banquet of elegant simplicity. The supper concluded, the Palmer tells his host a story.

66 THE PALMER'S TALE.

This

"In those daies when Palmerin reigned King of Great Britanie, famoused for his deedes of chivalrie, there dwelled in the cittie of Caerbranke, a gentleman of an anncient house, called Francesco, a man, whose parentage though it were worshippeful, yet it was not indued with much wealth; insomuch, that his learning was better than his revenewes, and his wit more beneficiall than all his substance. Segnior Francesco, desirous to bende the course of his compasse to some peaceable porte, spread no more cloth in the winde than might make easie saile, lest hoysting up too sodainely above the maineyard, some sudden gust might make him founder in the deepe. Though hee were yet young, yet he was not rash with Icarus, to soare into the skie, but to cry out with old Dædalus, 'Medium tenere tutissimum' treading his shoe without any slippe. He was so generally loved of the cittizens, that the richest marchant, or gravest Burgmaster would not refuse to grant him his daughter in marriage, hoping more of his ensuing fortunes than to his present substance. At last, casting his eie on a gentleman's daughter that dwelt not very far from Caerbranke, he fell in love, and prosecuted his sute with such affable courtesie, as the maide considering the vertue and wit of the man, was content to set up her reste with him, so that her father's consent might bee at the knitting up of the match. Francesco thinking himselfe cockesure, as a man that hoped his credite in the cittie might carry away more than a countrey gentleman's daughter, finding her father on a day at fit opportunity, he made the motion about the grant of his daughter's marriage. The old churle that listned with both his eares to such a question, did not in this in utramvis aurem dormiri,' but leaning on his

elbow, made present answere, that her dowrie required a greater feofment than his lands were able to affoord. And upon that, without further debating of the matter, he rose up and hied him home, whither as soone as he came, he called his daughter before him, whose name was Isabel, to whom he uttered those words-Why, huswife,' quoth hee, 6 are you so idle tasked, that you stand upon thornes untill you have a husband? Are you no sooner hatched with the lapwing but you will run away with the shell on your head? Soone prickes the tree that will prove a thorne, and a girl that loves too soone will repent too late. What, a husband! Why, the Maids of Rome durst not looke at Venus temple till they were thirtie, nor went they unmasked till they were married, that neither their beauties might allure other, nor they glance their eies on every wanton. I tell thee, fonde girle, when Nilus overfloweth before his time, Egypt is plagued with a dearth: the trees that blossome in February are nipped with a frost in May: untimely fruits have never good fortune, and young gentlewomen, that are wooed and won ere they be wise, sorrow and repent before they bee old. What seest thou in Francesco, that thine eye must choose, and thy heart must fancie? Is he beautifull? Why, fond girle, what the eye liketh at morne, it hateth at night; love is like a baven but a blaze and beauty why how can I better compare it than to the gorgeous cedar, that is onely for shew, nothing for profit? to the apples of Tantalus, that are precious in the eye, and dust in the hand? to the starre Artophylax, that is most bright, but fitteth not for any compasse ? So young men, that stand upon their outward portraiture, I tell thee they are prejudiciall. Demophoon was faire, and how dealt hee with Phillis? Eneas was a brave man, but a dissembler. Fond girle, all but little worth, if they be not wealthy: and I pray thee, what substance hath Francesco to indue thee with? Hast thou not heard that want freaks amity, that love beginneth in gold and endeth in beg

gery, that such as marry but to a faire face, tie themselves oft to a foule bargain? And what wilt thou doe with a husband that is not able to maintaine thee? But, forsooth a dram of pleasure with a pound of sorrow, and a pint of content with a whole tunne of prejudiciall displeasures. But why doe I cast stones into the ayre, or breathe my words into the winde, when to perswade a woman from her will is to roule Sisyphus stone; or to tie a headstrong girle from love, is to tie the Furies again in fetters? Therefore, huswife, to prevent al misfortunes I will be your jaylor,' And with that he carried her in, and shut her up in his owne chamber, not giving her leave to depart but when his key gave her license; yet at last shee so cunningly dissembled, that she got thus farre liberty, not to bee close prisoner, but to walke about the house; yet every night hee shut up her clothes, that no nightly feare of her escape might hinder his broken slumbers."

Francesco and Isabel contrived to elude the vigilance of the austere father, and through the aid of an old beggarwoman managed to exchange letters. Francesco is the first to write, and his epistle runs thus,

"SEIGNEUR FRANCESCO TO FAIRE ISABEL,-When I note (faire Isabel) the extremity of thy fortunes, and measure of the passions of my love, I finde that Venus hath made thee constant to requite my miseries, and that where the greatest onset is given by fortune, there is strongest defence made by affection; for I heard that thy father, suspitious, or rather jealous of our late united sympathy, doth watch like Argus over Io, not suffering thee to passe beyond the reach of his eye, unlesse (as hee thinks) thou shouldst over-reach thy-selfe. His minde is like the tapers in Janus Temple, that set once on fire, burne till they consume themselves; his thoughts like the sunnebeames, that search every secret. Thus watching thee, he overwaketh himself, and yet (I hope) profiteth as little as they which gaze on

the flames of Etna, which vanish out of their sight in smoake.

"I have heard them say (faire Isabel) that as the diamonds are tried by cutting of glasse, the topace by biding the force of the anvile, the kethin wood by the hardnesse, so womens excellence is discovered in their constancie. Then, if the period of all their vertues consist in this, that they take in love by moneths, and let it slip by minutes, that, as the tortoise, they creep pedetentim, and when they come to their rest, will hardly be removed. I hope thou wilt confirme in thy loves the very patterne of feminine loyalty, having no motion in thy thoughts, but fancie, and no affection, but to thy Francesco. In that I am stopped from thy sight, I am deprived of the chiefest organ of my life, having no sense in my life perfect, in that I want the viewe of thy perfection, ready with sorrow to perish in despaire, if resolved of thy constancy, I did not triumph in hope. Therefore now rests it in thee to salve all these sores, and provide medicines for these dangerous maladies, that our passions appeased, we may end our harmony in the faithfull union of two hearts. Thou seest Love hath his shifts, and Venus quiddities are most subtile sophistry: that he which is touched with beautie, is ever in league with opportunitie, these principles are prooved by the messenger, whose taste discovers my restlesse thoughts, impatient of any longer impulse. I have therefore sought to overmatch thy father in policie, as he overstraines us in jealousie, and seeing he seeks it, to let him finde a knot in a rush as therefore I have sent thee the summe of my passions in forme of a pasport, returne me a reply wrapt in the same paper, that as wee are forced to court our deceits in one shift; so hereafter we may unite our loves in one simpathy appoint what I shall doe to compasse a private conference. Thinke I will account of the seas as Leander; of the warres as Troylus; of all daungers as a man resolved

to attempt any peril, or breake any prejudice for thy sake. Say, when and where I shall meete thee, and so, as I begun passionately, I brake off abruptly. Farewell.-Thine in fatall resolution, SEIGNEUR FRANCESCO."

Such a letter deserved an answer, and Isabel, after much consideration, favoured him with the following reply:

"ISABEL TO FRANCESCO: Health.-Although the nature of a father, and the dutie of a childe, might moove me resolutely to reject thy letters, yet I received them, for that thou art Francesco and I Isabel, who were once private in affection, as we are now distant in places. But know, my father, whose command to me is a law of constraint, sets downe this censure, that love without wealth is like to a cedar tree without fruite, or to corne sowne in the sandes, that withereth for want of moysture; and I have reason, Francesco, to deeme of snow by the whitenesse, and of trees by the blossoms. The old man, whose wordes are oracles, telles me, that love that entereth in a moment, flyeth out in a minute; that mens affections are like the deaw uppon a christall, which no sooner lighteth on, but it leapeth off. Their eies, with every glance, make a new choice, and every looke can commaund a sigh, having their harts like saltpeeter, that fiereth at the first, and yet proveth but a flash; their thoughts reaching as high as cedars, but as brittle as rods that breake with every blast. Had Carthage beane bereft of so famous a virago if the Trojan had been as constant as he was comely? Had the Queene of Poetrie beene pinched with so many passions if the wanton ferriman had been as faithfull as he was faire? No, Francesco, and therefore, seeing the brightest blossomes are pestered with most caterpillers, the sweetest roses with the sharpest prickes, the fairest cambricks with the foulest staines, and men with the best proportion have commonly least perfection, I may feare to swallow the hooke, lest I find more bane in the confection than pleasure in the bait; but here let me breathe, and

VOL. I.