The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
this bitter message, that he well enough found I was the cause of all
this mischief, and that if I were a man, he would go over the world to
kill me, but bade me assure myself that of all creatures in the world
he most hated me. Ah, Sir knight, whose ears I think by this time are
tired with the rugged ways of these misfortunes, now weigh my case, if
at least you know what love is. For this cause have I left my country,
putting in hazard how my people will in time deal by me, adventuring
what perils or dishonours might {55} ensue, only to follow him who
proclaimeth hate against me, and to bring my neck unto him, if that
may redeem my trespass, and assuage his fury. And now, Sir,” said she,
“you have your request, I pray you take pains to guide me to the next
town, that there I may gather such of my company again as your valour
hath left me.”
Palladius willingly condescended, but ere they began to go, there came
Clitophon who, having been something hurt by one of them, had pursued
him a good way: at length overtaking him, and ready to kill him,
understood they were servants to the fair queen Helen, and that the
cause of this enterprise was for nothing but to make Amphialus
prisoner, whom they knew their mistress sought; for she concealed her
sorrow, nor cause of her sorrow from nobody. But Clitophon, very sorry
for this accident, came back to comfort the queen, helping such as
were hurt in the best sort that he could, and framing friendly
constructions of this rashly undertaken enmity, when in comes another,
till that time unseen, all armed, with his beaver down, who first
looking round about upon the company, as soon as he espied Palladius,
he drew his sword, and making no other prologue, let fly at him. But
Palladius, sorry for so much harm as had already happened, fought
rather to retire and ward, thinking he might be someone that belonged
to the fair queen, whose case in his heart he pitied. Which Clitophon
seeing, stepped between them, asking the new-come knight the cause of
this quarrel, who answered him, that he would kill that thief who had
stolen away his master’s armour, if he did not restore it. With that
Palladius looked upon him and saw that he of the other side had
Palladius’s own armour upon him. “Truly,” said Palladius “if I have
stolen this armour, you did not buy that; but you shall not fight with
me upon such a quarrel; you shall have this armour willingly, which I
did only put on to do honour to the owner.” But Clitophon straight
knew by his words and voice that it was Ismenus, the faithful and
diligent page of Amphialus; and, therefore, telling him that he was
Clitophon, and willing him to acknowledge his error to the other, who
deserved all honour, the young gentleman pulled off his head-piece,
and, lighting, went to kiss Palladius’s hands, desiring him to pardon
his folly, caused by extreme grief, which easily might bring forth
anger. “Sweet gentleman,” said Palladius, “you shall only make me this
amends, that you shall carry this your lord’s armour from me to him,
and tell him from an unknown knight, who admires his worthiness, that
he cannot cast a greater mist over his glory than by being so unkind
to so excellent a princess as this queen is.” Ismenus promised he
would as soon as he durst find his master: and with that went to do
his duty to the queen, whom in all these encounters {56} astonishment
made hardy: but as soon as she saw Ismenus, looking to her picture,
“Ismenus,” said she, “here is my lord, where is yours? or come you to
bring me some sentence of death from him? if it be so, welcome be it.
I pray you speak, and speak quickly.” “Alas! Madam,” said Ismenus, “I
have lost my lord;” with that tears came into his eyes, “for as soon
as the unhappy combat was concluded, with the death both of father and
son, my master, casting off his armour, went his way, forbidding me
upon pain of death to follow him. Yet divers days I followed his
steps, till lastly I found him, having newly met with an excellent
spaniel belonging to his dead companion Philoxenus. The dog straight
fawned on my master, for old knowledge, but never was there thing more
pitiful than to hear my master blame the dog for loving his master’s
murderer, renewing afresh his complaints with the dumb counsellor, as
if they might comfort one another in their miseries. But my lord
having espied me, rose up in such rage that in truth I feared he would
kill me: yet as then he said only, if I would not displease him, I
should not come near him till he sent for me: too hard a commandment
for me to disobey: I yielded, leaving him only waited on by his dog,
and as I think seeking out the most solitary places that this or any
other country can grant him: and I, returning where I had left his
armour, found another instead thereof, and (disdaining I must confess
that any should bear the armour of the best knight living) armed
myself therein to play the fool, as even now I did.” “Fair Ismenus,”
said the queen, “a fitter messenger could hardly be to unfold my
tragedy, I see the end, I see my end.”
With that, sobbing, she desired to be conducted to the next town,
where Palladius left her to be waited on by Clitophon, at Palladius’s
earnest entreaty, who desired alone to take that melancholy course of
seeking his friend; and therefore changing armour again with Ismenus,
who went withal to a castle belonging to his master, he continued his
quest for his friend Daiphantus.
So directed he his course to Laconia, as well among the Helots, as
Spartans: there indeed he found his fame flourishing, his monuments
engraved in marble, and yet more durably in men’s memories; but the
universal lamenting his absented presence, assured him of his present
absence. Thence into the Elean province, to see whether at the
Olympian games there celebrated he might in such concourse bless his
eyes with so desired an encounter: but that huge and sportful assembly
grew to him a tedious loneliness, esteeming nobody found, since
Diaphantus was lost. Afterwards he passeth through Achaia and
Sicyonia, to the Corinthians, proud of their two seas, to learn
whether by the straight of that Isthmus it were possible to know of
his passage. {57} But finding every place more dumb than other to his
demands, and remembering that it was late-taken love which had wrought
this new course, he returned again, after two months travel in vain,
to make a fresh search in Arcadia; so much the more as then first he
bethought himself of the picture of Philoclea, which resembling her he
had once loved, might perhaps awake again that sleeping passion. And
having already passed over the greatest part of Arcadia, one day
coming under the side of the pleasant mountain Maenalus, his horse,
nothing guilty of his inquisitiveness, with flat tiring taught him,
that discreet stays make speedy journeys: and therefore lighting down,
and unbridling his horse, he himself went to repose himself in a
little wood he saw thereby. Where lying under the protection of a
shady tree, with intention to make forgetting sleep comfort a
sorrowful memory, he saw a sight which persuaded and obtained of his
eyes that they would abide yet a while open. It was the appearing of a
lady, who because she walked with her side toward him, he could not
perfectly see her face, but so much he might see of her, that was a
surety for the rest, that all was excellent.
Well might he perceive the hanging of her hair in fairest quantity, in
locks some curled, and some as it were forgotten, with such a careless
care, and an art so hiding art, that she seemed she would lay them for
a pattern, whether nature simply, or nature helped by cunning, be the
more excellent: the rest whereof was drawn into a coronet of gold
richly set with pearl, and so joined all over with gold wires and
covered with feathers of divers colours that it was not unlike to an
helmet, such a glittering show it bare, and so bravely it was held up
from the head. Upon her body she wore a doublet of sky-coloured satin,
covered with plates of gold, and, as it were, nailed with precious
stones, that in it she might seem armed; the nether part of her
garment was full of stuff, and cut after such a fashion that though
the length of it reached to the ankles, yet in her going one might
sometimes discern the small of her leg, which with the foot was
dressed in a short pair of crimson velvet buskins, in some places
open, as the ancient manner was, to show the fairness of the skin.
Over all this she wore a certain mantle, made in such manner, that
coming under her right arm and covering most of that side, it had no
fastening on the left side, but only upon the top of her shoulder,
where the two ends met, and were closed together with a very rich
jewel: the device whereof, as he after saw, was this: a Hercules made
in little form, but set with a distaff in his hand, as he once was by
Omphale’s commandment, with a word in Greek, but thus to be
interpreted, “Never more valiant.” On the same side on her thigh she
wore a sword, which as it witnessed her to be an Amazon, {58} or one
following that profession, so it seemed but a needless weapon, since
her other forces were without withstanding. But this lady walked
out-right till he might see her enter into a fine close arbour: it was
of trees, whose branches so lovingly interlaced one the other that it
could resist the strongest violence of eye-sight, but she went into it
by a door she opened, which moved him, as warily as he could, to
follow her; and by and by he might hear her sing this song, with a
voice no less beautiful to his ears than her goodliness was full of
harmony to his eyes:
Transform’d in shew, but more transform’d in mind,
I cease to strive with double conquest foil’d:
For, woe is me, my powers all I find
With outward force, and inward treason, spoil’d.
For from without came to mine eyes the blow,
Whereto my inward thoughts did faintly yield:
Both these conspir’d poor reason’s overthrow;
False in myself, thus have I lost the field.
Thus are my eyes still captive to one sight,
Thus all my thoughts are slaves to one thought still:
Thus reason to his servants yields his right,
Thus is my power transformed to your will:
What marvel then, I take a woman’s hue,
Since what I see, think, know, is all but you?
This ditty gave him some suspicion, but the voice gave him almost
assurance who the singer was. And therefore boldly thrusting open the
door and entering into the arbour, he perceived indeed that it was
Pyrocles thus disguised; wherewith not receiving so much joy to have
found him as grief so to have found him, amazedly looking upon him (as
Apollo is painted when he saw Daphne suddenly turned into a laurel) he
was not able to bring forth a word. So that Pyrocles, (who had as much
shame as Musidorus had sorrow) rising to him, would have formed a
substantial excuse, but his insinuation being of blushing, and his
division of sighs, his whole oration stood upon a short narration what
was the cause of this metamorphosis. But by that time Musidorus had
gathered his spirits together, and yet casting a ghastful countenance
upon him, as if he would conjure some strange spirit, he thus spake
unto him:
“And is it possible that this is Pyrocles, the only young prince in
the world formed by nature, and framed by education to the true
exercise of virtue? or is it indeed some Amazon that hath
counterfeited the face of my friend in this sort to vex me? for
likelier sure I would have thought it that any outward face might have
been disguised than that the face of so excellent a mind could have
been thus blemished. O sweet Pyrocles, separate yourself a little, if
it {59} be possible, from yourself, and let your own mind look upon