French fiction -- Translations into English; Italian fiction -- Translations into English
duety and honor of his state, which the house wherof he came,
commaunded hym to kepe. Thus all the nyght he remained with
Bianca Maria, who made him so wel to like hir good entertaynment
and imbracementes, as he neuer was out of her Company. And the
warie Circes fayned her self so fare in loue wyth hym, and vsed
so many toyes and gametricks of her filthy science, as he not
onelye esteemed hym selfe the happiest Gentleman of Scicilia,
but the most fortunate wight of all the Worlde, and by bibbing
of hir Wyne was so straungely charmed with the Pleasures of his
fayre Mystresse, as for hir sake he would haue taken vpon him
the whole ouerthrowe of Milan, so well as Blose of Cumes to
sette the Cittye of Rome on fire, if Tyberius Gracchus the
sedicious, woulde haue giuen it him in charge. Sutch is the
manner of wilde and foolish youth, whych suffreth it selfe to be
caried beyonde the boundes of reason. The same in time past did
ouerthrow many Realmes, and caused the chaunge of diuers
Monarchies: and truely vnseemely it is for a man to be subdued
to the will of a common strumpet. And as it is vncomly to submit
him selfe to sutch one, so not requisite to an honest and
vertuous Dame, his maried Wyfe. Which vnmanly deedes, be
occasions that diuers Foolishe Women commit sutch filthy factes,
with their inspekable trumperies begiling the simple man, and
perchance through to mutch losing the Bridle raynes to the
lawfull Wyfe, the poore man is strangely deceyued by some
adulterous varlet, whych at the Wyue’s commaundment, when she
seeth oportunity, wil not shrinke to hazarde the honour of them
both, in sutch wise as they serue for an example vppon a common
Scaffold to a whole generation and Posterity. I wyll not seeke
farre of for examples, being satisfied with the folly of the
Bastard Cardonne, to please the cruelty and malice of that
infernall fury the Countesse, who hauinge lulled, flattered,
and bewitched with hir louetricks (and peraduenture with some
charmed drinke) her new Pigeon, seeinge it time to solicite his
promise, to be reuenged of those, whych thought no more of hir
conspiracies and trayterous deuises, and also when the time was
come for punishinge of hir whoredome, and chastising of the
breach of fayth made to hir husbande, and of hir intended
murders, and some of them put in execution, she I say, desirous
to see the ende of that, which in thought she had contryued,
vppon a day tooke Dom Pietro aside, and secretly began this
Oration: “I take God to witnes (sir) that the request which I
pretend presently to make, proceedeth of desire rather that the
Worlde may know how iustly I seeke meanes to mayntayne myne
honour, than for desire of reuenge, knowinge very well, that
there is nothing so precious, and deere vnto a woman, as the
preseruation of that inestimable Iewell, specially in a Lady of
that honourable degre whych I mayntayne amonge the best. And to
the intent I seeme not tedious with prolixity of words, or vse
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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