Page:The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia (IA b30323241).pdf/24
daughter to the king of Cyprus, of notable beautie, as by her picture you ſee: a woman of great wit, and in truth of more princely vertues than her husband; of moſt vnſpotted chaſtitie, but of ſo working a mind, and ſo behement ſpirits, as a man may ſay, it was happie ſhe tooke a good courſe, for otherwiſe it would haue bene terrible.
Of theſe two are brought to the world two daughters, ſo beyond meaſure excellent in all the gifts allotted to reaſonable creatures, that we may thinke they were borne to ſhew, that nature is no ſtepmother to that ſexe, how much ſoeuer ſome men (ſharp-witted only in euill ſpeaking) haue ſought to diſgrace them. The elder is named Pamela; by many men not deemed inferiour to her ſiſter: for my part, whē I marked thē both, me thought there was (if at leaſt ſuch perfections may receiue the word of more) more ſweetneſſe in Philoclea, but more maieſty in Pamela: me thought loue plaid in Philocleas eyes, and threatned in Pamelas: me thought Philocleas beautie only perſwaded, but ſo perſwaded as all hearts muſt yeeld: Pamelas beautie vſed violence, and ſuch violence as no heart could reſiſt: and it ſeems that ſuch proportion is betweene their minds: Philoclea ſo baſhfull, as though her excellencies had ſtolne into her before ſhe was aware; ſo humble, that ſhe will put all pride out of countenance; in ſumme, ſuch proceeding as will ſtirre hope, but teach hope good maners. Pamela of high thoughts, who auoyds not pride with not knowing her excellencies, but by making that one of her excellencies to be voyd of pride; her mothers wiſedome, greatneſſe, nobilitie, but (if I can gueſſe aright) knit with a more constant temper. Now then, our Baſilius being ſo publikelie happie as to be a Prince, and ſo happie in that happineſſe, as to be a beloued Prince, and ſo in his priuate bleſſed as to haue ſo excellent a wife, and ſo ouer excellent children, hath of late taken a courſe, which yet makes him more ſpoken of than all theſe bleſſings. For, hauing made a iourney to Delphos, and ſafely returned, within ſhort ſpace he brake vp his Court, and retired himſelfe, his wife & children into a certain forreſt hereby, which he calleth his deſert; wherein (beſides a houſe appointed for ſtables, and lodgings for certaine perſons of meane calling, who do all houſhold ſeruices) he hath builded two fine lodges: in the one of them himſelfe remaines with his yonger daughter Philoclea, which was the cauſe they three were matched together in this picture, without hauing any other creature liuing in that lodge with him.
Which, though it be ſtraunge, yet not ſo ſtraunge, as the courſe he hath taken with the Princeſſe Pamela, whom he hath placed in the other lodge: but how thinke you accompanied? truly with none other but one Dametas, the moſt arrant doltiſh clowne, that I thinke euer was without the priuiledge of a bable, with his wife Miſo, and daughter Mopſa, in whom no wit can deuiſe any thing wherein they may pleaſure her, but to exerciſe her patience, and to ſerue for a foyle of her perfections. This lowtiſh clowne is ſuch, that you neuer ſaw ſo ilfauoured a viſar; his behauiour ſuch, that he is beyond the degree of ridiculous; and for his apparell, euen a I would wiſh him: Miso his wife, ſo handſome a beldame, that onely her face and her ſplay-foote haue made her accuſed for a witch; only one good point ſhe hath, that ſhe obſerues decorum, hauing a froward mind in a wretched body. Between theſe two perſonages (who neuer agreed in any humour, but in diſagreeing) is iſſed forth miſtreſſe Mopsa, a fit woman to participate of both their perfections: but becauſe a pleaſant fellow of my acquaintance ſet forth her praiſes in verſe, I will only repeat them, and ſpare mine owne tongue, ſince ſhe goes for a woman. The verſes are theſe, which I haue ſo often cauſed to be ſung, that I haue them without booke:
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