The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
own, and am not so very a fool, as though I keep his commandments in
others, to bar myself. I rest only extremely perplexed, because having
nothing in the world I wish for, but the enjoying you and your favour,
I think it a much pleasanter conquest to come to it by your own
consent, than to have it by such a charming force as this is. Now
therefore choose, since have you I will, in what sort I shall have
you.” But never child was so desirous of a gay puppet, as Mopsa was to
be in the tree, and therefore without squeamishness, promising all he
would, she conjured him by all her precious loves that she might have
the first possession of the wishing tree, assuring him that for the
{470} enjoying her, he would never need to climb far. Dorus, to whom
time was precious, made no great ceremonies with her; but helping her
up to the top of the tree, from whence likewise she could ill come
down without help, he muffled her round about the face, so truly, that
she herself could not undo it. And so he told her the manner was, she
should hold her mind in continual devotion to Apollo, without making
at all any noise, till at the farthest within twelve hours’ space, she
should hear a voice call her by name three times, and that till the
third time she must in no wise answer; “and then you shall not need to
doubt your coming down, for at that time,” said he, “be sure to wish
wisely, and in what shape soever he come unto you, speak boldly unto
him, and your wish shall have as certain effects as I have a desire to
enjoy your sweet love.” In this plight did he leave Mopsa, resolved in
her heart to be the greatest lady in the world, and never after to
feed on worse than frumenty.
Thus Dorus having delivered his hands of his three tormentors, took
speedily the benefit of his device, and mounting the gracious Pamela
upon a fair horse he had provided for her, he thrust himself forthwith
into the wildest part of the desert, where he had left marks to guide
him from place to place to the next seaport, disguising her very fitly
with scarfs; although he rested assured he should meet that way with
nobody, till he came to his bark, into which he meant to enter by
night. But Pamela, who all this while transported with desire and
troubled with fear, had never free scope of judgment to look with
perfect consideration into her own enterprise, but even by the laws of
love, had bequeathed the care of herself upon him, to whom she had
given herself; now that the pang of desire, with evident hope was
quieted, and most part of the fear passed, reason began to renew his
shining in her heart, and make her see herself in herself; and weigh
with what wings she flew out of her country; and upon what ground she
built so strong a determination. But love, fortified with her lover’s
presence, kept still his own in her heart; so that as they rode
together, with her hand upon her faithful servant’s shoulder, suddenly
casting her bashful eyes to the ground, and yet binding herself
towards him (like the client that commits the cause of all his worth
to a well-trusted advocate) from a mild spirit said unto him these
sweetly delivered words: “Prince Musidorus, for so my assured hope is
I may justly call you, since with no other my heart would ever have
yielded to go; and if so I do not rightly term you, all other words
are as bootless, as my deeds miserable, and I as unfortunate, as you
wicked, my prince Musidorus, I say now that the vehement shows of your
faithful love towards me have brought my mind to answer it in so due a
proportion, that contrary to {471} all general rules of reason, I have
laid in you my estate, my life, my honour: it is your part to double
your former care, and make me see your virtue no less in preserving,
than in obtaining: and your faith to be a faith as much in freedom, as
bondage. Tender now your own workmanship, and so govern your love
towards me, that I may still remain worthy to be loved. Your promise
you remember, which here by the eternal givers of virtue I conjure you
to observe, let me be your own as I am, but by no unjust conquest; let
not our joys which ought ever to last, be stained in our own
consciences, let no shadow of repentance steal into the sweet
consideration of our mutual happiness; I have yielded to be your wife,
stay then till the time that I may rightly be so; let no other defiled
name burden my heart, what should I more say? if I have chosen well,
all doubt is past, since your action only must determine, whether I
have done virtuously or shamefully in following you.”
Musidorus, that had more abundance of joy in his heart than Ulysses
had what time with his own industry he stole the fatal Palladium,
imagined to be the only relic of Troy’s safety, taking Pamela’s hand,
and many times kissed it. “What I am,” said he, “the gods I hope will
shortly make your own eyes judge; and of my mind towards you, the
meantime shall be my pledge unto you; your contentment is dearer to me
than mine own, and therefore doubt not of his mind, whose thoughts are
so thralled unto you, as you are to bend or slack them as it shall
seem best unto you. You do wrong to yourself, to make any doubt that
a base estate could ever undertake so high an enterprise or a spotted
mind be able to behold your virtues. Thus much only I confess, I can
never do, to make the world see you have chosen worthily, since all
the world is not worthy of you.” In such delightful discourses, kept
they on their journey, maintaining their hearts in that right harmony
of affection, which doth interchangeable deliver each to other the
secret workings of their souls, till with the unusual travel, the
princess being weary, they alighted down in a fair thick wood, which
did entice them with the pleasantness of it to take their rest there.
It was all of pine trees, whose broad heads meeting together, yielded
a perfect shade to the ground, where their bodies gave a spacious and
pleasant room to walk in, they were set in so perfect an order that
every way the eye being full, yet no way was stopped. And even in the
midst of them, were there many sweet springs which did lose themselves
upon the face of the earth. Here Musidorus drew out such provisions of
fruits and other cates, as he had brought for that day’s repast, and
laid it down upon the fair carpet of the green grass. But Pamela had
much more pleasure to walk under {472} those trees, making in their
barks pretty knots, which tied together the names of Musidorus and
Pamela, sometimes intermixedly changing them, to Pammidorus and
Musimela, with twenty other flowers of her travelling fancies, which
had bound themselves to a greater restraint than they could without
much pain well endure: and to one tree more beholding to her than the
rest, she entrusted the treasure of her thoughts in these verses:
Do not disdain, O straight up-raised pine,
That wounding thee, my thoughts in thee I grave:
Since that my thoughts as straight as straightness thine,
No smaller wound, alas! far deeper have.
Deeper engraved, which salve nor time can save,
Giv’n to my heart, by my forewounded eyne:
Thus cruel to myself how canst thou crave
My inward hurt should spare thy outward rine?
Yet still fair tree, lift up thy stately line,
Live long, and long witness my chosen part,
Which barr’d desires, barr’d by myself, impart,
And in this growing-bark grow verses mine.
My heart my word, my word hath giv’n my heart;
The giver giv’n from gift shall never part.
Upon a root of the tree, that the earth had left something barer than
the rest, she wrote this couplet:
Sweet root say thou, the root of my desire
Was virtue clad in constant love’s attire.
Musidorus, seeing her fancies drawn up to such pleasant
contemplations, accompanied her in them, and made the trees as well
bear badges of his passions, as this song engraved in them did
testify:
You goodly pines, which still with brave ascent,
In nature’s pride your heads to heav’nward heave;
Though you besides such graces earth hath lent,
Of some late grace a greater grace receive.
By her who was (O blessed you) content
With her fair hand, your tender barks to cleave,
And so by you (O blessed you) hath sent,
Such piercing words as no thoughts else conceive.
Yet yield your grant, a baser hand may leave
His thoughts in you, where so sweet thoughts were spent,
For how would you the mistress’s thoughts bereave
Of waiting thoughts all to her service meant.
{473}
Nay higher thoughts (though thralled thoughts) I call
My thoughts then hers, who first your rind did rent:
Than hers, to whom my thoughts a lonely thrall
Rising from low, are to the highest bent;
Where hers, whom worth makes highest over all
Coming from her, cannot but downward fall.
While Pamela sitting her down under one of them, and making a poesy of
the fair undergrowing flowers, filled Musidorus’s ears with the
heavenly sound of her music, which before he had never heard, so that
it seemed unto him a new assault given to the castle of his heart,
already conquered: which to signify, and withal reply to her sweet
notes, he sung in a kind of still, but ravishing tune, a few verses:
her song was this, and his reply follows.
PAMELA
Like divers flowers, whose divers beauties serve
To deck the earth with his well-coloured weed,
Though each of them, his private form preserve,
Yet joining forms one sight of beauty breed.
Right so my thoughts, whereon my heart I feed:
Right so my inward parts, and outward glass,
Though each possess a divers working kind;
Yet all well knit to one fair end do pass:
That he to whom these sundry gifts I bind,
All what I am, still one, his own, do find.
MUSIDORUS
All what you are still one, his own to find,
You that are born to be the world’s eye;
What were it else but to make each thing blind:
And to the sun with waxen wings to fly.
No, no, such force with my small force to try,
Is not my skill, or reach of mortal mind:
Call me but yours, my title is most high:
Hold me most yours, then my long suit is sign’d.
You none can claim but you yourself aright,
For you do pass yourself, in virtue’s might.
So both are yours: I bound with gaged heart:
You only yours, too far beyond desert.
{474}
In this virtuous wantonness, suffering their minds to descend to each
tender enjoying their united thoughts, Pamela having tasted of the
fruits, and growing extreme sleepy, having been long kept from it with
the perplexity of her dangerous attempt, laying her head in his lap,
was invited by him to sleep with these softly uttered verses:
Look up, fair lids, the treasure of my heart,
Preserve those beams, this age’s only light:
To her sweet sense, sweet sleep some ease impart,
Her sense too weak to bear her spirit’s might.
And while, O sleep, thou closest up her sight,
Her sight where love did forge his fairest dart,
O harbour all her parts in easeful plight:
Let no strange dream make her fair body start.
But, O dream, if thou wilt not depart
In this rare subject from thy common right:
But wilt thyself in such a seat delight,
Then take my shape, and play a lover’s part:
Kiss her from me, and say unto her sprite,
Till her eyes shine, I live in darkest night.
The sweet Pamela was brought into a sweet sleep with this song, which
gave Musidorus opportunity at leisure to behold her excellent
beauties. He thought her fair forehead was a field where all his
fancies fought, and every hair of her head seemed a strong chain that
tied him. Her fairer lids then hiding her fairer eyes, seemed unto him
sweet boxes of mother-of-pearl, rich in themselves, but containing in
them far richer jewels. Her cheeks with their colour most delicately