Part II

Wearied, not satisfied, with much delight,Now here, now there, I turn'd my greedy sight,And many things I view'd: to write were long,The time is short, great store of passions throngWithin my breast; when lo, a lovely pair,Join'd hand in hand, who kindly talking were,Drew my attention that way: their attireAnd foreign language quicken'd my desireOf further knowledge, which I soon might gain.My kind interpreter did all explain.When both I knew, I boldly then drew near;He loved our country, though she made it fear."O Masinissa! I adjure thee byGreat Scipio, and her who from thine eyeDrew manly tears," said I; "let it not beA trouble, what I must demand of thee."He look'd, and said: "I first desire to knowYour name and quality; for well you showY' have heard the combat in my wounded soul,When Love did Friendship, Friendship Love control.""I am not worth your knowledge, my poor flameGives little light," said I: "your royal fameSets hearts on fire, that never see your face:But, pray you, say; are you two led in peaceBy him?"--(I show'd their guide)--"Your historyDeserves record: it seemeth strange to me,That faith and cruelty should come so near."He said: "Thine own expressions witness bear,Thou know'st enough, yet I will all relateTo thee; 't will somewhat ease my heavy state.On that brave man my heart was fix'd so much,That Laelius' love to him could be but such;Where'er his colours marched, I was nigh,And Fortune did attend with victory:Yet still his merit call'd for more than sheCould give, or any else deserve but he.When to the West the Roman eagles cameMyself was also there, and caught a flame,A purer never burnt in lover's breast:But such a joy could not be long possess'd!Our nuptial knot, alas! he soon untied,Who had more power than all the world beside.He cared not for our sighs; and though 't be trueThat he divided us, his worth I knew:He must be blind that cannot see the sun,But by strict justice Love is quite undone:Counsel from such a friend gave such a strokeTo love, it almost split, as on a rock:For as my father I his wrath did fear,And as a son he in my love was dear;Brothers in age we were, him I obey'd,But with a troubled soul and look dismay'd:Thus my dear half had an untimely death,She prized her freedom far above her breath;And I th' unhappy instrument was made;Such force th' intreaty and intreater had!I rather chose myself than him t' offend,And sent the poison brought her to her end:With what sad thoughts I know, and she'll confessAnd you, if you have sense of love, may guess;No heir she left me, but my tedious moan;And though in her my hopes and joys were gone,She was of lower value than my faith!But now farewell, and try if this troop hathAnother wonder; for the time is lessThan is the task." I pitied their distress,Whose short joy ended in so sharp a woe:My soft heart melted. As they onward go,"This youth for his part, I perhaps could love,"She said; "but nothing can my mind removeFrom hatred of the nation." He replied,"Good Sophonisba, you may leave this pride;Your city hath by us been three times beat,The last of which, you know, we laid it flat.""Pray use these words t' another, not to me,"Said she; "if Africk mourned, ItalyNeeds not rejoice; search your records, and thereSee what you gained by the Punic war."He that was friend to both, without replyA little smiling, vanish'd from mine eyeAmongst the crowd. As one in doubtful wayAt every step looks round, and fears to stray(Care stops his journey), so the varied storeOf lovers stay'd me, to examine more,And try what kind of fire burnt every breast:When on my left hand strayed from the restWas one, whose look express'd a ready mindIn seeking what he joy'd, yet shamed to find;He freely gave away his dearest wife(A new-found way to save a lover's life);She, though she joy'd, yet blushed at the change.As they recounted their affections strange,And for their Syria mourn'd; I took the wayOf these three ghosts, who seem'd their course to stayAnd take another path: the first I heldAnd bid him turn; he started, and beheldMe with a troubled look, hearing my tongueWas Roman, such a pause he made as sprungFrom some deep thought; then spake as if inspired,For to my wish, he told what I desiredTo know: "Seleucus is," said he, "my name,This is Antiochus my son, whose fameHath reach'd your ear; he warred much with Rome,But reason oft by power is overcome.This woman, once my wife, doth now belongTo him; I gave her, and it was no wrongIn our religion; it stay'd his death,Threaten'd by Love; Stratonica she hathTo name: so now we may enjoy one state,And our fast friendship shall outlast all date.She from her height was willing to descend;I quit my joy; he rather chose his endThan our offence; and in his prime had died,Had not the wise Physician been our guide;Silence in love o'ercame his vital part;His love was force, his silence virtuous art.A father's tender care made me agreeTo this strange change." This said, he turn'd from me,As changing his design, with such a pace,Ere I could take my leave, he had quit the placeAfter the ghost was carried from mine eye,Amazedly I walk'd; nor could untieMy mind from his sad story; till my friendAdmonish'd me, and said, "You must not lendAttention thus to everything you meet;You know the number's great, and time is fleet."More naked prisoners this triumph hadThan Xerxes soldiers in his army led:And stretched further than my sight could reach;Of several countries, and of differing speech.One of a thousand were not known to me,Yet might those few make a large history.Perseus was one; and well you know the wayHow he was catched by Andromeda:She was a lovely brownet, black her hairAnd eyes. Narcissus, too, the foolish fair,Who for his own love did himself destroy;He had so much, he nothing could enjoy.And she, who for his loss, deep sorrow's slave.Changed to a voice, dwells in a hollow cave.Iphis was there, who hasted his own fate,He loved another, but himself did hate;And many more condemn'd like woes to prove,Whose life was made a curse by hapless love.Some modern lovers in my mind remain,But those to reckon here were needless pain:The two, whose constant loves for ever last,On whom the winds wait while they build their nest;For halcyon days poor labouring sailors please.And in rough winter calm the boisterous seas.Far off the thoughtful AEsacus, in questOf his Hesperia, finds a rocky rest,Then diveth in the floods, then mounts i' th' air;And she who stole old Nisus' purple hairHis cruel daughter, I observed to fly:Swift Atalanta ran for victory,But three gold apples, and a lovely face,Slack'd her quick paces, till she lost the race;She brought Hippomanes along, and joy'dThat he, as others, had not been destroyed,But of the victory could singly boast.I saw amidst the vain and fabulous host,Fair Galatea lean'd on Acis' breast;Rude Polyphemus' noise disturbs their rest.Glaucus alone swims through the dangerous seas,And missing her who should his fancy please,Curseth the cruel's Love transform'd her shape.Canens laments that Picus could not 'scapeThe dire enchantress; he in ItalyWas once a king, now a pied bird; for sheWho made him such, changed not his clothes nor name,His princely habit still appears the same.Egeria, while she wept, became a well:Scylla (a horrid rock by Circe's spell)Hath made infamous the Sicilian strand.Next, she who holdeth in her trembling handA guilty knife, her right hand writ her name.Pygmalion next, with his live mistress came.Sweet Aganippe, and Castalia haveA thousand more; all there sung by the braveAnd deathless poets, on their fair banks placed;Cydippe by an apple fool'd at last.