with sighs foresee mine owne folly. Women, poore soules, are like to the harts in Calabria, that knowing dictamum to bee deadly, yet browse on it with greedinesse; resembling the fish mugra, that seeing the hooke bare, yet swallowes it with delight; so women foresee, yet do not prevent, knowing what is profitable, yet not eschewing the prejudice. So Francesco, I see thy beauties, I know thy want, and I feare thy vanities, yet can I not but allow of all, were they the worst of all, because I finde in my mind this principle, in love is no lacke. What should I, Francesco, covet to dally with the mouse, when the cat stands by, or fill my letter full of needlesse ambages when my father, like Argus, setteth a hundred eyes to overprie my actions? While I am writing, thy messenger stands at the door praying; therefore, lest I should hold her too long at her orisons, or keepe thee (poore man) too long in suspense, thus briefly; Be upon Thursday next, at night, hard by the orchard, under the greatest oke, where expect my comming; provide for our safe passage, for stoode all the world on the one side, and thou on the other, Francesco should be my guide, to direct me whither he pleased. Faile not then, unlesse those be false to her that would have life faile ere shee falsifie faith to thee.-Not her owne, because thine, ISABEL.' "As soone as she had dispatcht her letter shee came downe, and delivered the letter in forme of a pasport to the messenger, giving her after her accustomed manner an almes, and closely clapt her in the fist with a brace of angels. But after she had sent her letter, she fell into a dump, entring into the considerations of mens constancy, and of the ficklenes of their fancies; but all these meditations did sort to no effect whereupon sitting downe, shee tooke her lute in her hand, and sung an ode. "Having finished her ode, she heard that her father was come in, and therefore leaving her amourous instruments, she fel to her labour, to confirme the old proverb in her father's jealous head, Otia si tollas,' &c.: but as warie as shee was, yet the old goose could spie the gosling winke, and would not by any means trust her, but used his accustomed manner of restraint: yet as it is impossible for the smoke to be concealed, or the fire to bee suppressed, so Fregoso could not by subtile drifts so warily watch his transformed Io, but she found a Mercurie to release her, for upon Thursday, lying in bedde with but little intent to sleepe, she offered many sighs to Venus, that shee should. be Oratresse to Morpheus, that some dead slumber might possesse all the house; which fell out accordingly, so that at mid-night she rose up, and finding her apparel shut up, she was faine to goe without hose, onely in her smocke and her peticoate, with her father's hat and an old cloake. Thus attired like Diana, in her night-geere, she marcheth down softly, where shee found Francesco ready with a private and familiar friend of his to watch her comming foorth, who, casting his eie aside, and seeing one in a hat and cloake, suspecting some treacherie, drew his sword; at which Isabel smiling, she incountred him thus: “Gentle sir, if you be as valiant as you seeme cholericke, or as martiall as you would bee thought hardie, set not upon a weaponlesse woman, lest in thinking to triumph in so mean a conquest, you be prejudiced with the taint of cowardise. 'Twas never yet read that warlike Mars drew his fawchion against lovely Venus, where her offence never so great or his choller never so much. Therefore, gentleman, if you be the man I take you, Isabel's Francesco, leave off your armes and fall to amours, and let your parley in them be as short as the night is silent, and the time dangerous.' Francesco seeing it was the paramor of his affections, let fall his sword, and caught her in his armes, ready to fall in a swound by a sudden extasie of joy at last recovering his sence, he incountred her thus: : "Faire Isabel, Natures overmatch in beautie, as you are Dianaes superiour in virtue: at the sight of this attire I drewe my sword, as fearing some privy foe; but as soone as the view of your perfection glanced as an object to mine eie, I let fal my armes, trembling as Acteon did, that hee had dared too farre in gazing against so gorgeous a goddesse : yet readie in the defence of your sweet selfe, and rather than I would loose so rich a prize, not only to take up my weapon, but to encounter hand to hand with the stoutest champion in the world.' 'Sir' (quoth shee) 'these protestations are now bootlesse; and therefore to be briefe, thus (and with that the tears trickled downe the vermilion of her cheeks, and shee blubbered out this passion): O Francesco, thou maist see by my attire the depth of my fancie, and in these homely roabes mayst thou note the retchlesnes of my fortunes, that for thy love have strained a note too high in love. I offend nature as repugnant to my father, whose displeasure I have purchast to please thee: I have given a finall farewell to my friends, to bee thy familiar: I have lost all hope of preferment, to confirme the sympathie of both our desires. Ah, Francesco, see, I come thus poore in apparrell, to make thee rich in content. Now if hereafter, (oh let me sigh at that, lest I bee forced to repent too late) when thy eie is glutted with my beautie, and thy hotte love prooved soone cold, then beginst thou to hate her that thus loveth thee, and proove as Demophoon did to Phyllis, or as Æneas did to Dido. What then may I doe, rejected, but accurse mine owne follie, that hath brought me to such hard fortunes? Give me leave, Francesco, to feare what may fall, for men are as inconstant in performance, as cunning in practice.' She could not fully discourse what she was about to utter, but he broke off with this protestation : 'Ah, Isabel, although the windes of Lepanthus are ever inconstant, the chrisrol ever brittle, the polipa ever changeable, yet measure not my minde by other motions, nor the depth of my affection by the fleeting of other fancies, for, as there is topace that will yeeld to every stampe, so there is an emerald that will yeeld to no impression. The selfesame Troy, as it had an Æneas that was fickle, so it had Troilus that was constant. Greece had a Pyramus, as it had a Demophoon, and though some have been ungratefull yet accuse not all to be unthankfull, for when Francesco shall let his eie slip from thy beauty, or his thoughts from thy qualities, or his hart from thy vertues, or his whole life from ever honouring thee, then shall heaven cease to have starres, the earth trees, the world elements, and every thing reversed, shall fall to their former chaos.' Why then (quoth Isabel), to horsebacke, for feare the faith of two such lovers be impeached by my father's wakefull jealousie.' And with that (poore woman) halfe naked as she was, she mounted, and as fast as horse could pace away, they post towards a towne in the said country of Brittaine, called Duncastrum. Where let us leave them in their gallop, and returne to old Fregoso, who, rising early in the morning, and missing his daughter, askt for her through the whole house: but seeing none could discover where she was, and assured of her escape, he cried out as a man halfe lunaticke, 'that hee was by Francesco robd of his onely jewell.' Whereupon, in despairing fury, he caused al his men and his tenants to mount them, and to disperse themselves with hue and cry for the recovery of his daughter, hee himselfe being horst, and riding the readie way to Duncastrum. Where hee no sooner came, but fortune meaning to dally with the old dotard, and to present him with a bone to gnaw on, brought it so to passe, that as he came riding downe the towne hee met Francesco and his daughter comming from the church, which although it pierst him to the quicke, and straind every string of his heart to the highest note of sorrow, yet he concealed it till he tooke his inne: and then stumbling as fast as hee could to the Maiors house of the towne, he revealed unto him the whole cause of his distresse, requiring his favour by the clapping up of this unruely gentleman: and to make the matter more heinous, he accused him of felony, that he had not onely, contrary to the custome bereft him of his daughter against his will, but with his daughter, had taken away certain plate. This evidence caused the Maior straight, guarded with his officers, to march down with Fregoso, to the place where Isabel and her Francesco were at breakfast, little thinking (poore soules) such a sharp storme should follow so quiet a calme: but fortune would have it so. And, therefore, as they were carowsing each to other in a sweete frolike of hoped for content, the Maior rusht in, and apprehended him of felony, which drave the poor perplexed lovers into such a dumpe, that they stoode as the pictures that Perseus with his shield turned into stones. Francesco presently with a sharpe insight entered into the cause, and perceived it was the drift of the old foxe his father in law, wherefore he took it with more patience. But Isabel, seeing her new husband so handled, fell into a swound for sorrow, which could not prevaile with the serjeants, but they conveyed him to prison, and her to the Maior's house." Francesco's imprisonment, however, is not for long. The Mayor takes the side of the young people, and discovering there is no truth in the charge of felony, he conveys Isabel to the prison, that she may liberate her lover. They arrive at the young man's dungeon just as he is taking a citterne in his hand,” and commences "warbling out an ode." As the reader has already had a specimen of Mr. Greene's odes, we will not insert the one Francesco warbled out on the present occasion, but take up the story at the conclusion of the harmony. "Having thus chaunted over his ode, hee heard the chamber doore open, whereupon he grew melancholie: but when he saw the goddesse of his affection, on whose constant loyalty depended the essence of his happinesse, hee started, |