The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
the kingdoms of the world so have adventured the life of Philoclea.
But now perceiving the flood of their fury begun to ebb, he thought in
policy to take the first of the tide, so that no man cried louder than
he upon Basilius. And some of the lustiest rebels not yet agreeing to
the rest, he caused two or three of his mates that were at his
commandment to lift him up, and then as if he had a prologue to utter,
he began with nice gravity to demand audience. But few attending what
he said, with vehement gesture, as if he would tear the stars from the
skies he fell to crying out so loud that not only Zelmane, but
Basilius might hear him. “O unhappy men, more mad than the giants that
would have plucked Jupiter out of heaven, how long shall this rage
continue? why do you not all throw down your weapons and submit
yourselves to our good prince, our good Basilius, the Pelops of
wisdom, and Minos of all good government? when will you begin to
believe me, and other honest and faithful subjects, that have done all
we could to stop your fury.”
The farmer that loved Zelmane could abide him no longer. For as the
first he was willing to speak of conditions, hoping to have gotten
great sovereignties, and among the rest Zelmane; so now {262}
perceiving, that the people, once anything down the hill from their
fury, would never stay till they came to the bottom of absolute
yielding, and so that he should be nearer fears of punishment than
hopes of such advancement, he was one of them that stood most against
the agreement: and to begin withal, disdaining this fellow should play
the preacher, who had been one of the chiefest makebates, struck him a
great wound upon the face with his sword. The cowardly wretch fell
down, crying for succour, and, scrambling through the legs of them
that were about him, got to the throne, where Zelmane took him and
comforted him, bleeding for that was past, and quaking for fear of
more.
But as soon as the blow was given, as if Aeolus had broke open the
door to let all his winds out, no hand was idle, each one killing him
that was next, for fear he should do as much to him. For being divided
in minds, and not divided in companies, they that would yield to
Basilius were intermingled with them that would not yield. Those men
thinking their ruin stood upon it; those men to get favour of their
prince, converted their ungracious motion into their own bowels, and
by a true judgment grew their own punishers. None were sooner killed
than those that had been leaders in the disobedience: who by being so,
had taught them, that they did lead disobedience to the same leaders.
And many times it fell out that they killed them that were of their
own faction, anger whetting, and doubt hastening their fingers. But
then came down Zelmane; and Basilius with Dorus issued, and sometimes
seeking to draw together those of their party, sometimes laying
indifferently among them, made such havoc, among the rest Zelmane
striking the farmer to the heart with her sword, as before she had
done with her eyes, that in a while all they of the contrary side were
put to flight, and fled to certain woods upon the frontiers, where
feeding wildly, and drinking only water, they were disciplined for
their drunken riots: many of them being slain in the chase, about a
score only escaping. But when those late rebels, now soldiers, were
returned from the chase, Basilius calling them together, partly for
policy’s sake, but principally because Zelmane before had spoken it,
which was to him more than a divine ordinance, he pronounced their
general pardon, willing them to return to their houses, and hereafter
be more circumspect in their proceedings, which they did most of them
with sharp marks of their folly. But imagining Clinias to be one of
the chief that had bred this good alteration, he gave him particular
thanks, and withal willed him to make him know how this frenzy had
entered into the people.
Clinias purposing indeed to tell him the truth of all; saving what did
touch himself, or Cecropia, first dipping his hand in the {263} blood
of his wound: “Now by this blood,” said he, “which is more dear to me
than all the rest that is in my body, since it is spent for your
safety: this tongue, perchance unfortunate, but never false, shall not
now begin to lie unto my prince, of me most beloved.” Then stretching
out his hand, and making vehement countenances the ushers to his
speeches, in such manner of terms recounted this accident.
“Yesterday,” said he, “being your birthday, in the goodly green two
miles hence before the city of Enispus, to do honour to the day, where
four or five thousand people, of all conditions, as I think, gathered
together, spending all the day in dancing and other exercises, and
when night came under tents and bows making great cheer, and meaning
to observe a wassailing watch all that night for your sake. Bacchus,
the learned say, was begot with thunder: I think, that made him ever
since so full of stir and debate. Bacchus, indeed it was which sounded
the first trumpet to this rude alarm. For that barbarous opinion being
generally among them, to think with vice to do honour, and with
activity in beastliness to show abundance of love, made most of them
seek to show the depth of their affection in the depth of their
draught. But being once well chafed with wine, having spent all the
night, and some piece of the morning in such revelling, and emboldened
by your absented manner of living, there was no matter their ears had
ever heard of that grew not to be a subject of their winey conference.
I speak it by proof: for I take witness of the gods, who never leave
perjuries unpunished, that I often cried out against their impudency,
and, when that would not serve, stopped mine ears because I would not
be partaker of their blasphemies, till with buffets they forced me to
have mine ears and eyes defiled. Public affairs were mingled with
private grudges: neither was any man thought of wit, that did not
pretend some cause of mislike. Railing was counted the fruit of
freedom, and saying nothing had his uttermost praise in ignorance. At
the length, your sacred person, alas! why did I live to hear it? alas!
how do I breathe to utter it? But your commandment doth not only
enjoin obedience, but give me force; your sacred person I say, fell to
be their table-talk: a proud word swelling in their stomachs, and
disdainful reproaches against so great a greatness, having put on the
show of greatness in their little minds: till at length the very
unbridled use of words having increased fire in their minds, which God
wot thought their knowledge notable, because they had at all no
knowledge to condemn their own want of knowledge, they descended, O
never to be forgotten presumption, to a direct dislike of your living
from among them. Whereupon it were tedious to remember their
far-fetched constructions. But the sum was, you disdained them: and
what were the pomps of {264} your estate, if their arms maintained you
not? who would call you a prince, if you had not a people, when
certain of them of wretched estates, and worse minds, whose fortunes’
change could not impair, began to say that your government was to be
looked into; how the great treasures you had levied among them had
been spent; why none but great men and gentlemen could be admitted
into counsel, that the commons, forsooth, were too plain-headed to say
their opinions: but yet their blood and sweat must maintain all. Who
could tell whether you were not betrayed in this place where you
lived? nay whether you did live or no? therefore that it was time to
come and see; and if you were here, to know if Arcadia were grown
loathsome in your sight, why you did not rid yourself of the trouble?
there would not want those that would take so fair a cumber in good
part. Since the country was theirs, and the government an adherent to
the country, why should they not consider of the one as well as
inhabit the other? ‘Nay rather,’ said they, ‘let us begin that, which
all Arcadia will follow. Let us deliver our prince from danger of
practices, and ourselves from want of a prince. Let us do that which
all the rest think. Let it be said that we only are not astonished
with vain titles which have their force but in our force.’ Lastly, to
have said and heard so much was as dangerous as to have attempted: and
to attempt they had the glorious name of liberty with them. Those
words being spoken, like a furious storm, presently carried away their
well inclined brains. What I, and some other of the honester sort
could do was no more than if with a puff of breath, one should go
about to make a sail go against a mighty wind, or, with one hand, stay
the ruin of a mighty wall. So general grew this madness among them,
there needed no drum, where each man cried, each spoke to other that
spoke as fast to him, and the disagreeing sound of so many voices was
the chief token of their unmeet agreement. Thus was their banquet
turned to a battle, their winey mirths to bloody rages, and the happy
prayers for your life to monstrous threatening of your estate; the
solemnizing your birth-day, tended to have been the cause of your
funeral. But as a drunken rage hath, besides his wickedness, that
folly, that the more it seeks to hurt the less it considers how to be
able to hurt: they never weighed how to arm themselves, but took up
everything for a weapon that fury offered to their hands. Many swords,
pikes, and bills there were; others took pitchforks and rakes,
converting husbandry to soldiery: some caught hold of spits, things
serviceable for life, to be the instruments of death. And there was
some such one, who held the same pot wherein he drank your health, to
use it, as he could, to your mischief. Thus armed, thus governed,
forcing the unwilling, and heartening the {265} willing, adding fury
to fury, and increasing rage with running, they came headlong towards
this lodge: no man, I dare say, resolved in his own heart what was the
uttermost he would do when he came thither. But as mischief is of such
nature, that it cannot stand but with strengthening one evil by
another, and so multiply in itself, till it come to the highest and
then fall with his own weight: so to their minds one passed the bounds
of obedience, more and more wickedness opened itself, so that they,
who first pretended to preserve you, then to reform you (I speak it in
my conscience, and with a bleeding heart) now thought no safety for
them, without murdering you. So as if the gods, who preserve you for
the preservation of Arcadia, had not showed their miraculous power;
and that they had not used for instruments, both your own valour, not
fit to be spoken of by so mean a mouth as mine, and some, I must
confess, honest minds, whom alas! why should I mention, since what we
did, reached not to the hundredth part of our duty? our hands, I
tremble to think of it, had destroyed all that, for which we have
cause to rejoice that we are Arcadians.”
With that the fellow did wring his hands, and wrung out tears, so,
that Basilius, who was not the sharpest piercer into masked minds,
took a good liking to him; and so much the more as he had tickled him
with praise in the hearing of his mistress. And therefore pitying his
wound, willed him to get him home and look well into it, and make the
best search he could to know if there were any further depth in this
matter, for which he should be well rewarded. But before he went away,
certain of the shepherds being come, for that day was appointed for
their pastorals, he sent one of them to Philanax, and another to other
principal noblemen, and cities thereabouts, to make thorough inquiry
of this uproar, and withal to place such garrisons in all the towns