faulty, I will not now dispute; but because I am your wife, and have
devoted my selfe to obedience, I am resolved to delight in nothing but
your pleasure; so that if this match be designed for your good, and
determined by your appointment, I am much satisfied, and more then much
contented. And for you, lady, I wish you the delights of your marriage
and the honour of your husband, many yeares of happinesse, and the
fruits of a chaste wedlock: only, gracious lord, take heed of one thing;
that you trie not this new bride as you have done your ould wife; for
she is yong, and peradventure of another straine, and so may want of
that patience and government which I, poore I, have endured.
Till this he held out bravely; but nature overcomming resolution, and
considering with what strange variety his unkindnesse had passed, hee
could not answere a word for teares, and all the company stood
confounded at the matter, wondring what would be the end of the
businesse, and the successe of the extasie. But to draw them out of
their doubts, the next chapter shall determine the controversie.
[Illustration]
CHAP. X.
The oration of the Marquesse to his wife, and the discovery of her
children, to her great joy, and the contentment of all the company.
After a little reducement of his passion, and that time and further
meditation had disposed his senses to their perfect estate, the
Marquesse graciously answered:—
Thou wonder of women, and champion of true vertue! I am ashamed of my
imperfections, and tyred with abusing thee. I have tryed thee beyond
reason, and thou hast forborne mee beyond modestie: beleeve it,
therefore, I will have no wife but thy selfe, and when God hath thought
thee too good for the earth, I will (if it bee not too much
superstition) pray to thee in heaven. Oh! ’tis a pleasure to be
acquainted with thy worth, and to come neere thy goodnes maketh a man
better than himselfe. For without controversie, except thou hadst beene
sent from above, thou couldst never have acted a goddesses part belowe:
and therefore, seeing I have used thee so unkindly heeretofore, I
protest never to disquiet thee heereafter: and wherein my cruelty
extended against thee in bereaving thee of thy children, my love shall
now make amends in restoring thy daughter. For this new bride is shee;
and this wanton her brother. Thank this great lady (my sister) for their
bringing up, and this man (you knowe him well enough) for his secrecy.
Bee not amased at the matter: I have related a truth, and will confirme
it on my honour; only sit downe till the dinner is done, and bid the
company welcome in this poore attire; for the sun will break through
slender clouds, and vertue shine in base array. I could much dilate the
matter, but it is time to end, lest the circumstances will never end.
This device of the Marquesses, of kissing her so lovingly, and setting
her downe by him so discreetly, did much good; for the company had time
to dispute of the miracle, and the yong lady reason to prepare her
obedience; which, no sooner was the dinner finished, but shee as soone
performed, nothing thought upon but joy at the matter, and wonder at the
accident; every one pleased to see such a unity of goodnes, and all
delighted to have a businesse so well concluded. But seeing time had
unclasped a booke of such jollity, there was now no further disputing,
for the ladies flocked about her to attend her into the chamber, where
the yong princesse her daughter was as ready as the best to apparell
her, so that when shee came amongst them againe she shined like the sun
after a tempest, and seemed more glorious, because her continued modesty
kept her from all insulting and vaine-glorious bravery.
Thus was the Marquesse invested, as it were, with a new blessednes, and
she continued in her ould constancy; onely admired by every one for her
patience and sufferings, and all aplauding their reconcilement, blessing
her, and the people proud they had such a lord to obey: especially
satisfied when the poore Janicola was advanced to the councell, and made
governor of his palace; wherein hee behaved himselfe so well that for
ten yeares hee still lived as he had beene bred, a courtier, and died
with the memory of a good report. Grisel lasted thirty yeares after him,
and all went to their graves in good time, the country renowned over the
world for their admirable government, and famosed for their
extraordinary wonder.
_Non est ulla difficultas (ut ita dicam) neque passio, neque calamitas
dira, cujus non sufferre queat pondus hominis natura._—Euripides
Orestei.
FINIS.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES
1. “Chap. IX” and “Chap. VIII” are apparently out of order. Did not
correct.
2. Silently corrected typographical errors.
3. Retained anachronistic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings as
printed.
4. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers.
5. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.
End of Project Gutenberg's The History Of Patient Grisel, 1619, by Anonymous