The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
proceeding that he will no way suffer the stranger lodged under his
roof to receive (as it were) any infection of his anguish, especially
you, towards whom I know not whether his love or admiration be
greater.” But Palladius could scarce hear out his tale with patience,
so was his heart torn in pieces with compassion of the case, liking of
Kalander’s noble behaviour, kindness for his respect to him-ward, and
desire to find some remedy, besides the image of his dearest friend
Daiphantus, whom he judged to suffer either alike or worse fortune.
Therefore rising from the board, he desired the steward to tell him
particularly the ground and event of this accident, because by
knowledge of many circumstances, there might perhaps some way of help
be opened. Whereunto the steward easily in this sort condescended.
“My Lord,” said he, “when our good king Basilius, with better success
than expectation, took to wife (even in his more than decaying years)
the fair young princess Gynecia, there came with her a young lord,
cousin-german to herself, named Argalus, led hither partly with the
love and honour of his noble kinswoman, partly with the humour of
youth, which ever thinks that good, whose goodness he sees not. And in
this court he received so good increase of knowledge, that after some
years spent, he so {22} manifested a most virtuous mind in all his
actions, that Arcadia gloried such a plant was transported unto them,
being a gentleman indeed most rarely accomplished, excellently
learned, but without all vain glory: friendly without factiousness;
valiant, so as for my part I think the earth hath no man that hath
done more heroical acts than he; howsoever now of late the fame flies
of the two princes of Thessalia and Macedon, and hath long done of our
noble prince Amphialus, who indeed in our parts is only accounted
likely to match him: but I say for my part, I think no man, for valour
of mind, and ability of body, to be preferred, if equalled to Argalus;
and yet so valiant, as he never durst do anybody injury: in behaviour,
some will say, ever sad, surely sober, and somewhat given to musing,
but never uncourteous; his word ever led by his thought, and always
followed by his deed; rather liberal than magnificent, though the one
wanted not, and the other had ever good choice of the receiver; in sum
(for I perceive I shall easily take a great draught of his praises,
whom both I and all this country love so well) such a man was (and I
hope is) Argalus, as hardly the nicest eye can find a spot in, if the
over-vehement constancy of yet spotless affection may not in
hard-wrested constructions be counted a spot: which in this manner
began that work in him, which hath made both him, and itself in him,
over all this country famous. My master’s son Clitophon (whose loss
gives the cause to this discourse, and yet gives me cause to begin
with Argalus, since his loss proceeds from Argalus) being a young
gentleman as of great birth (being our king’s sister’s son) so truly
of good nature and one that can see good and love it, haunted more the
company of this worthy Argalus, than of any other; so as if there were
not a friendship (which is so rare, as it is to be doubted whether it
be a thing indeed, or but a word) at least there was such a liking and
friendliness as hath brought forth the effects which you shall hear.
About two years since, it so fell out that he brought him to a great
lady’s house, sister to my master, who had with her her only daughter,
the fair Parthenia, fair indeed (fame, I think, itself not daring to
call any fairer, if it be not Helena, queen of Corinth, and the two
incomparable sisters of Arcadia) and that which made her fairness much
the fairer was, that it was but a fair ambassador of a most fair mind;
full of wit, and a wit which delighted more to judge itself than to
shew itself: her speech being as rare, as precious; her silence
without fullness; her modesty without affectation; her shamefacedness
without ignorance: in sum, one that to praise well, one must first set
down with himself what it is to be excellent: for so she is.
“I think you think that these perfections meeting could not choose but
find one another, and delight in what they found; for likeness {23} of
manners is likely in reason to draw liking with affection; men’s
actions do not always cross with reason: to be short, it did so
indeed. They loved, although for a while the fire thereof (hope’s
wings being cut off) were blown by the bellows of despair upon this
occasion.
“There had been a good while before, and so continued, a suitor to
this same lady, a great noble man, though of Laconia, yet near
neighbour to Parthenia’s mother, named Demagoras; a man mighty in
riches and power, and proud thereof, stubbornly stout, loving nobody
but himself, and, for his own delight’s sake, Parthenia: and pursuing
vehemently his desire, his riches had so gilded over all his other
imperfections that the old lady (though contrary to my lord her
brother’s mind) had given her consent; and using a mother’s authority
upon her fair daughter had made her yield thereunto, not because she
liked her choice, but because her obedient mind had not yet taken upon
it to make choice. And the day of their assurance drew near, when my
young lord Clitophon brought this noble Argalus, perchance principally
to see so rare a sight, as Parthenia by all well-judging eyes was
judged.
“But though few days were before the time of assurance appointed, yet
love, that saw he had a great journey to make in short time, hasted so
himself that before her word could tie her to Demagoras, her heart
hath vowed her to Argalus with so grateful a receipt in mutual
affection that if she desired above all things to have Argalus,
Argalus feared nothing but to miss Parthenia. And now Parthenia had
learned both liking and misliking, loving and loathing, and out of
passion began to take the authority of judgment; insomuch that when
the time came that Demagoras (full of proud joy) thought to receive
the gift of herself; she, with words of resolute refusal (though with
tears showing she was sorry she must refuse) assured her mother she
would first be bedded in her grave than wedded to Demagoras. The
change was no more strange than unpleasant to the mother who being
determinately (lest I should say of a great lady, wilfully) bent to
marry her to Demagoras, tried all ways, which a witty and hard-hearted
mother could use upon so humble a daughter in whom the only resisting
power was love. But the more she assaulted, the more she taught
Parthenia to defend; and the more Parthenia defended, the more she
made her mother obstinate in the assault: who at length finding that
Argalus standing between them, was it that most eclipsed her affection
from shining upon Demagoras, she sought all means how to remove him,
so much the more as he manifested himself an unremovable suitor to her
daughter: first by employing him in as many dangerous enterprises as
ever the evil step-mother {24} Juno recommended to the famous
Hercules: but the more his virtue was tried, the more pure it grew,
while all the things she did to overthrow him, did set him up upon the
height of honour; enough to have moved her heart, especially to a man
every way so worthy as Argalus; but the struggling against all reason,
because she would have her will, and shew her authority in matching
her with Demagoras, the more virtuous Argalus was the more she hated
him, thinking herself conquered in his conquests, and therefore, still
employing him in more and more dangerous attempts: in the meanwhile
she used all extremities possible upon her fair daughter to make her
give over herself to her direction. But it was hard to judge whether
he in doing, or she in suffering, shewed greater constancy of
affection: for, as to Argalus the world sooner wanted occasions than
he valour to go through them: so to Parthenia malice sooner ceased
than her unchanged patience. Lastly, by treasons Demagoras and she
would have made away with Argalus, but he with providence and courage
so passed over all that the mother took such a spiteful grief at it
that her heart brake withal, and she died.
“But then Demagoras assuring himself that now Parthenia was her own
she would never be his, and receiving as much by her own determinate
answer, not more desiring his own happiness, than envying Argalus,
whom he saw with narrow eyes, even ready to enjoy the perfection of
his desires, strengthening his conceit with all the mischievous
counsels which disdained love and envious pride could give unto him,
the wicked wretch (taking a time that Argalus was gone to his country
to fetch some of his principal friends to honour the marriage, which
Parthenia had most joyfully consented unto) the wicked Demagoras, I
say, desiring to speak with her, with unmerciful force (her weak arms
in vain resisting) rubbed all over her face a most horrible poison:
the effect whereof was such, that never leper looked more ugly than
she did: which done, having his men and horses ready, departed away in
spite of her servants, as ready to revenge as could be, in such an
unexpected mischief. But the abominableness of this fact being come to
my L. Kalander, he made such means, both by our king’s intercession
and his own, that by the king and senate of Lacedaemon, Demagoras was,
upon pain of death, banished the country: who hating the punishment,
where he should have hated the fault, joined himself, with all the
power he could make, unto the Helots, lately in rebellion against that
state: and they (glad to have a man of such authority among them) made
him their general, and under him have committed divers the most
outrageous villanies that a base multitude (full of desperate revenge)
can imagine.
{25}
“But within a while after this pitiful fact committed upon Parthenia,
Argalus returned (poor Gentleman!) having her fair image in his heart,
and already promising his eyes the uttermost of his felicity when they
(nobody else daring to tell it him) were the first messengers to
themselves of their own misfortune. I mean not to move passion with
telling you the grief of both, when he knew her, for at first he did
not; nor at first knowledge could possibly have virtue’s aid so ready,
as not even weakly to lament the loss of such a jewel, so much the
more, as that skilful men in that art assured it was unrecoverable:
but within a while, truth of love (which still held the first face in
his memory) a virtuous constancy, and even a delight to be constant,
faith given, and inward worthiness shining through the foulest mists,
took so full hold of the noble Argalus, that not only in such comfort
which witty arguments may bestow upon adversity, but even with the
most abundant kindness that an eye-ravished lover can express, he
laboured both to drive the extremity of sorrow from her, and to hasten
the celebration of their marriage: whereunto he unfeignedly shewed
himself no less cheerfully earnest than if she had never been
disinherited of that goodly portion which nature had so liberally
bequeathed unto her; and for that cause deferred his intended revenge
upon Demagoras, because he might continually be in her presence,
shewing more humble serviceableness and joy to content her than ever
before.
“But as he gave this rare example, not to be hoped for of any other,
but of another Argalus, so of the other side, she took as strange a
course in affection: for where she desired to enjoy him more than to
live yet did she overthrow both her own desire and his, and in no sort
would yield to marry him: with a strange encounter of love’s affects
and effects; that he by an affection sprung from excessive beauty
should delight in horrible foulness; and she of a vehement desire to