University of Virginia Library

Vpon a day, as they were closely seated;
Her eares attending, whil'st his lips repeated
A story, treating the renown'd aduentures
And famous acts of great Alcides; enters,
A Messenger, whose countenance did bewray
A hast too serious, to admit delay;
His hand presents him letters, which did bring
Their sealed errand from th'Arcadian King;
Whereat Parthenia rose, and stept aside;
Her thoughts were troubled, euer as she eyed
The Messenger, her colour comes and goes;
Parthenia feares; and yet Parthenia knowes
Not what to feare; Her iealous heart knowes how
To feare an Euill, because it feares to know;
And as he read the lines her eye was fixt
Vpon his eye, which seem'd to striue betwixt
A thousand thwarting passions: Once he cast
His eye on hers; and finding hers so fast
On his, he blusht; she blusht; both blusht together,
Because they blusht for what, vnknowne to either.
The letter being read (and hauing kist
Basilius name) he speedily dismist
The messenger; with promise to obey
Basilius iust commands, without delay.
That done; he tooke Pathenia by the hand,
His deare Parthenia, by the trembling hand;
And to her greedy eye he straight presents
The Paper, ballac'd with it's sad contents:
Parthenia, with a fearefull slownesse tooke it;
And with a fearefull hast did ouerlooke it:
Her face being blanched with the pallide signes
Of what she fear'd too soone, she read these lines.