MELANCHOLY having lodged it self in the generous breast of Monanthropus ( lately Chancellour of Egypt ) did , by the chain of its Charms , so fetter the feet of his Reason , that nothing pleased him now but that whereby he might please that passion ; thinking all time mispent which was not spent in its service , frequenting more Woods than Men , deeming them the only fit grove to sacrifice in , the choicest of his thoughts to the worst of passions . Wherefore , having one day wandred abroad in a neighbouring Desert , he came at last to a deep Valley , fruitfull of nothing but Trees , and Trees fruitfull of nothing but Melancholy , overlookt by Rocks , in whose wrink●ed faces , aged Time had plowed thousands of deep furrows , whose gloomy brows threatned perpetually to smother the subjacent Valleys ; a place fit only to be ( as it was presently ) the hermitage of Melancholy and stage of Cruelty : He had not long stayed , when his admiration was arrested by a noise blown in his ears ( as he thought ) by the bellows of Death , yet seconded by a sight yet more horrid : for , he saw at some distance two Ladies , loaded with Iron sheckles , which chained them together , stript of their cloaths above the middle , and strypt by two cruel Rascals , who ( albeit torture made the Ladies run ) yet equalled the number of their lashes to that of their paces ; and not far from them , were ten Gentlemen ( as they seemed by their habits ) fighting against two Knights followed only by one Esquire ; where courage seemed to combat against number , valour making the ten seem but three , and fear making the three seem ten ; yet courage shew at last that it might be resisted by number , but could not be overcome by it ; for , the death of six , forewarned the other four , that it was not time to stay : fear having left them only so much reason as to conclude , that seing they could not resist them , being ten , how could they resist when they were but four ? wherefore , leaving flouds of bloud to witnesse the gallantry of their conquering adversaries , they posted away : The Knights willing to pursue these run-awayes ( who had now added cowardisnesse to their former crimes ) yet more willing to rescue the miserable Ladies , left these Rascals to be punished by a torturing conscience , and the just gods , and spurred after the Ladies , who were presently abandoned by these Hangmen ; but Providence ( which had borrowed their swiftnesse to lend it to their adversar●es ) delivered these Villains into the hands of the pursuing Knights , who brought them back where the Ladies were , bathing themselves in their own innocent bloud : who having fallen on their feeble knees , the eldest of them weeping , spoke thus ; O noble Gentlemen , surely Providence had never created such silly creatures as weak women , if they had not likewise provided such noble Champions as ye are to be guardians to their weak innocencie , and innocent weaknesse : We acknowledge we are yours ( if bloud be a price able to buy things of small value ) neither can those to whom we belonged formerly pretend right any longer to us , no more than the first owners can pretend right to their goods , which being robbed from them by unjust Pirats , are after some time and danger regained by other true Conquerours ; or Land taken by Vsurpers , is to be restored by a third Conquerour to its first masters : Happie we , who cannot by any postliminius right , return to our former liberty , seing to be slaves to such masters is to be no slaves at all . But seing our tears are no fit recompence , for those tears of bloud which your bodies both have shed , and yet do shed for us , we shall cease to trouble you , whom we cannot requite .

But whilest they were admiring what was already spoken ( wherein she shewed much Learning from whom no Learning could be expected ) and whilst she was about to add more , Monanthropus , by his coming , interrupted , both the admiration of the one , and the discourse of the other , who , puzled whether to congratulate the good fortune of the Knights , to regrate the misery of the Ladies , or to accuse the cruelty of those Rascals ( with whom the Knights had made them to exchange fetters ) who were now standing accused by their own roguish looks , yet at last he accosted the Knights thus : Gentlemen , albeit I might accuse you as strangers , for exercing any jurisdiction , much more the highest jurisdiction , in a stranger Nation , yet your valour , your successe , and your cause , obligeth me to believe , that ye are commissionated by the immortal gods , to punish these Rascals , and to liberate these noble Ladies : for , seing such extraordinary feats as ye have done , are above the reach of such ordinary means as is mans strength , we must believe that they are either perpetrated immediatly by supernal or infernal powers ; and seing the infernal furies are not so much friends to innocency , as to help it , or so much enemies to cruelty , as to punish it , we must think , that ye have been aided by some divine power ; therefore I shall rather admire than challenge you ; for , to no purpose is the admirative faculty bestowed upon man , if it be not exercised in such cases as this : therfore let me beg of you to lodge with me this night , seing the condition of these Ladies pleads for good accommodation , and there is none to be had for persons of either your or their quality , besides my house , whose best accommodation is , its nearnesse to this place . To which the tallest of these two Knights ( named Megistus ) replyed thus ; Courteous Sir , neither ye , nor these Ladies , have reason to extol so much our courage , as to admire these fellows cowardishnesse , and to think that their guiltinesse was their strongest enemy , and that the veriest Coward could not but be stout in such a quarrel : but as to your proffer , albeit we thank you extreamly for it , yet we will wait upon these Ladies to shelter them from any future inconveniencie , and to see them beginning to return from the region of death , wherein they seem now to enter ; for , seing providence hath given them us for attenders , it were a breach of trust to desert them . But the poor Ladies , ( who were about not only to accept the proffered accommodation , but likewise to beg it before it was proffered ) thanked Monanthropus for his kindnesse , and intreated the Knights to go alongst with them : which when they had accorded to , after much reluctancy , he mounted the Ladies behind the Knights , and whilst they paced slowly , both to case the Ladies , and to keep company with Monanthropus , who refused to ride upon Kalodulus his horse ( for so was he who served the Knights named ) both Monanthropus , and the two Knights , joyned in a suit to the Ladies , that they would inform them both of the rise and tract of their so lamentable misfortune ; especially Monanthropus , whose Melancholy appetite rellished nothing so well as what was sauced with novelty , to which the sweet Ladies easily condiscended ; grief being like a Mine , which the greater vent it gets is the lesse noisome , as also knowing that the villany of their enemies would conciliat respect to their innocency ; so the Lady who spoke formerly , broke off thus : Gentlemen , our father ( who was a Nobleman in Thracia ) was one , who lived rather to study , than studied how to live ; and who endeavoured more to treasure up Learning in himself , than Money for his posterity , yet who never stained his blotlesse fame with either negligence , or prodigality ; yet it was rather his fortune , than his merit , to be misconstrued by most of his neighbours , and mainly for his retirednesse ; some thinking that he conversed not with them because he thought them unworthy to be conversed with ; others thought his retirednesse flowed from his being conscious to some imperfection in himself , which made him unfit for conversation ; So that as the one hated him for his supposed pride , so the other undervalued him for his supposed unworthinesse : Neither was there a third sort wanting , who judged that it was peavishnesse , which confined him at home , fearing lest he should be induced to spend when he came abroad : Thus he lived , educating his children , me especially , in ordinary Learning , scorning alwayes those who thought knowledge rather a burden , than a qualification to those of our sex , and that it was enough to a woman to know how to bring forth children : for , said he , seing nature hath been more a step-mother to women , than to men , giving them shallower judgments than to men , It appears to have been natures meaning , and it should be their endeavours , to supply by pains that natural imperfection : and seing they are given as helpers to men , how can they help him , except they understand how to do it ? and also , seing they should recreate man in his solitarinesse , how can they do that without some knowledge ? Having spent thus his short life , he was at last invited by death , to go and receive the reward of his vertue . After his death , two Gentlemen ( even those two , who first assaulted these worthy Gentlemen ) whom conversation rather than affection ( for they were not capable of any such impression ) had made rather comrades than friends , and who conversed together rather out of necessity than choice , because others hated them so as that they would not converse with them ; or else , they fearing to be checked for their escapes , would converse with none but with themselves , whose mutual escapes pleaded for mutual pardon . These two came in suit of us two , who were two sisters , the only daughters of our father ; but their spotted same before they came , and their imperious carriage after , made us not only not love their persons , but even abhor their very names : which they , after some time , perceiving , intended to extort by compulsion , what they could not willingly obtain from us ; whereupon , our only brother being sick , and hearing that our mother resolved to consult a neighbouring Astrologer , bribed so his corrupt judgement , as that he promised to tell her , that nothing could ransom our brothers life , but our pilgrimage to Delphus , there to sacrifice two Turtles for him to Apollo . We , who thought nothing too dear for us , when compared with our dear brother , resolved to undertake the journey , and being dismist , loaded both with our mothers tears and jewels , we had not travelled twelve miles , waited upon only by two Gentlemen , our cousins , and two maids , when at the entry of a Wood we were assaulted , or rather surprised , by ten Gentlemen , masked , our cousins assoon slain as seen , and poor we , taken captives by those of whom we knew nothing , save only that by their masks we might know that they intended some villany which they durst not avow ; our maids being sent away we knew not where , and our selves captives we knew not to whom , amazement seized so on us , as that we feared we knew not what : but to screw up our misfortunes to the highest pin , our two Lovers unmasked themselves , O what torment was it to us , to behold our Tormentors ! and especially in a place where none could either pity , or relieve us ; and we became now like fools and children , who think it a great happinesse not to see the authors of their unhappinesse , which makes them , when they are assaulted by any fear , cover their heads ; but they who hasted to enjoy that , which when they had enjoyed , would doubtlesse have slighted , began to unmask their minds aswell as their faces , and told us plainly , that we behoved either to love , or die ; a word as strange as cruel : For , how can the chill coldnesse of constraint kindle the real flames of true love ? And seing force is able to make those who formerly loved , thereafter hate , how can it make those who once hated , therafter love ? but they who understood as little true love , as they practised true modesty , did most impertinently importune us to accept them for our husbands , swearing , when they could not perswade us by threats , that we were the maddest women breathing who refused to bewives to such gallant Gentlemen , and Mistrisses of so large fortunes ; recounting to us sometime their valiant acts , and sometime questioning their prepared servants anent the state of their thriving affairs , not forgetting to number hundreds of Mistrisles whom they had slighted for us , and how many sighed for them , albeit they sighed for us . This discourse , albeit unpleasant in it self , yet seemed more unpleasant because of the discoursers gestures and antick modes , which could have perswaded strangers , that they erred purposly to make us laugh ; at last they led us to a Cave in the bosome of a Rock , which seemed to be Deaths chamber of presence , paved with mire , and tapistred with slime and cobwebs : here we were welcomed by an old Hag ( the Nurse of my Lover ) whose face I thought at first , had been masked with some terrible mask , but at last I perceived , that Nature had conjoyned swarthy colours with ugly shapes , to shew that Art could not outstrip her in making an horrid face ; her words , ecchoed by the hiddeous Rock , seemed to be the cryes of the damned spirits , when they are punished in Hell for their misdemeanours .

Our accommodation could only brag of its suitablenesse for ugly things , so corresponded with ugly things , as ye would have sworn , that every thing contended which should be most ugly : a sheep was eaten half alive , and sent bleating to their bellies , and their bread which seemed to be knead gravel , was eaten as greedily as if it had been the finest flowre ; at supper she began to accuse the Courtiers for nice●y , in imploying knives and napkins , and swore by her black kirtle , that the reason why Ladies did eat so little at Table , was , because they did eat so largely in their Chambers . Thus having spent the night lying on the ground ( a Bed never made since the Creation ) we longed for the morning , which came no sooner than we wished it had been past , and thought that the Sun by its slow motion , intended likewayes to conspire with our other Tormentors : Yet after some four dayes stay , the immortal Gods , who knew our innocency , decreed our delivery , by a way as unexpected as the delivery it self : for , the fore-named Mathematician , who began now in his solitude to consult the Stars , whereas he had formerly in his poverty consulted his Purse , did one morning acquaint the Lovers that he did read their ruine in the Face of Heaven , if they dismist us not : this Diurnal , from such a place , and such a person , did so allarm their already frighted consciences , that they resolved to quit us , meerly , because they found they could not keep us : wherefore fearing lest our return to our own Countrey , should be a mean to banish them from theirs , they resolved to bring us over here to Egypt with our faces covered , that our punishment might be the greater , and our return the more uncertain : after that fashion did they lead us three dayes ( never considering that Heaven saw us , albeit we saw not it ) till at last , like Serpents , who carry their sting in their tails , they resolved to make the last act of their cruelty the worst , making our Tragedy like all other Tragedies , whose most deplorable event is represented in the last Scene : Wherefore , finding this Wood correspond with their desires , they committed us to these cruel Tygres , who had avenged their masters affronts , and ended our miseries , if the arrival of those Gentlemen had not prevented both .

This story and their journey ended both equally , and they were as much solaced by the one , as wearied by the other : and now they began to descry the top of the much longed-for Castle , and being entered in a sweet Alley , which was guarded on both sides by Walnut , Chesnut , and Cipress trees , which decored extreamly the Avenues to the Castle , they were saluted by four Gentlemen cloathed in blue Sattin , who were attending Monanthropus's ▪ return , which was later that night than ordinary ; the Knights and Ladies finding their respect betrayed formerly , by the meannesse of Monanthropus exteriour garb , did , in a most submissive manner , crave him pardon , and bestowed upon him now , with its interest , what respects they had ignorantly detained from him formerly , and the younger of the two Knights ( called Philarites ) commissionated , by the assenting looks of his Companions , spoke thus :

My Lord , nature having levelled all men as to what can be seen , and strangers knowing nothing more of one another , than what instruction nature bestows on them , their ignorance deserves pardon , if they homologate not their first errours , by their after continuance in them ▪ and we see Magistrates carry before them the Ensigns of their Offices , Gentlemen followed by their Liveries , and Knights of Orders carry the Badges of their Honours , as beacons to warn strangers not to split upon the rocks of either disrespect , or incivility : which shews , by the rule of contraries , that strangers may be pardoned , albeit they deny respect to those who wear not Honours Livery ; and albeit we might have seen in your Honours face and carriage , the impression of more than ordinary majesty , yet the confusion wherein we were , may plead our innocency . Monanthropus , whose humour and age made him averse from ceremony , told them , that their generous carriage did oblige him too much , and that their Apologie had prevented his ; for albeit they had cunningly vailed their Births , yet their Generosity did somewhat draw aside the curtain , and did let the most undiscerning eye see somewhat more of Nobility , than their modesty did discover by discourse .

The Knights and he having skirmished a little thus in complement , he intreated the Knights to hand up stairs the weary Ladies ; for their age and pains had merited better their hand , than he had done or could do . At the top of the stairs , they entered an Antiparlour , richly tapestred with hangings , representing Paris choice when he bestowed the Apple upon the fairest ( which seemed to be not only a relation of what was past , but also a prophecy of what was to be acted shortly upon that stage ) there they were welcomed by a Lady , rather grave than old , followed by a troup of rare Beauties ; where ( notwithstanding the rest seemed only to be black patches to set off with the greater advantage the beauty of a young Lady who was Monanthropus his daughter , a Lady so accomplished , as if Nature in her , had like that old Painter , borrowed a tra●te from the greatest Beauties in the world to adorn one ) Philarites , after Megistus and the Ladies had saluted all , and after as he himself had saluted the mother , coming to salute the daughter , and bowing as low as the verge of her garment , being deserted by strength , and over-powered by admiration , did Fali dead at her feet . The wounded Ladies , surprized by his fall , did shout , and by that shout astonished more than formerly , the already commiserating by-standers , who began already to sacrifice thousands of tears to his departed ghost , and were sending their sad cryes to accompany to the Elisian fields his lovely soul ; mean while , his admiration which had intimated to his internal bloud and spirits the admirable beauty of ARETINA ( so was the young Lady called ) sent his bloud gushing out at his veins , every drop striving with its fellow which should first see that hyerogliphick of comlinesse ; but he , poor Gentleman , lay as if his soul and body had been divorced in the Court of Heaven , for it refused to return to its old lodging , notwithstanding of the many invitations given it , both by the skill of the Physician , and care of the Ladies : at last some blushes began to appear as the avantcurriers of life , which did somewhat animate the company , whose faces reflected formerly the paleness that appeared in his , each being willing even to wear deaths livery for his sake ; at last he began by groans , to vomit up his Melancholy , and to stretch his arms , which when Megistus perceived , he caused carry him to his chamber , where they put him in bed , not fully yet recovered . Thereafter Monanthropus and his Lady waited first upon the unknown Ladies , and thereafter upon Megistus to their Chambers , where Supper was dressed up for them , and two maids were allowed the Ladies for attendants : but Megistus , fearing that Philarites grief might prove desperate , ( great Spirits producing nothing which is not great , and as the greatest fires have the greatest flames ) resolved , by his wit to assist his friends patience ; wherefore calling for Kalodulus his servant , he commanded him to convey himself secretly up to the Seiling of the Chamber , and to take a hollow tree with him , through which he should ( after he found Philarites awake , and beginning to complain ) cry with a counterfeit voice , Philarites , the gods , as a reward of thy vertue , have allowed thee ARETINA for thy Wife ; and , to confirm thee in this truth , have desired thee to send to morrow to that great Oak , which is sacred to Iupiter , and there thou shalt find a Ring , with this inscription , Believe the Gods ( for Megistus had gotten such a Ring from one of his fathers Magicians , who had foretold him many fortunat events , and at his departure had bestowed this Ring upon him ) Kalodulus , whose love to Philarites made him both willing to undertake , and cunning in the accomplishment , of this enterprise , did secretly climb up where he was desired , and where he could not be discovered because of the darkness of the night ; and after half an hours stay , Philarites began to groan , and to second his groans thus : O unfortunate Philarites ! hath passion cut the throat of thy reason , or hast thou lost thy wit with thy bloud ? wilt thou willingly enter the lists , where stronger spirits have been defeated by weaker enemies , than that lovely object thou saw this evening ? wilt thou render thy self uncapable to be Megistus friend , and thy fathers heir , for a fancy which is unpracticable ? Yea , which is more , Wilt thou derogate from that Ladies worth , by daring to stile thy self her Lover ? Either thou must conceal thy passion , and then why lovest thou ? else thou must vent it , and then declare thy self distracted . Kalodulus , who waited this opportunity , spoke as he was taught , and that so cunningly , as that Kalodulus passed really for Mercury ( the trunche-man of the Gods ) in Philarites conceit : whereupon , falling in an extasie of respect to the Gods , and of joy for the message , he gave Kalodulus leasure to retire himself to his bed , where feigning that he was asleep , Philarites called for him , asking if he heard any thing ? who answered , No , sure , for he was asleep : but the other pressing an answer , Kalodulus said , that it was only the effects of his distemper . The night being past , Philarites entreated Kalodulus , to go and dig under the root of the sacred Oak , to see what he could find . But Kalodulus , after some faint disswasion , was at last willing to go : where having gone , he seemed to dig , and at last found the Ring ( which he could not miss , seing it was in his pocket ) with which he returned to his master , telling him , to aggrage the matter , that he found it wrapt up in an Oaken Leaf . This trick of Leg●rdemain was proven by Philarites , his hope to be a vision , and did so animate him , that he was in greater danger to have died for joy now , than he was to have died for grief formerly , like a Lamp extinguished by too much Oyl , the soul in that resembling the body , which is soonest surfeted by the best of viands .