open thy life to the world: thou art, with Venus, taken in a net by Vulcan; and though thou hast long gone to the water, yet at last thou art come broken home. I mistrusted this of long, and have found it out at last: I mean the loves between thee and that traitor LUTESIO, which although I smothered with silence, yet I hid up for revenge. I have seen with grief, and passed over with sorrow, many odd pranks, thinking still time would have altered thy thoughts; but now thou hast sported thy belly full, and gotten a bastard, and wouldest fob me off to be the father; no, though I be blind, I will not swallow such a fly. For the time of thy quickening and his fresh acquaintance, jumps in an even date; this four years I have been thy husband and could not raise up thy belly, and LUTESIO no sooner grew familiar with thee, but he got thee with child; and were it not, base strumpet, that I reserve thee to further infamy, I would presently butcher thee and the brat both with one stab1."

"

And with that he flung out of the chamber, leaving poor PHILOMELA in a great maze, to hear this unlooked-for discourse ; insomuch, that after she had lain a while in a trance, coming to herself, she burst forth into abundance of tears, and passed away the night in bitter complaints; whilst PHILIPPO, mad with the frantic humour of jealousy, sat in his study, hammering how he might bring both LUTESIO and her to confusion. One while he resolved to provide galleys ready for his passage, and then to murder both his wife and LUTESIO, and so to fly away into some foreign country; then he determined to accuse them before the Duke, his near kinsman, and have them openly punished with the extremity of the law; but he wanted witnesses to confirm his jealous allegations.

1 The broad and coarse language used in this conversation is not a little repulsive to the superior refinement of the present age.

Being thus in a quandary, at last he called up two Genoese, his servants, slaves that neither regarded God, religion, nor conscience, and them he suborned with sweet persuasions and large promises to swear that he and they did take LUTESIO and PHILOMELA in an adulterous action; and although the base villains had at all no sparks of honesty in their minds, yet the honour of their Lady, her courtesy to all, her known virtues, and special good qualities, did so prevail, that they were passing unwilling to blemish her good name with their perjuries; yet at last the Count cloyed them so with the hope of gold, that they gave free consent to confirm by oath whatsoever he should plot down to them.

Whereupon, the next morning, the Earl gat him early to the Duke of Venice, who was his cousin german, and made solemn complaint of the dishonour offered him by his wife and Seignior LUTESIO; craving justice, that he might have such a manifest injury redressed with the rigour of the law.

The Duke, whose name was LORENZO MEDICI, grieved that his kinsman was vexed with such a cross, and sorrowed that PHILOMELA, that was so famous in Italy for her beauty and virtue, should dishonour herself and her husband by yielding her love to lascivious LUTESIO, Swearing a present dispatch of revenge; and thereupon granted out warrants to bring them both presently before him.

PHILIPPO glad of this, went his way to the house of LUTESIO well armed, and every way appointed, as if he had gone to sack the strongest hold in all Italy, carrying with him a crew of his friends and familiars, furnished at all points to apprehend the guiltless gentleman. As soon as they came to his house, they found one of his servants sitting at the door, who, seeing the Earl, saluted him reverendly, and marvelled what the reason should be he was accompanied with such a multitude.

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PHILIPPO demanded of him where his master was. Walking, may it please your honour, (quoth he) in his garden.” Then,"

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says the Earl, "if he be no more busy, I will be so bold as to go speak with him; and therefore follow me," saith he to the crew; who pressing in after the Earl, encountered LUTESIO, coming from his garden to go into his chamber. As soon as he spied PHILIPPO, with a merry look, as if his heart had commanded his eyes to bid him welcome, he saluted the Earl most graciously, but highly was astonished to see such a troop at his heels.

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PHILIPPO, contrary, (as LUTESIO offered to embrace him with his best hand) took him fast by the bosom, and pulling forth his poniard, said, Traitor, were it not I regard mine honour, and were loth to be blemished with the blood of so base a companion, I would rip out that false heart that hath violated the faith once united betwixt us: but the extremity of the law shall revenge thy villainy, and therefore officers take him into your custody, and carry him presently to the Duke, whither I will bring straight the strumpet, his paramour, that they may receive condign punishment for their heinous and detestable treacheries."

Poor LUTESIO, who little looked for such a greeting of the Earl, wondered whence this bitter speech should grow, so deeply amazed, that he stood as a man in a trance, till at the last, gathering his wits together, he began humbly and fearfully to have replied, when the Earl commanded the officers to carry him would not hear him utter any one word.

away, and

He speeding him home to his own house, to fetch his sorrowful and faultless wife, to hear the baleful verdict of her appeached innocency. Coming up into her bedchamber, he found her sitting by her bedside, on her knees, in most hearty and devout prayer, that it would please God to clear her husband from his jealousy, and protect her from any open reproach or slander, uttering her orisons with such heart-breaking sighs and abundance of tears, that the base catchpoles that came in with him took pity, and did compassionate the extremity of her passions. But PHILIPPO, as if he

had participated his nature with the bloodthirsty cannibal, or eaten of the seathin root, that maketh a man to be as cruel in heart as it is hard in the rind, stepped to her, and casting her backward, bade her" arise, strumpet," and hastily make her ready, for the Duke stayed for her coming, and had sent his officers to fetch her.

Perplexed PHILOMELA, casting up her eye, and seeing such a crew of rakehells ready to attend upon him, was so surcharged with grief that she fell down in a passion. PHILIPPO let her lie, but the ministers stepped unto her and received her again. As soon as she was come to herself, she desired PHILIPPO, that for all the love of their youth, he would grant her but only this one favour, that she might not be carried before the Duke with that common attendance, but that she and he might go together without any further open discredit; and then, if she could not prove herself innocent, let her without favour abide the penalty of the law. Although she craved this boon with abundance of tears, yet PHILIPPO would have no remorse, but compelled her to attire herself, and then conveyed her with this crew to the Duke's palace, where there was gathered together all the consigladiors and chief magistrates of the city. Her passing through the streets drew a great wonder to the Venetians what the cause of her trouble should be, so that infinite number of citizens followed her, and as many other people as could thrust into the common hall, to hear what should be objected against PHILOMELA.

At last, when the judges were set, and LUTESIO and PHILOMELA brought to the bar, the Duke commanded PHILIPPO to discourse what articles he had to object against his wife and LUTESIO.

PHILIPPO, with his eyes full of jealousy, and heart armed with revenge, looking on them both, fetching a deep sigh, began thus. "It is not unknown to the Venetians, (right famous Duke, and honourable magistrates of this so worthy a city,) how, ever since I

married this PHILOMELA, I have yielded her such love with reverence, such affection with care, such devoted favours with affected duties, that I did rather honour her as a saint than regard her as a wife; so that the Venetians counted me rather to doat on her extremely, than to love her ordinarily. Neither can I deny, mighty LORENZO, but PHILOMELA returned all these my favours with gentle loves and obedient amours, being as dutiful a wife as I was a loving husband, until this traitor LUTESIO, this ingrateful monster, that living hath drunk of the river Lethe, which maketh men forgetful of what is past, so he, oblivious of all honour I did him, was the first actor in this tragic overthrow of the fame of the house of PHILIPPO.

"I appeal to the Venetians, even from the magistrate to the meanest man, what honourable parts of friendship I have shewn tọ LUTESIO; how he was my second self, except PHILOMELA; his bosom was the cell wherein I hid up my secrets, his mouth was the oracle whereby I directed my actions. As I could not be without his presence, so I never would do any thing without his counsel; committing thus myself, my soul, my goods, mine honour, nay, my wife, to his honour, only reserving her from him. Of all that I have private to myself, the traitor, (oh, listen to a tale of ruth, Venetians!) neither regarding God nor respecting his friend, neither moved with fear nor touched with faith, forgetting all friendship, became amorously to woo my wife, and at last dishonestly won her; and now of long time lasciviously hath used her, which I suspected as little, as I trusted and affected them both deeply.

"How long they have continued in their adulterous loves I know not; but as time hatcheth truth, and revealeth the very entrails of hidden secrets, so yesterday, oh, the baleful day of my dishonour! LUTESIO and my wife being suspected of too much familiarity by my servants, though never mistrusted by me, were watched by these Genoese, who seeing them in the chamber toge