The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
have him should kindly build a resolution never to have him; for truth
it is, that so in heart she loved him, as she could not find in her
heart he should be tied to what was unworthy of his presence.
“Truly, Sir, a very good orator might have a fair field to use
eloquence in, if he did but only repeat the lamentable, and truly
affectionate speeches, while he conjured her by remembrance of her
affection, and true oaths of his own affection, not to make him so
unhappy, as to think he had not only lost her face, but her heart;
that her face, when it was fairest, had been but a marshal to lodge
the love of her in his mind, which now was so well placed that it
needed no further help of any outward harbinger; beseeching her, even
with tears, to know that his love was not so superficial as to go no
further than the skin, which yet now to him was most {26} fair since
it was hers: how could he be so ungrateful as to love her the less for
that which she had only received for his sake; that he never beheld
it, but therein he saw the loveliness of her love towards him;
protesting unto her that he would never take joy of his life if he
might not enjoy her, for whom principally he was glad he had life. But
(as I heard by one that overheard them) she (wringing him by the hand)
made no other answer but this. ‘My Lord,’ said she, ‘God knows I love
you; if I were princess of the whole world, and had, withal, all the
blessings that ever the world brought forth, I should not make delay
to lay myself and them under your feet; or if I had continued but as I
was, though (I must confess) far unworthy of you, yet would I (with
too great a joy for my heart now to think of) have accepted your
vouchsafing me to be yours, and with faith and obedience would have
supplied all other defects. But first let me be much more miserable
than I am ere I match Argalus to such a Parthenia. Live happy, dear
Argalus, I give you full liberty, and I beseech you to take it; and I
assure you I shall rejoice (whatsoever become of me) to see you so
coupled, as may be fit both for your honour and satisfaction.’ With
that she burst out crying and weeping, not able longer to control
herself from blaming her fortune, and wishing her own death.
“But Argalus, with a most heavy heart still pursuing his desire, she
fixed of mind to avoid further intreaty, and to fly all company which
(even of him) grew unpleasant unto her, one night she stole away: but
whither as yet it is unknown or indeed what is become of her.
“Argalus sought her long, and in many places; at length (despairing to
find her, and the more he despaired, the more enraged) weary of his
life, but first determining to be revenged of Demagoras, he went alone
disguised into the chief town held by the Helots, where coming into
his presence, guarded about by many of his soldiers, he could delay
his fury no longer for a fitter time, but setting upon him, in despite
of a great many that helped him, gave him divers mortal wounds, and
himself (no question) had been there presently murdered, but that
Demagoras himself desired he might be kept alive: perchance with
intention to feed his own eyes with some cruel execution to be laid
upon him; but death came sooner than he looked for; yet having had
leisure to appoint his successor, a young man, not long before
delivered out of the prison of the king of Lacedaemon, where he should
have suffered death for having slain the king’s nephew, but him he
named, who at that time was absent, making inroads upon the
Lacedaemonians; but being returned, the rest of the Helots, for the
great liking they conceived of that young man, {27} especially because
they had none among themselves to whom the others would yield, were
content to follow Demagoras’s appointment. And well hath it succeeded
with them, he having since done things beyond the hope of the youngest
heads; of whom I speak the rather, because he hath hitherto preserved
Argalus alive, under pretence to have him publicly, and with exquisite
torments executed after the end of these wars, of which they hope for
a soon and prosperous issue.
“And he hath likewise hitherto kept my young lord Clitophon alive, who
(to redeem his friend) went with certain other noble men of Laconia,
and forces gathered by them, to besiege this young and new successor:
but he issuing out (to the wonder of all men) defeated the Laconians,
slew many of the noblemen, and took Clitophon prisoner, whom with much
ado he keepeth alive, the Helots being villainously cruel; but he
tempereth them so, sometimes by following their humour, sometimes by
striving with it, that hitherto he hath saved both their lives, but in
different estates; Argalus being kept in a close and hard prison,
Clitophon at some liberty. And now, Sir, though (to say the truth) we
can promise ourselves little of their safeties while they are in the
Helots’ hands, I have delivered all I understand touching the loss of
my lord’s son, and the cause thereof: which though it was not
necessary to Clitophon’s case, to be so particularly told, yet the
strangeness of it made me think it would not be unpleasant unto you.”
Palladius thanked him greatly for it, being even passionately
delighted with hearing so strange an accident of a knight so famous
over the world as Argalus, with whom he had himself a long desire to
meet: so had fame poured a noble emulation in him towards him.
But then (well bethinking himself) he called for armour, desiring them
to provide him of horse and guide, and armed all saving the head, he
went up to Kalander, whom he found lying upon the ground, having ever
since banished both sleep and food as enemies to the mourning, which
passion persuaded him was reasonable. But Palladius raised him up,
saying unto him: “No more, no more of this, my L. Kalander; let us
labour to find, before we lament the loss: you know myself miss one,
who though he be not my son, I would disdain the favour of life after
him: but while there is a hope left, let not the weakness of sorrow
make the strength of it languish: take comfort, and good success will
follow.” And with those words, comfort seemed to lighten in his eyes,
and in his face and gesture was painted victory. Once, Kalander’s
spirits were so revived withal, that (receiving some sustenance, and
taking a little rest) he armed himself and those {28} few of his
servants he had left unsent, and so himself guided Palladius to the
place upon the frontiers, where already there were assembled between
three and four thousand men, all well disposed (for Kalander’s sake)
to abide any peril: but like men disused with a long peace, more
determinate to do than skilful how to do: lusty bodies, and braver
armours; with such courage as rather grew of despising their enemies,
whom they knew not, than of any confidence for anything which in
themselves they knew: but neither cunning use of their weapons, nor
art showed in their marching or encamping. Which Palladius soon
perceiving, he desired to understand (as much as could be delivered
unto him) the estate of the Helots.
And he was answered by a man well acquainted with the affairs of
Laconia, that they were a kind of people who, having been of old
freemen and possessioners, the Lacedaemonians had conquered them, and
laid not only tribute, but bondage upon them, which they had long
borne, till of late the Lacedaemonians, through greediness growing
more heavy than they could bear, and through contempt growing less
careful how to make them bear, they had with a general consent (rather
springing by the generalness of the cause than of any artificial
practice) set themselves in arms, and whetting their courage with
revenge, and grounding their resolution upon despair, they had
proceeded with unlooked-for success, having already taken divers towns
and castles, with the slaughter of many of the gentry: for whom no sex
nor age could be accepted for an excuse. And that although at the
first they had fought rather with beastly fury than any soldiery
discipline, practice had now made them comparable to the best of the
Lacedaemonians, and more of late than ever; by reason, first of
Demagoras, a great lord, who had made himself of their party, and
since his death, of another captain they had gotten, who had brought
up their ignorance, and brought down their fury to such a mean of good
government, and withal led them so valorously that (besides the time
wherein Clitophon was taken) they had the better in some other great
conflicts: in such wise that the estate of Lacedaemon had sent unto
them, offering peace with most reasonable and honourable conditions.
Palladius having gotten this general knowledge of the party against
whom, as he had already of the party for whom he was to fight, he went
to Kalander, and told him plainly that by plain force there was small
appearance of helping Clitophon; but some device was to be taken in
hand, wherein no less discretion than valour was to be used.
Whereupon, the counsel of the chief men was called, and at last this
way Palladius (who by some experience, but especially by {29} reading
histories, was acquainted with stratagems) invented, and was by all
the rest approved, that all the men there should dress themselves like
the poorest sort of the people in Arcadia, having no banners, but
bloody shirts hanged upon long staves, with some bad bag-pipes instead
of drum and fife: their armour they should, as well as might be,
cover, or at least make them look so rustily and ill-favouredly as
might well become such wearers, and this the whole number should do,
saving two hundred of the best chosen gentlemen for courage and
strength, whereof Palladius himself would be one, who should have
their arms chained, and be put in carts like prisoners. This being
performed according to the agreement, they marched on towards the town
of Cardamila where Clitophon was captive; and being come two hours
before sunset within view of the walls, the Helots already descrying
their number, and beginning to sound the alarm, they sent a cunning
fellow (so much the cunninger as that he could mask it under rudeness)
who with such a kind of rhetoric as weeded out all flowers of
rhetoric, delivered unto the Helots assembled together, that they were
country-people of Arcadia, no less oppressed by their lords, and no
less desirous of liberty than they, and therefore had put themselves
in the field, and had already (besides a great number slain) taken
nine or ten score gentlemen prisoners, whom they had there well and
fast chained. Now because they had no strong retiring place in
Arcadia, and were not yet of number enough to keep the field against
the prince’s forces, they were come to them for succour; knowing that
daily more and more of their quality would flock unto them, but that
in the meantime, lest their prince should pursue them, or the
Lacedaemonian king and nobility (for the likeness of the cause) fall
upon them, they desired that if there were not room enough for them in
the town, that yet they might encamp under the walls, and for surety
have their prisoners (who were such men as were able to make their
peace) kept within the town.
The Helots made but a short consultation, being glad that their
contagion had spread itself into Arcadia, and making account that if
the peace did not fall out between them and their king, that it was
the best way to set fire in all the parts of Greece; besides their
greediness to have so many gentlemen in their hands, in whose ransoms
they already meant to have a share; to which haste of concluding, two
things well helped; the one, that their captain, with the wisest of
them, was at that time absent about confirming or breaking the peace
with the state of Lacedaemon: the second, that over-many good fortunes