The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
“But when this bloody king knew what he was, and in what order he and
his cousin Musidorus (so much of him feared) were come out of
Thessalia, assuredly thinking, because ever thinking the worst, that
those forces were provided against him; glad of the perishing, as he
thought, of Musidorus, determined in public sort to put Pyrocles to
death. For having quite lost the way of nobleness, he strove to climb
to the height of terribleness; and thinking to make all men adread, to
make such one an enemy who would not spare, not fear to kill so great
a prince; and lastly, having nothing in him why to make him his
friend, he thought he would take him away from being his enemy. The
day was appointed, and all things prepared for that cruel blow, in so
solemn an order, as if they would set forth tyranny in most gorgeous
decking. The princely youth, of invincible valour, yet so unjustly
subjected to such outrageous wrong, carrying himself in all his
demeanour, so constantly abiding extremity, that one might see it was
the cutting away of the greatest hope of the world, and destroying
virtue in his sweetest growth.
“But so it fell out, that his death was prevented by a rare example of
friendship in Musidorus, who, being almost drowned, had been taken up
by a fisherman belonging to the kingdom of Bithynia: and being there,
and understanding the full discourse (as fame was very prodigal of so
notable an accident) in what case Pyrocles was: learning withal that
his hate was far more to him than to Pyrocles, he found means to
acquaint himself with a nobleman of that country, to whom largely
discovering what he was, he found him a most fit instrument to
effectuate his desire. For this nobleman had been one, who in many
wars had served Euarchus, {164} and had been so mind-stricken by the
beauty of virtue in that noble king that, though not born his subject,
he ever professed himself his servant. His desire therefore to him was
to keep Musidorus in a strong castle of his, and then to make the king
of Phrygia understand, that if he would deliver Pyrocles, Musidorus
would willingly put himself into his hands, knowing well, that how
thirsty soever he was of Pyrocles’s blood, he would rather drink that
of Musidorus.
“The nobleman was loth to preserve one by the loss of another, but
time urging resolution, the importunity of Musidorus, which showed a
mind not to over-live Pyrocles, with the affection he bare to
Euarchus, so prevailed, that he carried this strange offer of
Musidorus, which by the tyrant was greedily accepted.
“And so upon security of both sides, they were interchanged: where I
may not omit the work of friendship in Pyrocles, who both in speech
and countenance to Musidorus, well showed that he thought himself
injured and not relieved by him; asking him what he had ever seen in
him, why he could not bear the extremities of mortal accidents as well
as any man? and why he should envy him the glory of suffering death
for his friend’s cause, and, as it were, rob him of his own
possession? but in that notable contention (where the conquest must be
the conqueror’s destruction, and safety the punishment of the
conquered) Musidorus prevailed because he was a more welcome prey to
the unjust king; and a cheerfully going towards, as Pyrocles went
frowardly fromward his death, he was delivered to the king, who could
not be enough sure of him, without he fed his own eyes upon one whom
he had begun to fear, as soon as the other began to be.
“Yet because he would in one act both make ostentation of his own
felicity, into whose hands his most feared enemy was fallen, and
withal cut off such hopes from his suspected subjects, when they
should know certainly he was dead, with much more skilful cruelty, and
horrible solemnity he caused each thing to be prepared for his triumph
of tyranny. And so the day being come, he was led forth by many armed
men who often had been the fortifiers of wickedness, to the place of
execution, where coming with a mind comforted in that he had done such
service to Pyrocles, this strange encounter he had.
“The excelling Pyrocles was no sooner delivered by the king’s servants
to a place of liberty than he bent his wit and courage, and what would
they not bring to pass? how either to deliver Musidorus, or to perish
with him. And finding he could get in that country no forces
sufficient by force to rescue him to bring himself to die with him,
little hoping of better event, he put himself in poor raiment, and by
the help of some few crowns he took of {165} that nobleman, who full
of sorrow, though not knowing the secret of his intent, suffered him
to go in such order from him, he, even he, born to the greatest
expectation, and of the greatest blood that any prince might be,
submitted himself to be servant to the executioner that should put to
death Musidorus: a far notabler proof of his friendship, considering
the height of his mind, than any death could be. That bad officer not
suspecting him, being arrayed fit for such an estate, and having his
beauty hidden by many foul spots he artificially put upon his face,
gave him leave not only to wear a sword himself, but to bear his sword
prepared for the justified murder. And so Pyrocles taking his time,
when Musidorus was upon the scaffold, separated somewhat from the
rest, as allowed to say something, he stepped unto him, and putting
the sword into his hand, not bound, a point of civility the officers
used towards him because they doubted no such enterprise, ‘Musidorus,’
said he, ‘die nobly.’ In truth never man between joy before knowledge
what to be glad of, and fear after considering his case, had such a
confusion of thoughts, as I had, when I saw Pyrocles so near me.” But
with that Dorus blushed, and Pamela smiled, and Dorus the more blushed
at her smiling, and she the more smiled at his blushing, because he
had, with the remembrance of that plight he was in, forgotten in
speaking of himself to use the third person.
But Musidorus turned again her thoughts from his cheeks to his tongue
in this sort: “But,” said he, “when they were with swords in hands,
not turning backs one to the other, for there they knew was no place
of defence, but making it a preservation in not hoping to be
preserved, and now acknowledging themselves subject to death, meaning
only to do honour to their princely birth, they flew amongst them all,
for all were enemies, and had quickly either with flight or death,
left none upon the scaffold to annoy them, wherein Pyrocles, the
excellent Pyrocles, did such wonders beyond belief, as was able to
lead Musidorus to courage, though he had been born a coward. But
indeed just rage and desperate virtue did such effects, that the
popular sort of the beholders began to be almost superstitiously
amazed, as at effects beyond mortal power. But the king with angry
threatenings from out a window, where he was not ashamed the world
should behold him a beholder, commanded his guard and the rest of his
soldiers to hasten their death. But many of them lost their bodies to
lose their souls, when the princes grew almost so weary, as they were
ready to be conquered with conquering.
“But as they were still fighting with weak arms and strong hearts, it
happened that one of the soldiers, commanded to go up after his
fellows against the princes, having received a light hurt, {166} more
wounded in his heart, went back with as much diligence as he came up
with modesty: which another of his fellows seeing, to pick a thank of
the king, struck him upon the face, reviling him that so accompanied,
he would run away from so few. But he, as many times it falls out,
only valiant, when he was angry, in revenge thrust him through: which
with his death was straight revenged by a brother of his, and that
again requited by a fellow of the others. There began to be a great
tumult amongst the soldiers: which seen, and not understood by the
people, used to fears, but not used to be bold in them, some began to
cry treason; and that voice straight multiplying itself, the king, O
the cowardice of a guilty conscience, before any man set upon him,
fled away. Where with a bruit, either by art or some well-meaning men,
or by some chance, as such things often fall out by, ran from one to
the other that the king was slain: wherewith certain young men of the
bravest minds, cried with a loud voice, ‘Liberty,’ and encouraging the
other citizens to follow them, set upon the guard and soldiers as
chief instruments of tyranny: and quickly aided by the princes, they
had left none of them alive, nor any other in the city, who they
thought had in any sort set his hand to the work of their servitude,
and, god knows, by the blindness of rage, killing many guiltless
persons, either for affinity to the tyrant, or enmity to the
tyrant-killers. But some of the wiser, seeing that a popular license
is indeed the many-headed tyranny, prevailed with the rest to make
Musidorus their chief: choosing one of them, because princes, to
defend them; and him, because elder and most hated of the tyrant, and
by him to be ruled: whom forthwith they lifted up, Fortune, I think
smiling at her work therein, that a scaffold of execution should grow
to a scaffold of coronation.
“But by and by there came news of more certain truth, that the king
was not dead, but fled to a strong castle of his near hand, where he
was gathering forces in all speed possible to suppress this mutiny.
But now they had run themselves too far out of breath, to go back
again to the same career; and too well they knew the sharpness of his
memory to forget such an injury; therefore learning virtue of
necessity, they continued resolute to obey Musidorus, who seeing what
forces were in the city, with them issued against the tyrant, while
they were in this heat, before practices might be used to deliver
them, and with them met the king, who likewise hoping little to
prevail by time, knowing and finding his people’s hate, met him with
little delay in the field where himself was slain by Musidorus, after
he had seen his only son, a prince of great courage and beauty, but
fostered up in blood by his naughty father, slain by the hand of
Pyrocles. This victory obtained with great and truly not undeserved
honour to the two {167} princes, the whole estates of the country with
one consent, gave the crown and all other marks of sovereignty to
Musidorus, desiring nothing more than to live under such a government
as they promised themselves of him.
“But he, thinking it a greater greatness to give a kingdom, than get a
kingdom, understanding that there was left of the blood royal, and
next to the succession, an aged gentleman of approved goodness, who
had gotten nothing by his cousin’s power but danger from him, and
odiousness for him, having passed his time in modest secrecy, and as
much from intermeddling in matters of government, as the greatness of
his blood would suffer him, did, after having received the full power
to his own hand, resign all to the nobleman; but with such conditions,
and cautions of the conditions, as might assure the people, with as
much assurance as worldly matters bear, that not only that governor,
of whom indeed they looked for of good, but the nature of the
government, should be no way apt to decline to tyranny.
“This doing set forth no less the magnificence than the other act did
his magnanimity; so that greatly praised of all, and justly beloved of
the new king, who in all both words and behaviour protested himself
their tenant and liegeman, they were drawn thence to revenge those two
servants of theirs, of whose memorable faith, I told you, most
excellent princess, in willingly giving themselves to be drowned for
their sakes: but drowned indeed they were not, but got with painful