of the kind reception they met with in the isle of hermits.
"if it be true, as i think it is, that we find a pleasure in listening to the storm without, when we are comfortably sheltered at home; and in recalling the perils of the past battle in times of peace; or in health, remembering our late weakness; then is it sweet to me to tell of all my wanderings and troubles in this calm and peaceful place of rest, where, although i may not as yet consider that i am quite free from care, i may say i am enjoying repose for the present: and happy in feeling this, i will now return to tell you about the ship wherein i was left with our conquered enemies, and where i learnt, as i have already told you, the particulars of how my sister and clelia, and the two fishermen's brides, had been sold to the prince arnoldo here present.
"whilst my people were busily investigating and weighing the provisions that were in the icebound vessel, i perceived that on the side nearest the land, a body of armed men, about perhaps four thousand in number, was approaching; a sight such as this left us even more frozen than that icy sea. we prepared our arms, but more that we might stand up like men, than with any thought of defending ourselves. they moved along the ice only on one foot, giving with the right a touch against the left heel, and thereby impelling their bodies, and sliding with the other over the sea for a long space, and then immediately renewing the blow again, made another slide for a great distance, in which manner of travelling they were with us speedily, and soon surrounded us on every side. one of the party who was, as i afterwards learnt, the commander of the party, came near enough to the ship to make himself heard by us, and announced that they came with peaceable intentions, by displaying a white flag, which he carried on his arm: he spoke in a loud voice in the polish tongue, and said, 'cratilius, king of lithuania, and lord of these seas, has a custom, which is to dispatch armed men to all those ships that are detained in the ice, and to take from them the persons and merchandise that they contain, repaying himself for the kindness by taking the latter for his own; if you choose to accept this arrangement without resistance, you shall enjoy both your liberty and your lives, for we have no wish to take you prisoners.'
"the brevity and determination of his manner pleased me. i replied, 'that i must take counsel with my people,' and my fishermen said, 'that of all evils the worst and the last was to lose one's life, which we must preserve by all the means we could devise, unless it were by infamy, and that, as in the terms now offered, there was none, and that on the other hand, we were certain of losing our lives, as to defend them was more than doubtful; it would be best to submit to the misfortune that pursued us, since we might thus be preserved for a happier fate at some future time.' i returned pretty nearly all this answer to the commander of the squadron, and in an instant they assailed the ship, in a way that had certainly more the appearance of war than peace. she was completely gutted in a very short time, and all that she had contained, even to the guns and rigging, was transferred to some ox-hides, which they spread upon the ice, and then tying them securely together, they drew them along by means of ropes, without losing a single article; in a similar manner they plundered our own ship, and then, placing us upon some other hides, they set up a loud shout of rejoicing, and drew us all along with them to land, which might be perhaps about twenty miles distant. to me it did appear truly wonderful, and a sight to see so many people travelling over the surface of the water, without any trouble, and without any miracle.
"that evening we reached the shore, where we remained until the following morning, when we found it thronged with a multitude of persons, who were come to look at the prize of the frozen and petrified ships. among them, mounted upon a beautiful horse, was the king cratilius: we easily recognized him to be so by the insignia of royalty that adorned him; by his side, also mounted on horseback, was a very handsome woman, arrayed in white armour, which was nearly covered by a large black veil. she attracted my attention by her appearance, as also did the noble and gallant bearing of the king, and looking at her attentively, i knew her to be the beautiful sulpicia, who had so lately been restored to the liberty she now enjoyed by the courtesy of my companions. the king came up to us to look at the persons who had been brought from the ships, and the captain taking me by the hand, brought me forward, and said, 'in this young man alone, o noble king, i present to you what appears to me the richest prize that human eyes have ever seen.'
"'merciful heaven!' here exclaimed the fair sulpicia, springing from her horse to the ground, 'either i cannot see aright, or this is my deliverer periander!' and so saying, she threw her arms round my neck, and closely embraced me, at which extraordinary demonstrations of affection, cratilius thought himself obliged to dismount also, and to greet me with the same tokens of pleasure. until now all hope of anything like good fortune had been lost by my poor companions; but at the sight of all this joyful reception which they now witnessed, they took courage; joy beamed from their eyes, and from their lips came words of gratitude to god for this unexpected happiness.
"then sulpicia said to cratilius, 'in this youth, sire, you see one in whom an excess of courtesy and generosity dwells supreme, and although i have learned this by my own experience, i wish you to believe it to be true by the very nobleness of his appearance. (in this you will perceive she only spoke like a very grateful person, and deceived herself.) it was he who did not despise, but would not take my treasures. he received my gifts to return them to me with a kindness that made them doubly valuable: if he could he would have given me more. it was he who knew how to dispose his people's minds, so that his will was theirs. he bestowed twelve of them upon me, who are even now accompanying me, and i have them here before thee.' you will easily believe that my cheeks burned with blushes at these praises, so extravagant and unmerited. i could do no more than bend my knee before the king, asking leave to kiss his hand; he gave it, but not for that purpose, only to raise me from the ground.
"meanwhile the twelve fishermen who had gone to guard sulpicia, went amongst the crowd to seek for their former companions, embracing one another, and joyfully recounting each their tale of bad and good fortune; the sea party exaggerating their frost, the land party their riches. one said, 'the lady sulpicia has given me this chain of gold;' another, 'and i have got a jewel, worth two of your chains.' 'she has given me heaps of money,' cried a third; whilst another declared that he had a diamond ring which was of more value than all the rest put together: but all these discourses were stopped by a noise that was heard in the crowd, which was caused by a very magnificent wild horse, whose bridle was held by two grooms, who could not succeed in taming him; he was jet black, with white spots, which made him singularly beautiful. he was without a saddle, for he would not suffer any one to saddle him but the king; however, this submission lasted only till it was put on, for he placed a thousand impediments in the way of mounting him, which vexed the king greatly, and he would willingly have given a whole city to anybody who could cure him of his vicious habits. all this was told me briefly by the king, and i as quickly made up my mind to do what i am going to tell you."
at this part of periander's story, arnoldo heard a sound on the other side of the rock where they had sheltered themselves, like footsteps approaching; he rose hastily and put his hand on the hilt of his sword, to be prepared for the event. periander was silent; the women were silenced with fear; the men in eager expectation, especially periander, awaited the result, and by the faint light of the moon, which was partly hid by clouds, they saw two dark figures coming towards them, but could not distinguish what these could be, when a clear and pleasing voice said, "let not our unexpected visit alarm you, whoever you may be, we only come to offer you our services; this apartment of yours is but a cold and rude accommodation, and we think we can afford you a somewhat better shelter in our dwelling, which is at the top of this hill; there you will at least have light and fire and food, which, though simple, will refresh you, and be wholesome and good."
"are you then by chance, renato and eusebia?" inquired periander; "that pair of true and faithful lovers of whom fame, with her many tongues, has said so much and praised so highly?"
"if," replied the dark figure, "you had said, the unfortunate lovers, i should have answered that we are those persons; however, we are those of whom you spoke, and offer sincerely all the hospitality our narrow means afford."
arnoldo thought it would be wise to accept their offer, since there was every appearance of rough weather; they all therefore rose, and following renato and eusebia, who acted as their guides, reached the summit of a small mountain, or hill rather, where they saw two hermitages, more suitable for persons who were to pass their lives in poverty than attractive by their elegance or rich adornment.
they entered the first dwelling and the largest, which was lighted with two lamps, by the aid of which they could distinguish what was within; this was, an altar, with three images thereon: one was, the image of the saviour of the world dead and crucified; another was the queen of heaven, and lady of joy, seated sorrowfully at the feet of him who has the whole world under his feet; and the third was of the beloved disciple, who in his sleep saw more than any eyes will ever behold, though they were more numerous than the stars of heaven.
they knelt and said a prayer with profound respect, and then renato led them into an adjoining apartment, to which they entered through a door that was close to the altar. finally, since such simple matters do not need a long history, i will not dwell upon all that passed, nor on the frugal supper which was plentiful only in the ample welcome they received from the hermits, whose poverty was too apparent from the mean and humble clothing they wore: they seemed to be on the verge of old age, yet still there might be seen in eusebia the remains of beauty, which must once have been very great.
auristella, transila, and constance, remained in this apartment, where beds were prepared for them of dry rushes and sweet smelling herbs. the men were accommodated in the hermitage in different places,—some as hard as they were cold, and as cold as they were hard. time passed as it usually does—the night flew by, and the day dawned clear and mild; the sea lay before them so calm and still that it seemed as if inviting them to return and enjoy it by embarking once more, and this they would doubtless have done, if the pilot had not come up to say, it would not do to trust to the signs of fine weather, for though the present promise was fair, he thought it would turn out quite otherwise.
they determined to abide by his opinion, for they well knew that in such matters the simplest mariner is better skilled than the most learned philosopher in the world. the ladies left their herby beds, the men their hard resting-place, and all sallied forth to view from the summit of the hill the smiling prospect that lay around them. the little island was hardly twelve miles in length, but so full of fruit trees, so well watered, so verdant, and so flowery, that in one and the same moment all the five senses might be gratified.
the day was not far advanced when the two venerable hermits came to see their guests, and spreading upon the floor of the hermitage green and dry rushes, they made a carpet, more beautiful, perhaps, than may often be seen in kings' palaces. they placed thereon a great variety of fruits, both fresh and dried, and bread, not very newly-baked, but almost like biscuit. the board was adorned with vases or cups, made of cork, curiously worked, filled with the clearest water; the repast and the pure water, which showed its clearness even in spite of the dark hue of the cork cups, aided by hunger, made them all gladly seat themselves round the table; and as soon as they had finished their short and pleasant meal, arnoldo entreated renato to tell them his history, and what could be the cause of his being brought to such a life of poverty and privation. now, as renato was of noble birth, to which order courtesy ever belongs, he, without waiting to be asked a second time, began to relate the history of his life in these words.
