Meanwhile Antonio had sought out Zenotia, whom he found in the royal

apartments. The moment he saw her he approached with an unsheathed

dagger in his hand, and seizing her by the right arm, and lifting his

dagger on high, he cried, "Sorceress! instantly restore my son to me

alive and well, or thy last hour is at hand. Perfidious creature! in

what collection of eyeless needles, or headless pins, dost thou hold

his life enwrapped; or hast thou hidden it in some nook or secret

corner thou only knowest where?" Zenotia was terrified, seeing her

life threatened by a furious Spaniard, with a dagger drawn in his

hand, and trembling, she promised to restore life and health to his

son. She would have readily promised to give it to the whole world,

had he required it of her, so completely had he filled her whole soul

with terror; so she said, "Loose me, O Spaniard, and put thy weapon

into its sheath; it was owing to thy son's over-readiness to use his,

that has brought him into his present state. Thou knowest that women

are naturally revengeful, and most when we are aroused to vengeance by

scorn and disdain. Marvel not, then, if thy son's harshness should have

hardened my heart; advise him henceforth to treat with more humanity

those who humble themselves before him, and not to repulse those

scornfully who only implore his pity. Go in peace, for to-morrow thou

shalt see thy son restored to health."

"And if it should not be so," answered Antonio, "depend upon it,

I shall not want means to seek thee out, nor shall I fail to take

thy life." So saying, he left her, and she was so overpowered with

fear, that forgetting her affronts, she drew from behind the door,

the incantations which she had prepared, little by little to consume

away the life of the hard-hearted boy, whose grace and beauty had so

entirely captivated her affections.

No sooner had Zenotia thrown away her infernal preparations, than

Antonio recovered his lost health, the colour returned to his cheek,

his eyes regained their lustre, and his limbs their strength, to the

joy of all his friends. When his father was alone with him he said,

"I wish to bestow upon thee some advice my son, which is--never offend

God in any way. During the fifteen or sixteen years of thy life I

have taught thee the law which my parents taught to me, and that is

the Catholic faith, the true one by which alone we can be saved, and

which has saved all who have ever embraced it, and will save all who

desire to enter the kingdom of Heaven. This law teaches us that we are

not to chastise all who offend us, but to advise them to amend their

faults; punishment belongs to the Judge, but we may all give reproof

and counsel. Whenever thou art tempted to do anything that is contrary

to the service of God, thou need'st not bend thy bow, nor launch thy

arrows, nor use injurious words, but reject the evil counsel and retire

from the opportunity. Thou wilt then come off conqueror, and wilt be

safe from again incurring such peril as I have now seen thee in. Thou

wert bewitched by Zenotia, and with such potent enchantments, that in

less than ten days thou wouldst, little by little, have lost thy life,

if God and my good speed had not prevented it. Now, come along with me,

and rejoice our friends with the sight of thy recovered health, and we

will hear the adventures of Periander, which he is to finish to-night."

Antonio promised to attend to his father's counsels with God's help, in

spite of all the snares that might beset his path through life.

Meanwhile, Zenotia, affronted and grieved by the scorn of the son and

the anger of the father, sought how she could avenge her injuries

through the means of others, without depriving herself of the presence

of her unloving barbarian; and thus meditating, she went to King

Polycarp, and said, "you know, sire, that ever since I entered into

your house and service, I have tried to serve you with the greatest

zeal and attention: you know also, that trusting to my fidelity and

truth, you have made me the depositary of all your secrets; and you

know well how prudent I am in all peculiar cases, especially if a love

affair be in question, and it is on this account I wish to tell you

that, in allowing Arnoldo and all his party to go away, you are acting

imprudently and unwisely. Tell me, if when present, you cannot gain

Auristella's consent, how are you to gain it when she is absent?

"And how is it likely she will keep her word, and return to marry

an old man, as you in fact are, (for we cannot conceal such truths

from ourself,) when she has Periander with her, who may or may not

be, her brother; and Arnoldo, a princely youth, who desires nothing

more ardently than to make her his wife? Do not, sire, let slip the

opportunity that you now possess: you can take the present one, which

offers itself for detaining them, saying that it is necessary to punish

the monstrous barbarity of one of the company, who has slain the man

they call Clodio, even in your own palace."

Polycarp listened with attention to the advice of the malicious

Zenotia; every word she uttered went straight through his heart, as if

each had been a sharp nail, and he would fain have gone directly to

carry her advice into effect. In fancy he beheld Auristella in the arms

of Periander, not as her brother, but as a lover. In fancy he beheld

her seated on the throne of Denmark, and Arnoldo making a joke of him

and his amorous intentions; in fine, jealousy took possession of his

whole soul in such a manner that he could scarce refrain from giving

it utterance, and vowing vengeance upon those who had never offended

him. But Zenotia, when she saw that her words had taken effect, and

how ready he was to do all she wished him to do, advised him to remain

quiet for the present, for that Periander was to finish his story that

night, and it would give them time to consider what would be most

convenient to be done. Polycarp agreed, and she, still hopelessly

enamoured of the young Antonio, gave loose to her imagination how best

to accomplish the king's wishes and her own.

The night came on, and Polycarp, with his daughters, joined the company

as they had done before; Periander took up his history where he had

left off after the wedding festivities.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIII.

_Wherein Periander pursues his pleasant narrative._

It was the beautiful Sinforosa who hung with the greatest delight upon

the words of Periander, such was the charm and grace of his manner in

relating his adventures.

"That night," said he, "we all went over to a small island in the

middle of the river, invited by its verdant appearance, and the

tranquillity of the spot. The newly-married couples, without openly

showing their satisfaction, were diligent, and anxious, to give all

the pleasure in their power to those to whom they owed their present

happiness; and they gave orders that in this little islet of the river

the festivities should be renewed, and should continue for three days.

"The season of the year, which was summer, the beauty of the place, the

brilliant moonlight, the murmuring of the stream, the fruit covered

trees, the fragrance of the flowers, each of these separately, and

altogether, invited us to resolve that we would remain here whilst the

festivities lasted; but scarcely had we reached the isle, when from

a little grove, which was in it, rushed forth a band of fifty men,

lightly armed, like those who rob and run away; and as the unwary

when attacked, are overcome through their surprise, almost without

attempting to defend ourselves,--bewildered by the suddenness of the

assault, we gazed upon the robbers instead of attacking them, who,

like hungry wolves that have beset a flock of innocent sheep, carried

off, if not in their mouths, yet in their arms, my sister Auristella,

her nurse Clelia, and Silviana, and Leoncia, as if it was only for

them that they came, for they left many other women who were extremely

beautiful.

"I, whom the strangeness of the event had rendered furious rather than

stupified, rushed after the robbers, following them with loud cries,

insulting them as if they were men capable of feeling insults, in the

hope that by irritating them I might move them to return and take

vengeance for it; but intent only on their prey, they neither seemed to

hear or to wish for revenge, but disappeared with their prizes. Then

the bridegrooms and myself, with some of the principal fishermen, took

counsel together what we had better do to recover our lost ones; one

said, 'it is not possible but that there must be in these seas some

vessel belonging to these robbers, and in some place from whence they

have easily landed, perhaps being aware of our meeting and festivities;

if it be thus, as I imagine, the best remedy will be for some of our

boats to go out and offer any ransom for the captives that they may

require without any reserve.'

"'This business shall be mine,' I then exclaimed, 'for to me my sister

is worth more than anything else in the whole world,' and Carino and

Solercio said the same. _They_ wept openly--I was raging inwardly.

When we had come to this resolution, it was beginning to grow dark;

nevertheless the two bridegrooms and I, got into a boat with six oars,

but when we reached the open sea, night had closed in, and we could

distinguish no ship at all in the darkness. We resolved to wait for

daylight, in the hope of then discovering some vessel. It so happened

that we did see two, one that was just leaving the shore, and another

that was approaching it; I knew that the one which was departing, was

the very same ship in which we had come to the island, for her flags as

well as her sails were all marked with a red cross, the other had hers,

green, and both were pirates.

"Then, as I imagined, that the ship which was leaving the shore was the

one which contained our robbers and their prizes, I put a white flag

on the end of a lance, and came near the ship's side to treat about

the ransom, being careful not to be taken myself. The captain appeared

on the deck, and when I was about to raise my voice and speak to him,

I must confess I was startled and disturbed at being cut short in my

attempt by a loud and frightful noise, proceeding from a discharge

of artillery; this came from the vessel that was outermost, and was

a message of defiance to the other vessel that was near the land; it

was quickly answered by a return not less tremendous, and then began a

cannonading between the two ships, like two fierce and furious enemies.

"We withdrew our little boat from the scene of combat, and from a

distance we surveyed the fight. After the firing had lasted an hour,

the two ships grappled one another with unexampled fury. The men of

the outermost vessel, either more daring or more valiant, leapt into

the other ship, and cleared her decks in a few minutes, killing all,

without sparing a single soul on board; then, finding themselves

masters, they proceeded to pillage the ship of everything valuable that

she contained, which was not much, seeing that she was only a pirate

vessel, but in my estimation she held what was more precious than

anything else in the whole world, for they got possession of my sister

and Clelia, and Silviana, and Leoncia, thus carrying a rich cargo to

their own vessel, for they saw that the beauty of Auristella would

ensure an unheard-of ransom. I wished to row near the ship, and speak

to the captain of the conquerors--but the winds have been ever to me a

source of misfortune,--a land breeze sprung up, which carried the ship

rapidly away, and made it quite impossible for me to reach it, or to

offer impossibilities as a ransom for their prize.

"Thus then were we obliged to return hopeless of recovering our lost

ones, and knowing nothing of her course except that she had gone before

the wind. We knew nothing of whither she was bound, or who were the

pirates, so as to judge from a knowledge of their country what hopes

remained of any remedy. With downcast and dejected hearts we entered

the river, where all the fishermen in their boats were expecting us.

"I know not if I ought to tell you what is, however, indispensable

to be told, that a certain feeling then arose within me which,

without changing my being, yet made me feel as if I was more than

man; and rising up in the boat I addressed myself to all the men who

were gathered around us, and who listened attentively to my words.

'Misfortunes,' I said, 'are never mended by sitting down idly to

lament them--good luck never befriends the pusillanimous soul; we are

ourselves the fabricators of our own fortunes, and there breathes not a

man who has not the capability of raising himself. The cowardly, though

born rich, are always poor, like the miserly beggar. I speak thus, my

friends, in hopes of exciting and impelling you to better your lot, to

quit these poor nets and fishing tackle, and small boats, and go in

search of the treasures that are to be gained by noble enterprises. I

call such enterprises noble as are undertaken for high and great ends.

If the man who tills the earth by the sweat of his brow, hardly obtains

enough for the day's sustenance, and gains no fame, why does he not

take a lance instead of a spade in his hand, and without the fear of

the heat of the sun, or the inclemencies of the weather, seek to win,

besides his daily bread, fame which can place him high among his fellow

men? War, though but a step-mother to cowards, is a true mother to

brave men, and for them she has rewards that surpass all calculation.

Then arouse yourselves, my friends; cast your eyes towards yonder ship

which bore away the beloved prize from the arms of your companions,

ye valiant youths. She lies on the shore, and seems left to us as by

the peculiar ordonnance of Heaven. Let us take possession of her, and

become pirates, not for love of gain like most pirates, but to redress

our wrongs: we are all skilled in navigation; in that ship we shall

find everything we need to manage her, for she was despoiled of nothing

but the women, and if our injury is great, very great also is the

opportunity that offers itself of avenging it. Follow me then who will,

I entreat you, and Carino and Solercio ask you also, for well I know

that they will not leave me to undertake this noble enterprise alone.'

"Hardly had I ceased speaking, when a murmur of many voices arose

among all the boats,--the men were asking each other what they should

do,--and then from the crowd a voice exclaimed, 'Embark, generous

guest, and be our captain and our guide, for we will all follow thee.'

"I took this sudden resolution as a good omen, and fearing that delay

in carrying my plan into execution might give their zeal time to

moderate, I immediately steered my boat towards the ship, followed by

about forty others. We reconnoitred the vessel, boarded her, examined

every part, noted what she had and what she needed, and found all I

could desire that was necessary for a voyage; I advised that nobody

should return to land, to escape the lamentations of the women and

dear children, which I feared might weaken their gallant resolution of

departing. They did as I counselled, and took leave in imagination of

parents, wives, and children; so wonderful is this, that I feel I shall

need all your courtesy to give credit to what I say; not a man returned

to land, or wished for more clothing than he had on when he came on

board the ship, in which all served as mariners and pilots, except

myself, who was unanimously appointed as their captain, and commending

myself to God, I instantly began to exercise my new office. The first

order I issued was, to have all the dead corpses thrown overboard that

had been killed in the late affray, and to cleanse the ship from the

blood that stained her decks; I then ordered all the arms to be sought

for, and distributed them among the men, giving each what I thought

best suited to him; I next inspected the provisions, and calculated how

much would be necessary for each person, and for what number of days.

"This done, and having offered our prayers to Heaven to implore that

our voyage might be propitious, and that our intentions might have a

blessing upon them, I gave the word of command to set the sails, for

they were all made fast to the yards, and to take advantage of the

wind, which as I before said, blew off shore; and gay as gallant, and

gallant as determined, we followed in the same track that we had seen

the pirate vessel take with her prey.

"You, my friends, who are listening to my history, behold me turned now

into a fisherman and match-maker, rich in the possession of a beloved

sister, next robbed by pirates, and poor, deprived of her, raised to

the rank of a captain in order to regain my treasure, and say whether

the changes of my fortune have not reached a point almost unparalleled

and boundless, so as to fatigue your patience in listening to them."

"Not so, my friend," said Arnoldo, "for if you are not weary of

relating your adventures and misfortunes, we shall not be tired of

hearing them, be they ever so numerous."

"If possible," answered Periander, "I will bring my story to an end

to-morrow night, although it is yet hardly begun."

All agreed that they would meet again for the purpose of hearing him

relate it, in the same place on the following evening.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIV.

_He tells of a singular Circumstance that happened at Sea._

The health of the bewitched Antonio was now quite restored, and with

his recovered beauty, increased Zenotia's passion, and made her more

and more desirous of detaining him; for even those whose cases are most

desperate, never give up deluding themselves with hope, so long as the

beloved object is before their eyes: therefore with all the means her

active mind could suggest, she cast about to throw impediments in the

way of the departure of the guests, and went again to advise Polycarp

on no account to let the daring crime of the barbarous homicide go

unpunished, or at least that he should keep a threat of punishment

hanging over his head.

Polycarp was not, however, disposed to comply with the advice, "for,"

said he to Zenotia, "it will be an interference with Prince Arnoldo,

under whose protection this youth is, and it will vex my beloved

Auristella, who considers him as her brother; besides, his crime was

accidental, and proceeded not from malice, but mischance; moreover, no

one demands justice, and all those who know the man, affirm that he

well deserved his death, for that he was the worst evil-speaker and

slanderer that ever lived."

"How is this, sire?" cried Zenotia, "after having settled the other

day together that he was to be punished as an excuse for detaining

Auristella,--you now seem averse to the measure. They will go, and she

will not return; then will you lament your ill-advised consent to allow

of her departure, when tears and lamentations will be of no avail. By

giving up this boy to justice, and then acting towards him mercifully,

you will preserve your character for a good and just king."

Thus did Zenotia counsel Polycarp, who was now in one mind, now in

another, as to what he should resolve to do, and how he could continue

to detain Auristella without offending Arnoldo, whose power and valour

he feared greatly.

In the midst of all these considerations, and in the midst of those

which Sinforosa was on her side also indulging, arrived the hour when

Periander was to go on with his history, which he did in the following

manner:--

"Lightly flew our ship as the winds impelled her--not a single man

amongst us wished it otherwise--leaving our course to be as fate

directed us.

"Having sailed all that day, at the dawn of another the sentinel, on

the topmast-head, cried aloud, 'A ship! a ship!' I asked what her

course was, and how large she might be; he replied that, 'she was the

same size as our own ship, and that she was ahead of us.'

"'Then, my friends'," said I, 'arm yourselves, and if these are

pirates, show the valorous spirit which has led you to abandon your

nets in search of fame.' We crowded all our sails, and in less than

two hours were alongside the ship, which, as if taken by surprise,

offered no resistance: about forty of my men boarded her, but found

no occasion to use their swords, as she contained only the mariners

and some serving men. Looking about, we found in one of the cabins,

two persons, closely confined by the neck in a sort of iron stocks,

and separated from each other scarcely two rods; one was a man of good

mien; the other, a woman possessing a considerable share of beauty. In

another apartment we found a rich couch, on which lay a venerable old

man, whose air and manner at once commanded respect. He could not leave

his couch, but he raised his head a little, and said, 'Sheathe your

swords, gentlemen, for in this ship you will find none to resist you;

necessarily then you must try your fortune in this exercise in some

other quarter; but your coming will be fortunate for you, not because

the ship has wealth wherewith to enrich you, but because I sail in her,

I, who am Leopold, king of Norway.'[G]

"On hearing him speak thus, I felt a desire to know what events could

have happened to bring a king into such a defenceless situation;

going to him, I asked if this was true that I heard, for although his

appearance and noble demeanour well agreed with his words, yet the

scanty equipage of his vessel made it difficult of belief. 'Sir,'

replied the old man, 'order your people to be quiet, and listen to me,

for in a few words you shall hear great things.' I commanded silence,

and my companions and I listened attentively to what he wished to say,

which was this:--

"'It pleased Heaven to make me king of _Norway_;[H] my ancestors,

likewise, were kings of that land, and they had ruled as their

forefathers did, without tyranny or any other innovations. Early in

life I married a wife, who was my equal in rank; she died, and left me

childless. Time went on, and still I remained contented in my widower's

state; but for my sins at length I became enamoured of a lady who had

been one of the attendants of my late wife, and who might now be a

queen, instead of a prisoner in those stocks, where you must have seen

her fastened. She then, thinking it would be unjust not to prefer the

curling locks of one of my servants to my grey hairs, fled with him,

and not only felt a pleasure in thus dishonouring me, but conspired

also with him to take away my life; so that, had I not been timely

informed of her plots and machinations, my head would have been off my

shoulders in the twinkling of an eye, and theirs crowned, as sovereigns

in my place.

"'I discovered their treason in time; but they also obtained the

information that I had found it out; and one night they got on board a

small bark, which was ready to sail, and fled from my wrath. I, hearing

of this, flew on the wings of my just anger to the sea-shore, and

found that they had been gone about twenty hours. Blind with fury, and

full of a desire for vengeance, without waiting to take any counsel or

prudent consideration, I embarked in this vessel, and followed them,

not with the authority and paraphernalia of a monarch, but as a private

enemy. I found them at the end of ten days in an island, called the

Isle of Fire; I had them seized and immediately confined in the manner

you have seen, to convey them back to Norway, and deliver them up to

the punishment due to their crime.

"'This is the plain truth. Those are the delinquents; I am a king;

and I promise to give you as my ransom one hundred thousand pieces of

gold; not that I have them with me, but I give you my word of honour

to send them wheresoever you please; and as a security, if my word

suffices not, take me along with you in your own ship, and let some of

your people go in mine until they reach Norway, and fetch the money, to

carry it whither it pleases you. I have no more to say.'

"My companions looked one on the other, and gave me time to answer for

all, which, as their captain, I had a right to do; but, nevertheless,

I wished to take the opinion of Carino and Solercio, and some of the

others, that they might not think I presumed upon the command they had

themselves given me over them; and so the answer I gave the king was to

say--'My lord, these men you see before you are not in arms for lucre

of gain, nor for any of the ambitious ends which commonly influence

people; we are in search of robbers, we are seeking to chastise some

ruffians, and to destroy some pirates, and as you are none of these,

your life is safe with us; but if we can serve you in any way, you

have only to ask us: and, although we thank you for the rich ransom

you offer, we absolve you from giving any, since, as you are not a

prisoner, you cannot be obliged to act like one. Follow your own course

in peace, and all that I would ask of you is, to beseech your pardon

for the offenders, as the greatness of a king shines forth more in acts

of mercy than even of justice.' He would fain have humbled himself at

my feet, but I prevented this, and begged that he would give us some

powder and divide his provisions with us, which he did immediately.

I also said to him, that in case he did not like to forgive the two

criminals entirely, I would advise him to allow me take them away in

my vessel, and I would convey them to a distant land, where they could

never more offend him. He agreed to this, for he said that the presence

of the guilty pair would always revive the memory of their crime.

I then gave my command that we should return to our ship, with the

provisions and the powder, that the king had given us, and was going

to send for the two prisoners, already free from their confinement,

when a fresh breeze suddenly sprung up which prevented this: it quickly

separated the two vessels without a possibility of their coming again

together. I stood upon the deck, and cried aloud, 'Adieu!' to the old

king, who had ordered himself to be lifted from his bed, and supported

in the arms of his servants, he waved his farewell to our ship--and I

also must take my leave of you for the present, as I shall need rest

before I begin upon my next adventure."

FOOTNOTES:

[G] Note 4.

[H] Danea in the original.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XV.

_He relates what passed concerning Sulpicia, the Niece of Cratilius,

King of Lithuania._

The agreeable way in which Periander told the story of his strange

adventures, gave pleasure to every one of his hearers, except Maurice,

who, when he was alone with his daughter, said to her, "It seemeth to

me, Transila, that Periander might relate the events of his life in

a few less words, and less diffusely than he does. I do not see why

he need detail, so very minutely, all about the fishermen and their

festivals, nor yet their marriages, for though episodes may be admitted

to ornament a tale, they should not be as long as the original story

itself; but the fact, I suspect, is, that Periander likes to show the

cleverness with which he can relate, and what fine language he can use

in his descriptions." "It may be so," said Transila, "but all I know

is, that whether he dilates, or whether he is succinct in what he tells

us, all is charming and gives one pleasure to hear it, but to none of

us does it give more delight than to Sinforosa, as I believe I told you

before; she hangs on every word that drops from Periander's lips, as

if her very soul went along with them."

The perpetually changing thoughts of Polycarp prevented him from

lending much attention to Periander's discourse, and he wished that

there might not be a great deal more to relate; but Sinforosa had so

great a desire to hear the end, that she entreated him to return the

next day, which he agreed to do, and continued his history thus:--

"You must consider, Sirs, that my crew of mariners were men more rich

in valour than in gold, and for my part I began to feel some doubts

whether my liberality had quite pleased them, and although allowing the

King Leopold to go away free was done by their consent, as well as my

own, yet as the dispositions of all men are not the same, I suspected

that they were not quite satisfied, and that it would not be easy to

make them amends for the hundred thousand pieces of gold which Leopold

offered for his ransom, and this moved me to speak to them thus; 'My

good friends, do not allow yourselves to regret the recollection of

the large treasure you have lost, which was offered to us by the

king, for I would have you know that one ounce of honourable fame is

worth more than a pound of pearls. And this you cannot feel until

you have begun to taste the sweets of having won that renown which

is gained by great and good deeds. The poor man, enriched by virtue,

may become famous, whilst the rich one, if vicious, can never know

anything but infamy. Generosity is one of the most pleasing virtues in

him who aspires to renown; and so true is this, that you will never

find an ill-conditioned person liberal; an avaricious or covetous man

cannot be so.' I was proceeding thus in my discourse, seeing that

they lent an attentive ear to me as their countenances showed, when

I was interrupted by discovering a ship which was not far from our

own--indeed hard a lee upon our course: we flew to arms, and gave chase

with all the sails we could set. In a short time I ordered a shot to

be fired as a signal to bring her to; we did so, and she slackened

sail. On coming near, we beheld one of the strangest sights imaginable:

hanging to the yards and the rigging were more than forty men

strangled. I marvelled greatly at this; and going alongside, some of

my men boarded her without meeting any opposition. They found the deck

deluged with blood, and covered with the bodies of men dead and dying,

some with their hands cut off, some with their heads cleft asunder,

some bleeding, some just expiring; one man was sending forth the most

dismal groans, another uttering shrieks of agony. All this death-scene

seemed to have taken place after a repast, for divers articles of food

swam amidst the blood, and mingled with these were drinking cups and

bottles still half full of wine. But now, treading over the bodies of

the dead and dying, my mariners passed on to the stern cabin, where

they found a party of a dozen beautiful women: foremost amongst them

stood one who seemed to be their captain, armed with a white corslet,

so clear and polished that it might almost have served as a mirror; she

wore a throat piece, but no armour on her arms or legs; on her head was

a helmet of curiously twisted workmanship, ornamented with an infinite

variety of differently coloured stones; she held a javelin in her hand,

all studded over with golden nails, and a large knife of shining and

sharp steel. She looked in this array so spirited and graceful, that

her bare aspect was enough to make the men, as they entered, stop short

and gaze upon her with wonder and awe.

"I, who had been looking on for some time from our own vessel, now came

on board the other, to see better what was going on. I arrived just in

time to hear her saying to my men, 'I can well suppose, O soldiers,

that the sight of this little army of women rather inspires you with

wonder than with fear. As for us, after the vengeance we have taken

for our wrongs, nothing can ever excite fear in us again. Attack us,

if ye are thirsting for blood, and shed ours; we freely give our lives

so that we preserve our honour. I am Sulpicia, the niece of Cratilio,

king of Lithuania; my uncle gave me in marriage to the great Lampidio,

as noble in lineage as he was rich in the gifts of nature and fortune.

We were going to visit the king, my uncle, secure, as we imagined,

among our own vassals and servants, all of whom were beholden to us for

some act of kindness or other with which we were constantly loading

them, but all these obligations were forgotten. One night, after they

had drunk deeply, although half stupified by wine, they dared to lay

their wicked hands on my husband, and deprived him of life, as the

first beginning of their abominable designs; but we resolved to defend

ourselves, and at least not to die unavenged. Availing ourselves of

the state of drunkenness they were in, and the little sense they had

left, we armed ourselves as well as we could, and with the help of

four servants, who remained true to us, and had not joined the guilty

conspiracy, we performed the work of death which you have witnessed on

the deck, and carrying our vengeance further, we made the masts and

rigging bear the fruit which you now behold hanging thereon. Forty men

are strangled there, and if there had been forty thousand they would

have shared the same fate, so weak were they and unable to defend

themselves, so fierce in our wrath were we. I possess riches, which

I can distribute among you, although, perhaps, I might rather say,

that you can take them. I will only add that I give them up to you

willingly; take them, gentlemen, and do not molest us.'

"Even if I had been a real pirate, the words of Sulpicia would have

softened my heart; one of my fishermen said, 'May I die if here is not

another King Leopold offering riches to us, with whom our noble captain

may show his high breeding. Look you, my lord Periander, the lady

Sulpicia may go free, we ask no more than the glory of having conquered

our selfish desires.'

"'And so it shall be, my friends,' I replied, 'since you desire it, and

I truly believe that Heaven never lets such acts go unrewarded, any

more than it surely punishes the deeds that are evil: now clear this

bad fruit from the rigging, and clean this deck, and then offer with

their liberty your services to these ladies.'

"They did as I commanded, and the fair Sulpicia, full of gratitude and

admiration, fell at my feet like one who could not entirely believe all

that she heard.

"She tried to answer and return our kindness in some measure, and

bade one of her women bring the coffers, where she kept her jewels

and money. The lady to whom she spoke did as she was desired, and in

a moment, as if suddenly rained down from above, I saw spread before

me, four coffers full of gold and precious jewels. Sulpicia opened and

displayed these before the eyes of my fishermen; perhaps the sight

blinded the eyes of some of them to the generous intentions they had

avowed, for there is a great difference between giving up a thing when

it is before your eyes, and renouncing only the hope of possessing

it. Sulpicia drew forth a rich necklace of gold, glittering with

precious stones, which were set in it, and said, 'Accept this, O noble

captain, as a gift from me, to show my gratitude. It is the offering

of a poor widow, who yesterday saw herself at the height of happiness

and prosperity, blest in the possession and protection of a beloved

husband; and to-day subject to the will and pleasure of these men of

yours, who may divide my treasures among them;--there is power in gold

to soften the very rocks.'

"'The gifts of so high and noble a lady,' I replied, 'are not to be

lightly valued,' and taking the necklace, I turned to my companions

and said, 'this jewel is given to me, my friends, and therefore I can

dispose of it as my own property; as its value seems inestimable, it is

not fit that it should belong to one man only. Let him who pleases take

and keep it, and when he can meet with a purchaser, divide the price

among you all, and do not touch one single other thing of the noble

lady's possessions, so shall your fame be sounded even to the skies.'

"'We would have wished,' answered one among them, 'O great captain,

that you had not given us the counsel you did, that you might have seen

how entirely we feel as you do. Restore the lady her necklace; the fame

we seek shall need no collar to restrain or limit its bounds.'

"I was very well pleased with this reply, and Sulpicia marvelled at

their disinterestedness. Finally she asked if I would give her twelve

of my men to protect her, and some mariners who could take charge of

the ship, and steer her to Lithuania; I agreed, and the men I selected

were well pleased to be able to do so kind an action.

"Sulpicia gave us some excellent wines, and the most exquisite

sweetmeats. The wind blew fair for both her course and our own,

for which as yet we knew no positive destination or haven. We took

our leave of her--she knew my name, and also that of Carino and

Solercio;--she pressed our hands in hers, and with her eyes she thanked

the rest, and bade them adieu. She shed many tears, caused by the

mingled feelings of sorrow and thankfulness; sorrow for her husband's

death, and joy in finding herself safe and free from the hands of

those she had supposed were pirates, and thus we parted. I forgot to

mention that I returned the necklace to Sulpicia, who received it with

reluctance, and only because of my absolute refusal to accept it; she

even seemed half to consider my returning it as an affront.

"I then held a consultation with my men as to what course we should

take, and decided to go as the wind impelled us, because we were thus

more likely to fall in with other vessels.

"The night came on serene and clear, and I, calling one of the

fishermen who was a mariner, and who served as the master and head

pilot, to take the helm, seated myself on the forecastle, and began to

watch the heavens with deep attention."

"Now would I lay any wager," said Maurice, aside to his daughter, "that

Persiles is going to give us a description of the celestial hemisphere,

as if it signifies to us, one atom, what the motion of the heavenly

bodies might be; for my part I heartily wish he would bring his story

to an end, for the desire that I have to get away from this place

is such, that I really cannot trouble myself with knowing which are

fixed, and which, wandering stars, and the more because I myself know

everything on that subject that he can possibly tell me."

Whilst Maurice and Transila were speaking thus in a whisper, Periander,

who had paused to take breath, went on with his tale.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVI.

_Periander continues his Narration, and relates a singular Dream._

"Slumber had begun to take possession of the senses of my companions,

and I began to question the one who was keeping watch with me, upon

many matters important to mariners, and needful for them to know, when

it suddenly began to rain, not in drops, but as if whole clouds were at

once emptying their contents upon our ship, so that it appeared as if

the sea had risen into the sky, and from thence was overflowing upon

our vessel. All awoke in great perturbation, and looking about on every

side, saw a clear unclouded sky, and no signs of storm or tempest,

a thing which struck every one with awe and dread: whilst they were

gazing around, the man who had been with me, said, 'I have no doubt but

that this rain proceeds from the nostrils of those monstrous fishes

which are called wreckers, and if it be so, then are we in the greatest

peril, and it will be necessary for us to discharge all our guns, for

the noise will sometimes terrify them.' As he spoke, we saw the neck

and head of a terrible serpent rise[I] and enter the ship: it seized,

and instantly swallowed at a mouthful, one of our seamen before our

eyes. 'Yes, they are 'Wreckers',' cried our pilot; 'we must make haste

to fire, no matter with or without shot, for it is from the noise alone

we can hope for help against these monsters.'

"Our men were flying in confusion to hide themselves, none dared stand

up, lest they should become the prey of these horrible enemies; but

at this some flew to the guns, some shouted aloud, and others turned

to the pumps to get rid of the water, which overflowed our deck. We

set every sail, and fled as though we were escaping from a whole fleet

of enemies; our present extreme danger was the greatest, in that it

was one we had never yet seen or even heard of. The next day we found

ourselves about dusk on the shore of an island unknown to any of us,

and with the intention of watering here, we resolved to stay till the

following morning close to the land; we, therefore, took down the sails

and anchored, having done which, we resigned our weary bodies to sleep,

which we greatly needed: sweet and grateful were our slumbers.

"When we had refreshed ourselves with this welcome rest, we landed

and sauntered along the delightful shore, the sands of which (without

any exaggeration) were all of grains of gold and minute pearls. We

penetrated more inland and saw meadows, the grass of which was not

merely green, but of the brightest emerald colour. The brooks and

rivulets ran not like simply sparkling streams, but like liquid

diamonds; and appeared, as they meandered through the meadows, like

crystal serpents. Then we came to a wood of various kinds of trees, so

beautiful that we stood transfixed with wonder and delight. From the

boughs of some, hung bunches of cherries, that looked like rubies; from

others, apples, the cheeks of some like roses, of others like topazes.

There were pears, of exquisite fragrance and colour, like the setting

sun; in fine, there was every species of fruit we know, all here to be

found in perfection, without being confined to any particular season.

All here was spring, summer, autumn, in one,--heat without being

oppressive, agreeable and delightful beyond belief.

"All our senses were gratified, our eyes revelled in the beauty that

lay around us, our ears were enchanted by the soft murmuring of the

rivulets, and the singing of an infinite variety of small birds, which,

hopping from tree to tree, and bough to bough, seemed as if they were

detained as captives who wished not to be free; our sense of smell was

regaled with the fragrance that exhaled from every herb, flower, and

fruit, and our taste with the delicious proof they afforded of their

excellence and sweetness; and it was pleasant to the touch to have them

in our hands, so that we seemed to possess the pearls of the South, the

diamonds of India, and the gold of Tebir."[J]

"It is a pity, methinks, that Clodio is dead," whispered Ladislaus

to his father-in-law, "for in truth Periander would have given him

something to talk about."

"Hold your tongue," said Transila, "you cannot say that he does not

tell his story well."

While these whispers were passing, Periander had paused to take

breath, but soon he continued his narration thus:--"All this that

I have told you," said he, "is nothing to what is to come; I shall

require all your courtesy to believe the things I shall narrate;

your eyes would open wide, gentlemen, and yours too, fair ladies, if

you were to see what we saw proceed from the bosom of a rock, with

our own eyes, so that there was no deception. I say that out of the

aperture of a rock, there came forth, first, a most melodious noise

that arrested our attention, then a sound of divers instruments; then

issued forth a car,--I hardly know how to describe its form, but

something resembling a ship;--it was drawn by twelve enormous apes, and

in the car was a very beautiful lady, arrayed in a gorgeous robe of

many colours, crowned with oleanders; she leant upon a black stick, in

which was fixed a kind of tablet, or shield, with the word 'Sensuality'

thereon; behind her followed other beautiful women, each with a musical

instrument in her hand, producing a melody now gay, now mournful,

altogether singularly pleasing.

"My companions and I were so astonished that we stood as if transformed

into stone statues. The beautiful lady came straight to me, and in

a voice half sweet, half angry, she said, 'It has cost thee dear, O

noble youth, being my enemy,' and so saying, she passed on, and the

musical damsels seized, and carried off, as it were, seven or eight

of my mariners, and following their mistress, disappeared again

through the aperture of the rock. I then turned to my comrades, and

was about to ask what they thought of all this that we had seen, when

the sound of other voices reached our ears, very different from the

first, more agreeable and even more melodious, and then appeared a

band of lovely women. They preceded my sister Auristella: no words

can express her more than mortal beauty;--she was between two damsels,

one of whom stept forwards, and spoke to me thus:--'Virtue and modesty

are inseparable companions, and ever accompany chastity, who is here

under the semblance of your beloved sister Auristella, nor will they

ever leave her until her peregrinations come to a happy termination in

the holy city of Rome.' Then I, enraptured with those happy tidings,

and wondering at the lovely sight before me, so new and strange an

adventure, would fain have raised my voice, and exclaimed, 'O ye bright

comforters of my soul; O rich reward granted for my welfare--sweet and

joyful now and ever to me.' So great was the energy with which I strove

to utter these words, that I awoke from my dream, and the lovely vision

vanished; I found myself in the ship with my companions,--all were

there, none of them missing."

"Then," exclaimed Constance, "my lord Periander, you were only

dreaming?"

"I was," he answered, "all my happiness has ever been but a dream."

"Truly," she rejoined, "I was going to ask the lady Auristella where

she had concealed herself all the time before she appeared to you."

"My brother," said Auristella, "has related his dream in such a manner,

that I really felt a doubt whether it was truth or not, that he was

telling us."

To which Maurice added, "These things are owing to the force of

imagination, which represents things sometimes in so varied a way, that

they cling to the memory, and remain there till we hardly know whether

they are truth or not."

Meanwhile Arnoldo kept silence; he was considering in his mind the

vivacity and warmth of expression that Periander had used in relating

his story, and could not help indulging some of the doubts and

suspicions which had been infused into his mind by the deceased Clodio,

as to whether Periander and Auristella were really brother and sister.

However, at length he said, "Go on with your story, Periander, but

leave out your dreams, for weary and overworked minds often engender

confused and strange fancies, and here is the peerless Sinforosa

longing to have you come to the time of your first appearance in the

island, when you went away crowned as conqueror in the games which take

place on the anniversary of her father's election."

"The pleasure that my dream gave me," replied Periander, "made me

unaware of the tiresome and fruitless nature of such digressions in a

narrative, which should be concise and not amplified."

Polycarp, whose eyes were entirely occupied with looking at Auristella,

and his mind in thinking about her, said nothing. It mattered very

little to him whether Periander spoke or held his tongue, and he, who

began to perceive that some of his hearers were tired of his long

story, determined to shorten the rest, and to finish it in as few words

as he could, and so he spoke as follows.

FOOTNOTES:

[I] See Pontoppidan.

[J] Tebir, name of gold dust on the African coast.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVII.

_He continues his Story._

"I awakened from my dream, as I told you, and held a council with my

companions what course we should take, and it was resolved to go still

as the winds should guide us, for as we were in pursuit of pirates, who

never sail against the wind, we should be certain to find some; such

was my folly, that I asked Carino and Solercio whether they had seen

their wives among the number of those who followed Auristella, as I had

seen in my dream. They laughed at my inquiry, and desired, and even

forced me, to relate to them what I had dreamt.

"For two months we continued cruising about these seas without meeting

with any adventure of importance; but we purged them from more than

seventy pirate ships, and appropriated the spoil, filling our vessel

with immense wealth, which greatly delighted my companions, and they

did not regret having exchanged the trade of fishermen for that of

pirates, for they were only robbers of the robber, and stole nothing

but what was stolen before.

"It happened that the wind blew so obstinately from one quarter, that

without slackening sail or altering our course, it drove us forward

in such a manner, that for more than a month we sailed on in the same

direction, insomuch that my pilot, taking the altitude of the pole,

and measuring the knots we made in an hour, and calculating the number

of days we had been sailing thus, found that we had gone four hundred

leagues, more or less. Again our pilot took his observations, and

found that we were on the coast of Norway; then raising his voice in

sorrowful accents, he cried, 'Unhappy that we are, if the wind does not

change shortly, our lives will be ended here, for we are in the icy

sea; I say we are in the frozen ocean, and if the frost comes here,

we shall remain, petrified, and fast in these waters.' He had hardly

spoken, when we felt that the ship's sides and keel were knocking

against moving rocks, as it seemed, by which we guessed that the sea

was beginning to freeze, and these ice mountains thus formed underneath

obstruct the vessel's course. We lowered the sails at once, lest they

should be torn by touching them, and all that day and night the water

froze and pressed around us, so that it held us fast enclosed, like a

stone that is set in a ring; and now all at once the frost began to

benumb our bodies, and sadden our spirits, till fear took possession

of us, and we, seeing the imminent peril of our situation, could only

look forward to our lives lasting for just as many days as we had food

in the ship to sustain them. From this moment we put ourselves on an

allowance, and the measure appointed for each was so small that we soon

began to feel the pangs of hunger. We looked around on every side, but

met with nothing that could afford the slightest hope, unless it might

be a dark bulky object, which appeared to us about seven or eight

miles distant. But this we supposed likely to be some other vessel,

which the ice held imprisoned like our own.

"Our present danger surpassed all the former ones which I had ever

experienced, because a protracted dread, and a continued expectation

of death, is more trying than a speedy one, which spares us all those

horrors and agonies which are far worse than death itself. Seeing then

that we were threatened with starvation, we came to a resolution, which

was rash at least, if not quite desperate; and considering that the

human mind can conceive no death more terrible than that by hunger, we

determined to leave our vessel, and travel across the ice, to see if

we could discover in the one we had seen in the distance, anything we

could avail ourselves of, either by fair means or force.

"We carried this purpose into effect, and in a few minutes on the

frozen waters was formed a squadron, small, perhaps, but composed of

brave men, who, with myself as their leader, rolling, falling, and

getting up again, reached at last the other vessel, for so it was, and

pretty nearly the same size as our own. There were men in her, who,

seeing us, and guessing our intentions, called out aloud, 'What do ye

come here for, desperate men? what do ye seek? are ye come to hasten

our death, or to die with us? Return to your ship, and if ye lack food,

gnaw the rigging, and fill your stomachs with the pitchy wood, for if

ye hope to have aid here, the hope is vain, and against the precepts

of charity, which begins at home; for the two months during which this

frost will last, we have one fortnight's provisions, and whether it is

likely that we shall divide these with you, we leave you to consider

upon.'

"To which I answered, 'In extreme cases we cannot stop to reason;

receive us into your ship with good will and divide with us your

provisions, which we come in quest of, and which we need: let us eat

together in friendship, or we shall be obliged to have recourse to our

arms, and to use force.' I answered in this manner because I did not

believe that they spoke the truth about the quantity of provisions

they had on board, but they, seeing themselves superior in numbers,

and having the advantage in position, neither feared our threats nor

listened to our entreaties, but flew to arms, and prepared to defend

themselves. My men, who were rendered more courageous than common by

desperation, attacked the ship, and succeeded in getting on board,

and making themselves masters of her without any one even receiving

a wound. A voice from amongst our company proposed that all the men

should be put to death to lessen the number of mouths requiring food.

I, however, could not agree to this, and, perhaps in order to help

my wish of preserving their lives, Heaven came to our assistance,

as I shall tell you by and bye; for first I must inform you, that I

found this vessel to be the very pirate ship that had robbed me of my

sister, and the fishermen of their young brides. Hardly had I made the

discovery than I cried out, 'Ha, robbers? where have ye hidden those

who are dear as our own souls? where are our beloved ones, whom ye have

stolen from us? What have ye done with my sister Auristella? and where

are Silviana and Leoncia, the young wives of my good friends, Carino

and Solercio?'

"One of the pirates answered me, 'Those women whom you speak of that

belonged to the fishermen, were sold by our captain, who is now dead,

to Arnoldo, the prince of Denmark.'"

"That was true," said Arnoldo, "for I did buy Auristella, and her nurse

Clelia, and two other very beautiful girls, from some pirates, who

sold them to me at a price far below their value."

"Good Heavens," exclaimed Rutilio, "and by what circumlocutions, and

through what curious links have you carried your wandering history, O

Periander!"

"Out of kindness to yourself," added Sinforosa, "we would fain have you

shorten your tale, which is as interesting as it is true."

"I will do so," said Periander, "if it is possible that great events

can be narrated in a few words."

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XVIII.

_The treacherous conduct of Polycarp in consequence of Zenotia's

advice. He loses his Kingdom, and she her Life. His Guests quit the

Island, and land on the Isle of Hermits._

All this delay, owing to the length of Periander's history, was

so contrary to the wishes of Polycarp, that he could neither lend

it his attention, nor mature his thoughts as to what he should do

in order to keep Auristella without prejudice to the character he

desired to preserve, of a generous and just king. He considered how

high was the rank of some of his guests; first and foremost stood

Arnoldo, the prince of Denmark, not by election, but hereditary right.

In every word and action of Periander, in his noble and spirited

demeanour, he plainly discerned some high-born personage; and in the

lovely Auristella, an equally illustrious lady: he would willingly

have accomplished his desire easily, without any circumlocutions

or artifices, smoothing all difficulties by the veil of marriage,

although his advanced years were, he could not conceal from himself,

rather against it. His ideas were participated in and urged on by the

artful Zenotia, with whom he arranged and agreed that before he gave

Periander another audience, their plan should be put in execution. This

was, to have a feigned alarm raised in the city, in which the palace

should be set on fire in two or three places, which would force its

inmates to seek for shelter, and throw everybody into confusion, in the

midst of which, Auristella and the young Antonio were to be carried off

by persons prepared on purpose, and the lady Polycarpa was directed to

warn Arnoldo and Periander of the danger which threatened them, without

discovering the intention of a robbery, but showing them a way to save

themselves by getting to the shore, where in the harbour they would

find a small vessel ready, in which they might make their escape.

The night on which this was to happen, arrived, and at three o'clock

in the morning the alarm began, which threw the whole city into

confusion and terror. The flames began to blaze out, only equalled by

those burning in the royal breast. Meanwhile the princess went calmly

and composedly to warn Arnoldo and Periander of the designs of her

treacherous and enamoured father, which, however, she did not reveal to

the full extent of his dishonourable intentions.

Arnoldo and Periander on hearing it, called Auristella, Maurice,

Transila, Ladislaus, the two Antonios, Ricla, Constance, and Rutilio,

and thanking Polycarpa for her advice, they assembled their little

party, and putting the men in front, went as she had counselled them to

do, and made their way to the harbour without any interruption, where

they embarked instantly on board the little vessel, the master and

pilot of which had been prepared, and paid beforehand by the king to

set sail the moment the persons arrived, who seemed intending to take

to flight, and not to stop till they reached England, or some other yet

more distant place.

Amid the continued cries of "To arms! to arms!" and the shouts of the

crowd assembled at the fire, which blazed as though it knew it had the

full permission of the master of the palace to do its utmost, Polycarp

went forth secretly to look after the theft he meditated--the carrying

off Auristella,--and the sorceress Zenotia as anxiously watched for

the accomplishment of hers--the detention of Antonio; but finding that

all the party had made their escape, and that not one was left behind,

orders were given to all the batteries, and to all the ships that were

in the harbour, to fire at the little vessel which was seen taking to

flight. This only added to the uproar and confusion, and terror of the

inhabitants of the town, who could not divine or imagine what enemies

were assailing them, or what all this frightful clamour could mean.

Meanwhile the love-sick maiden Sinforosa, who was utterly ignorant

of the cause of all this disturbance, made her way with hurried and

trembling steps to the top of one of the highest towers in the palace,

which seemed likely to be safe from the fire that was consuming the

rest of the building. Her sister Polycarpa went to shut herself up with

her, and then she told her how their guests had fled; on hearing this

news, Sinforosa fainted away, which made Polycarpa repent of what she

had done.

Morning dawned at last--welcome to those who hoped to discover with

the daylight the cause of the calamity,--but in the bosom of King

Polycarp was darkest night, and the deepest sadness that can be

imagined. Zenotia wrung her hands, and cursed her deceiving art, and

the promises of her accursed masters. Poor Sinforosa still lay in her

swoon, whilst her sister wept over her and lamented her sorrows, but

continued to use every effort to restore her to life and sense. At

last she revived, and casting her eyes towards the sea, she saw the

vessel which bore away the other half of her soul, or at least its

better part, and like another Dido deceived and abandoned, complaining

of another fugitive Eneas, she sighed, wept, and cried aloud in such

words as these; "O lovely guest, who hast come to these shores for

my misfortune; thou hast never deceived me, it is true, for I have

never been happy enough to hear words of love from thee that might

have beguiled me; Oh, that I could slacken thy sails, and arrest thy

speed, so that these eyes might yet a little longer space behold thy

ship, the very sight of which is consolation, since it containeth thee.

Alas! my lord, thou fliest from one who would fain follow thee. Thou

hatest one who adores thee; I who am daughter of a king, would gladly

be thy slave. The flames that burn this city, if thou wouldst return,

might serve as an illumination to show our joy; I have riches safely

placed where the fire cannot touch them, for Heaven will preserve them

for thee." Then she would turn to her sister, and say, "Dost not thou

think, my Polycarpa, that the ship slackens in her course? Seemeth it

not to thee that she sails less swiftly? Ah, Heavens! if he should have

repented."

"Alas, my sister," answered Polycarpa, "deceive not thyself, our wishes

often go hand in hand with delusions. The ship sails on, and thy

desires have no power to detain her as thou thinkest, but rather the

breath of thy continual sighing impels her on her way."

And now came unto them the king, who, like his daughter, wished to gaze

from the high tower upon the vessel which was bearing away, not half,

but all his heart's delight. She was, however, no longer visible. Those

who had lit up the conflagration by his orders had now to extinguish

it. The citizens learnt the cause of the disturbance, and the folly

of their sovereign, also the evil counsels and intrigues of the

sorceress Zenotia. On that same day they deposed him from the throne,

and condemned her to be hanged. Sinforosa and Polycarpa were treated

with the same respect as before, and their fortunes were equal to their

merits, although Sinforosa did not obtain the happiness she sought, for

higher still was the fortune that awaited Periander.

Meanwhile the fugitives on board the little vessel finding themselves

all safe together and free, were never weary of returning thanks to

Heaven for their successful escape. They were informed afterwards of

the treacherous designs of Polycarp, but the horror they felt at his

treason was not so great but that they could find some excuse for him,

in that it had been caused by love,--love which forms the excuse of so

many errors, since when once that passion gains entire possession of a

heart, no power can restrain it, and it sets all reason at defiance.

The weather was fine, and though the wind was fresh, the sea was

tranquil. They steered their course for England, where they intended

to decide upon what plan would be best for them to pursue, and their

voyage was so peaceful and prosperous, that no fear or suspicion of

evil came across them. For three days this calm endured, and during

three days the wind was fair, but on the fourth, it began to blow

hard, and the sea to rage, so that the mariners feared a great tempest

was at hand. The uncertainty of life is well typified by the sea, in

each we cannot promise ourselves security or endurance in anything

long; however, it pleased Heaven that just when they were beginning

to be alarmed, they perceived that they were near an island, which

the mariners immediately knew, and said, that it was called "The

Hermit's Isle," and that it possessed two bays capable of sheltering

twenty vessels and more, from all winds; they were, in fact, as good

as harbours. They added, moreover, that in one of the hermitages there

lived a hermit, who had once been a French gentleman of good family,

called Renato; and that in the other hermitage lived a French lady,

called Eusebia, and that the history of these two persons was one of

the most remarkable ever heard of.

A curiosity to see these hermits joined to the necessity of sheltering

from the storm, made all desirous of going directly to the island;

they, therefore, steered for it straight, and entered one of the

little bays, where they anchored unquestioned by anybody; and Arnoldo

having ascertained that the isle contained no inhabitants except

the hermits alluded to, ordered the boat to be made ready to land

Auristella, and the others who were much fatigued with their voyage,

and also Maurice, Rutilio, and Periander, who thought it would be best

for them to pass the night on shore, that they might rest in peace

after the motion of the waves. It was also agreed that Antonio and

his son, and Ladislaus, should remain in the ship, as they had not as

yet had sufficient experience of the mariners to know if they were to

be trusted implicitly; it was therefore decided that they should stay

with the seamen, to whom no land is so pleasant as the planks of their

ship, and sweeter to them is the scent of oil and fish, pitch and tar,

than to others would be the odours of the most fragrant flowers of the

garden.

Under a rock, sheltered from the wind, they settled themselves for the

night, making a fire with some branches and bits of wood they found

about, to keep themselves warm; and all the party being pretty well

accustomed to such shifts as these, past the night pleasantly enough,

and the more so, as Periander, being urged by Transila to take this

opportunity of concluding his story, and her entreaty followed up by

the general voice, went on in the following words.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XIX.

_Of the kind Reception they met with in the Isle of Hermits._

"If it be true, as I think it is, that we find a pleasure in listening

to the storm without, when we are comfortably sheltered at home; and

in recalling the perils of the past battle in times of peace; or in

health, remembering our late weakness; then is it sweet to me to tell

of all my wanderings and troubles in this calm and peaceful place of

rest, where, although I may not as yet consider that I am quite free

from care, I may say I am enjoying repose for the present: and happy

in feeling this, I will now return to tell you about the ship wherein

I was left with our conquered enemies, and where I learnt, as I have

already told you, the particulars of how my sister and Clelia, and

the two fishermen's brides, had been sold to the prince Arnoldo here

present.

"Whilst my people were busily investigating and weighing the provisions

that were in the icebound vessel, I perceived that on the side nearest

the land, a body of armed men, about perhaps four thousand in number,

was approaching; a sight such as this left us even more frozen than

that icy sea. We prepared our arms, but more that we might stand up

like men, than with any thought of defending ourselves. They moved

along the ice only on one foot, giving with the right a touch against

the left heel, and thereby impelling their bodies, and sliding with the

other over the sea for a long space, and then immediately renewing the

blow again, made another slide for a great distance, in which manner of

travelling they were with us speedily, and soon surrounded us on every

side. One of the party who was, as I afterwards learnt, the commander

of the party, came near enough to the ship to make himself heard by us,

and announced that they came with peaceable intentions, by displaying

a white flag, which he carried on his arm: he spoke in a loud voice in

the Polish tongue, and said, 'Cratilius, King of Lithuania, and lord of

these seas, has a custom, which is to dispatch armed men to all those

ships that are detained in the ice, and to take from them the persons

and merchandise that they contain, repaying himself for the kindness by

taking the latter for his own; if you choose to accept this arrangement

without resistance, you shall enjoy both your liberty and your lives,

for we have no wish to take you prisoners.'

"The brevity and determination of his manner pleased me. I replied,

'that I must take counsel with my people,' and my fishermen said,

'that of all evils the worst and the last was to lose one's life,

which we must preserve by all the means we could devise, unless it

were by infamy, and that, _as_ in the terms now offered, there was

none, and that on the other hand, we were certain of losing our lives,

as to defend them was more than doubtful; it would be best to submit

to the misfortune that pursued us, since we might thus be preserved

for a happier fate at some future time.' I returned pretty nearly all

this answer to the commander of the squadron, and in an instant they

assailed the ship, in a way that had certainly more the appearance

of war than peace. She was completely gutted in a very short time,

and all that she had contained, even to the guns and rigging, was

transferred to some ox-hides, which they spread upon the ice, and then

tying them securely together, they drew them along by means of ropes,

without losing a single article; in a similar manner they plundered

our own ship, and then, placing us upon some other hides, they set up

a loud shout of rejoicing, and drew us all along with them to land,

which might be perhaps about twenty miles distant. To me it did appear

truly wonderful, and a sight to see so many people travelling over the

surface of the water, without any trouble, and without any miracle.

"That evening we reached the shore, where we remained until the

following morning, when we found it thronged with a multitude of

persons, who were come to look at the prize of the frozen and petrified

ships. Among them, mounted upon a beautiful horse, was the King

Cratilius: we easily recognized him to be so by the insignia of royalty

that adorned him; by his side, also mounted on horseback, was a very

handsome woman, arrayed in white armour, which was nearly covered by

a large black veil. She attracted my attention by her appearance, as

also did the noble and gallant bearing of the king, and looking at her

attentively, I knew her to be the beautiful Sulpicia, who had so lately

been restored to the liberty she now enjoyed by the courtesy of my

companions. The king came up to us to look at the persons who had been

brought from the ships, and the captain taking me by the hand, brought

me forward, and said, 'In this young man alone, O noble king, I present

to you what appears to me the richest prize that human eyes have ever

seen.'

"'Merciful Heaven!' here exclaimed the fair Sulpicia, springing from

her horse to the ground, 'either I cannot see aright, or this is my

deliverer Periander!' and so saying, she threw her arms round my neck,

and closely embraced me, at which extraordinary demonstrations of

affection, Cratilius thought himself obliged to dismount also, and

to greet me with the same tokens of pleasure. Until now all hope of

anything like good fortune had been lost by my poor companions; but at

the sight of all this joyful reception which they now witnessed, they

took courage; joy beamed from their eyes, and from their lips came

words of gratitude to God for this unexpected happiness.

"Then Sulpicia said to Cratilius, 'In this youth, sire, you see one

in whom an excess of courtesy and generosity dwells supreme, and

although I have learned this by my own experience, I wish you to

believe it to be true by the very nobleness of his appearance. (In

this you will perceive she only spoke like a very grateful person,

and deceived herself.) It was he who did not despise, but would not

take my treasures. He received my gifts to return them to me with a

kindness that made them doubly valuable: if he could he would have

given me more. It was he who knew how to dispose his people's minds, so

that his will was theirs. He bestowed twelve of them upon me, who are

even now accompanying me, and I have them here before thee.' You will

easily believe that my cheeks burned with blushes at these praises, so

extravagant and unmerited. I could do no more than bend my knee before

the king, asking leave to kiss his hand; he gave it, but not for that

purpose, only to raise me from the ground.

"Meanwhile the twelve fishermen who had gone to guard Sulpicia, went

amongst the crowd to seek for their former companions, embracing one

another, and joyfully recounting each their tale of bad and good

fortune; the sea party exaggerating their frost, the land party their

riches. One said, 'The lady Sulpicia has given me this chain of gold;'

another, 'And I have got a jewel, worth two of your chains.' 'She has

given me heaps of money,' cried a third; whilst another declared that

he had a diamond ring which was of more value than all the rest put

together: but all these discourses were stopped by a noise that was

heard in the crowd, which was caused by a very magnificent wild horse,

whose bridle was held by two grooms, who could not succeed in taming

him; he was jet black, with white spots, which made him singularly

beautiful. He was without a saddle, for he would not suffer any one to

saddle him but the king; however, this submission lasted only till it

was put on, for he placed a thousand impediments in the way of mounting

him, which vexed the king greatly, and he would willingly have given

a whole city to anybody who could cure him of his vicious habits. All

this was told me briefly by the king, and I as quickly made up my mind

to do what I am going to tell you."

At this part of Periander's story, Arnoldo heard a sound on the other

side of the rock where they had sheltered themselves, like footsteps

approaching; he rose hastily and put his hand on the hilt of his

sword, to be prepared for the event. Periander was silent; the women

were silenced with fear; the men in eager expectation, especially

Periander, awaited the result, and by the faint light of the moon,

which was partly hid by clouds, they saw two dark figures coming

towards them, but could not distinguish what these could be, when a

clear and pleasing voice said, "Let not our unexpected visit alarm

you, whoever you may be, we only come to offer you our services; this

apartment of yours is but a cold and rude accommodation, and we think

we can afford you a somewhat better shelter in our dwelling, which is

at the top of this hill; there you will at least have light and fire

and food, which, though simple, will refresh you, and be wholesome and

good."

"Are you then by chance, Renato and Eusebia?" inquired Periander; "that

pair of true and faithful lovers of whom fame, with her many tongues,

has said so much and praised so highly?"

"If," replied the dark figure, "you had said, the unfortunate lovers, I

should have answered that we are those persons; however, we are those

of whom you spoke, and offer sincerely all the hospitality our narrow

means afford."

Arnoldo thought it would be wise to accept their offer, since there

was every appearance of rough weather; they all therefore rose, and

following Renato and Eusebia, who acted as their guides, reached

the summit of a small mountain, or hill rather, where they saw two

hermitages, more suitable for persons who were to pass their lives in

poverty than attractive by their elegance or rich adornment.

They entered the first dwelling and the largest, which was lighted with

two lamps, by the aid of which they could distinguish what was within;

this was, an altar, with three images thereon: one was, the image of

the Saviour of the World dead and crucified; another was the Queen of

Heaven, and Lady of Joy, seated sorrowfully at the feet of Him who

has the whole world under his feet; and the third was of the beloved

disciple, who in his sleep saw more than any eyes will ever behold,

though they were more numerous than the stars of Heaven.

They knelt and said a prayer with profound respect, and then Renato

led them into an adjoining apartment, to which they entered through a

door that was close to the altar. Finally, since such simple matters do

not need a long history, I will not dwell upon all that passed, nor on

the frugal supper which was plentiful only in the ample welcome they

received from the hermits, whose poverty was too apparent from the mean

and humble clothing they wore: they seemed to be on the verge of old

age, yet still there might be seen in Eusebia the remains of beauty,

which must once have been very great.

Auristella, Transila, and Constance, remained in this apartment, where

beds were prepared for them of dry rushes and sweet smelling herbs. The

men were accommodated in the hermitage in different places,--some as

hard as they were cold, and as cold as they were hard. Time passed as

it usually does--the night flew by, and the day dawned clear and mild;

the sea lay before them so calm and still that it seemed as if inviting

them to return and enjoy it by embarking once more, and this they would

doubtless have done, if the pilot had not come up to say, it would

not do to trust to the signs of fine weather, for though the present

promise was fair, he thought it would turn out quite otherwise.

They determined to abide by his opinion, for they well knew that in

such matters the simplest mariner is better skilled than the most

learned philosopher in the world. The ladies left their herby beds,

the men their hard resting-place, and all sallied forth to view from

the summit of the hill the smiling prospect that lay around them. The

little island was hardly twelve miles in length, but so full of fruit

trees, so well watered, so verdant, and so flowery, that in one and the

same moment all the five senses might be gratified.

The day was not far advanced when the two venerable hermits came to

see their guests, and spreading upon the floor of the hermitage green

and dry rushes, they made a carpet, more beautiful, perhaps, than may

often be seen in kings' palaces. They placed thereon a great variety

of fruits, both fresh and dried, and bread, not very newly-baked, but

almost like biscuit. The board was adorned with vases or cups, made

of cork, curiously worked, filled with the clearest water; the repast

and the pure water, which showed its clearness even in spite of the

dark hue of the cork cups, aided by hunger, made them all gladly seat

themselves round the table; and as soon as they had finished their

short and pleasant meal, Arnoldo entreated Renato to tell them his

history, and what could be the cause of his being brought to such a

life of poverty and privation. Now, as Renato was of noble birth, to

which order courtesy ever belongs, he, without waiting to be asked a

second time, began to relate the history of his life in these words.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XX.

_Renato relates the History of the Events that led him to the Isle of

the Hermitages._

"When past sufferings are described in present prosperity, there is

often greater pleasure in telling of them than there was pain in their

endurance, but this cannot be said in my case, for I am not out of the

trouble, but still in the depth of my sorrows.

"I was born in France, and I belong to a noble family, rich and worthy;

I was brought up in the performance of all knightly exercises, and

taught to regulate my thoughts by my condition; but nevertheless, I

was bold enough to fix them upon the lady Eusebia, a lady belonging to

the queen's household, but it was only with my eyes that I ever gave

her to understand that I adored her, and she, either from prudence or

because she was not aware of it, never let me think, by word or look,

that she understood me; and although disdain and indifference generally

put an end to love, in its beginning for want of hope to sustain and

feed it, in my case it had a contrary effect, for the silence of

Eusebia lent wings to my hopes, which bore me up to the very Heavens

to try and deserve her. However, the jealousy or undue curiosity of

another gentleman, also a Frenchman, named Lisomir, not less favoured

by fortune than by birth, discovered my secret feelings, and instead

of viewing them with sympathy or pity, he felt nothing but envy and

malice. It should have been quite otherwise, for there are two great

griefs in love, which reduce one to the last extremity; one is, to

love and not be beloved in return; the other, to love and be abhorred;

neither absence nor jealousy can equal these. One day Lisomir went to

the king, though I had never given him any cause of offence, and told

him that I and Eusebia entertained a secret and illicit correspondence,

offending against their majesties, and against my vow as a loyal and

true knight.

"The king on hearing this was greatly disturbed; he sent for me and

told me what Lisomir had said; I declared my innocence, and to prove

it, and clear the honour of Eusebia, and also as the most suitable

way in which to give my enemy the lie, I referred the proof to single

combat. The king would not allow any spot of ground to be selected in

his kingdom for our purpose, because it was forbidden by the Catholic

law, but he allowed us to take one of the free cities of Germany as the

scene of our encounter.

"The appointed day for the combat arrived; I appeared on the spot,

with the weapons that had been determined upon, which were a sword

and a shield. The judges and the seconds arranged the ceremonial

according to the usual custom in such cases. The ground was measured,

and they left us. Knowing that I had the right on my side, I entered

the lists, confident and in good heart; my adversary, I well know, met

me more full of pride and arrogance than of a good conscience. But O

ye inscrutable ways of Providence; I did my utmost; I put my hope and

trust in God, and in the innocence of my cause, I was neither overcome

by fear, nor was my arm weak, nor were its motions irregular; yet how

it was I know not; I suddenly found myself on the ground, with my

enemy's sword threatening me with instant death. 'Strike,' I exclaimed,

'O thou who hast conquered more by luck than valour, and let loose the

soul that has so ill defended the body in which it dwells; but hope

not that I am subdued, or that I shall confess a crime I have never

committed. Many are the sins for which I deserve punishment, but I will

not add to them by bearing false witness against myself; better far,

death with honour, than to live dishonoured.'

"'If thou dost not yield, Renato,' answered my enemy, 'this sword shall

pierce thy brain, and with thy blood I will make thee confess my truth

and thy guilt.'

"But here the judges interfered, and supposing me dead, they declared

my adversary conqueror. He was borne by his friends in triumph from the

field, and I was left alone with my shame and my sorrow; more grief

than wounds, and yet not grief enough, since it was insufficient to

destroy the life my enemy's sword had spared.

"I was sought out and removed by my servants; I returned to my own

country, not daring to raise my eyes from the earth, so heavy was the

sense of my dishonour, and the weight of my infamy: in the looks of my

friends I fancied I read their condemnation; the Heavens themselves

seemed obscured for me. Hardly could two or three neighbours meet to

chat together in the street, but I fancied their discourse must be

about my disgrace; and at length I grew so oppressed with melancholy

and my sad fancies, that to escape from, or at least alleviate their

bitterness, I determined to quit my native land, and renouncing my

inheritance in favour of a younger brother, to banish myself entirely

from my native country and home. I went away in a vessel, with a few

servants, and came to these northern parts, to seek some spot where the

story of my shameful defeat should be unknown, and where my name might

be buried in obscurity.

"By chance I found this little isle--its appearance pleased me; with

the assistance of my servants I built this hermitage, and shut myself

up in it; I then dismissed them, but desired that once in each year

they would come and see me, in order to bury my remains. The love they

bore me, and the gifts which I bestowed on them, made them willingly

obey my requests, for I will not call them commands. They departed, and

left me to my solitude, wherein I found such pleasant company in these

trees, herbs, and flowers, clear streams, and babbling brooks, that I

lamented I had not sooner escaped from my sorrows. O sweet solitude!

friend of the unhappy! O silence, how welcome art thou, without fear

of the voice of the flatterer, or the slanderer. How much could I not

say, sirs, in favour of this holy solitude and wholesome silence; but

I must stop myself to tell you, how in a year my servants returned,

and brought with them my adored Eusebia, whom you see in this sister

hermit. She had heard from my servants of the retreat which I had

found; and in recompense for my love, and compassion for my disgrace,

she resolved to bear me company in my trouble, as we had both been

innocent of all guilt, and had not been companions in crime: so

embarking with them, she left her home and her country, her wealth and

comforts, and what was more than all, she left her good name and honour

to become the public talk, since by her flight she confirmed the report

of our mutual fault.

"I received her as she had hoped I should, and the beauty and solitude

of this place, instead of increasing those wishes and thoughts I had

once indulged, had now a contrary effect. Thanks to Heaven, and to her

purity and goodness, we consider ourselves as lawfully husband and

wife, and in peace and love; like two living statues, have we dwelt

here for ten years, during which time, not one has passed without a

visit from my servants, bringing us the necessaries which in this

desert place we require; and sometimes they are accompanied by a

priest, who confesses us. We have in our hermitage everything proper

for celebrating the holy offices; we sleep apart, take our meals

together, and converse upon heavenly things, despise the world, and,

trusting in God's mercy, we look forward with hope to life eternal."

Here Renato ended his discourse, and all his hearers expressed their

pleasure and admiration at the incidents he had related, not because

it seemed a new thing that Heaven should send chastisements contrary

to human expectations, since they knew that these are sent frequently

for two causes;--to the wicked as punishment, and to improve and try

the good, amongst whom they considered Renato, and bestowed on him many

kind and consolatory words, nor did they omit to do the same by Eusebia.

"O life of solitude!" here exclaimed Rutilio, (who had listened to the

hermit's story with most profound attention,) "O solitary life; holy,

free, and safe, are they who embrace thee, choose thee, and enjoy

thee!"

"True, friend Rutilio," said Maurice, "but only in certain cases, for

there is no great marvel if a humble shepherd retires into the solitude

of the country; nor when a poor wretch, who is half starved in a town,

takes refuge in a retreat where he knows he shall find sustenance.

These ways of living are often only a means of fostering idleness and

sloth, and it is no small idleness if a man leaves his troubles to be

remedied by others. If I were to see a Carthaginian Hannibal leave the

world to shut himself up in a hermitage, as we have seen a Charles

the Fifth retire into a monastery, I should feel astonishment and

admiration; but if a plebeian goes into obscurity, or a poor unknown

being retires from society, I neither wonder nor admire. However,

Renato is not one of these, since it was neither poverty nor necessity

that led him into these solitudes, but his own good feelings; here he

finds in scarcity, abundance, and in solitude, society, and lives the

more securely, having but little to lose."

"And," added Periander, "if I was old instead of very young, so many

perils and dangers have been my share, that I should look upon a

peaceful hermitage as the extreme of felicity, and in the tomb of

silence to bury my name; but I cannot relinquish the object for which I

have hitherto lived, nor change the mode of life I was following at the

time when the horse of King Cratilius appeared, where my history left

off last."

They heard him say this with great delight, for they perceived by his

manner that Periander was willing to return to his so oft begun and

never ended story, which in fact he did, as follows.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXI.

_He relates what happened with the Horse that Cratilius valued so

highly, and which was so far famed._

"The size, beauty, and spirit of the horse I have before described,

made Cratilius value him very highly, and as desirous of having him

tamed as I was to seize the opportunity of doing him a service; I

thought that this was a fair means sent by Providence, through which I

might make myself useful and agreeable in the eyes of him who was now

my Master, and in some degree show that I deserved the praise bestowed

on me by Sulpicia; and so, with more haste than prudence I went up to

the horse, and leapt upon his back, without placing my foot in the

stirrup, for there was none to use. He started off with me without any

power in the rein to direct or restrain him, and made his way towards a

rock that overhung the sea; urging him on with my feet much against his

wish, I made him leap off the rock into the sea below.[K]

"In the midst of our flight, it occurred to me that the sea was

frozen, and therefore we should in all probability be dashed to pieces

with the shock, so I considered my death and his as certain; but it was

not so;--providence, that for its own good reasons watches over and

preserves me, was my guard. The limbs of the powerful animal withstood

the fall without any other damage than shaking me off, and rolling

along the slippery surface for a considerable space. There was not

a single person among the spectators on the shore who did not fully

believe and think that I must be killed; but when they saw me rise

up, although they thought the event a miracle, yet they considered my

daring act to have been downright madness."

Very hard it was to old Maurice, to lend his belief to this tremendous

leap of Periander's, so much did it go beyond all the bounds of

probability; at least, he thought, there should have been three or

four legs broken, that the courtesy of the hearers might not have been

so severely tried in listening to so very outrageous a performance.

However, so great was the credit which Periander had with them all,

that they did not even express a doubt, for as it is one of the

inconveniences of lying, that even when a liar speaks truth he is not

believed, so it is the glory of the truth-teller to be credited, even

when he exaggerates a little; and as Maurice's private thoughts did not

interfere with the discourse, Periander went on, saying, "I returned

to shore with the horse--I even mounted him again--and tried to incite

him a second time to renew the feat he had just performed, but it was

impossible, for, fixing himself firmly on his haunches on the point of

the rock, he broke the reins, remaining as if nailed to the ground. He

was covered with a profuse sweat from head to foot, and so thoroughly

frightened, that he was changed from a lion into a lamb, and from a

savage beast into a noble horse, so that when the grooms came to handle

him, they found that they could caparison and mount him, and ride him

with the most entire security, and he showed such activity and such

perfect paces, that the king was quite enchanted, and Sulpicia was

pleased to see my actions support her words.

"The frost lasted three months, and during this time a vessel was

finished building which the king had begun, and which was intended to

navigate these seas, and clear them of the pirates, enriching himself

with the spoil.

"In the meantime I was of service to him in various hunting parties,

when I proved myself experienced and sagacious, and hardy in bearing

fatigue and hardships, for the chase is something like war, and

to it belong fatigue, hunger, and thirst, sometimes even death.

The liberality of the Princess Sulpicia was unbounded to me and my

companions, and the kindness and courtesy of the king equalled it. The

twelve fishermen who had gone with Sulpicia were already rich; those

who had been with me were become so. The ship was finished, and by the

king's orders it was amply supplied with everything necessary, and I

was appointed to command it, with free liberty to do exactly what I

pleased; so after having kissed his hands for this very great benefit,

I told him that I wished to obtain his leave to go and seek for my

sister Auristella, who, as I had heard, was in the power of the King of

Denmark. Cratilius gave me permission to do all I wished, saying that I

had obliged him for ever by my good conduct; thus speaking like a king

whose gracious acts are always enhanced by affability, and in Sulpicia

also I found the same: her gentle breeding was accompanied by the

most lavish generosity, so that I and all my people, enriched and well

content, embarked without leaving a single one behind. Our first course

was straight to Denmark, where I hoped to find my sister, but all I

found there, was the intelligence that she and some other women had

been stolen away from the sea-shore by some pirates. Thus my wanderings

were to begin anew, and my grief and lamentations renewed, in which I

was joined by Carino and Solercio, who imagined that their young wives

shared the fate and captivity of Auristella."

"Their suspicions," said Arnoldo, interrupting him, "were well founded."

"We swept all these seas," continued Periander, "circumnavigated nearly

every island round about, everywhere inquiring for tidings of my

sister. It seemed to me, and doubtless may be thought of every great

beauty, that charms such as hers could not remain long concealed, and

that the light of her loveliness must shine out, let the place where

she was confined be ever so dark; and her exceeding great prudence, I

trusted, would be the clue whereby to extricate her from any labyrinth.

"We took pirates, released prisoners, restored property fourfold to the

right owners, and also enriched our own ship with all sorts of wealth.

At length my companions felt a wish to return home to their nets and

families; Carino and Solercio fancied that it was possible they might

find their wives there, since they were to be discovered nowhere else.

Before this, however, we had come to the island, the name of which

is, I believe, Scinta, where we heard of the festival and games given

by King Polycarp, and we felt a desire to join in them, but our ship

could not get near, owing to the contrary wind; so dressing ourselves

as rowers, we manned the boat, and went off to the appointed place.

There I won the prizes; there I was crowned as victor in all the

contests, and thence sprang Sinforosa's curiosity to know who I was,

as you have seen by the eagerness with which she sought to discover

my history. We returned to our ship, and my companions were resolved

to leave me; I asked them to let me keep the boat as a reward for all

the perils we had encountered together. They would have given me the

ship too if I had wished it, and said, 'They would not have left me,

but that it seemed my own desire to be alone;' in fine, accompanied

by six of my fishermen, who would not quit me, perhaps in consequence

of the recompense I offered them, I embarked in the boat they had

given me--embraced and bade adieu to my friends--and steered towards

the barbarous isle, for I had heard the account of the customs of its

inhabitants, and of the false and foolish prophecy by which they were

deluded, which I need not repeat, as you already know it. We crossed

the island, were taken prisoners and thrown into the dungeon, where

their captives were buried alive. I was one day dragged from it, in

order to be sacrificed; then followed the tempest, which dispersed

the rafts they used as boats, and drove me out into the open sea on a

portion of one of them, tied hand and foot, and fast-bound to it. Then

I fell into the compassionate hands of Prince Arnoldo; and afterwards,

by his order, I went ashore again to the island, disguised, that I

might discover if Auristella was there, he being then ignorant that she

was my sister; and there I found her, just about to be sacrificed, the

barbarians supposing her to be a man: I knew her, and prevented her

death, by declaring her to be a female, as Clelia told you. As to the

history of how _they_ got there, _that_ she herself must relate when it

pleases her. All that afterwards befell us in the island is well-known

to you; and now with this and what my sister has still to tell, you

will rest satisfied with having heard all that you desired to know of

our adventures."

FOOTNOTES:

[K] See Note 5.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXII.

_Sinibald, Renato's brother, arrives with good news from France.

He comes to convey Renato and Eusebia home, and takes in his Ship,

Arnoldo, Maurice, Transila, and Ladislaus. In the other vessel,

Periander, Auristella, the two Antonios, Ricla, and Constance, embark

for Spain, and Rutilio remains behind in the Hermitage._

I do not know that I can positively affirm that Maurice, and some

others among his hearers, were glad when Periander came to the end of

his history; but very often those extremely long stories, although

they may be of great importance, are nevertheless somewhat tiresome.

It is even possible that Auristella was herself of this opinion, for

she was not disposed to follow up his hint and begin the story of her

adventures, although they could not have been many between the period

of her being carried off from Arnoldo, and her being discovered by

Periander in the barbarous isle, yet still she wished to wait for some

other opportunity; and as it happened, she would have been prevented

if she _had_ wished it, for a ship in full sail appeared in the open

sea, evidently making for the island; and very soon she had entered

one of the little bays already described, and was recognized by Renato,

who said, "This, sirs, is the ship in which my servants and friends

occasionally visit me;" and, in fact, they heard the singing out of the

seamen, as they let go their anchor, and a boat full of people directly

after left the ship, and made for the shore, where Renato and all his

guests were awaiting them. About twenty persons landed, among whom was

one of noble appearance, who seemed master of the rest. As soon as he

saw Renato, he came up to him with open arms, saying, "Embrace me,

brother, in reward for the good news I bring you!" Renato embraced him,

for he had recognised his brother Sinibald, and he said, "No news can

be pleasanter to me, dear brother, than your presence, for there is

nothing that can give me joy in my unhappy situation, only the sight

of thee is always an exception to the common rule of my misfortunes."

Sinibald then turned to embrace Eusebia, saying, "You too, lady, must

permit me to embrace you, for you also owe me a reward for the news I

bring, and I will delay no longer telling you what it is, to put you

out of suspense. Know, then, that your enemy is dead, of an illness,

which deprived him for several days of speech, but Heaven mercifully

restored it for a few hours before he died, during which space he

expressed a deep repentance, and confessed the sin he had committed

of having falsely accused you. He confessed that envy and jealousy

were the cause, and finally made all the declarations possible to avow

his crime. He said it was owing to the hidden secrets of Providence

that his unjust cause had gained the victory over your good one, and

was not satisfied only with this spoken confession, but had a written

declaration and acknowledgment made, which he signed; and when this

became known to the king, he also had a similar instrument published,

openly declaring your innocence and untarnished honour, and also

acknowledging Eusebia's perfect innocence and purity. He then gave

orders to have you sought for, and when found, to bring you into his

presence, that he might try and make you some amends for all you have

suffered, by ample and magnificent bounties. If these are tidings

likely to give you pleasure or no, I leave to your own consideration."

"They are such," said Arnoldo, "that nothing else in life can surpass,

nor any acquisition of the most unhoped for riches approach; for honour

lost, and so fully and perfectly restored, is a blessing the whole

earth can never offer the equal of. May you, my lord Renato, enjoy it

for many long years, and may the peerless Eusebia enjoy it with you,

like the ivy to the wall, the mirror of your delight and the pattern of

virtue and excellence."

Then all the others, though in different words, paid the like

compliments to the hermits, and afterwards proceeded to inquire what

news there was in Europe, or in other places, which they, having been

so long on the seas, were ignorant of.

Sinibald answered, "That the news most talked of was, the calamity

which threatened the old King of Denmark, by means of the King of

Norway, and other allies who favoured him." He also told how people

murmured that by the absence of the Prince Arnoldo, the heir of

Denmark, his father was in danger of losing his crown. It was said of

the prince, that he was fluttering, butterfly-like, in the sunshine

of the bright eyes of some fair captive of his, so utterly unknown

as to family and birth, that no one knew whose daughter she was. He

told also of wars in Transylvania, and of some movements made by the

Turks, the common enemy of the human race. He also gave an account of

the glorious death[L] of Charles the Fifth, King of Spain, and Emperor

of the Romans,--the terror of all the enemies of the church, and dread

of the followers of Mahomet. Other matters he spoke of, more trifling,

some amusing, and some surprising, all of which gave great satisfaction

to everybody except the pensive Arnoldo, who, from the moment that he

heard of his father's trouble, sat with his cheek resting in his hand,

and his eyes fixed on the ground. After remaining in this attitude for

a considerable space, he raised his eyes from the earth and looked up

towards Heaven, saying aloud, "O love! O honour! O filial duty! what a

struggle ye make within my soul! Love, if I depart and leave thee, can

I be forgiven? Honour, ought I to cease to follow thee, because I love.

Thou, O my father, desirest my return, and ye, my vassals, expect me;

for love does not render a man a coward, nor will I prove myself one in

defending you, although I am the most enamoured of all mortal men. For

my peerless Auristella's sake I go to regain that which is mine own;

for being a king I may seem more deserving of her than I can hope to be

simply as a lover. The poor suitor unfavoured by fortune's gifts, has

little chance; as a king I may pretend to her, as a king I may serve

her, as a simple lover I can only adore her; but should I fail with all

united to win her, I shall blame my own ill fate, and not her."

All the bystanders were much surprised at hearing these words from

Arnoldo; but the most astonished of them was Sinibald. Maurice had told

him that this was the Prince of Denmark, and had pointed out Auristella

as the captive by whom he was said to be enslaved. Sinibald looked more

particularly at her, and instantly decided that what had been called

madness, in Arnoldo, was very good sense, for the beauty of Auristella,

as I have often said before, was such, that it won the hearts of

everybody who looked upon it, and therein found sufficient excuse for

every fault or folly committed for her sake.

It was now decided that Renato and Eusebia should return to France,

and take Arnoldo with them in their vessel, to leave him in his own

country. He wished Maurice, Transila, and Ladislaus, to go with him,

and that Periander and Auristella, the two Antonios, and Ricla and

Constance should proceed to Spain in the vessel they had come in,

and continue their voyage as they had desired. Rutilio was expecting

to hear to which division he should belong; but before anything was

settled, he went up to Renato, and kneeling before him, entreated that

he would make him heir to his property in this island, and permit him

to stay behind there, in order that there might never fail one to tend

the light, which served as a guide to mariners: for here it was his

wish to end well, a life that had hitherto not been a very good one.

His Christian-like petition met with a general approval, and the good

Renato, who was as kind as he was generous, granted all he desired,

saying that he only wished the property he left was of more value,

seeing it consisted only of the necessaries of life.

Arnoldo promised that if he found things tolerably peaceful in his own

country, he would send a ship yearly to his assistance. Rutilio would

fain have thrown himself at the feet of his protectors and friends,

but they would not suffer it, and embraced him; many of them even

wept to see the pious disposition of the new hermit, for although we

may not be ourselves prepared to lead new lives and amend our ways,

it nevertheless gives us pleasure to see others do so, unless our

stubbornness has arrived at such a pitch that we desire to see all fall

into the same abyss as ourselves.

Two days were spent in arranging and preparing for the voyages, and at

the final parting they all took affectionate farewells of one another,

especially Arnoldo, Periander, and Auristella: although there was great

warmth in Arnoldo's manner, and although the excess of his affection

was very evident, yet it was expressed in so graceful and delicate a

way, that it did not offend Periander. Transila wept, nor were the

eyes of old Maurice dry, nor those of Ladislaus; Ricla sighed, and

Constance was much affected, whilst her father and brother did not

remain unmoved: Rutilio, already arrayed in his hermit robe, went from

one to another, bidding adieu to each, and mingling his sobs and tears

with theirs. At length, invited by the calm weather and favouring

gales, (for the wind served equally well for both the voyages,) they

embarked, set sail, and Rutilio, from the hermitage hill, watched their

departure, and followed them with a thousand blessings.

And here the author of this wandering story ends his second book.

FOOTNOTES:

[L] This and the apostrophe of the Moorish Christian in the Third

Book to Philip III. fixes a date which corresponds ill with the North

Country Kings of Romance.

[Illustration]

BOOK III.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER I.

As our minds are ever in perpetual motion, and can neither stop nor

rest except by God, who is our centre, and for whom we are created, it

is no marvel that our thoughts should change,--that this should take,

that, leave; one should go on, another forget; and he who is the most

quiet, will go on best, if he be not so from want of intellect.

I have made these observations as an excuse for the conduct of Arnoldo,

and the apparent facility with which he relinquished in one moment

the object that had occupied him so long; though one can hardly say

that he _relinquished_ it, for he only put it off for a time, because

honour, the ruling feeling of all human actions, called him away; and

this he explained to Periander on the night before their parting,

talking with him apart from the others in the hermitage island. There

he entreated him (for he who asks for a thing he greatly needs rather

begs than asks) to look well after his sister Auristella, and preserve

her for him, to be the queen of Denmark; and that if fortune should

prove adverse, and he should not recover his kingdom, but lose his

life in the endeavour, Auristella should be considered as the widow

of a prince, and as such should choose a husband; and frequently he

repeated, as he had often done before, that she well deserved to be the

greatest queen in the world.

Periander said not one single word of all this to Auristella, for the

lover delights in bestowing upon a beloved one praises from himself,

and not as coming from another. He has no desire to make her in love

with the charms of any one else; his own are all that he wishes her to

see: if he cannot himself sing well, he will not bring to her a friend

who can: if he is not handsome, he will not visit her in the company

of a Ganymede; and, in fine, I am of opinion that if he has faults,

he will not mend them by the merits of others; however, these things

cannot apply to Periander, who was so richly endowed with nature's

choicest gifts, and in those of fortune, was inferior to few.

A favouring gale wafted the two vessels on their different ways, for

this is one of the mysteries of the art of navigation. They went on

their course, cutting the not crystal but the dark blue waters. The

sea was calm, for the wind, treating it with respect, only ruffled the

surface, and the ship just seemed gently to kiss its lips, and then

bound over it so lightly, that it scarcely appeared to touch it. In

this manner, and with the same continued serenity and success, they

sailed for seventeen days, without having occasion once to shorten

sail, a great felicity for those who are on a sea voyage, to which, if

it were not from the dread of tempests and coming storms, no pleasure

in life is equal.