The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

by Philip Sidney

Upon a root of the tree, that the earth had left something barer than the rest, she wrote this couplet:

Sweet root say thou, the root of my desire

Was virtue clad in constant love’s attire.

Musidorus, seeing her fancies drawn up to such pleasant contemplations, accompanied her in them, and made the trees as well bear badges of his passions, as this song engraved in them did testify:

You goodly pines, which still with brave ascent,

In nature’s pride your heads to heav’nward heave;

Though you besides such graces earth hath lent,

Of some late grace a greater grace receive.

By her who was (O blessed you) content

With her fair hand, your tender barks to cleave,

And so by you (O blessed you) hath sent,

Such piercing words as no thoughts else conceive.

Yet yield your grant, a baser hand may leave

His thoughts in you, where so sweet thoughts were spent,

For how would you the mistress’s thoughts bereave

Of waiting thoughts all to her service meant.

Nay higher thoughts (though thralled thoughts) I call

My thoughts then hers, who first your rind did rent:

Than hers, to whom my thoughts a lonely thrall

Rising from low, are to the highest bent;

Where hers, whom worth makes highest over all

Coming from her, cannot but downward fall.

While Pamela sitting her down under one of them, and making a poesy of the fair undergrowing flowers, filled Musidorus’s ears with the heavenly sound of her music, which before he had never heard, so that it seemed unto him a new assault given to the castle of his heart, already conquered: which to signify, and withal reply to her sweet notes, he sung in a kind of still, but ravishing tune, a few verses: her song was this, and his reply follows.

PAMELA

Like divers flowers, whose divers beauties serve

To deck the earth with his well-coloured weed,

Though each of them, his private form preserve,

Yet joining forms one sight of beauty breed.

Right so my thoughts, whereon my heart I feed:

Right so my inward parts, and outward glass,

Though each possess a divers working kind;

Yet all well knit to one fair end do pass:

That he to whom these sundry gifts I bind,

All what I am, still one, his own, do find.

MUSIDORUS

All what you are still one, his own to find,

You that are born to be the world’s eye;

What were it else but to make each thing blind:

And to the sun with waxen wings to fly.

No, no, such force with my small force to try,

Is not my skill, or reach of mortal mind:

Call me but yours, my title is most high:

Hold me most yours, then my long suit is sign’d.

You none can claim but you yourself aright,

For you do pass yourself, in virtue’s might.

So both are yours: I bound with gaged heart:

You only yours, too far beyond desert.

In this virtuous wantonness, suffering their minds to descend to each tender enjoying their united thoughts, Pamela having tasted of the fruits, and growing extreme sleepy, having been long kept from it with the perplexity of her dangerous attempt, laying her head in his lap, was invited by him to sleep with these softly uttered verses:

Look up, fair lids, the treasure of my heart,

Preserve those beams, this age’s only light:

To her sweet sense, sweet sleep some ease impart,

Her sense too weak to bear her spirit’s might.

And while, O sleep, thou closest up her sight,

Her sight where love did forge his fairest dart,

O harbour all her parts in easeful plight:

Let no strange dream make her fair body start.

But, O dream, if thou wilt not depart

In this rare subject from thy common right:

But wilt thyself in such a seat delight,

Then take my shape, and play a lover’s part:

Kiss her from me, and say unto her sprite,

Till her eyes shine, I live in darkest night.

The sweet Pamela was brought into a sweet sleep with this song, which gave Musidorus opportunity at leisure to behold her excellent beauties. He thought her fair forehead was a field where all his fancies fought, and every hair of her head seemed a strong chain that tied him. Her fairer lids then hiding her fairer eyes, seemed unto him sweet boxes of mother-of-pearl, rich in themselves, but containing in them far richer jewels. Her cheeks with their colour most delicately mixed, would have entertained his eyes some while, but that the roses of her lips, whose separating was wont to be accompanied with most wise speeches, now by force drew his sight to mark how prettily they lay one over the other, uniting their divided beauties: and through them the eye of his fancy delivered to his memory the lying, as in ambush, under her lips of those armed ranks, all armed in most pure white, and keeping the most precise order of military discipline. And lest this beauty might seem the picture of some excellent artificer, forth there stole a soft breath, carrying good testimony of her inward sweetness: and so stealing it came out, as it seemed loath to leave his contentful mansion, but that it hoped to be drawn in again to that well-closed paradise, which did so tyrannize over Musidorus’s effects, that he was compelled to put his face as low to hers, as he could, sucking the breath with such joy that he did determine in himself there had been no life to a Chameleon’s if he might be suffered to enjoy that food. But long he was not suffered, being within a while interrupted by the coming of a company of clownish villains, armed with divers sorts of weapons, and for the rest both in face and apparel so forewasted that they seemed to bear a great conformity with the savages; who, miserably in themselves, taught to increase their mischiefs in other bodies’ harms, came with such cries that they both awaked Pamela, and made Musidorus turn unto them full of a most violent rage, with the look of a she-tiger when her whelps are stolen away.

But Zelmane, whom I left in the cave hardly bestead, having both great wits and stirring passions to deal with, makes me lend her my pen a while to see with what dexterity she could put by her dangers. For having in one instant both to resist rage, and go beyond wisdom, being to deal with a lady that had her wits awake in everything but in helping her own hurt, she saw now no other remedy in her case, but to qualify her rage with hope, and to satisfy her wit with plainness: Yet lest too abrupt falling into it, should yield too great advantage unto her, she thought good to come to it by degrees with this kind of insinuation. “Your wise, but very dark speeches, most excellent lady, are woven up in so intricate a manner that I know not how to proportion mine answer unto them: so are your prayers mixed with threats, and so is the show of your love hidden with the name of revenge, the natural effect of mortal hatred; you seem displeased with the opinion you have of my disguising, and yet if I be not disguised, you must needs be much more displeased. Hope then, the only succour of perplexed minds, being quite cut off, you desire my affection, and yet you yourself think my affection already bestowed. Your pretend cruelty, before you have the subjection, and are jealous of keeping that which as yet you have not gotten. And that which is strangest in your jealousy, is both the injustice of it, in being loth that should come to your daughter, which you deem good; and the vainness, since you two are so in divers respects, that there is no necessity one of you should fall to be a bar to the other. For neither, if I be such as you fancy, can I marry you, which must needs be the only end I can aspire to in her: neither need the marrying of her keep me from a grateful consideration, how much you honour me in the love you vouchsafe to bear me.” Gynecia, to whom the fearful agonies she still lived in made any small reproval sweet, did quickly find her words falling to a better way of comfort, and therefore, with a mind ready to show nothing could make it rebellious against Zelmane but too extreme tyranny, she thus said: “Alas, too much beloved Zelmane, the thoughts are but overflowings of the mind, and the tongue is but a servant of the thoughts; therefore marvel not that my words suffer contrarieties, since my mind doth hourly suffer in itself whole armies of mortal adversaries. But, alas, if I had the use of mine own reason, then should I not need, for want of it, to find myself in this desperate mischief: but because my reason is vanished, so have I likewise no power to correct my unreasonableness. Do you therefore accept the protection of my mind which hath no other resting place, and drive it not, by being unregarded, to put itself into unknown extremities. I desire but to have my affection answered, and to have a right reflection of my love in you. That granted, assure yourself mine own love will easily teach me to seek your contentment; and make me think my daughter a very mean price to keep still in mine eyes the food of my spirits. But take heed that contempt drive me not into despair, the most violent cause of that miserable effect.”