wherein is continued the history of sinforosa's love.

the enamoured sinforosa listened attentively to the prudent counsels of auristella; but without replying to them, she returned to take up again the thread of their past discourse, saying, "you shall see, my friend, to what extremities this love for your brother has brought me; it made me send a captain, one of my father's guard, in search of him; and to bring him back to my presence, either by force or by his own good will. the vessel in which he embarked is the same in which you arrived hither, for his body was found among the dead."

"very probably," answered auristella, "for i heard from his lips a great part of what you have told me; insomuch, that i had already a notion, although somewhat confused, of your feelings towards him; which, if it be possible, i wish you to calm and compose, till you are able to discover them to my brother, or till i can undertake to find a remedy for you, which shall be as soon as you have told me what is the result of your interview. you cannot fail in finding an opportunity shortly." sinforosa renewed her thanks to auristella, and she in return anew expressed her sympathy.

meantime, whilst this was passing between the princess and auristella, arnoldo was in the company of clodio, who was dying to disturb or destroy, if possible, the tender sentiments he entertained for auristella, and finding him alone (if a man can be said to be alone whose soul is continually occupied with one image) said to him, "i told you, my lord, the other day, how little dependance was to be placed on the volatile nature of woman; and after all auristella is a woman, though to you she seems an angel. and periander is a man, although he is her brother. now, i am far from wishing to excite evil suspicions in your breast, but merely to create a little prudent caution, and if you think what i suggest is reasonable, i wish you sometimes to consider who you are, the loneliness of your father; how much your presence is wanted by your vassals; the chance that may happen of even losing your kingdom, which is as a vessel deserted by its pilot! i would have you observe that princes are usually obliged to marry, not merely for beauty, but for high birth; not for riches so much as for virtue and noble qualities, that they may give good successors to the kingdom. it lessens the respect which a people owe to the sovereign, if they see him demean himself in an alliance; and it is not enough to say that a king stands so high and is so great himself, that it matters nothing if the wife he selects be of low degree. therefore, my noble lord, either return to your kingdom, or look well and with caution that you are not deceived; and pardon this boldness in me, for although i have the character of being an evil-speaker and a backbiter, i do not wish to be thought bad intentioned; with you i would fain find a shelter, and beneath the shield of your valour i would spend my life, fearing no more the storms of fate, for already a better star seems dawning to amend my character and life, hitherto so depraved."

"i thank you, clodio," replied arnoldo, "for your good advice, but i cannot profit by it or accept it. auristella is virtuous; periander is her brother; and i cannot doubt this, because she has herself said so; and for me, her word is truth. i adore her; there is no denying that the infinite measure of her beauty raises her so far above my desires, that i exist only in her, and for her alone has been, is, and will be, life desirable. therefore, o clodio, counsel me no more; for your words are only scattered to the winds, and my conduct will prove how useless is all your advice."

clodio shrugged his shoulders, hung his head, and left the prince's presence, resolved to attempt no more to be his adviser; because, to be so, requires three qualities, the first is authority, the second prudence, and the third is to be acceptable, and the counsel desired. these amorous struggles and distresses were busy in the palace of king polycarp and the bosoms of the lovers. auristella jealous; sinforosa, love-lorn; periander, uneasy; arnoldo, pertinacious; and maurice busy arranging plans for returning to his own country, sorely against transila's inclination, who had no wish to go back to a place of which the customs and manners were so rude and barbarous; her husband, ladislaus, neither dared nor desired to contradict her. the elder antonio was dying to see himself, his wife and children in spain; and rutilio sighed after italy, his native land. each had wishes, yet was not a single one of them accomplished; this is the lot of humanity, which though god created it perfect, was by our sin made imperfect; and this imperfection we must endure until we cease to wish for anything.

it happened, then, that sinforosa almost purposely gave periander an opportunity of being alone with auristella, wishing to afford her a means of opening the subject of her case, the sentence of which would be to her that of life or death. the first words auristella said, were, "this, our pilgrimage, my lord and brother, so full of sufferings and surprises, threatening so many dangers, daily and hourly, leaves me in fear of death; and i wish we could form some plan to make life more secure, by remaining quiet in some place; nowhere shall we find one better than this where we are now, for here are riches offered you abundantly, not only promises but in reality. and, moreover, a nobly born and most beautiful wife, worthy of being wooed instead of herself wooing you, offers her hand to your acceptance."

whilst auristella thus spoke, periander regarded her so attentively that he never moved his eye-lashes; he followed her rapid discourse to discover whither her reasoning was going to lead to; but soon going on, she relieved him from his confusion, saying, "my brother! for by this name i must call you, let your condition be what it may, i say that sinforosa adores you, and wishes to marry you. i say, that she has immense riches and immense beauty; i say, immense, for it is such that it can hardly be exaggerated; and as far as i have seen, she is well-conditioned, of quick intellect, and of manners discreet and modest. according to present appearances, such an alliance would not come amiss to you; we are far away from our native country; you, persecuted by your brother, and i, by my hard fate. as to our journey to rome, the more we try to accomplish it, the more do difficulties increase; my intentions are unchanged, but i tremble, and i do not wish death to surprise me amidst terror and danger; therefore i think of ending my life in a religious house, and i wish you to finish yours in prosperity."

here auristella ceased speaking, and began to shed such floods of tears, that they contradicted and blotted out all she had said. she drew her arms modestly out of the coverlet, and turned her head to the opposite side from that where periander was; who seeing things at such an extremity, and having heard her last words, remained without power to speak or move; the sight left his eyes, his breath failed, and he sunk upon his knees on the floor, his head resting upon the bed. auristella turned hers, and seeing that he had fainted, she put her hand upon his face, and bathed his cheeks with her tears, which fell drop by drop without his being conscious of it.