The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1627]
throughout all the kingdome, appointing iustes and turneyes for the honour of their young Prince: whether resorted not onely his Nobles, but also divers kings and princes which were his neighbours, willing to showe their friendship they ought to Pandosto, and to win fame and glory by their prowesse and valour. Pandosto, whose minde was fraught with princely liberalitie, entertayned the kings, princes, and noblemen with such submisse curtesie and magnificall bounty, that they all saw how willing he was to gratifie their good willes, making a generall feast for his subiects which continued by the space of xx. dayes: all which time the iustes and turnies were kept to the great content both of the Lordes and Ladies there present. This solemne tryumph boing once ended, the assembly taking their leave of Pandosto and Bellaria: the young sonne (who was called Garinter) was nursed vp in the house to the great ioy and content of the parents. Fortune enuious of such happy successe, willing to showe some signe of her inconstancy, turned her wheele, and darkned their bright sunne of prosperity, with the misty cloudes of mishap and misery. For it so happened that Egistus King of Sycilia, who in his youth had bin brought vp with Pandosto, desirous to shew that neither tracte of time, nor distance of place could diminish their former friendship, prouided a nauy of ships, and sailed into Bohemia to visite his old friend and companion, who hearing of his arriuall, went himselfe in person, and his wife Bellaria, accompanied with a great traine of lords and ladies, to meet Egistus: and espying him, alighted from his horse, embraced him very louingly, protesting, that nothing in the world could haue hapned more acceptable to him then his comming, wishing his wife to welcome his olde friend and acquaintance, who (to showe how she liked him whom her husband loued) intertayned him with such familiar curtesie, as Egistus perceiued himselfe to bee very well welcome. After they had thus saluted and embraced ech other, they mounted againe on horse backe and rode toward the Citie, deuising and recounting, how being children they had passed their youth in friendely pastimes: where, by the meanes of the Citizens, Egistus was receiued with triumphs and shewes in such sort, that he maruelled how on so small a warning they coulde make such preparation. Passing the streetes thus with such rare sights, they rode on to the Pallace, where Pandosto entertained Egistus and his Sycilians with such banqueting and sumptuous cheare, so royally, as they all had cause to commend his Princely liberalitie, yea, the verie basest slave that was knowen to come from Sycilia was vsed with such curtesie, that Egistus might easily perceiue how both hee and his were honored for his friendes sake. Bellaria (who in her time was the flower of curtesie), willing to shew how vnfainedly shee loued her husband by his friends intertainement, vsed him likewise so familiarly, that her countenance bewrayed how her mind was affected towards him: oftentimes comming her selfe into his bed chamber, to see that nothing shuld be amisse to mislike him. This honest familiaritie increased daily more and more betwixt them: for Bellaria noting in Egistus a Princely and bountifull minde adorned with sundry and excellent qualities, and Egistus finding in her a vertuous and curteous disposition, there grew such a secret vniting of their affections, that the one could not well be without the company of th'other: in so much that when Pandosto was busied with such vrgent affairs, that hee could not bee present with his friend Egistus, Bellaria would walke with him into the garden, where they two in priuat and pleasant deuises would passe away the time to both their contents. This custome still continuing betwixt them, a certaine melancholy passion entring the minde of Pandosto, drave him into sundry and doubtfull thoughts. First, he called to mind the beauty of his wife Bellaria, the comelines and brauerie of his friend Egistus, thinking that loue was above all lawes, and therefore to be stayed with no