give up the slave girl to him, in return for which he offered him
mountains of gold, and had already made him a present of Ricardo, whose
ransom he valued at two thousand crowns. Moreover, to facilitate the
transfer, he suggested to the cadi the same expedient which the latter
had himself devised, namely, that when the Grand Turk sent for Leonisa
he should pretend she was dead. But all the pasha's gifts, promises, and
entreaties, had no other effect on the cadi than to increase his
eagerness to hasten his departure. Tormented therefore by his own
desires, by Hassan's importunities, and by those of Halima (for she,
too, was amusing herself with vain hopes) he made such despatch that in
twenty days he had equipped a brigantine of fifteen benches, which he
manned with able Turkish mariners and some Greek Christians. He put all
his wealth on board it; Halima, too, left nothing of value behind her,
and asked her husband to let her take her parents with her that they
might see Constantinople. Halima entertained the same designs as Mahmoud
and Ricardo; she intended, with their help, to seize the brigantine, but
would not make this known to them until she found herself actually
embarked. Afterwards she proposed to land among Christians, return to
her old creed, and marry Ricardo; for she had reason to suppose that
bringing so much wealth with her, he would not fail to take her to wife
on her again becoming a Christian.
Ricardo had another interview with Leonisa, and made known to her the
whole scheme they had projected; and she in return apprised him of the
designs of Halima, who kept no secret from Leonisa. After mutual
injunctions of secrecy, they bade each other adieu until the day of
embarkation. When it arrived, Hassan escorted the party to the shore
with all his soldiers, and did not leave them until they had set sail.
Even then he never took his eyes off the brigantine until it was out of
sight. It almost seemed as if the sighs heaved by the enamoured
mussulman swelled the gale, and impelled with more force the sails that
were wafting away his soul. But as love had allowed him no rest, but
plenty of time to consider what he should do to escape being killed by
the vehemence of his unsatisfied desire, he immediately put in operation
a plan he had long matured. He put fifty soldiers, all trusty men, bound
to him by many favours received and expected, on board a vessel of
seventeen benches, which he had secretly fitted out in another port;
and he ordered them to pursue and capture the brigantine with all its
wealth, and put every soul on board to the sword, with the exception of
Leonisa, whom he desired to have as his own sole share of the immense
booty. He also ordered them to sink the brigantine, so that no trace of
her fate might remain.
Animated with the hope of plunder the soldiers proceeded with the utmost
alacrity to execute the pasha's orders, which seemed the more easy as
the crew of the brigantine were unarmed, not anticipating any such
encounter. It had been now two days under sail, which seemed two
centuries to the cadi, who would fain, on the very first of them, have
carried his design into effect. But his two slaves represented to him
the absolute necessity that Leonisa should first fall sick in order to
give colour to the report of her death, and that the feigned malady
ought to last some days. The cadi was much more disposed to say that she
died suddenly, finish the whole job at once, despatch his wife, and
allay the raging fire that was consuming his vitals; but he was obliged
to submit to the advice of his two counsellors.
Meanwhile, Halima had declared her design to Mahmoud and Ricardo, who
had signified their readiness to accomplish it when passing the Crosses
of Alexandria, or entering the castles of Anatolia; but so intolerably
did the cadi importune them, that they made up their minds to do so upon
the first opportunity that offered. After they had been six days at sea
the cadi thought that Leonisa's feigned malady had lasted quite long
enough, and was very urgent with them that they should finish with
Halima on the following day, and to quiet him they promised that they
would do so. But when that day came, which, as they expected, was to
witness the accomplishment of their own secret plans, or to be the last
of their lives, they suddenly discovered a vessel giving chase to them,
with all speed of sails and oars. They were afraid it was a Christian
corsair, from which neither party had any good to expect; for if it were
one, the mussulmans would be made captive, and the Christians, though
left at liberty, would be plundered of everything. Mahmoud and Ricardo,
however, took comfort in the prospect of freedom for Leonisa and
themselves; nevertheless, they were not without fear of the insolence of
the corsairs, for people who abandon themselves to such practices,
whatever be their religion or law, are invariably cruel and brutal. The
cadi's crew made preparation to defend themselves; but without quitting
their oars, and still doing all in their power to escape; but the vessel
in chase gained upon them so fast that in less than two hours it was
within cannon-shot. Seeing her so close, they lowered their sails, stood
to their arms, and awaited the assault, though the cadi told them they
had nothing to fear, for the stranger was under Turkish colours and
would do them no harm. He then gave orders to hoist the white flag of
peace.
Just then Mahmoud chanced to turn his head, and espied another galley of
some twenty benches apparently, bearing down upon them from the west. He
told the cadi, and some Christians at the oar said that this was a
vessel of their own people. The confusion and alarm was now doubled, and
all awaited the issue in anxious suspense, not knowing whether to hope
or fear it. I fancy the cadi, just then, would have gladly foregone all
his amorous hopes to be safe again in Nicosia, so great was his
perplexity. It did not last long however; for the first galley, without
paying the least regard to the flag of peace, or to what was due to a
community in religion, bore down upon his brigantine with such fury as
nearly to send it to the bottom. The cadi then perceived that the
assailants were soldiers of Nicosia, and guessing what was the real
state of the case, he gave himself up for lost; and had it not been for
the greed of the soldiers, who fell to plundering in the first instance,
not a soul would have been left alive. Suddenly, however, while they
were busy with all their might in pillaging, a voice cried out in
Turkish, "To arms! to arms! Here's a Christian galley bearing down upon
us!" And this indeed was true, for the galley which Mahmoud had descried
to the westward was bearing furiously down upon Hassan's under Christian
colours; but before it came to close quarters it hailed the latter.
"What galley is that?"
"Hassan Pasha's, viceroy of Cyprus."
"How comes it, then, that you, being mussulmans are plundering this
brigantine, on board of which, as we know, is the cadi of Nicosia?"
The reply to this was that they only knew that the pasha had ordered
them to take it, and that they, as his soldiers, had done his bidding.
The commander of the galley under Christian colours having now
ascertained what he wanted to know, desisted from attacking Hassan's and
fell upon the cadi's brigantine, killed ten of its Turkish crew at the
first volley, and immediately boarded it with great impetuosity. Then
the cadi discovered that his assailant was no Christian, but Ali Pasha,
Leonisa's lover, who had been laying wait to carry her off, and had
disguised himself and his soldiers as Christians, the better to conceal
his purpose.
The cadi, finding himself thus assailed on all sides, began loudly to
exert his lungs. "What means this, Ali Pasha, thou traitor?" he cried.
"How comes it that, being a mussulman, thou attackest me in the garb of
a Christian? And you, perfidious soldiers of Hassan, what demon has
moved you to commit so great an outrage? How dare you, to please the
lascivious appetite of him who sent you, set yourselves against your
sovereign?" At these words, the soldiers on both sides lowered their
arms, looked upon and recognised each other, for they had all served
under one captain and one flag. Confounded by the cadi's words, and by
their conscious criminality, they sheathed their blades, and seemed
quite discomfited. Ali alone shut his eyes and his ears to everything,
and rushing upon the cadi, dealt him such a stroke on the head with his
scimetar, that, but for the hundred ells of stuff that formed his
turban, he would certainly have cleft it in two. As it was, he knocked
the cadi down among the rower's benches, where he lay, exclaiming amid
his groans, "O cruel renegade! Enemy of the Prophet! Can it be that
there is no true mussulman left to avenge me? Accursed one! to lay
violent hands on thy cadi, on a minister of Mahomet!"
The cadi's denunciations made a strong impression on the minds of
Hassan's soldiers, who, fearing besides that Ali's men would despoil
them of the booty they already looked upon as their own, determined to
put all to the hazard of battle. Suddenly they fell upon Ali's men with
such vehemence that, although the latter were the stronger party, they
soon thinned their numbers considerably; the survivors, however, quickly
rallied, and so well avenged their slaughtered comrades, that barely
four of Hassan's men remained alive, and those too badly wounded.
Ricardo and Mahmoud, who had been watching the fight, putting their
heads out every now and then at the cabin hatchway, seeing now that most
of the Turks were dead, and the survivors all wounded, and that they
might very easily be mastered, called upon Halima's father and two of
his nephews to aid them in seizing the vessel. Then arming themselves
with the dead men's scimetars, they rushed amidships, shouting "Liberty!
Liberty!" and with the help of the stout Christian rowers, they soon
despatched all the Turks. Then they boarded Ali Pasha's galley. He had
been one of the first slain in the last conflict, a Turk having cut him
down in revenge for the cadi, and the galley being defenceless, they
took possession of it with all its stores.
By Ricardo's advice, all the valuables on board the brigantine and
Hassan's galley were transhipped to Ali's, that being the largest of the
three vessels, with plenty of stowage room, and a good sailer. The
rowers, too, were Christians, and being highly delighted with the
acquisition of their freedom, and with the gifts which Ricardo liberally
divided amongst them, they offered to carry him to Trapani, or to the
end of the world, if he desired it. After this, Mahmoud and Ricardo,
exulting in their success, went to Halima, and told her that if she
desired to return to Cyprus they would give her her own brigantine, with
its full complement of men, and half the wealth she had put on board it;
but as her affection for Ricardo was unabated, she replied that she
would rather go with them to Christian lands, whereat her parents were
exceedingly rejoiced.
The cadi having by this time got upon his legs again, he, too, had his
choice given him either to go into Christendom or return to Nicosia in
his own vessel. He replied that, "as fortune had reduced him to his
present situation, he thanked them for the boon of his liberty; and that
he desired to go to Constantinople to complain to the Grand Signor of
the outrage he had received at the hands of Ali and Hassan." But when he
heard that Halima was leaving him, and intended to go back to
Christianity, he was almost beside himself. Finally, they put him on
board his own vessel, supplying him abundantly with all accessories for
his voyage, and even giving him back some of his own sequins; and he
took leave of them all with the intention of returning to Nicosia; but
first he entreated that Leonisa would embrace him, declaring that if
she would graciously grant him that favour, it would wipe out the
recollection of all his misfortunes. All joined in entreating Leonisa to
grant him what he so earnestly desired, since she might do so without
prejudice to her honour. She complied, and the cadi besought her to lay
her hands on his head, that he might have hopes of his wound being
healed.
These adieux concluded, and having scuttled Hassan's galley, they sailed
away with a favouring breeze and soon lost sight of the brigantine, on
the deck of which stood the unlucky cadi, watching with swimming eyes
how the wind was wafting away his property, his delight, his wife, and
his whole soul. With very different feelings did Ricardo and Mahmoud
pursue their way. They passed in sight of Alexandria, and without
shortening sail, or needing to have recourse to their oars, they touched
at Corfu, where they took in water; and then without more delay they
left behind them the ill-famed Acroceraunian rocks, and descried afar
off Paquino, a promontory of the most fertile Trinacria, at sight of
which, and of the illustrious island of Malta, their prosperous barque
seemed to fly across the waters. In fine, fetching a compass round the
island, in four days afterwards they made Lampadosa, and then the island
where Leonisa had been shipwrecked, at sight of which she almost
swooned.
On the following day the beloved native land they so longed for
gladdened their eyes and their hearts. Their spirits rose tumultuously
with this new joy, one of the greatest that can be known in this life,
to return safe and sound to one's country after long captivity; and one
which may compare with it is that of victory achieved over its enemies.
There was in the galley a chest full of flags and streamers of various
colours, with which Ricardo had the rigging adorned. Soon after daybreak
they were within less than a league of the city, when taking to their
oars, and uttering every now and then joyous cries, they advanced to the
harbour, the shore of which was immediately lined by a great concourse
of people; for the gaily adorned galley had been so long in sight, that
the whole town had come down to observe it more closely.
Meanwhile, Ricardo had entreated Leonisa to dress herself just as she
had appeared in the tent before the two pashas, for he wished to play
off a pleasant trick upon his relations. She did so, adding jewels to
jewels, pearls to pearls, and beauty to beauty (for it increases with
the satisfaction of the heart), to the renewed admiration and
astonishment of all. Ricardo and Mahmoud also dressed themselves in the
Turkish costume, and made the crew put on the garments of the dead
Turks. It was about eight o'clock when they entered the harbour, and the
morning was so calm and clear that it seemed as though it were intent on
beholding this joyful arrival.
Before coming into port, Ricardo fired a salute with the three pieces
belonging to the galley, which were one gun amidships, and two
falconets; the town returned the salute with an equal number. The whole
shore was in lively commotion, watching the approach of the gaily decked
galley; but when they had a nearer view of it, and saw by the white
turbans of the pretended mussulmans that it was a Turkish craft, there
was a general alarm. Suspecting some stratagem, the people flew to arms,
all the soldiers in the town were marched down to the port, and the
cavalry scoured the coast. Highly amused at all this, the navigators
held on their course, entered the port, and anchored close to the shore.
Then running out a plank they all stepped ashore one after the other as
if in procession, and falling on their knees kissed the ground with
tears of joy--a clear proof to all who witnessed their proceedings that
they were no Turks. When all the crew were out of the vessel, Halima
with her father and mother, and her two nephews, followed next, all
dressed as Turks; and the beautiful Leonisa, her face covered with a
crimson veil, and escorted on either side by Mahmoud and Ricardo, closed
the procession, while the eyes of the whole multitude were fixed upon
her. They too did as the others had done, and knelt and kissed the
ground.
Presently the captain and governor of the city advanced towards them,
perceiving that they were the principal persons belonging to the vessel.
The moment he set eyes on Ricardo he recognised him, ran to him with
open arms, and embraced him with the liveliest demonstrations of joy.
With the governor came Cornelio and his father, Leonisa's parents and
relations, and those of Ricardo, all of whom were among the principal
persons in the city. Ricardo returned the governor's embrace and his
cordial greeting; held out his hand to Cornelio (who had changed colour
at sight of him, and almost quaked for fear), and, holding Leonisa also
by the hand, thus addressed the bystanders: "Under your favour,
gentlemen, I beg that, before we enter the city and the temple to return
the thanks so justly due to our Lord for the great mercies vouchsafed to
us in our distresses, that you will listen to a few words I have to say
to you." The governor bade him say on, for all present would listen to
him with pleasure and in silence. All the principal people then formed a
circle round him, and he addressed them as follows:--
"You must well remember, gentlemen, the misfortune which befel me some
mouths ago in the garden of the Salt Pits, and the loss of Leonisa: nor
can you have forgotten the exertions I made to procure her liberation,
since, regardless of my own, I offered all I was worth for her ransom.
But this seeming generosity is not to be imputed to me as a merit, since
I did but offer my fortune for the ransom of my soul. What has since
happened to us both requires more time to relate, a more convenient
season, and a speaker less agitated than myself. For the present, let it
suffice to tell you that after various extraordinary adventures, and
after a thousand disappointments of our hopes of relief, merciful Heaven
has, without any merit of ours, restored us to our beloved country, with
hearts full of joy and with abundance of wealth. It is not from this,
nor from the recovery of my freedom, that springs the incomparable
pleasure I now experience, but from that which I imagine this sweet
enemy of mine in peace and in war enjoys on seeing herself restored to
freedom and to her birth-place. Yet, I rejoice in the general joy of
those who have been my companions in misery; and though grievous
disasters are apt to alter the disposition and debase worthy minds, it
has not been so with the fair destroyer of my hopes, for with more
fortitude and invincibility than can well be told, she has passed
through the wrecking sea of her disasters and the encounters of my
ardent though honourable importunities.
"But to return to the point from which I set out: I offered my fortune
for her ransom, and with it the surrender of my soul's desires; I strove
for her liberation, and ventured more for her than for my own life. All
these things might seem to be obligations of some moment, but I will
not have them regarded in that light; what I would have so considered,
is that which I now do;" and so saying, he raised his hand and
respectfully withdrew the veil from Leonisa's face--it was like removing
a cloud from before the sun--and then he continued: "See, Cornelio; here
I present to you the prize which you should value above all precious
things on earth; and here, beauteous Leonisa, I present to you him whom
you have always borne in memory. This is what I would have you all
esteem as generosity, in comparison with which to give fortune, life,
and honour, is nothing.
"Take her, O fortunate youth, take her; and if your understanding can
reach the height of comprehending the greatness of her worth, esteem
yourself the most fortunate of mankind. With her I will also give you my
whole share of what Heaven has bestowed on us all; it will exceed, as I
fully believe, thirty thousand crowns. You may enjoy it all freely and
at your ease, and Heaven grant you to do so for many happy years. For my
hapless self, since I am left without Leonisa, it is my pleasure to be
poor. To want Leonisa, is to find life superfluous."
Here he ceased speaking, as if his tongue clove to the roof of his
mouth, but soon afterwards, before any one else had spoken, he
exclaimed, "Good heavens! how toil and trouble confuse the
understanding! In the eagerness of my desire to do right, I have spoken
inconsiderately, for no one can be generous in disposing of what is not
his own. What authority have I over Leonisa to give her to another? Or
how can I bestow what is so far from being mine? Leonisa is her own
mistress, and so much so, that failing her parents (long and happily may
they live), her wishes could have no opposition to encounter. Should
they meet an imaginary obstacle in the obligations which she, in her
good feeling, may think she is under to me, from this moment I cancel
them, and declare them null and void. I unsay, then, what I have said,
and I give Cornelio nothing, for I cannot; only I confirm the transfer
of my property made to Leonisa, without desiring any other recompense
than that she will believe in the sincerity of my honourable sentiments
towards her, and be assured that they never had an aim unbecoming her
incomparable virtue, her worth, and her infinite beauty."
Ricardo closed his speech with these words, and Leonisa thus replied,
"If you imagine, Ricardo, that I bestowed any favour on Cornelio during
the time when you were enamoured of me and jealous, think that it was in
all honour, as being done by the express desire of my parents, who
wished to have him for their son-in-law. If you are satisfied with this
explanation, I am sure you are no less so with what you have yourself
experienced as to my virtue and modesty. I say this, Ricardo, that you
may know that I have always been mistress of myself, and subject to no
one else except my parents, whom I now entreat humbly, as is meet, to
grant me leave and license to dispose of what your magnanimous
generosity has given me."
Her parents said she might do so, for they relied on her great
discretion that she would make such use of it as would always redound to
her honour and advantage. "With that permission, then," said Leonisa, "I
beg it may not be taken amiss if I choose rather to seem overbold than
ungrateful; and so, worthy Ricardo, my inclination, hitherto coy,
perplexed, and dubious, declares in your favour, that the world may know
that women are not all ungrateful. I am yours, Ricardo, and yours I will
be till death, unless better knowledge move you to refuse me your hand."
Ricardo was almost beside himself to hear her speak thus, and could make
no other reply than by falling on his knees before her, grasping her
hands, and kissing them a thousand times, with delicious tears. Cornelio
wept with vexation, Leonisa's parents for joy, and all the bystanders
for admiration and sympathy.
The bishop, who was present, led them with his blessing to the church,
and dispensing with the usual forms, married them at once. The whole
city overflowed with gladness, which it testified that night by a
splendid illumination, and for many days following in jousts and
rejoicings given by the relations of Ricardo and Leonisa. Halima, who
had lost all hope of having Ricardo for her husband, was content to
become the wife of Mahmoud, having returned with him to the bosom of the
church. Her parents and her two nephews were, by Ricardo's bounty,
presented with so much out of his share of the spoil as sufficed to
maintain them for the rest of their lives. In a word, all were happy to
their heart's content; and the fame of Ricardo, spreading beyond the
limits of Sicily, extended throughout all Italy and beyond it. He was
universally known as the Generous Lover, and his renown is still
prolonged in the persons of the many sons borne to him by Leonisa, who
was a rare example of discretion, virtue, modesty, and beauty.
THE SPANISH-ENGLISH LADY.
Among the spoils which the English carried off from the city of
Cadiz,[78] was a little girl of about seven years old. An English
gentleman, named Clotald, commander of a squadron of vessels, took her
to London without the knowledge of the Earl of Essex, and in defiance of
his general orders. The parents complained to the earl of the loss of
their child, and implored him, since he had declared that property alone
should be seized, and the persons of the inhabitants should be left
free, they should not, besides being reduced to poverty, suffer the
additional misery of being deprived of their daughter, who was the very
light of their eyes. The earl caused it to be proclaimed throughout his
whole army, that whoever had possession of the child, should restore her
on pain of death; but no threatened penalties could constrain Clotald to
obey; in spite of them, he kept the child concealed in his ship, being
fascinated, though in a Christian manner, with the incomparable beauty
of Isabella, as she was called. In fine, her inconsolable parents were
left to mourn her loss, and Clotald, rejoicing beyond measure, returned
to London, and presented the pretty child to his wife, as the richest
prize he had brought home from the war.
[78] In the year 1596, when the city was taken by Elizabeth's
commanders, Admiral Howard and the Earl of Essex.