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and profound, he upraised his hand, and placing it on the collar of his pelisse, he heaved again deeply, and tore his garments to pieces, and immediately he detached the shepherd's pouch from his side, and drawing therefrom a polished instrument, with great attention and calmness began to tune it, and at the close of a brief space, with a melancholy and pre-arranged voice, began singing so that he constrained all who had seen him to stay and listen to the end of his ditty, which was as follows:

LENIO.

1. Sweet love, indeed I do repent me now
Of my defiance past.

This day do I confess, and feel at heart,
It was on folly

That its cement was proudly elevated,
Now the rebellious neck erected is,
Humbly I lower it, and reduce it eke
To yoke of thy obedience

The potency already know

Of thy far-outspread virtue.

2. I know that thou can'st perpetrate what thou wilt, And that you will what is impossible.

I know you indicate well who thou art,

E'en in thy terrible condition.

In thy pleasures, in thy pains;

And well I know that he I am

Who your good evilly have taken;
Your deceit for candour,

Thy assurance for deceit,

And for endearments your profound disdain.

3. These things well known

Have now discovered

In the inward recesses of my heart

That you the door were

Where our life solace finds.

You the whirlwind implacable,

The soul tormenting,

Turn into serene calm.

You are the joy and light of the pure soul,
The very food which it in health sustains.

4. Since, then, do I this judge and this confess, Though late I come to it,

Moderate thy vigour and excess;

Love, and from the bended neck and knees,
Lighten somewhat the onus.

On the already vanquished enemy

No castigation need inflicted be;

And as he does who doth himself protect,
By so much more as he doth here offend,
He seeks to be thy friend.

5. From obstinacy I emancipate
Myself in which my malice placed me;
And being in disgrace

Unto your justice I appeal

Before the face of

grace,

So that if to my slender virtue's

The favour tries me not

Of your recognised grace,

power

Quickly shall I abandon my poor life,
To the grasp of grief resigned.

6. The hands of Gelasia have me lodged
In such extreme of agony,

That if there be defiance in it yet,
My grief and my defiance,

I know that all will soon end fatally.
Oh, hard-hearted Gelasia! coy,
Heartless, inaccessible and proud,
Why, then, desire, oh lady say!
That the heart which thee adores

Should in such tortures for an hour be plunged?

Little was it that Lenio sang, but the wailings were not so, for he had remained there dissolved in tears had not the other shepherds assisted to console him.

But when he saw them advancing, and he recognised Thirsis among them, without more hesitation up he rose, and went to project himself at his feet, embracing closely his knees, and, without letting a tear drop, said to him, "Now you can, illustrious swain, seize vengeance for the audacity which I took in competing with you, defending the unjust cause which my ignorance propounded. Now, I

say, you may raise your arm, and with some sharp knife transfix this heart, which contains so much simplicity as not to recognise love to be universal sovereign of the world. But of one fact I would advertise you, that if you would take just revenge of my error, that you leave me with the life which I sustain, which is such that there is no death comparable to it."

Thirsis had now arose from the soil towards the bewildered Lenio, and holding him in his arms, with discreet and loving expressions essayed to console him, saying, "The great fault which exists in faults, friend Lenio, is obstinacy in them, for it is the condition of devils never to repent of faults committed, and thus one of the principal motives which impels us to pardon offences is to observe repentance in the offender, and the more so when pardon dwells in the hands of him who is perfectly disinterested, his noble state draws and forces him to do justice, remaining more rich and content with the pardon than with vengeance, as we daily see in those great exemplars, and kings, who arrogate to themselves more glory in pardoning than in exacting retribution; and since you, oh, Lenio, confess your error, and admit the o'erpowering quality of love, and recognise love to be king of kings, by reason of this new admission and solid repentance you may dwell in confidence and live safely, and be assured that a soft and generous love will bring you again to a tranquil and amorous state, and if now he punishes you with the pains you have experienced, do all, that you may know him, and that in future you may appreciate him duly."

To these ratiocinations others equally pertinent added Elicio, and the rest of the swains, whereby it seemed as if Lenio was quite appeased.

And directly he had stated how that he was dying for love of the insensible lady Gelasia, exaggerating her coy and unusual deportments, and how free and exempt she was from all effects of love, enhancing also the insufferable torture which for her the kind and gentle shepherd, Galercio, suffered, of which she took so little notice, that a thousand times he had been in the jaws of black despair.

But after a while they had reasoned on these facts, they turned as if to prosecute their path, taking Lenio with

them, and without further adventure they reached the village, joining in the band Elicio, Damon, Erastro, Lauso, and Arsindo.

With Daranio there went Crisio, Orfenio, Marsilio, and Orompo. Florisa and the rest of the females accompanied Galatea and her father, Aurelio, it having been previously arranged that on the morrow at break of day they should unite to go to the valley of the cypresses, as Thelesio had enjoined them to celebrate the funeral rites due to Meliso.

At which, as before announced, they desired to find Timbrio, Silesio, Nisida, and Blanca, who lodged with the venerable Aurelio that very night.

274

BOOK VI.

Silesio, to the sound of his cornet, has a rural gathering, to assist at the funeral rites of Meliso.-Marsilio is exhorted to take courage respecting Belisa.—The holy valley is entered, and its description.-Sepulchre of shepherds, and particularly that of Meliso.-Address of Telesio, after which he orders the consecrated fire to be kindled, and walks round the pyre, diffusing incense, apostrophising Meliso, and reiterating orisons.-Address of praise, and exhortation to virtue.— Reunion of instruments.-Thirsis, Damon, Elicio, and Lauso interchange mournful stanzas in protracted lines.-An appeal from Telesio. The women seek a certain section of the valley, and with them six of the eldest swains.-Nocturnal repast, and the visitors remain during night around Meliso's tomb.-A mass of fire appears, which Telesio approaches to discover the cause of the phenomenon.-In the centre arises a graceful nymph. Her vesture. The vision opens its arms on both sides, and delivers an address, in which she adverts to the lofty origin of poesy. Declares herself to be the goddess of song, Calliope, and particularises the poets to whom she has been especial patroness.-Finally she seizes a harp, at whose sounds the heavens cleared up, and a novel splendour illumined the earth.-She sings the deeds of all illustrious Spanish bards, with some specifications to the extent of one hundred and ten stanzas of eight lines each. At the close, the burning element, whose flames had diverged, reunited, and the nymph disappeared in the awful blaze.—Telesio descants on the immortality of the soul, and the good which lives after we are interred.— Exhorts the multitude to return to their homes, treasuring the memory of what the muse had inculcated.Adjourn to the streamlet of Palms.-On the suggestion of Aurelio, Erastro awakened his rebeck, and Arsindo his pipe, and lending a hand to Elicio, he ventured on a dithyrambic ode, which was followed by Marsilio, in an equally impassioned mood.-This fired up Erastro who added to the harmony.-Crisio's love state impels him to give vent to his feelings.-Damon and Lauso, bringing up the rear, so that in broken air trembling, the wild music floats.-Galatea's voice could not be suppressed, and the general chorus was completed by the exquisite singing of Nisida and Belisa.—Meeting at the palms.-Aurelio proposes efforts of wit, riddles, conundrums, &c., himself giving the example.-The rest followed, and there is as much wit displayed in propounding as unravelling riddles.—A sudden sound is heard on Tagus' banks, and two swains are seen to hold down a young shepherd, who attempted suicide by drowning ; it was

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