The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
the God which is God of nature doth never teach unnaturalness; and
even the same mind hold I touching your banishing them from company,
lest I know not what strange loves should follow. Certainly, Sir, in
my ladies, your daughters, nature promiseth nothing but goodness, and
their education by your fatherly care hath been hitherto such as hath
been most fit to restrain all evil, giving their minds virtuous
delights, and not grieving them for want of well-ruled liberty. Now to
fall to a sudden straightening them, what can it do but argue
suspicion? a thing no more unpleasant than unsure for the preserving
of virtue. Leave women’s minds the most untamed that way of any: see
whether a cage can please a bird; or whether a dog grow not fiercer
with tying? what doth jealousy but stir up the mind to think what it
is from which are restrained? for they are treasures or things of
great delight, which men use to hide for the aptness they have to each
man’s fancy: and the thoughts once awaked to that, harder sure it is
to keep those thoughts from accomplishment than had been before to
have kept the mind (which being the chief part, by this means is
defiled) from thinking. Lastly, for the recommending of so principal a
charge of the princess Pamela (whose mind goes beyond the governing of
many thousand such) to such a person as Dametas is (besides that the
thing in itself is strange) it comes of a very ill ground that
ignorance should be the mother of faithfulness. Oh no, he cannot be
good that knows not why he is good; but stands so far good as his
fortune may keep him unassayed; but coming once to that, his rude
simplicity is either easily changed, or easily {18} deceived: and so
grows that to be the last excuse of his fault, which seemed to have
been the foundation of his faith. Thus far hath your commandment and
my zeal drawn me; which I, like a man in a valley that may discern
hills, or like a poor passenger that may spy a rock, so humbly submit
to your gracious consideration, beseeching you again to stand wholly
upon your own virtue, as the surest way to maintain you in that you
are, and to avoid any evil which may be imagined.
“By the contents of this letter you may perceive, that the cause of
all hath been the vanity which possesseth many who (making a perpetual
mansion of this poor baiting-place of man’s life) are desirous to know
the certainty of things to come, wherein there is nothing so certain
as our continual uncertainty. But what in particular points the oracle
was, in faith I know not, neither (as you may see by one place of
Philanax’s letter) he himself distinctly knew. But this experience
shews us that Basilius’s judgment, corrupted with a prince’s fortune,
hath rather heard than followed the wise (as I take it) counsel of
Philanax. For having left the stern of his government with much
amazement to the people, among whom many strange bruits are received
for current, with some appearance of danger in respect of the valiant
Amphialus his nephew, and much envying the ambitious number of the
nobility against Philanax, to see Philanax so advanced, though (to
speak simply) he deserve more than as many of us as there be in
Arcadia: the prince himself hath hidden his head, in such sort as I
told you, not sticking plainly to confess that he means not (while he
breathes) that his daughters shall have any husband, but keep them
thus solitary with him: where he gives no other body leave to visit
him at any time but a certain priest, who being excellent in poetry,
he makes him write out such things as he best likes, he being no less
delightful in conversation than needful for devotion, and about twenty
specified shepherds, in whom (some for eclogues) he taketh greater
recreation.
“And now you know as much as myself: wherein if I have held you
over-long, lay hardly the fault upon my old age, which in the very
disposition of it is talkative, whether it be (said he smiling) that
nature loves to exercise that part most, which is least decayed, and
that is our tongue, or, that knowledge being the only thing whereof we
poor old men can brag, we cannot make it known but by utterance: or,
that mankind by all means seeking to eternize himself so much the
more, as he is near his end, doth it not only by the children that
come of him, but by speeches and writings recommended to the memory of
hearers and readers. And yet thus much I will say for myself, that I
have not laid these matters either so openly or largely to any as to
yourself: so {19} much (if I much fail not) do I see in you which
makes me both love and trust you.”
“Never may he be old,” answered Palladius, “that doth not reverence
that age, whose heaviness, if it weigh down the frail and fleshly
balance, it as much lifts up the noble and spiritual part; and well
might you have alleged another reason, that their wisdom makes them
willing to profit others. And that have I received of you, never to be
forgotten, but with ungratefulness. But among many strange conceits
you told me, which have shewed effects in your prince, truly even the
last, that he should conceive such pleasure in shepherds’ discourses
would not seem the least unto me, saving that you told me at the first
that this country is notable in those wits, and that indeed myself
having been brought not only to this place, but to my life by Strephon
and Claius in their conference found wits as might better become such
shepherds as Homer speaks of, that be governors of people, than such
senators who hold their council in a sheep-cote.”
“For them two (said Kalander), especially Claius, they are beyond the
rest by so much as learning commonly doth add to nature: for, having
neglected their wealth in respect of their knowledge, they have not so
much impaired the meaner, as they bettered the better. Which all
notwithstanding, it is a sport to hear how they impute to love which
hath indued their thoughts (say they) with such a strength. But
certainly all the people of this country, from high to low, are given
to those sports of the wit, so as you would wonder to hear how soon
even children will begin to versify. Once, ordinary it is amongst the
meanest sort, to make songs and dialogues in metre, either love
whetting their brain, or long peace having begun it, example and
emulation amending it. Not so much, but the clown Dametas will stumble
sometimes upon some songs that might become a better brain: but no
sort of people are so excellent in that kind as the pastors, for their
living standing but upon the looking to their beasts, they have ease,
the nurse of poetry. Neither are our shepherds such as (I hear) they
be in other countries, but they are the very owners of the sheep, to
which either themselves look, or their children give daily attendance.
And then truly, it would delight you under some tree, or by some
river’s side (when two or three of them meet together) to hear their
rural muse, how prettily it will deliver out, sometimes joys,
sometimes lamentations, sometimes challengings one of the other,
sometimes under hidden forms, uttering such matters as otherwise they
durst not deal with. Then have they most commonly one who judgeth the
prize to the best doer, of which they are no less glad than great
princes are of triumphs: and his part is to set down in writing all
that is said, save that it may be {20} his pen with more leisure doth
polish the rudeness of an unthought-on song. Now the choice of all (as
you may well think) either for goodness of voice, or pleasantness of
wit, the prince hath: among whom also there are two or three
strangers, who, inward melancholies having made weary of the world’s
eyes, have come to spend their lives among the country people of
Arcadia, and their conversation being well approved, the prince
vouchsafeth them his presence, and not only by looking on, but by
great courtesy and liberality animates the shepherds the more
exquisitely to labour for his good liking. So that there is no cause
to blame the prince for sometimes hearing them; the blame-worthiness
is, that to hear them, he rather goes to solitariness than makes them
come to company. Neither do I accuse my master for advancing a
country-man, Dametas is, since God forbid, but where worthiness is as
truly it is among divers of that fellowship, any outward lowness
should hinder the highest rising; but that he would needs make
election of one, the baseness of whose mind is such, that it sinks a
thousand degrees lower than the basest body could carry the most base
fortune: which although it might be answered for the prince, that it
is rather a trust he hath in his simple plainness than any great
advancement, but being chief herdman; yet all honest hearts feel that
the trust of their lord goes beyond all advancement. But I am ever too
long upon him, when he crosseth the way of my speech, and by the
shadow of yonder tower I see it is a fitter time with our supper to
pay the duties we owe to our stomachs, than to break the air with my
idle discourses: and more wit I might have learned of Homer (whom even
now you mentioned) who never entertained either guests or hosts with
long speeches, till the mouth of hunger be thoroughly stopped.” So
withal he rose, leading Palladius through the garden again to the
parlour where they used to sup; Palladius assuring him that he had
already been more fed to his liking than he could be by the
skilfullest trencher-men of Media.
But being come to the supping-place, one of Kalander’s servants
rounded in his ear, at which (his colour changing) he retired himself
into his chamber, commanding his men diligently to wait upon
Palladius, and to excuse his absence with some necessary business he
had presently to dispatch: which they accordingly did, for some few
days forcing themselves to let no change appear: but, though they
framed their countenances never so cunningly, Palladius perceived
there was some ill-pleasing accident fallen out. Whereupon, being
again set alone at supper, he called to the steward, and desired him
to tell him the matter of his sudden alteration: who, after some
trifling excuses, in the end confessed unto him that his master had
received news that his {21} son before the day of his near marriage,
chanced to be at a battle which was to be fought between the gentlemen
of Lacedaemon and the Helots: who, winning the victory, he was there
made prisoner going to deliver a friend of his taken prisoner by the
Helots; that the poor young gentlemen had offered great ransom for his
life; but that the hate those peasants conceived against all gentlemen
was such that every hour he was to look for nothing but some cruel
death, which hitherto had only been delayed by the captain’s vehement
dealing for him, who seemed to have a heart of more manly pity than
the rest. Which loss had stricken the old gentleman with such sorrow,
that, as if abundance of tears did not seem sufficiently to witness
it, he was alone retired, tearing his beard and hair, and cursing his
old age, that had not made his grave to stop his ears from such
advertisements: but that his faithful servants had written in his name
to all his friends, followers, and tenants (Philanax the governor
refusing to deal in it as a private cause, but yet giving leave to
seek their best redress, so as they wronged not the state of
Lacedaemon) of whom there were now gathered upon the frontiers good
forces, that he was sure would spend their lives by any way to redeem
or revenge Clitophon. “Now Sir,” said he, “this is my master’s nature,
though his grief be such, as to live is a grief unto him, and that
even his reason is darkened with sorrow; yet the laws of hospitality
(long and holily observed by him) gave still such a sway to his