often seene with delight, and coueted with desire to be acquainted with your sweete selfe; I cannot now but gratulate fortune with many thankes that hath offered such fit opportunitie to bring me to your presence, hoping I shall finde you so friendly, as to craue that wee may be more familiar. She that knewe howe to entertaine such a young nouice made him this cunning replie. Indeede sir, neighborhoode craues charitie, and such affable Gentlemen as your selfe deserues rather to be entertained with courtesie than reiected with disdaine. Therfore sir, what priuate friendship mine honour or honestie may affoord, you aboue all (that hither to I have knowne) shall commaund. Then Mistres (quoth hee) for that euery man counts it credite to haue a patronesse of his fortunes, and I am a meere straunger in this Citie let mee finde such favour, that all my actions may be shrowded vnder your excellence, and carrie the name of your seruant, ready for requitall of such gratious countenaunce to unsheath my sworde in the defence of my patronesse for euer. She that had her humour fitted with this motion, answered thus, with a looke that had beene able to haue forced Troylus to haue beene trothlesse to his Cressida: How kindly I take it Seigneur Francesco, for so I vnderstand your name, that you proffer your seruice to so meane a Mistresse, the effectual fauours that shall to my poore abilitie gratifie your curtesie, shall manifest how I accompt of such a friend. Therefore from henceforth Infida intertains Francesco for her seruant: and I (quoth he) accept of the beauteous Infida as my Mistresse. Upon this they fell into other amorous prattle which I leaue off, and walked abroad while it was dinner time. Francesco stil hauing his eie vpon his new mistresse whose beauties he thought, if they were equally tempered with vertues, to exceede all that yet his eie had made suruey of. Doating thus on this newe face with a new fancie, hee often wroong her by the hand, and brake off his sentences, with such deepe sighes, that she perceiued by the Weathercocke where the winde blewe: returning such amorous passions, as she seemed as much intangled, as he was enamoured. Well, thinking now that she had bayted her hooke, she woulde not cease while she had fully caught the fish, she beganne thus to lay the traine. When they were come neere to the City gates, she stayed on a sodaine, and straining him hard

by the hand, and glauncing a looke from her eies, as if she would both shew fauour, and craue affection, she began thus smilinglie to assault him. Seruant, the Lawyers say the assumpsit is neuer good, where the partie giues not somewhat in consideration; that seruice is voide, where it is not made fast by some fee. Least therefore your eie should make your minde variable as mens thoughts follow their sights, and their lookes wauer at the excellence of new obiects, and so I loose such a seruant: to tie you to the stake with an earnest, you shall this day be my guest at dinner. Then if heereafter you forget your mistresse, I shal appeale at the barre of Loyaltie, and so condemne you of lightnes. Francesco that was tied by the eies, and had his hart on his halfpeny, could not deny her, but with many thanks accepted of hir motion, so that agreed they went all to Infidaes house to dinner; where they had such cheere as could vpon the sodaine be prouided. Infida giuing him such friendly and familiar intertainement at his repast, aswel with sweet prattle, as with amorous glances, that he rested captiue within the laborinth of hir flatteries." In no long time, he is completely caught by the lures of this fascinating courtesan, "who so plied Francesco with her flattering fawnes, that as the yron follows the adamant, the straw the Iet, and the Helitropion the beames of the sunne, so his actions were directed after her eie, and what she saide stoode for a principle, insomuch, that he was not onely readie in all submisse humours to please her fancies, but willing for the least worde of offence to draw his weapon against the stoutest champion in al Troynouant. Thus seated in her beauty hee liued a long while, forgetting his returne to Caerbrancke."

"Wel his affaires were done, his horse solde, and no other businesse now rested to hinder him from hying home, but his Mistresse, which was such a violent deteyner of his person and thoughts, that there is no heauen but Infidaes house, where although hee pleasantly entred in with delight, yet cowardly he slipt away with repentance. Well, leauing him to his new loues, at last to Isabell, who daily expected the comming home of her best beloued Francesco, thinking euery houre a yeare, till she might see him, in whome rested all her content. But when (poore soule) she coulde neither feede her sight with his presence, nor her eares with his letters, she beganne to lower and grew so discontent,

that she fell into a feuer. Fortune that meant to trie hir patience thought to prooue hir with these tragicall newes : It was tolde her by certaine Gentlemen her friends, who were her husbands priuate familiars, that he meant to soiorne most part of the yeere in Troynouant: one blunt fellowe amongest the rest that was playne and wythout falshoode, tolde her the whole cause of his residence, howe hee was in loue wyth a most beautifull Gentlewoman called Infida, and that so deepely, that no perswasion might reuoke him from that alluring curtizan. At this Isabell made no

accompt, but tooke it as a friuolous tale, and thought the woorse of such as buzzed such fantasticall follies into her eares, but when the generall report of his misdemeanours were bruted abroad throughout all Caerbrancke, then with blushing cheekes, she hid her head, and greeuing at his follies and her owne fortunes, smothered the flames of her sorrows with inward conceit, but outwardly withstood such in satyricall tearmes as did inueigh against the honestie of Francesco, so that she wonne great commendations of all for her loyaltie and constancie, yet when she was gotten secret by hir selfe, hir heart full of sorrowfull passions, and her eies full of teares, she beganne to meditate with her selfe of the prime of her youth vowed to Francesco, how she forsooke father, friendes, and Countrey to bee paramour vnto her hearts paragon. The vowes hee made, when he carried her away in the night, the solempne promises and protestations that were vttered." She then writes the following letter. "Isabel to Francesco, health. If Penelope longde for her Vlysses, thinke Isabel wisheth for her Francesco, as loyall to thee as she was constant to the wily Greeke, and no lesse desirous to see thee in Caerbranck, than she to enioy his presence in Ithaca, watering my cheekes with as manie teares, as she her face with plaints, yet my Francesco, hoping I haue no such cause as she to increase hir cares for I haue such resolution in thy constancie, that no Circes with all her inchantments, no Calipso with all her sorceries, no Syren with all their melodies could peruert thee from thinking on thine Isabel, I know Francesco so deeply hath the faithful promise and loyall vowes made and interchanged betweene vs taken place in thy thoughtes, that no time how long soeuer, no distance of place howsoeuer different, may alter that impression. But why do I

inferre this needlesse insinuation to him, that no vanitie can alienate from vertue: let me Francesco perswade thee with other circumstances. First my Sweete, thinke how thine Isabel lies alone, measuring the time with sighes, and thine absence with passions; counting the day dismall, and the night full of sorrowes; being euerie way discontent, because shee is not content with her Francesco. The onely comfort that I haue in thine absence is thy child, who lies on his mothers knee, and smiles as wantonly as his father when he was a wooer. But when the boy sayes: Mam, where is my dad, when will hee come home: Then the calme of my content turneth to a present storme of piercing sorrowe, that I am forced sometime to say: Unkinde Francesco, that forgets his Isabell. I hope Francesco, it is thine affaires, not my faults, that procureth this long delay. For if I knewe my follies did any way offend thee, to rest thus long absent, I woulde punish myselfe both with outward and inward penaunce. But howsoeuer, I pray for thy health, and thy speedie returne, and so Francesco farewell. Thine more than her owne Isabell." This letter awakened some feeling of remorse in the breast of Francesco; "but when he went foorth of his Chamber, and spied but his Mistresse looking out of her windowe all this geare chaungde, and the case was altered: shee calde, and in hee must, and there in a iest scofft at his Wiues Letters, taking his Infida in his armes, and saying, I will not leaue this Troy for the chastest Penelope in the world." "After these two Louers had by the space of three yeares securely slumbred in the sweetnesse of their pleasures, and drunke with the surfet of Content, thought no other heauen, but their owne supposed happinesse; as euerie storme hath his calme, and the greatest Spring-tide the deadest ebbe, so fared it with Francesco: for so long went the pot to the water, that at last it came broken home; and so long put he his hand into his pursse, that at last the emptie bottome returned him a Writt of Non est inuentus; for well might the Diuell dance there, for euer a crosse to keepe him backe. Well, this Louer fuller of passions than of pence, began (when hee entred into the consideration of his owne estate) to mourne of the chyne, and to hang the lippe as one that for want of sounding had stroke himselfe vppon the Sands; yet he couered his inward sorrowe with outward smiles, and like Janus presented his

Mistresse with a merrie looke, when the other side of his visage was full of sorrowes. But she that was as good as a touchstone to trye metalls could straight spie by the laste where the shooe wringde him: and seeing her Francesco was almost foundred, thought to see if a skilfull Farrier might mend him; if not, like an vnthankefull Hackneyman shee meant to tourne him into the bare leas, and set him as a tyrde iade to picke a sallet. Uppon which determination, that shee might doo nothing rashly, shee made enquirie into his estate, what Liuings he had, what Landes to sell, howe they were eyther tyed by Statute, or Intailde? At last, thorough her secret and subtill inquisition, she found that all his corne was on the floore, that his sheepe were clipt, and the Wooll solde; to be short, that what he had by his Wife coulde neither be solde nor morgaged, and what he had of his owne was spent vppon her, that nothing was lefte for him to liue vppon but his wits. This newes was such a cooling Card to this Curtezan, that the extreame heate of her loue was alreadie growen to bee luke warme which Francesco might easely perceiue; for at his arriuall, his welcome was more straunge, her lookes more coy, his fare more slender, her glaunces lesse amorous: and she seemed to bee Infida in proportion, but not in wonted passions." The simple Francesco attributes the change in the behaviour of his mistress "to the distemperature of her bodie." In a short time his hostess becomes clamorous for money, his creditors threaten to arrest him, and his clothes wax thread bare. Whereupon one day, as he was sitting beside his fair courtesan, he said "Knowe then Infida that Troynouant is a place of great expence, like the Serpent Hidaspis, that the more it suckes, the more it is athirst, eating men aliue as the Crocodile, and being a place of as daungerous allurement, as the seate where the Syrens sit and chaunt their preiudiciall melodie. It is to young Gentlemen, like the Laborynth, whereout Theseus could not get without a threed, but here be such monstrous Minotaures as first deuour the threed, and then the person. The Innes are like hotehouses, which by little and little sweate a man into a consumption; the hoste he carries a pint of wine in the one hand to welcome, but a poniard in the other to stab; and the hostesse she hath smiles in her forhead, and prouides good meate for her guests, but the sauce is costly, for it far

VOL. I.

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