"You must not show a faint heart, master," replied Sosthenes; "you should go in at once and plead your suit; she loves this worthless fellow, it is true; but only because she has received addresses from no one else; you have but to insinuate yourself into her good graces, and your superior personal appearance will speedily gain the day and banish him from her heart. A new lover soon drives out the old. Women love the individual while present and remember him when absent until another is found to take, his place; then he is soon blotted from their recollection." Thersander now felt emboldened, for one readily believes words which flatter with a prospect of success; and desire, by dwelling upon its object, is sure to beget sanguine hope. After waiting a short time therefore, that he might not seem to have overheard her works, he put on what he hoped would appear an engaging air, and entered the cottage.
The sight of Leucippe inflamed his mind; she appeared more charming then ever, and her presence acted as fuel to the fire of love which had been burning in his breast all night. He with difficulty restrained himself from at once folding her in his arms, and sitting down beside her, began to talk of various unconnected trifles, as lovers are wont to do when in the company of their mistresses. At such times the soul is centred upon the object of its love, reason no longer guides their speech, and the tongue mechanically utters words.[15] In the course of his address, he put his arm round her neck with the view of kissing her, and she aware of his intention hung down her head upon her bosom; he used all his endeavours to raise her face, and she with equal perseverance continued to conceal it the more and more; when this mutual struggle had continued for some time, Thersander, under the influence of amorous obstinacy, slipped his left hand under her chin, and seizing her hair with his right, compelled her to raise her head. When at length, he gave over, either from succeeding in his object, or failing, or from being weary of the sport, Leucippe said to him indignantly, "Your conduct is unfitting and ungentlemanly, though fit enough for the slave Sosthenes; the master and his man are worthy of each other; but spare yourself any farther trouble, you will never succeed unless you become a second Clitopho."
Distracted between anger and desire, Thersander was at a loss what to do. These passions are like two fires in the soul; they differ in nature, but resemble each other in intensity; the former urges to hatred, the latter to love; the sources also of their respective flames are near to one another, anger having its seat in the heart,[16] the liver being the abode of love.[17] When, therefore, a person is attacked by these two passions, his soul becomes the scales in which the intensity of either flame is weighed. Each tries to depress its respective scale, and love, when it obtains its object is generally successful; but should it be slighted, then it summons its neighbour, anger, to its aid, and both of them combine their flame. When once anger has gained the mastery, and has driven love from its seat, being implacable by nature, instead of assisting it to gain its end, it rules like a tyrant, and will not allow it (however anxious) to become reconciled with its beloved. Pressed down by the weight of anger, love is no longer free, and vainly endeavours to recover its dominion, and so is compelled to hate what once it doated upon. But, again, when the tempest of anger has reached its height, and its fury has frothed away, it becomes weary from satiety, and its efforts cease; then love, armed by desire, revives, comes to the rescue, and attacks anger sleeping on his post; and calling to mind the injuries done to the beloved during its frenzy, it grieves and sues for pardon, and invites to reconciliation, and promises to make amends in future. If after this it meets with full success, then it continues to be all smiles and gentleness; but if again repulsed and scorned, then its old neighbour, anger, is once more called in, who revives his slumbering fires, and regains his former power. Thersander, so long as he was buoyed up with hopes of succeeding in his suit, had been Leucippe's humble servant; but when he found all his expectations dashed to the ground, love gave way to wrath, and he smote her upon the face. "Wretched slave!" he exclaimed, "I have heard your love-sick lamentations, and know all; instead of taking it as a compliment that I should speak to you, and regarding a kiss from your master as an honour, you must, forsooth, coquet and give yourself airs;[18] for my part, I believe you to be a strumpet, for an adulterer is your love! However, since you refuse to accept me as a lover, you shall feel my power as a master."
Leucippe meekly replied, "Use me as harshly as you please; I will submit to everything except the loss of chastity," and turning to Sosthenes, "you can bear witness to my powers of endurance; for I have received at your hands harder measure even than this!" Ashamed at having his conduct brought to light, "This wench," said he, "deserves to be flayed with the scourge and to be put upon the rack, in order to teach her better manners towards her master."
"By all means follow his advice!" resumed Leucippe to Thersander, "he gives good counsel; do the worst which your malice can suggest;—extend my hands upon the wheel;[19] bare my back to the scourge; burn my body in the fire;[20] smite off my head with the sword; it will be a novel sight to see one weak woman contend against all your tortures, victorious against all! You brand Clitopho as an adulterer, and yet you yourself would commit adultery! Have you no reverence for your tutelary goddess Diana?[21] Would you ravish a virgin in the very city sacred to a virgin? Ο goddess, why do not thy shafts avenge the insult?" "You a virgin forsooth!" replied Thersander, contemptuously; "you who passed whole days and nights among the pirates! Prythee were they eunuchs, or given only to platonic love, or were they blind?"—"Ask Sosthenes," said she, "whether or not I preserved my chastity against his attempts; none of the freebooters behaved to me so brutally as you have done; it is you who deserve the name of pirate, since you feel no shame in perpetrating deeds which they abstained from[22] doing. You little think how your unblushing cruelty will redound hereafter to my praise; you may kill me in your fury, and my encomium will be this: 'Leucippe preserved her chastity despite of buccaneers, despite of Chæreas, despite of Sosthenes, and crown of all (for this would be but trifling commendation), she remained chaste despite even of Thersander, more lascivious than the most lustful pirate; and he who could not despoil her of her honour, robbed her of her life.' Again, therefore, I say, bring into action all your engines and implements of torture, and employ the aid of Sosthenes, your right trusty counsellor. I stand before you a feeble woman, naked and alone, having but one weapon of defence, my free spirit,[23] which is proof against sword and fire and scourge. Burn me, if you will; you shall find that there be things over which even the fire is powerless!"
[1] The allusion is to Achilles disguised in female attire among the daughters of Lycomedes. See Statius, "Achilleis."
"And now being femininely all array'd.
With some small aid from scissors, paint, and tweezers,
He looked in almost all respects a maid."—Byron.
See Herod. iv. 146, where the Minyeans escape from confinement by a similar device of their wives.
[2] τὴν ἔλαφον ἀντὶ παρθένου, a proverb alluding to Diana substituting a stag in the place of Iphigenia when on the point of being sacrificed at Aulis—