The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Israel Gollancz William Shakespeare [1639]
Dorastus who from his infancie, delighted rather to dye with Mars in the field, then to dally with Venus in the chamber: fearing to displease his father, and yet not willing to be wed, made him this reuerent answere.
Sir, there is no greater bond than duetie, nor no straiter law then nature: disobedience in youth is often galled with despight in age. The commaund of the father ought to be a constraint to the child: so parents willes are lawes, so they passe not all lawes: may it please your grace therefore to appoint whome I shall loue, rather then by deniall I should be appeached of disobedience: I rest content to loue, though it bee the onely thing I hate.
Egistus hearing his sonne to flye so farre from the marke, began to be somewhat chollericke, and therefore made him his hasty aunswere.
What Dorastus canst thou not loue? Commeth this cynicall passion of prone desires, or peeuish frowardnesse. What dost thou think thy selfe too good for all, or none good inough for thee. I tell thee: Dorastus, there is nothing sweeter then youth, nor swifter decreasing, while it is increasing. Time past with folly may be repented, but not recalled. If thou marry in age, thy wiues fresh couloures will breede in thee dead thoughts and suspition, and thy white hayres her lothesomnesse and sorrow. For Venus affections are not fed with kingdomes, or treasures, but with youthfull conceits and sweete amours. Vulcan was allotted to shake the tree, but Mars allowed to reape the fruite. Yeeld Dorastus to thy fathers perswasions, which may preuent thy perils. I haue chosen thee a wife, faire by nature, royall by birth, by vertues famous, learned by education, and ritch by possessions, so that it is hard to iudge whether her bountie, or fortune, her beauty, or vertue, be of greater force: I mean, Dorastus, Euphrania daughter and heire to the King of Denmarke.
Egistus pausing here a while, looking when his sonne should make him answere, and seeing that he stood still as one in a traunce, he shooke him vp thus sharply.
Well Dorastus take heede, the tree Alpya wasteth not with fire, but withereth with the dew: that which loue nourisheth not, perisheth with hate: if thou like Euphrania thou breedest my content, and in louing her thou shalt my loue, otherwise: and with that hee flung from his sonne in a rage, leauing him a sorrowfull man, in that he had by deniall displeased his father, and halfe angrie with himselfe that he could not yeelde to that passion, whereto both reason and his Father perswaded him: but see how fortune is plumed with times feathers, and how shee can minister straunge causes to breede strange effects.
It happened not long after this, that there was a meeting of all the Farmers daughters in Sycilia, whither Fawnia was also bidden as the Mistresse of the feast, who hauing attired herselfe in her best garments, went among the rest of her companions to the merrie meeting: there spending the day in such homely pastimes as shepheards vse. As the euening grew on, and their sports ceased, each taking their leaue at other, Fawnia desiring one of her companions to beare her companie, went home by the flocke, to see if they were well folded, and as they returned, it fortuned that Dorastus (who all that day had bene hawking, and kild store of game) incountred by the way these two mayds, and casting his eye suddenly on Fawnia, he was halfe afrayd, fearing that with Acteon he had seene Diana: for hee thought such exquisite perfection could