marriage and the birth of his two daughters, the sharpness of her disappointment is converted into the most bitter hatred against the hindrances of her son's succession. Against them and their lives her machinations are now uniformly bent, and in her endeavours for their destruction, no atrocity of cruelty is considered by her as too savage. Finding that her design of destroying them by the two wild beasts she had let loose for that purpose, was defeated by the bravery of the two young princes, she stirs up the Arcadians to rebellion against their beneficent king. Inflamed by imaginary grievances, and incited by the oratory of the partizans of Cecropia, a tumultuous body of the people assemble, and come before the presence of Basilius, demanding of him satisfaction for their wrongs, and compliance with their requisition. Partly by the eloquence and partly by the bravery of Zelmane and Dorus, they are dispersed, and return without perpetrating any acts of violence on Basilius or his family. Cecropia, stung to the heart, to find that her designs had miscarried, still perseveres in her pursuit, and ultimately, by a successful wile, makes the two princesses and Zelmane her prisoners, whom she immediately carries to her castle. The character of Amphialus comes next before us. Though the son of Cecropia, he possesses none of the evil principles of her character, and is a personage celebrated for his virtue and valour. Inflamed with love for Philoclea, though he disapproves of the methods by which she has fallen into his hands, he cannot prevail with himself to part with her, and relinquish her to her parents. The struggles of his love and his pity, his honour and his desire, are well described.

"In that sort he went to Philoclea's chamber; whom hee found (because her chamber was over-lightsome) sitting of that side of her bed which was from the window, which did cast such a shadow upon her, as a good painter would bestow upon Venus, when under the trees shee bewailed the murther of Adonis: her hands and fingers (as it were) indented one within the other: her shoulder leaning to her bed's-head, and over her head a scarfe, which did eclipse almost halfe her eyes, which under it fixed their beames upon the wall by, with so steddy a manner, as if in that place they might well change, but not mend their object: and so remained they a good while after his comming in, hee not daring to trouble her, nor she perceiving him, till that (a little varying, her thoughts something quickning her senses) she heard him as he hapned to stirre his upper garment; and perceiving him, rose up, with a demeanure, where in the booke of beauty there was nothing to be read but sorrow; for kindnesse was blotted out, and anger was never there.

But Amphialus that had entrusted his memory with long and forcible speeches, found it so locked up in amazement, that hee could picke nothing out of it, but the beseeching her to take what

was done in good part, and to assure her selfe there was nothing but honour meant unto her person. But shee making no other answer, but letting her hands fall one from the other, which before were joyned (with eyes something cast aside, and a silent sigh) gave him to understand, that considering his doings, shee thought his speech as full of incongruitie, as her answer would be voyde of purpose. Whereupon he kneeling downe, and kissing her hand (which she suffered with a countenance witnessing captivitie, but not kindnesse) hee besought her to have pitie of him, whose love went beyond the bounds of conceit, much more of uttering: that in her hands the ballance of his life or death did stand; whereto the least motion of her would serve to determine, shee being indeed the mistresse of his life, and hee her eternall slave; and with true vehemencie besought her that he might heare her speake, whereupon she suffered her sweet breath to turn it selfe into these kinde of words.

but

Alas cousin, said shee, what shall my tongue be able to doe, which is informed by the eares one way, and by the eyes another? You call for pitie, and use crueltie; you say you love mee, and yet doe the effects of enmitie. You affirme, your death is in my hands, you have brought mee to so neere a degree of death, as when you will, you may lay death upon mee: so that while you say I am mistresse of your life, I am not mistresse of mine owne. You entitle your selfe my slave, but I am sure I am yours. If then violence, injurie, terrour, and depriving of that which is more deare than life it selfe, libertie, be fit orators for affection, you may expect that I will be easily perswaded. But if the nearnesse of our kindred breed any remorse in you, or there bee any such thing in you, which you call love toward mee, then let not my fortune be disgraced with the name of imprisonment: let not my heart waste it selfe by being vexed with feeling evill, and fearing worse. Let not mee bee a cause of my parents' wofull destruction; but restore mee to my selfe, and so doing, I shall account I have received my selfe of you. And what I say for my selfe, I say for my deare sister, and my friend Zelmane; for I desire no well being, without they may be partakers. With that her teares rained downe from her heavenly eyes, and seemed to water the sweet and beautifull flowers of her face.”—p. 239–240.

The bold step which Cecropia and her son had taken, having excited the indignation of the country, they find it necessary to prepare themselves against the forces which Basilius is levying for the rescue of his daughters; and, determined to persist in what they had begun, they fortify their castle, naturally strong, and make it ready for a siege. In the mean time, Cecropia leaves no steps unturned to win Philoclea to favour the suit of her son. She goes to her prisoner, fraught with all the arts of subtlety and craft.

"She went softly to Philoclea's chamber, and peeping thorow the side of the doore, then being a little open, she saw Philoclea sitting

low upon a cushion, in such a given-over manner, that one would have thought silence, solitarinesse, and melancholy, were come there under the ensigne of mishap to conquer delight, and drive him from his naturall seat of beauty: her teares came dropping downe like raine in sunshine, and she not taking heed to wipe the teares, they hung upon her cheekes and lips, as upon cherries which the dropping tree bedeweth. In the dressing of her haire and apparell, she might see neither a carefull art nor an art of carelesnesse, but even left to a neglected chance, which yet could no more unperfect her perfections, than a die any way cast could lose his squarenesse."—p. 244.

All her persuasions are however ineffectual, and Philoclea repulses her solicitations with gentleness yet with firmness. Cecropia next applies herself to Pamela, hoping to find her more propitious to her suit, and to substitute her instead of her sister as the mistress of Amphialus. This attempt, also, is unsuccessful. In one of Cecropia's interviews with Pamela, the latter is. found occupied at her needle, and we think no Arachne of the present day might blush to have her handy work thus described.

Cecropia threatning in her selfe to runne a more rugged race with her, went to her sister Pamela; who, that day having wearied her selfe with reading, and with the height of her heart disdaining to keep company with any of the gentlewomen appointed to attend her, whom she accounted her jaylors, was working upon a purse certaine roses and lillies, as by the finenesse of the work, one might see she had borrowed her wits of the sorrow that then owed them, and lent them wholly to that exercise. For the flowers she had wrought, carried such life in them, that the cunningest painter might have learned of her needle: which with so pretty a manner made his careers to and fro thorow the cloth, as if the needle it selfe would have beene loth to have gone fromward such a mistresse, but that it hoped to return thitherward very quickly againe: the cloth looking with many eyes upon her, and lovingly embracing the wounds she gave it: the sheares also were at hand, to behead the silke that was growne too short. And if at any time she put her mouth to bite it off, it seemed, that where she had beene long in making of a rose with her hands, she would in an instant make roses with her lips: as the lillies seemed to have their whiteness rather of the hand that made them, than of the matter whereof they were made; and that they grew there by the suns of her eyes, and were refreshed by the most (in discomfort) comfortable aire, which an unawares sigh might bestow upon them. But the colours for the ground were so well chosen, neither sullenly darke nor glaringly lightsome, and so well proportioned, as that, though much cunning were in it, yet it was but to serve for an ornament of the principall work; that it was not without marvell, to see how a mind which could cast a carelesse semblant upon the greatest conflicts of fortune, could command it selfe to take care for so small matters. Neither had she neglected the dainty dressing of her selfe: but as if it had been her marriage time to affliction, she rather seemed to re

member her owne worthinesse than the unworthinesse of her husband. For well one might perceive she had not rejected the counsell of a glasse, and that her hands had pleased themselves in paying the tribute of undeceiving skill to so high perfections of nature."p. 250-251.

Cecropia, thus foiled in her attempts, endeavours to vitiate the mind of Pamela, and render her more tractable by endeavouring to destroy her reliance in Providence, and by attempting to prove to her that there is no God. The plausible and specious arguments of Cecropia are as nothing before the adamantine virtue of Pamela, and in a noble burst of indignation she refutes all the oratory of her tempter with reasoning glowing with all the energy of truth. From this moment, Cecropia becomes the deadly enemy of the two princesses, and her whole cogitations are employed in the invention of fresh schemes of torment.

The prayer of Pamela under her afflictions well deserves extracting. It is elevated and even sublime, and is well known for the use made of it by the unfortunate Charles the First.

"O All-seeing Light and Eternall Life of all things, to whom nothing is either so great that it may resist, or so small that it is contemned: looke upon my misery with thine eye of mercy, and let thine infinite power vouchsafe to limit out some proportion of deliverance unto me, as to thee shall seeme most convenient. Let not injurie, O Lord, triumph over me, and let my faults by thy hand be corrected, and make not mine unjust enemy the minister of thy justice. But yet, my God, if in thy wisdome this be the aptest chastisement for my unexcusable folly; if this low bondage be fittest for my over-high desires; if the pride of my not enough humble heart be thus to be broken; O Lord, I yeeld unto thy will, and joyfully embrace what sorrow thou wilt have me suffer. Onely thus much let me crave of thee, (let my craving, O Lord, be accepted of thee, since even that proceeds from thee) let me crave, even by the noblest title, which in my greatest affliction I may give my selfe, that I am thy creature, and by thy goodnesse (which is thy selfe) that thou wilt suffer some beame of thy Majestie so to shine into my minde, that it may still depend confidently on thee. Let calamity be the exercise, but not the overthrow, of my vertue: let their power prevaile, but prevaile not to destruction let my greatnesse be their prey: let my paine be the sweetnesse of their revenge: let them (if so seeme good unto thee) vex me with more and more punishment: but, O Lord, let never their wickednesse have such a hand, but that I may carry a pure minde in a pure body."-p. 248.

Basilius now, having collected forces, besieges the castle of Cecropia. Several skirmishes take place between the contending parties, but no important successes are gained by either. The

entreaties of Basilius prevail upon many knights of renown to appear on his side and challenge Amphialus to combat; who, nevertheless, comes off constantly victorious. Amongst these knights is Argalus, the husband of the fair Parthenia; who, induced by the solicitations of Basilius, enters into single engagement with Amphialus, but is worsted in the combat, and Parthenia only comes to witness the death and last sighs of her dearest love. Her happiness being now wrecked for ever, she resolves to assume the armour of a knight, to challenge the murderer of her husband, and either to revenge his death or follow it. The narration of her engagement with Amphialus, under the name of the Knight of the Tomb and Death, is very affecting. We regret that our limits do not suffer us to insert it. Her opponent has the misfortune to be victorious; he mortally wounds her, and his pity is only equalled by his remorse, when he discovers whom he has so unwittingly engaged.

The next champion who appears against Amphialus, is Musidorus; who, under the disguise of the Forsaken Knight, comes to avenge himself upon the ravisher of Pamela and her

sister. The combat between these valourous and renowned knights is conducted with mortal fury, and they are both carried desperately wounded from the field.

Amphialus now gets a new accession of strength in the persons of Anaxius and his brothers, who come to offer their services. Anaxius, scarcely inferior to any knight in the world in prowess, and almost the equal of Pyrocles and Amphialus, is proud, tyrannical, and cruel; esteeming himself little less than a god, and all others as born to be his slaves.

The siege is thus protracted for a considerable time. At length, Cecropia, desirous to bring it to a close, and unmoved by any consideration of mercy or pity, sends to acquaint Basilius, that, unless he immediately raises the siege, she would cause the heads of her three prisoners, Pamela, Philoclea, and Zelmane, to be cut off before their eyes. This wily step has the effect posed. The unfortunate king, not doubting that she would perform her threat, and dismayed by fear for his two daughters, and not less for his beloved Zelmane, notwithstanding the advice of his faithful counsellor Philanax, disbands his army, and leaves his daughters in their prison.

pro

Every obstacle being now put out of the way, and Amphialus, from the wounds received in his combat with Musidorus, being incapable of preventing her cruel designs, Cecropia now gives vent to the unrestrained malice of her nature, and exercises on the two unfortunate princesses every degree of torment to induce them to comply with her desires. After resorting to bodily torture in vain, she nexts put in practice an expedient, which none but an imagination so abominable as her own could