being written vpon a more wanton subiect, is farre more poeticall, and hath in it his decoram as well as the rest.

An other time, at such time as in the entrance of loue he despaired of al succour, hee desperately wrote this and that verie prettely.

This other in the selfe like passion, but with more gouern­ment he wrote, which for that cause I place here consequent­lie.

[Page]Another melancholy of his, for the strangenesse thereof de­serueth to be registred, and the rather, in that it is in immita­tion of that excellent Poet of Italie. Lodouico Pascale, in his sonnet beginning; Tutte le stelle hauean de'l ciel l impero.

Another in immitation of Martelli hauing the right na­ture of an Italian melancholie, I haue set down in this place.

All other of his, hauing allusion to the name of Diana, and the nature of the Moone, I leaue, in that few men are able to second the sweete conceits of Philip du Portes, wose Poeti­call writings being alreadie for the most part englished, and ordinarilie in euerie mans hands, Arsadachus listed not to imitate, onely these two others which follow, being his own inuentiō, came to my hand, which I offer to your iudge­ment (Ladies) for that afterward I meane to prosecute the historie.

The conclusion of all his poetrie, I shut vp with this his Hiperbolical praise, shewing the right shape of his dissem­bling nature.

Now leaue we him in his dalliance, making all things in a readinesse for his coronation, and returne we to the constant Margarita, who liuing in her solitarie seate, minding nothing but melancholies, triumphing in nothing but hir teares; find­ing at length, the prefixed time of Arsadachus returne almost expired, and her impatience so great, as shee could no longer endure his absence, in a desperate furie setting light by her life, she resolued priuily to flie from her fathers court to finde out Arsadachus in his owne countrey. For which cause she brake with a faithfull follower of hers called Fawnia, by whose assistance, without the knowledge of any other in the disguise of a country maid, she gate out of the citie, attended onely by this trustie follower, about the shutting in of the euening, at such time as her traine without suspect intended their other affaires, and by reason of her melancholie little suspected her departure out of doores: and so long shee tra­uelled (desire guiding her steps, and sorrow seating her selfe in her heart) that she gat into an vnpeopled and huge forrest, where meeting with a poore shepheard, shee learned sure ti­dings of her way to Cusco, keeping in the most vntrodden and vnfrequented wayes for feare of pursute, weeping as she walked incessantly, so that neither Fawniaes words, nor the hope she had to reuisit her beloued could rid her of ruthful­nesse: [Page] three dayes shee so walked, [...]eeding her thoughts on her owne wretchednesse, till on the fourth about the breake of the day when Phoebus had newly chased the morne, crow­ned with roses from the desired bed of her beloued paramor, she sate her downe by a faire fountaine, washing her blubbe­red face in the cleare spring, and cooling her thirst in the cri­stal waters thereof: here had she not long rested hir selfe, tal­king with hir Fawnia in what manner she would vpbraide Arsadachus in Cusco, of his vnkind absence, when as sodain­lie a huge lion which was accustomed to refresh himselfe at that spring, brake out of the thicket behinde their backes, Fawnia that first spied him was soone supprised, then she cri­ed, and rent in peeces (in that she had tasted too much of flesh­ly loue) before she feared. Margarita that saw the massacre, sate still attending hir owne tragedie, for nothing was more welcome to hir then death, hauing lost her friend, nor nothing more expected: but see the generositie and vertue of the beast insteede of renting her limmes he sented her garments, in the place of tearing her peecemeale, hee laied his head gentlie in hir la [...], licking her milkewhite hand, and she wing al signes of humilitie, in steede of inhumanitie. Margarita seeing this recouered hir sences, and pittifully weeping spake thus: A­las [...]e gods, why yee [...]d you sorrowes to those that despise fancie, and betray you them by death, who desire to flee detri­ment? wo is me, how fortunate were Margarita, to haue bin dismembred? how forlorne was Fawnia to be thus mangled, ah tyrant beast hadst thou spared her, her vertue had deserued it, hadst thou spoiled me, why I was reserued for it, for what [...]are haue not I part in? or from what ioy am not I parted? Loue that is a Lord of pittie to some, is pittilesse to me, hee giueth other the rose, but me the thorne; he bestoweth wine on others, and me viniger, he crowneth the rest with lawrell in respect of their flourishing fortune, but me with Ciprus the tree dedicated to funerall: out alas that I liue or that I haue time to speake, I liue, in that I haue had time so long, to loue with neglect, and to pine in the delay. Ah curteous beast (said she) why executest thou not that which my sorrow doth prasecute? let thy teeth (I beseech thee rid me of loues [Page] tiranny. This saide, shee pittifully wept; but the Lion cea­sed not to play with her, stroking her with his rough paw, as if willing to appease her, but all was in vaine, till that sleepe by reason of her sorrow seized her, and setled her selfe in the lions eies, where we leaue them, returning to Mosco, where the day no sooner appeared, but Protomachus (according to his custome comming to visite his daughter) found her so­dainly [...]led, whereat storming incessantly, he presently put al her attendants to most bitter and strange death, sending out espialles through all the country to find out Margarita. wh [...] by reason of her solitarie walkes, was free from their search: at last, looking among her secret papers, hee found a letter, wherein the princesse had written to Arsadachus, that if hee presently returned not, she would shortly visit him. By rea­son whereof, being a wise prince, he gathered some circum­stance of her flight; and leuying a power of souldiers, with as much expedition as he might, he set forward towardes Cus­co, where I leaue him, to returne to Arsinous, who studying Magicke in his melancholy cell, found by reason of the aspect of the planets, that the houre of his reuenge was at hand: whereuppon beeing resolued of the place, which was Cusco, and the manner, with all other actors in the tragedie, he be­ing desirous to behold that with his eies which hee had long time longed for with his hart, forsook his melancholy home, and set forward toward C [...]sco. And as he passed on his way, it was his chance to beholde where Margarita lay sleeping, hauing the lions head in her lap, whereat being amazed and affrighted, in that he heartily loued the princesse, he with his staffe awaked her: who seeing a man so ouergrowne in haires and yeeres; yet carrying as much shew in his countenance, of honour, as disconten [...], softly stole from the lion, and left him sleeping there: sodainely seasing Arsinous by the hand, she said thus: Father, thanke fortune that hath giuen thee time to escape death if thou list, and folow me, who hath both neede of thy counselles, and of such a reuerend companion as thou art. Which said, they both withdrew thē out of the way hasting two long houres without euer looking backe, till at last, when Arsinous saw her and himselfe in safetie, he cour­ted [Page] her thus▪ Countrie losse by your coate, but courtlie dame by your countenance, whither trauell you this waies, or for what cause are you so woful? Forlorne man by thy apparrel, but honourable sit by thy behauiour, I am trauelling to Cusco, where both remaineth the cause of my woe, and the means to cure it. May I be so bold said Arsinous to know of you what you are, and what you aile? It neither pertaineth to you that I tell it (quoth Margarita) neither pleaseth it me to discouer it, for the one will seeke my harme, the other yeelde you little helpe. Then quoth Arsinous smiling, I will trie mine owne cunning, to crosse a womans reso [...]ution, whereu­pon intreating Margarita to set her downe vnder a Palme tree, to auoid the heat of the sunne, which being at his noone­tide flamed very fiercely, he drew a booke out of his bosome, and read so long til sodainely there appeared one in selfe li [...]e shape and substance as Arsadachus was wont to be, whome Margarita no sooner espied, but that she ranne fiercely to­wards him that hastily fled, she cried out; Oh stay thee (my Arsadachus) stay thee, behold thy Margarita that hath left her fathers court, hazarded her honours, aduentured all dan­gers for thy loue, for thy sake, oh stay. This said, the vision sodainely vanished, and she striuing to embrace him, caught his shadow: whereupon vehemently weeping, she exclaimed on the gods, ouer loue and his laws, renting hir haires, and beating her breasts in such sort, as it was pittie to beholde it: and had died in that agonie, had not Arsinous recomforted hir in this sort: Fie Margarita, doth this beseeme your wis­dome, to demeane sorrow without cause, and seeke your death through a delusion? why princesse whateuer you saw was but an apparition, not the substance, deuised only by your ser­uant Arsinous to discouer you. Shee hearing the name of Arsinous presently started vp, and clasping hir armes about his aged necke, whom she sodainly had discouered, she spake thus: Ah my father, pardon my folly, that sought to keep that secret, which is discouered by your science. Tut madam, the pardon is to be granted by your hands, said he, who are most iniured; was it euer seene (quoth he smilingly) a ladie to bee so besotted on a shadow? Ah pardon me (said Margarita) I [Page] held it for the substance: but father, I pray you tell me whi­ther you intend your iourney? Arsinous desirous in short words to satisfie her, tolde her that he pretended his course to Cusco; forsaking his melancholie cell of purpose, to meet her whose danger he had perceiued in priuate being in his studie: further he told her many things touching the Emperours search after her, not pretermitting any thing to content her, but concealing that which tended to her ruine, which with ernefull heart hee inwardlie perceiued, Margarita somwhat reioyced with the companie of such a guide, sate her downe seeking some herbes in the forrest to releeue her hunger, Ar­sinous that perceiued it said thus: See madam, what loue can do, that fashioneth courtlie stomacks, to whomely acates the gods grant you may speede well, for I see you can feede well, hereon he opened his booke and read, and sodainely a pauilion was picht, the table was reared, the dishes serued in, with all kinde of delicates, the musicke exceeding pleasant, so that Margarita was rauished to behold this, but being ani­mated by Arsinous she fell to her meate, certifying him at dinner time of such things as had passed in her fathers court in his absence; thus in iollitie appeased they their hungrie sto­mackes, and eased their sorrowfull hearts, till occasion called them forth to trauell, at which time the pauilion seruitors, and all things vanished, and onely Arsinous and Margarita were left alone, hauing two squires attending on them, with two rich gennets brauelie trapped fit for their managing, which they speedely backed, talking merrilie as they rode of such strange things as Arsinous had wrought by his art, & so long they trauelled towards Cusco, that they ariued with­in two leagues of the same, vnderstanding by y ^e great troops that rode that way, that the coronation was the next day fol­lowing, Margarita by Arsinous counsaile staied in the castle of Aged knight, where hee wrought so by his arte, that although Margarita had a desire to heare tidings of Arsada­chus, yet made she no question of him all the time of her a­bode there. And here let vs leaue them, and returne to Cus­co to the accursed and abhominable tyrant Arsadachus, who as soone as the day beganne to breake, the birds to hal [...] forth [Page] sunne, the sunne to haste his course, arose from his bed, appa­relling himselfe in rich and princelie robes: about which houre Diana was not idle, for whatso of excellence could be bought for money, or had for friendship, she wanted nothing thereof to set out her beautie: the courtiers to grace their Emperor, spared no cost, the cittizens no triumphs, so as the triumph of Antigonus Epiphanus, in cōparison hereof was but a trifle, the maner whereof, since it was miraculous, I haue thought good to mention in this place. First came fiue thousand of the yoongest Cuscanes out of the pallace, trotting along the streetes vnto the temple armed, according to the Roman fa­shion: after them as ma [...] Tartars armed after their maner, who were folowed with three thousand Thracians, and Ples­sians, all of which carried siluer lances and shieldes, hauing their [...] peeces decked with ostrige plumes and emeralds: after them marched two hundred and fiftie sword-players, who followed the braue caualiers that marched before; after whom trotted the horsemen, of which one thousand, together with their horses, were all pompously garnished with golde and siluer, with a garland of gold vpon their heads: after thē rode another thousand horsemen, decked with golde and pur­ple, with lances of golde, headed with pointed diamonds: next them rode those which were called the emperours minions, clothed in cloth of tissue, their horses trapped in greene cloth of gold, their stirrops of siluer: after them came the Empe­rours guard on horse backe, hauing their caparisons studded with iron and brasse, wearing vpon their armors a certain cu­rious stoale, wherein, with gold and siluer, silke, and gossan­pine threed of many colours, were wouen the images of those gods, which the Cuscans most worshipped: after whome came one thousand fiue hundreth armed chariots, the most part drawn by two white genets, but fortie of them by foure: after them there came a chariot drawne by elephants, and at­tended by sixe and thirtie elephants, with eight hundred yong men attending them as their keepers, attired with orna­ments of golde, and hauing their temples encompassed with wreathes of roses, and siluer bends: after them came eight hundred yong lads leading many fat oxen with gilded hornes [Page] to be sacrificed to the gods: next vnto them eight hundred ministers bearing platters of gold with pretious stones, vni­corns horns, and elephants teeth to be sacrificed for the health of the emperour: next which, an infinite number of statues were carried, not onely of their gods, but also of those fiends they feared; likewise the images of all their kings deceased, according as euery one deserued for his excellence, apparelled in goodly garments of golde and siluer, and other precious and inestimable iewelles, each of them hauing a table at his feete, in which al his noble and worthy actions were written. There were likewise other semblances of the day, the night, of heauen, of the morning and mid-day, with an infinit num­ber of vessels likewise forged out of gold and siluer, and borne by the slaues of the empire: after these came six hundred pa­ges of the emperour apparelled in golde: after whome came three hundred virgins in white cloth of tissue, burning with censors in their handes of siluer: and Agate spreading sundry sorts of sweete perfumes followed by fiue hundred eoches of siluer, wherein Dianaes damosels were carried: after which came fourescore of beaten gold, wherein all the princely heirs of the empire were royally seated. After all these the Em­perour with his Diana rode in one coach attended with one hundred attired in beaten cloth of siluer, casting rich cloth be­fore the coach, whereon the horses that drew the Emperour should treade. [...]t were a vaine thing for me to set downe the riches of Arsadachus garments, or the attire of his goddesse: sufficeth it that it exceeded that which is past, and all was be­yond beleefe: In this solemne sort entred they the temple, where (according to the custome) they were sacred, annointed and inthroned, receiuing homage of the princes. And after in selfe like pompe returned they to the pallace: where hauing many rich delicates prepared for them with sweet and melo­dious musike they sate them downe to eate; where, after they had somewhat refreshed their stomackes, and whetted their wittes with costly wines, Arsadachus remembring him of his Margarita, called for his box, merily iesting with Diana, and saying, that the Empresse of Mosco deserued so small a remembrance▪ which was no sooner brought vnto him, and [Page] opened, but (see the iudgement of iust heauen) a sodain flame issued thereout, which with a hideous odour so bestraught Arsadachus of his senses, that thrusting the tables from him, and ouerthrowing whatsoeuer incountred him, he brake out from his seate, cursing the hea [...]ens, renting his embal­med haire, tearing his royall vestures: his nobilitie that saw this, became amazed, and among the rest, Brasidas, who fled for the murther in Mosco, and was at that time in great fa­uour with him, came to pacifie him; who no sooner espied him, but taking a huge boule of wine, and crying out, Brasi­das, I drinke to Philenia whome thou murtheredst, he tast­ed the wine, and with the cup tooke him such a mighty blow on the head that he pashed out all his braines: all they that behelde this sate still; some for feare stole secretly out of his presence, among the rest, wofull Diana rather like the statue of Venus raised in Paphos, then the louely Lucina that gaue light to all Arsadachus delights, sate still quaking and trem­bling, as one readie to depart th [...]s life; whom when the Em­peror espied where she sate, he hastily ranne vnto her, crying out; Ah tyrant that hast robbed me of my heart, my hope and life, let me sacrifice to Nemesis; I will sacrifice: which said, with the caruing knife he slit vp the poore innocent ladies bodie, spreading her entrailes about the pallace floore, and seizing on her heart, hee tare it in peeces with his tyrannous teeth, crying, Sic itur ad astra; by this ti [...]e the rumour [...]as spread throughout the pallace, and from the pallace through the citie: by which meanes the triumphs which were com­menced were turned to mournings, for Arsadachus vsed such cruelties euery way, that the Numantines for all their inhu­manitie could neuer be able to match him. And in this fitte continued he for the space of sixe houres, at which time he en­tred the secrets of his pallace, and finding there a yong sonne which his Diana had bred and he begotten; he tooke it by the legges, battering out the braines thereof against the walles, in such sort as the beholders were amazed to see him; this done he flung it on the ground among the dead members of his mother, calling on the name of Artosogon and Lelia his father and mother, and telling them, that in some part he had [Page] yeelded them reuenge. By this time Arsinous and Marga­rita were entred the citie, who hearing the turmoile thorow the citie, questioned the cause thereof, and were certified by those that passed by, in what estate the emperour was at that present. Margarita hearing the cause, beganne wofully to exclaime, til she was pacified by Arsinous, who told hir that the nature of the medicine which he gaue her, was such, that if Arsadachus were constant to her, it would increase his af­fection; if false, it would procure madnesse: to which effect, since the matter was brought, it coulde not be but the yoong Emperour had wronged her. With these perswasions hee drew her to the pallace, where thrusting through the prease Arsinous thought himselfe happy to see such a reuenge wrought on his enemie. Margarita was heartlesse to behold the dolefull estate of Arsadachus, so that forgetting the honor of his name, and the modestie of her sex, she brake thorow the guard, and ranne to Arsadachus, where he sate embrewed in the bloud of innocents, and with teares spake thus vnto him; Is this the ioy of my loue (said she) are these thy welcomes to thy beloued in steede of triumphes to feast her with trage­dies, in lieu of banquets, with blood? why speaketh not my deare spouse? why lookest thou so ghastly? O if it bee thy pleasure to shew crueltie on me, make it short by a death, not lingering by life. Arsadachus all this while sate mute gast­ly staring on Ma [...]arita; at last fiercely flinging her from his necke, his rage reuiued and he cried out; Diana, ah Dia­na by thy bright lookes, by thy beautifull lo [...]kes, let not thy ghost be displeased, thou shalt haue bloud for bloud, here is the sacrifice, here is the instrument; whereupon drawing a rapier out of the sheath of one of those who ministred fast by him, he ranne Margarita quite thorow the bodie: and in this sort with bedlam madnesse fled out of the presence to his pri­uy chamber. The poore princesse euen when death beganne [...]o arrest her, pursued him: and as she indeuoured to vtter hir moanes, fell downe dead on the floore; whom Arsinous wo­fully bewept, and in the presence of the princesse of Cusco, discouered what she was. Then beganne each of them to i­magine a new feare, doubting lest the Emperour of Mosco [Page] should reuenge her death at their handes. For which cause they consulted how to shut vp Arsadachus til Protomachus were certified, which they effected sodainely, in that they found him laide on his bed, and soundly sleeping, enforced thereunto by the industrie and art of Arsinous. Who after he perceiued the whole assembly of princes dismayed, caused the ministers to gather vp the mangled members and couer thē with a rich cloth of gold, and afterwards seeing al the cour­tiers attentiue, he beganne in this manner▪ Thales (ye wor­thie princes) after he had trauelled long time, and at last re­turned home, being asked what strange or rare thing hee had seene in his voiage, answered; an olde tyrant: for certaine it is, that such as practise open wrong, liue not long; for the gods yeeld them shortest life that haue the wickedest wayes: muse not therefore to see your yong Emperour in these passi­ons, whose sinnes if they be ripped vp exceede al sence, whose tyrannies surpasse the beleefe of any, but such as haue tried them. What, know you not of his disobedience, who spared not his owne father that begate him, his deere mother that bred him? What, knowe you not of his periurie? that hath falsified his faith to Protomachus, betraied and murthered Margarita, and at one time frustrated the hope of both these empires? What, know you not of his murthers, where these in sight are sufficient to conuict him: but those I sigh for are more odious, who thorow his lewd lus [...] [...]e reft me (poore Ar­sinous) of my daughter, and her of an husband? But the iust gods haue suffered me to behold the reuenge with mine eies, which I haue long wished for with my heart. Truely (yee Cuscans) ye are not to maruell at these chaunces, if you bee wise, neither to wonder at your emperours troubles, if you haue discretion; for as vnitie (according to Pythagoras) is the father of number, so is vice the originall of many sorows. When the fish Tenthis appeareth aboue the water, there fo­loweth a tempest: when euils are growne to head, there must needely follow punishment; for as the gods in mercie delay, so at last in iustice they punish. Heare me yee men of Cusco, and consider my words, if neuer as yet any tyrant liued with­out his tragedie what should you expect? In faith no other [Page] thing but the confirmation of Platoes reason, who saide that it is vnnecessarie for him to liue, that hath not learned how to liue well. The tyrant of Sicely Dionisius, of whome it is said, that he gaue as great rewarde to those that inuented vi­ces, as Rome did to those that conquered realmes) died a priuate man and in miserie. Nowe what in respect of this man can you hope of Arsadachus, who hired not men to in­uent, but did himselfe in person practise: beleeue me, beleeue me, your sufferance of such a viper in your realme, is a hai­nous sinne in you, and as Dion saith, it is but meete they be partakers to the paine, who haue wincked at the fault. Cali­gula the emperor of Rome was so disordered in his life, that if all the Romanes had not watched to take life from him, he would haue waited to take life from them; this monster bare a brooch of gold in his cap, wherin was written this sentence: Vtinam omnis populus vnam praecisè ceruicem haberet, vt vno ictu omnes necarem. And what was this man in regarde of Arsadachus? Truely almost innocent; for the one pretended kindnesse to those that gently perswaded him, but the other neither feared the gods, neither spared his friends, neither re­garded iustice, and can such a monster deserue life? The Ro­manes when the tyrant Tiberius was made away, sacrificed in their open streetes, in that the gods had reft them of such a troublesome wretch; why cease you then (you Cuscans) to sacrifice to your gods, to the end they may deliuer you of this trouble-world. It was a lawe among the Romanes, that that childe which had disobeyed his father, robbed any temple, iniured any widdowe, committed any treason to a stranger should be banished from Rome, and disinherited of his fathers possessions; and what hath not Arsadachus done of these things? and why is not Arsadachus punished? Sce­dasus daughters being violated in Lacedemon, and vnre­uenged by the magistrates of the cittie; the gods inflicted both the guiltie and vnguiltie with plagues, in that they afflicted not punishment on the offenders: and what can you hope (ye Cuscans) that suffer this sincke of sinne to triumph in your pallaces? You will perhappes say, that no man is to be pu­nished afore hee be conuicted. And (I pray you) for what [Page] should ill men pleade? since as Chrisippus saith, nothing is profitable vnto them. You see testimonies of his murther be­fore your eies, tokens of his periury I ring in your eares, his lust the gods abhorre, and shall he yet liue?

This said, there grew a great muttering among the nobi­litie, and the noise thereof awaked the emperour (whose sleep had stayed the working of the inchantment) who finding him selfe wholy imbrewed with blood, his doores fast locked vnto him, beganne to misdeeme: whereuppon calling and exclaim­ing on his attendants, some of them at last fearefully opened the doores. The nobilitie hearing of his freedome, presently fled, but when as the fatall fruits of his furie were discouered vnto him, and his ruthfull eies beheld what his hands had ex­ecuted, Lord what pittifull exclamations vsed he! how hee rent his breast with furie, how he tare his face: At last, lay­ing him downe vpon the mangled members of Diana, and embracing the dead bodie of Margarita, hee washed both of them in his teares, and demeaned himselfe so wofully, as it [...] wonder to behold; at last, with a bitter sigh he brake out into these bitter words, (whilest his nobles hearing of his re­couery, beganne to reenter the pallace) True it is that Plu­tarch saith (quoth he) that life is a stage-play, which euen vn­to the last act hath no decorum: life is replenished with al vi­ces, and empouerished of all vertue. Sooth spake Chrisip­pus when he alleadged this, that the euilles of this life are so many, that the gods can not inuent more, neither a liuing man indure halfe; so that rightly I may say with Hercules:

But why philosophie I of life complaining on it where I ought onely to conuict my selfe? It is not the wret­chednesse, but the wickednesse of life that maketh it odi­ous. Then hast thou occasion (wretched man) as thou arte to learne thee, who hauing sinned in the excesse, oughtest rightly to haue thy comforts in defect. Yea I haue sinned O ye heauens, first in beguiling this chast Margarita with hope▪ in wronging my deere parents in their age, in slaughtering this poore infant with his mother. Oh AEtna of miseries [Page] that I see! oh ye Cuscan princes, why suffer you me aliue, that haue stained your empire with such infamies? why vn­sheath you not your swords? for pitie delay not, for pittie rid me of life: alas, why craue I pittie, that haue beene altoge­ther pittilesse? ah yee flockes of flatterers, where are you nowe that fedde me with follies? come nowe and punish my follies in me: none heareth me, all forsake me, despised of the gods, hated of men; ah iust heauens, I honour you that haue left mee occasions in my selfe, you cursed eies of mine that haue glutted your selues in vanitie, since you reft me of my senses, I will be reuenged on your sight: which saide, hee drew out his eies weeping piteously in so erneful maner, that the whole assistance became compassionate: at last some one of his nobles labouring to pacifie him, alleadging reasons of great weight, which in a man of gouernement were sufficient to quallifie the furie of sorrow, he replied thus: Friends and princes the force of reason, (as the Stoicks say) is not to bee vsed in those things that are not, it concerneth not me (lords) that I liue, perswade me not for that cause to entertaine and thinke of life, for if it be odious to those that through infirmi­ties of their flesh grow in hate with it, what should it be to me, who haue not onely a bodie aggreeued with sorrowes, but a soule sweltered in sinnes; lament mee not therefore, neither releeue me; for as the dewe causeth leprosie in man though it yeeldeth life to floures, so teares rather torment those that dispaire then releeue them; and though they com­fort the distressed, yet they are tedious to the desperate: I feele my forlorne heart (you nobles) cloyed with thoughtes and longing to be disburthened. I see with mine inward eies the ghosts of these poore slaughtered soules calling for iustice at my hands; stay me not therefore from death, but assist me to die, for by this meanes you shall ridde your countrey of a plague, the world of a monster. Such as are wounded with brasen weapons, are according to Aristotles opinion soone healed; so likewise are they that are tainted with easie sor­row: but whereas the passions exceede reason, they haue no issue but death; the instrument that woundeth is deadly. Ah my heart, I finde Plutarchs reason of force; for as the sunne [Page] is to the heauen, so is the heart to the man; and as the one e­clipseth, the other cloudeth; when the one danceth, the other dieth. I [...]eele thee (poore heart) dispossest of al ioy, and shal I continue possest of life? no (you ghosts) I will visit you. This saide, he grapled about the floore among the dead bo­dies, and at last he griped that weapon wherewith he slew Margarita, wherewith piercing his hated bodie he breathed his last, to the generall benefit of all the Cuscans who in that they would pacifie the emperour Protomachus, who as they vnderstoode had leuied a huge armie after they had enterred their slaine emperour with his faire loue, bestowed honoura­ble funerall on the princesse Margarita, on whose sepulchre, as also on that of Dian [...]es, Arsinous wrote these epitaphs▪

In this sort were these murthered princes both buried, & honored with epitaphs, by which time the emperor of Mosco arriued in Cusco, who certified of that which had insued, with bitter teares lamented his daughter, and vpon the ear­nest submission of the Cuscans, spoiled not their confines, but possessing himselfe of the empire, he placed Arsinous gouer­nor of the same, whom vpon the earnest reconcilement and motion of the Princes, he tooke to fauour, being certified of his wrong and innocencie: which done, he returned to Mosco, there spending the remnant of his dayes in continuall complaints of his Margarita.