Then the old woman enquired the causes of her new and sudden
lamentation. To whom sighing in pittifull sort she answered, Alas now I
am utterly undone, now am I out of all hope, O give me a knife to kill
me, or a halter to hang me. Whereat the old [woman] was more angry, and
severely commanded her to tell her the cause of her sorrow, and why
after her sleep, she should renew her dolour and miserable weeping.
What, thinke you (quoth she) to deprive our young men of the price of
your ransome? No, no therefore cease your crying, for the Theeves doe
little esteeme your howling, and if you do not, I will surely burn you
alive. Hereat the maiden was greatly feared, and kissed her hand and
said, O mother take pitty upon me and my wretched fortune, and give me
license a while to speake, for I think I shall not long live, let there
be mercy ripe and franke in thy venerable hoare head, and hear the sum
of my calamity.
There was a comely young man, who for his bounty and grace was beloved
entirely of all the towne, my cousine Germane, and but three years
older than I; we two were nourished and brought up in one house, lay
under one roofe, and in one chamber, and at length by promise of
marriage, and by consent of our parents we were contracted together.
The marriage day was come, the house was garnished with lawrel, and
torches were set in every place in the honour of Hymeneus, my espouse
was accompanied by his parents, kinsfolke, and friends, and made
sacrifices in the temples and publique places. And when my unhappy
mother pampered me in her lap, and decked me like a bride, kissing me
sweetly, and making me a parent for Children, behold there came in a
great multitude of theeves armed like men of warre, with naked swords
in their hands, who went not about to doe any harme, neither to take
any thing away, but brake into the chamber where I was, and violently
tooke me out of my mothers armes, when none of our family would resist
for feare.
In this sort was our marriage disturbed, like the marriage of Hyppodame
and Perithous. But behold my good mother, now my unhappy fortune is
renewed and encreased: For I dreamed in my sleepe, that I was pulled
out of our house, out of our chamber, and out of my bed, and that I
removed about in solitary and unknowne places, calling upon the name of
my unfortunate husband, and how that he, as soone as he perceived that
he was taken away, even smelling with perfumes and crowned with
garlands, did trace me by the steppes, desiring the aid of the people
to assist him, in that his wife was violently stollen away, and as he
went crying up and down, one of the theeves mooved with indignation, by
reason of his pursuit, took up a stone that lay at his feet, and threw
it at my husband and killed him. By the terror of which sight, and the
feare of so dreadfull a dreame, I awaked.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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