The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
therein to please Plexirtus, considering how much he was bound unto
them: while they likewise, with a certain sincere boldness of
self-warranting friendship, accepted all openly and plainly, thinking
nothing should ever by Plexirtus be thought too much in them, since
all they were was his.
“But he, who by the rules of his own mind, could construe no other end
of men’s doings but self-seeking, suddenly feared what they could do,
and as suddenly suspected what they would do, and as suddenly hated
them, as having both might and mind to do. But dreading their power,
standing so strongly in their own valour, and others’ affection, he
durst not take open way against them, and as hard it was to take a
secret, they being so continually followed by the best, and every way
ablest of that region: and therefore used this devilish slight which I
will tell you, not doubting, most wicked man, to turn their own
friendship toward him to {241} their own destruction. He, knowing that
they well knew there was no friendship between him and the new king of
Pontus, never since he succoured Leonatus, and us, to his overthrow,
gave them to understand, that of late there had passed secret defiance
between them, to meet privately at a place appointed. Which though not
so fit a thing for men of their greatness, yet was his honour so
engaged, as he could not go back. Yet feigning to find himself weak,
by some counterfeit infirmity, the day drawing near, he requested each
of them to go in his stead, making either of them swear to keep the
matter secret, even each from other, delivering the self-same
particularities to both; but that he told Tydeus, the king would meet
him in a blue armour; and Telenor that it was a black armour: and with
wicked subtlety, as if it had been so appointed, caused Tydeus to take
a black armour, and Telenor a blue; appointing them ways how to go, so
that he knew they should not meet till they came to the place
appointed, where each promised to keep silence, lest the king should
discover it was not Plexirtus; and there in a wait had he laid those
murderers, that who overlived the other should by them be dispatched:
he not daring trust no more than those with that enterprise, and yet
thinking them too few till themselves, by themselves, were weakened.
“This we learned chiefly by the chief of those way-beaters, after the
death of those two worthy brothers, whose love was no less than their
valour: but well we might find much thereof by their pitiful
lamentation, when they knew their mismeeting, and saw each other, in
despite of the surgery we could do unto them, striving who should run
fastest to the goal of death: each bewailing the other, and more dying
in the other, than in himself; cursing their own hands for doing, and
their breasts for not sooner suffering; detesting their
unfortunately-spent time in having served so ungrateful a tyrant, and
accusing their folly in having believed he could faithfully love, who
did not love faithfulness; wishing us to take heed how we placed our
goodwill upon any other ground than proof of virtue: since length of
acquaintance, mutual secrecies, nor heat of benefits could bind a
savage heart; no man being good to other, that is not good in himself.
Then, while any hope was, beseeching us to leave the care of him that
besought, and only look to the other. But when they found by
themselves, and us, no possibility, they desired to be joined; and so
embracing and craving that pardon each of other which they denied to
themselves, they gave us a most sorrowful spectacle of their death;
leaving few in the world behind them, their matches in anything, if
they had soon enough known the ground and limits of friendship. But
with woeful hearts we caused those bodies to {242} be conveyed to the
next town of Bithynia, where we learning thus much, as I have told
you, caused the wicked historian to conclude his story with his own
well-deserved death.
“But then, I must tell you, I found such woeful countenances in
Daiphantus, that I could not much marvel, finding them continue beyond
the first assault of pity, how the case of strangers, for further I
did not conceive, could so deeply pierce. But the truth indeed is,
that partly with the shame and sorrow she took of her father’s
faultiness, partly with the fear that the hate I conceived against
him, would utterly disgrace her in my opinion, whensoever I should
know her, so vehemently perplexed her, that her fair colour decayed,
and daily and hastily grew into the very extreme working of
sorrowfulness, which oft I sought to learn, and help. But she as
fearful as loving, still concealed it: and so decaying still more and
more in the excellency of her fairness, but that whatsoever weakness
took away, pity seemed to add: yet still she forced herself to wait on
me with such care and diligence, as might well show had been taught in
no other school but love.
“While we, returning again to embark ourselves for Greece, understood
that the mighty Otanes, brother to Barzanes, slain by Musidorus in the
battle of the six princes, had entered upon the kingdom of Pontus,
partly upon the pretences he had to the crown, but principally,
because he would revenge upon him whom he knew we loved, the loss of
his brother, thinking, as indeed he had cause, that wheresoever we
were, hearing of his extremity, we would come to relieve him; in spite
whereof he doubted not to prevail, not only upon the confidence of his
own virtue and power, but especially because he had in his company two
mighty giants, sons to a couple whom we slew in the same realm; they
having been absent at their father’s death, and now returned,
willingly entered into his service, hating more than he, both us and
that king of Pontus. We therefore with all speed went thitherward, but
by the way this fell out, which whensoever I remember without sorrow,
I must forget withal, all humanity.
“Poor Diaphantus fell extreme sick, yet would needs conquer the
delicacy of her constitution, and force herself to wait on me: till
one day going toward Pontus, we met one who in great haste went
seeking for Tydeus and Telenor, whose death as yet was not known unto
the messenger; who, being their servant, and knowing how dearly they
loved Plexirtus, brought them word, how since their departing,
Plexirtus was in present danger of a cruel death, if by the
valiantness of one of the best knights of the world, he were not
rescued: we enquired no further of the matter, being glad he should
now to his loss find what an unprofitable treason it had been unto
him, to dismember himself of two such friends, {243} and so let the
messenger part, not sticking to make him know his master’s destruction
by the falsehood of Plexirtus.
“But the grief of that, finding a body already brought to the last
degree of weakness, so overwhelmed the little remnant of the spirits
left in Daiphantus, that she fell suddenly into deadly swoonings;
never coming to herself, but that withal she returned to make most
pitiful lamentations; most strange unto us, because we were far from
guessing the ground thereof. But finding her sickness such as began to
print death in her eyes, we made all haste possible to convey her to
the next town: but before we could lay her on a bed, both we, and she
might find in herself, that the harbingers of over-hasty death had
prepared his lodging in that dainty body, which she undoubtedly
feeling, with a weak cheerfulness showed comfort therein, and then
desiring us both to come near her, and that nobody else might be
present; with pale, and yet, even in paleness, lovely lips: ‘Now or
never, and never indeed but now it is time for me,’ said she, ‘to
speak: and I thank death which gives me leave to discover that, the
suppressing whereof perchance hath been the sharpest spur that hath
hasted my race to this end. Know then my lords, and especially you my
lord and master Pyrocles, that your page Daiphantus is the unfortunate
Zelmane, who for your sake caused my, as unfortunate, lover and cousin
Palladius, to leave his father’s court, and consequently, both him and
my aunt, his mother, to lose their lives. For your sake myself have
become, of a princess, a page, and for your sake have put off the
apparel of a woman, and, if you judge not more mercifully, the
modesty.’ We were amazed at her speech, and then had, as it were, new
eyes given us to perceive that which before had been a present
stranger to our minds: for indeed forthwith we knew it to be the face
of Zelmane, whom before we had known in the court of Iberia. And
sorrow and pity laying her pain upon me, I comforted her the best I
could by the tenderness of goodwill, pretending indeed better hope
than I had of her recovery.
“But she that had inward ambassadors from the tyrant that shortly
would oppress her: ‘No, my dear master,’ said she, ‘I neither hope nor
desire to live. I know you would never have loved me,’ and with that
word she wept, ‘nor, alas! had it been reason you should, considering
many ways my unworthiness. It sufficeth me that the strange course I
have taken, shall to your remembrance witness my love; and yet this
breaking of my heart, before I would discover my pain will make you, I
hope, think that I was not altogether unmodest. Think of me so, dear
master, and that thought shall be my life;’ and with that
languishingly looking upon me; ‘and I pray you,’ said she, ‘even by
those dying eyes of {244} mine, which are only sorry to die because
they shall lose your sight, and by those polled locks of mine which,
while they were long, were the ornament of my sex, now in their short
curls, the testimony of my servitude, and by the service I have done
you, which God knows hath been full of love, think of me after my
death with kindness, though you cannot with love. And whensoever ye
shall make any other lady happy with your well-placed affection, if
you tell her my folly, I pray you speak of it, not with scorn, but
with pity.’ I assure you, dear princess, of my life (for how could it
be otherwise) her words and her manner, with the lively consideration
of her love, so pierced me, that though I had divers griefs before,
yet methought I never felt till then how much sorrow infeebleth all
resolution: for I could not choose but yield to the weakness of
abundant weeping; in truth with such grief, that I could willingly at
that time have changed lives with her.
“But when she saw my tears, ‘O God,’ said she, ‘how largely am I
recompensed for my losses? why then,’ said she, ‘I may take boldness
to make some requests unto you.’ I besought her to do, vowing the
performance, though my life were the price thereof. She showed great
joy. ‘The first,’ said she, ‘is this, that you will pardon my father
the displeasure you have justly received against him, and for this
once succour him out of the danger wherein he is: I hope he will
amend: and I pray you, whensoever you remember him to be the faulty
Plexirtus, remember withal that he is Zelmane’s father. The second is,
that when you come once into Greece, you will take unto yourself this
name, though unlucky, of Daiphantus, and vouchsafe to be called by it:
for so shall I be sure you shall have cause to remember me, and let it
please your noble cousin to be called Palladius, that I may do that
right to that poor prince, that his name yet may live upon the earth
in so excellent a person: and so between you, I trust sometimes your
unlucky page shall be, perhaps with a sigh, mentioned; lastly, let me
be buried here obscurely, not suffering my friends to know my fortune
(till, when you are safely returned to your own country) you cause my
bones to be conveyed thither, and, laid I beseech you, in some place
where yourself vouchsafe sometimes to resort.’ Alas! small petitions