Arcadia. Sir Philip Sidney
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fair queen, whose case in his heart he pitied.
When Clitophon saw this he stepped between them and asked the new-come knight the cause of this quarrel, who answered him that he would kill that thief who had stolen away his master’s armor, if he did not restore it. With that Palladius looked upon him, and saw that he of the other side had Palladius’ own armor upon him.
“Truly,” said Palladius, “if I have stolen this armor, you did not buy that. But you shall not fight with me upon such a quarrel; you shall have this armor willingly, which I did only put on to honor the owner.”
But Clitophon straight knew by his words and voice that it was Ismenus, the faithful and diligent page of Amphialus. And therefore he told him that he was Clitophon, willing him to acknowledge his error to Palladius, who deserved all honor. With that the young gentleman pulled off his headpiece and, lighting from his horse, went to kiss Palladius’ hands, desiring him to pardon his folly caused by extreme grief, which easily might bring forth anger.
“Sweet gentleman,” said Palladius, “you shall only make me this amends, that you shall carry this your lord’s armor from me to him, and tell him from an unknown knight (who admires his worthiness) that he cannot cast a greater mist over his glory than by being so unkind to so excellent a princess as this queen is.”
Ismenus promised he would do so as soon as he could find his master. And with that he went to do his duty to the queen, whom in all these encounters astonishment made hardy.
But as soon as she saw Ismenus, looking to her picture, “Ismenus,” said she, “here is my lord, where is yours? Or come you to bring me some sentence of death from him? If it be so, welcome be it. I pray you speak, and speak quickly.”
“Alas madam,” said Ismenus, “I have lost my lord” (with that tears came unto his eyes) “for as soon as the unhappy combat was concluded with the death both of father and son, my master, casting off his armor, went his way, forbidding me upon pain of death to follow him.
“Yet for several days I followed his steps, till at last I found him. He had had newly met with an excellent spaniel that belonged to his dead companion Philoxenus. The dog fawned on my master for old knowledge, but never was there anything more pitiful than to hear my master blame the dog for loving his master’s murderer, renewing afresh his complaints with his unspeaking counselor, as if they might comfort one another in their miseries.
“But my lord, having spied me, rose up in such rage that in such truth I feared he would kill me. Yet as then he said only that if I would not displease him, I should not come near him till he sent for me—too hard a command for me to disobey. I yielded, leaving him waited on by his dog and, as I think, seeking out the most solitary places that this or any other country can grant him. And returning where I had left his armor, I found another man wearing it, and, I must confess, disdaining that any should bear the armor of the best knight living, I armed myself to play the fool, as even now I did.”
“Fair Ismenus,” said the queen, “a fitter messenger could hardly be to unfold my tragedy. I see the end. I see my end!”
With that, sobbing, she desired to be conducted to the next town, where Palladius left her, having earnestly entreated her to be waited on by Clitophon. Palladius desired to take the melancholy course of seeking his friend alone, and therefore, changing armors again with Ismenus (who went to a castle belonging to his master) he continued his quest for his friend Daiphantus.
froward] adverse, uncooperative, unreceptive.
Chapter 12
An Amazon in Arcadia
Musidorus finds Pyrocles disguised as an Amazon. They argue over the dangers of falling in love and of impersonating a woman. Then Musidorus agrees to do all he can to help his friend win the woman he loves. (1593 ed. 22.45)
So Musidorus directed his course to Laconia, searching among the Helots as well as among the Spartans. There he found Daiphantus’ fame flourishing, his monuments engraved in marble and, yet more durably, in men’s memories; but the universal lamenting for his absented presence assured him of his present absence.
From there he went into the Elean province to see whether at the Olympian games (there celebrated) he might in such concourse bless his eyes with the encounter he desired. But that huge and sportful assembly became a tedious loneliness to him. He esteemed nobody found, since Daiphantus was lost. Afterward he passed through Achaia and Sicyonia to the Corinthians, who are proud of their two seas, to learn whether by the straight of that isthmus it were possible to know of Daiphantus’ passage. But finding every place more mute than the other to his demands, and remembering that it was late-taken love that had wrought Daiphantus’ new course, he returned again (after two months travel in vain) to make a fresh search in Arcadia, the more so because first he remembered the picture of Philoclea, which, resembling her Daiphantus had once loved, might perhaps awaken again his sleeping passion.
And having already passed over the greatest part of Arcadia, one day he came under the side of the pleasant mountain Maenalus, where his horse (nothing guilty of his inquisitiveness) with flat tiring taught him that discreet stays11 make speedy journeys. He therefore lighted down and unbridled his horse and went to repose himself in a little wood he saw nearby. There, lying under the protection of a shady tree, intending to make forgetful sleep comfort a sorrowful memory, he saw a sight that persuaded his eyes to remain open a while. It was the appearing of a lady, who, because she walked with her side toward him, he could not perfectly see her face, but as much as he might see of her was a surety for the rest that all was excellent.
Well might he perceive the hanging of her hair in fairest quantity, in locks, some curled and some as it were forgotten, with such a careless care and an art so hiding art that it seemed she would lay them for a pattern whether nature simply or nature helped by cunning was the more excellent. The rest were drawn into a coronet of gold, richly set with pearl, and so joined all over with gold wires and covered with feathers of diverse colors that it was like a helmet, such a glittering show it bore and so bravely was it held up from the head.
Upon her body she wore a doublet of sky-colored satin covered with plates of gold and, as it were, nailed with precious stones, so that in it she might seem armed. The nether part of her garment was full of stuff and cut after such a fashion that, though the length of it reached to the ankles, yet in her going one might sometimes discern the small of her leg, which with the foot was dressed in a short pair of crimson-velvet buskins, in some places open (as the ancient manner was) to show the fairness of the skin.
Over all this she wore a certain mantle made in such a manner that, coming under her right arm and covering most of that side, it had no fastening on the left side but only upon the top of the shoulder, where the two ends met and were closed together with a very rich jewel. The device whereof, as he saw later, was this: a Hercules made in little form but set with a distaff in his hand (as he once was by Omphale’s command) with a word in Greek, to be interpreted thus: “Never more valiant.” On the same side on her thigh she wore a sword, which, as it showed her to be an Amazon or one following that profession, so it seemed but a needless weapon since her other forces were overwhelming.
This lady walked onward, till Musidorus saw her enter into a fine, close arbor. It was of trees whose branches so lovingly interlaced one to the other that it could resist the strongest violence of eyesight, and she went into it by a door she opened. This moved him as warily as he could to follow her, and by and by he might hear her sing this song,12 with a voice no less beautiful to his ears than her goodliness was full of harmony to his eyes:
Transformed in show, but more transformed in mind,
I cease to strive, with double conquest foiled:
for (woe is me) my powers all I find
with outward force, and inward treason, spoiled.
For from without came to my eyes the blow
to