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BOOK IV.

The ardour of Teolinda to go in quest of Artidoro.-Is accompanied on her way by Galatea and Florisa. Four men observed on horseback, and others on foot, with hawks, dogs, and attendants.-Two shepherds emerge from a thicket.-Some shepherdesses in masks.-One, divesting herself of her hood, is discovered by Teolinda to be Rosaura. With her comes Grisaldo, whom Rosaura addresses, charging him with perfidy.-Grisaldo's defence, who announces his projected marriage with Leopersia.-Rosaura attempts her own life, but is restrained by Grisaldo.-Scene which followed.-Teolinda exclaims that the visage seen was that of her sister Leonarda, and a mutual embrace ensued.-The sisters mutually requested the stories of their lives.-Narrative of Rosaura.-The voice of the shepherd Lauso recognised. His song indicative of his love for Silena.-Disguises of Teolinda, Leonarda, and Rosaura.-Silerio asks permission to return to his hermitage. The shepherds reach the font, and there encounter three cavaliers and two ladies.-The cavaliers wish to remove on finding the shepherds offer to yield their places to them for their siesta. The two ladies unmask.-Conversation about court and rural manners, between Darintho and Damon, which ends in the recitation of verses said to be Lauso's song.-Lenio's harsh remarks about love, in a diatribe, which provoked observations from Erastro.-A rejoinder by Lenio.-Arrival of Aurelio, father of Galatea; also Galatea and Florisa, with Rosaura, Teolinda, and Leonarda, in disguises.Lenio descants in opposition to Thirsis, on love, as a theme morally and physiologically. The oral treatise ends in some appropriate verses by the disenamoured Lenio.-Thirsis prosecutes the affecting argument with some prolixity, yet to the edification of the listeners, who, in response, rounded his metaphysical reasonings with half a dozen stanzas.-All agree he had the best of the argument, but his desponding opponent, Elicio, adds a summary.-Proposition to retire.-Nisida's name is announced.-Disclosures made as to identities, and sundry colloquial interchanges. Darintho, on hearing about Silerio, takes horse, and Timbrio overtakes him.-Reunion of the females.-Nisida recounts the friendship of Timbrio and Silerio.Sudden appearance, at the fountain, of a virgin of fifteen years old, asking for a remedy for a love which related to her brother and a shepherdess, whom he had pathetically addressed without avail.Mistaken identity by Leonarda and Teolinda, as to their lovers.Explanations thereon.-Resemblance of Galercio to Artidoro.-Mau

risa takes leave of Rosaura and Galatea.-Parting of the females and shepherds, some towards Silerio's hermitage.-To the sound of Florisa's rebeck Elicio pours forth a canticle.

WITH ardent desire did the beauteous Teolinda await the coming day, to take leave of Galatea and Florisa, and so to finish her quest after the cherished Artidoro throughout the banks of the Tagus, with a view to terminate her days in a sorrowful and bitter solitude, if she heard no further news of the beloved shepherd. Now was come the desired hour, when Sol began to diffuse his rays over the world, when she arose, and with eyes bedewed with tears, she solicited of the shepherdesses favour to prosecute her intents, who most reasonably induced her to stay yet some days with them, Galatea offering to send men belonging to her father to seek for Artidoro on Tagus' margin, where it was hoped he would be found.

Teolinda acquiesced, but she did not wish to do all they required, for having shewn by words to the best of her power, what she knew, the obligations in which she found herself for the rest of her life to carry out the works received from them, and so embracing them with tenderness, begged they would only detain her one single hour. Galatea and Florisa, observing how vainly they laboured to keep her back, charged her that whatever success, good, or ill, might eventuate in this amorous enterprise, she would announce it to them, which would be received with satisfaction, if fortunate, and with sorrow if the contrary. Teolinda volunteered herself to be the medium through which the good news should transpire, but if ill news her life would suffer, and so this would be apology enough for default of communication. With this Teolinda's promise, both Galatea and Florisa were content, and they agreed to accompany her a space beyond the locality. So taking their staves and fortifying the wallet of Teolinda with sundry provision for a troublesome journey, forth they sallied from the village just when the beams of the sun most directly, and with their utmost force encountered the ground. Having been her companions for about half a league, just as they purposed returning they observed to pass at a break, a little distance off, four men on horseback, and some on foot, whom they soon recognised for hunters by their attire,

their hawks, and dogs; and stopping to see if they knew them, they marked how had emerged from some dense thickets, which were adjacent to the break, two shepherdesses of graceful mien. They had their visages enveloped in white linen, and one of the ladies uplifting her voice, asked the foresters to stop, which they did. Hence both ladies, nearing one of them, who seemed the principal by his figure and position, they seized the reins of the steed, and stood thus discoursing with him awhile, without the three other shepherdesses hearing what passed, by reason of the distance which prevented.

Only they saw that a short distance off, the cavalier dismounted, and having, as one could judge, ordered those who were with him to return, leaving one boy only with the horse, linked his hand in those of the women, and gradually entered with them into a thicket which lay near. This being witnessed by Galatea, Florisa, and Teolinda, they resolved to see if they could discover whoever were the masked shepherdesses and the cavalier who accompanied them, so they agreed to compass one part of the wood and see if they could so arrange themselves that they might satisfy their curiosity. This done, as they thought, they intercepted the cavalier and the ladies; so Galatea, seeing between the boughs what was going on, she observed that by twisting to the right they might secrete themselves in the densest part of the wood, and quickly by the same route they followed the cavalier and his fair companions, who seemed to be within the thicket, in the centre of a narrow meadow, which was environed by numberless brambles, and there they stopped.

Galatea and her friends approached so close that, quite unobserved, they heard and saw all the parties did-who, casting about to learn if they could be seen of any, and in this conviction one disencumbered herself of her hood, and in a moment she was recognised by Teolinda, and coming within hearing of Galatea, she said in the lowest possible whisper," A most extraordinary adventure is this, for if I have not lost all remembrance from the pain I suffer, doubtless that shepherdess who removed the hood from her person is the beauteous Rosaura, daughter of Roselio, lord of a village contiguous to ours; nor can I conceive what

motive has induced her to expose herself so, quit her locality, and thus do what is so injurious to her reputation. But unlucky me," added Teolinda, "for that cavalier, who is with her, is Grisaldo, eldest born of the rich Laurentio, who possesses two whole villages hard by." "You utter a truth, Teolinda," replied Galatea, "I know her. But hold your peace, soon we shall be certified as to the cause of her coming." With this she quieted Teolinda, and earnestly watched what Rosaura did, who, approaching the cavalier, a man of some thirty years old, with a faltering voice, thus began: "Here we are, deceitful cavalier, where I shall be able to take the long attended vengeance of your infidelity and neglect. But though I might avail me of the moment which might cost you a life, that would little repay me for the injury you have done me. Look you here, unknown Grisaldo, unknown, though I recognize you; see one who has disguised herself to seek you, and who never abandoned that hope. Reflect, ungrateful and variable man, that what in your house and amidst your servants could not move her, now for your sake travels from valley to valley, from mountain's brow to mountain's brow, with such solicitude, seeking your person." To all these arguments, which the lovely Rosaura used, the cavalier listened with eyes rivetted to the soil, making some strokes on the ground with the point of his hunting-knife, which he held in his hand. Yet Rosaura not satisfied with what passed, she pursued the discourse with similar words. 66 Say now, know you by chance, do you know, Grisaldo, that I am that being who lately wiped thy tears, stifled thy sighs, consoled thy pains, and beyond all I am her who gave credence to your words! Or peradventure dost thou understand that thou wert he to whom all oaths seemed nugatory, which assured me of the truth whereby you deceived me? Art thou by chance that Grisaldo, whose boundless tears softened the hardness of my honest heart? Thou art-yes, I see you; and I am— yes, I know myself. But if you be Grisaldo, as I believe, and I be Rosaura, as you imagine, fulfil your promise to me, and I will offer that promise which I never denied you. I am told you are to marry Leopersia, Marcelio's daughter; so much to your taste, that you selected her. If this news has caused me anguish, you can divine why I have done

this, it is to prevent its accomplishment; and if you can act honourably I leave it to your conscience. What answer make you, oh mortal enemy of my rest? Perhaps you grant it, though silence indicates its justice. Raise your eyes and drop them on those who for her woe beholds them -raise them up, and look on whom you deceive, whom you abandon, whom you forget. You will see that you deceive, if you reflect, her who is all truth to you. You will abandon her who has abandoned her honour to follow you. You will forget her who never let you slip from her memory. Consider, Grisaldo, that in nobleness I am behind you in nothing, and in fortune I am equal, I surpass you in generosity of soul and in faith's holy firmness. Fulfil what you avowed if you can appreciate yourself as a gentleman, or disregard not yourself as a Christian. See, now, unless you respond to what you owe me, I will besiege heaven that it may chastise you-fire, that it may consume you that air may fail you-water drown, and earth abhor you—and my relatives take vengeance on you. Look you, if you fail in the obligation you owe me, you will find in me a ceaseless tormenter of your comforts, whilst I breathe vital air—ay, even after life will I scare your recreant soul with frequent shadows, and with fearful visions will I worry your deluding eyes; remember I ask no more than is my due, and your profit is in yielding it, for by denial you are a certain loser speak, now, and undeceive me, what is the cause of offence?" Here the lovely lady ceased, and awhile awaited Grisaldo's answer, who, raising his face, which hitherto was downward, inflamed with the vengeance denounced by Rosaura, with softened voice thus replied

66

Should I desire to deny, O Rosaura, that I am not a debtor in more than you recapitulate, I should deny that the sun's light is clear, or aver that fire is frost, and that air is hard. Hence I admit my debt, and am forced to pay it. Still I cannot settle it as you desire, for my father's injunctions have prohibited that, and your stern disdain as added an impossibility to it. I would only call yourself as witness, who know how oft, and with what effusion of tears I solicited you to accept me for your husband, you being assured that I would fulfil all the promises, and yet, you, for your own conceptions, or else to acquiesce in

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