Les femmes illustres or The heroick harangues of the illustrious women written n French by the exquisite pen of Monsieur de Scuddery governour of Nostre Dam. Translated by James Innes.

ARGUMENT.

AThenais Danghter to Leontine the Philoso∣phor, being preferred to the Empire, by her beautie, and the rare qualities of her Soul, did not long enjoy her good Fortune: The Emperour Theodosius her husband being some what jealous of her, and of one of the principall men of his Court, named Paulinus, put him to death, and deprived her of his favour, In that abandonment, the unfortunate Athenais was skilfully made sensible, that she ought to retire from Court; So that of her self being sufficiently troubled in minde: She asked what she did obtaine and what they would have had her demand, I would say, permission to go and live at Jerusalem. It was then at the instane of her parting, and in her last fair∣wells, that she did speak in these termes, to the Emperour Theodosius.

ATHENAIS TO THEODOSIUS

MY LORD.

BEing readie to quit the Court; And to go confine my self in Palestina; I dare supplicat your Majestie, by the most ve∣nerable name of the Emperour Trajan, of whom you are come; By that of the great Theodosius your grand-Father: By that of the equitable Arcades your Fa∣ther; And by that of the great Constantine, of whom you hold the Scepter, and whose pietie you imitat, to permit me this day, to tell you all that I think, both of my past and present Fortune: That I may at least, have the satisfaction, at my departing from you, to be thought not to have whollie abandoned my innocence. Wo is me! If anie would have said formerlie to the poor Athenais, when her Father Leontine the Philosopher, taught her Vertue that hers should be one day suspected, she could not have thought it. The simplicitie of her education, the little ambition that she had, and the walls of the cottage that she inhabited, seemed to secure her against Calumnie. Innocence reigned in her Soul, She was contented with her Fortune; She sought after nothing but the acquisition of Sciences and Vertue: And the sole desire of learning, and practiseing good, was both

her delight and occupation. But is it not this Athenais whom they accuse: It is the unhappie Eudosia; It is the Wise of a great Emperour; It is a person exposed to the eies of a great Court; It is a person to whom na∣ture hath given some advantages, to whom Fortune hath given the first Crown of the World; And the love of the most venerable Prince of the earth. All these things, invincible Emperour makes my disgrace the more seeminglie true: Great misfortunes are not seen but in the houses of great Princes: Thunder falls oftner upon the statlie Palaces of Kings, then upon Shepherds Cottages: And the Sea makes more Ship wrackes then the Rivers. It is no wonder then, if Eudosia be more unhappie then Athenais, though she be as inno∣cent: And though she be as Vertuous, under the Glorious Tittle that she bears of Emperess of the East, as she was under that Name which her parents gave her. If Fortune, my Lord, had but robbed me of these things over which its domination extends; Had it pulled the Scepter from me which I carrie, after I had received it from your hands; Had it taken the Crown from off my head: Had your Subjects mutined against me, and tumbled me from the Throne as unworthie to have place upon it; I would endure that disgrace without murmuring: Yes my Lord, that blind thing, so much accustomed to favour vice, at the expence of Vertue, that makes no presents but to take them away; That establishes no Kingdomes, but to destroy them; And which overturns all that it does establish; In one word Fortune, shall not put a stand to my patience. I shall without regrate quit the Scepter, the Crown, the Throne, the Court, and the Empire, and all that splen∣did some which accompanies Royalltie, if I could return into my solitude, with your esteem and affecti∣on. These two things, my Lord, if I be not mistaken, should not be under Fortunes Jurisdiction: It may both take day and Empire from you, it may also make you a slave, but it cannot make your unjust. You alone are the arbitrator of your will, your hatred, your esteem and your affection. The noble priviledge, that God hath given to man, of being free among chains, and of being absolute Master of his inclinations, makes ••ou be oblidged, to answer exactlie for yours. Never∣theless.

my Lord, the respect I have to you, makes that I dare not accuse you of these you have to me; Though certainlie, my innocence renders them un∣just: And for that respect I will rather call my self un∣happie then say you are culpable. I accuse Fortune unjustlie of one thing which you alone can answer; It is not from its hand, to speak more trulie then I have done that I hold the Scepter which I carrie; It is not she hath put the Crown up on my head; Her wheel hath not thrown me upon the Throne; Her caprice made me not your Wife; All these things my Lord, are either effects of your goodness, of my merit, or of your blindness. If it be the first, I have learned of my Father, that crime alone justifies repentance: That it is a sentment which vertue knows not, and which should not be used but after a wicked action. If it be the se∣cond, and if you have estemed me, by knowing how little I am worth, take not from me my Lord, what belongs to me: Because being the verie same that I was, you should be the same that you have been. But if you say to me, that I am the error of your judgement and that you have not found in my person, such merit as you did believe to meet with; I dispute not against you, take from me all that you have given me, but take not away my innocence, which I have onlie received from Heaven. When Athenais came to your Court, her reputation was spotless: Few People that did speak, said all good of her. To day all People speak ac∣cording to their fancie, yet without letting me know what they say: For to speak sincerlie, it is onlie with you that I would be justified. They who do good, be∣cause it is good, and not because it should be divulged, care not what unjustice fame will do to their Vertue: They find their satisfaction on themselves, without seeking after it in anie other: So that the wise are some∣times most innocent, and most happie, when the Vul∣gar who onlie judge appaaentlie, believes them guilty and unfortunate. But my Lord, since the affection that you have had for me, and thrt which I have for you, hath made you (if I dare say so) a second self to me; I ought to vindicate my actions before your eies. Re∣member, my Daughter, said my Father to me one day; That you studie not so much to acquire the esteem of

other, as not to endeavour more, to obtain your own. Be you both your own judge, and partie; Think of satisfying your self; Examine your inclinations; Search the bottome of your heart, to knew if Vertrue be Mistris of it: But do not flatter yourself, incline rather to rigor, then to indulgence. And after hav∣ing made an exact scrutinie of your intentions, when you come to the point of being satisfied with your mind slight the glorie of the World; laugh at calumnie; And be better contented in having your own esteem then if you had that of the greatest Princes of the Earth. But my Lord, for this reason, I cannot be tranquill, so long as my better half doth not believe me innocent; Suffer me then my Lord, to repass ex∣actlie, all the circumstances of my disgrace, and that dear part of my innocence that I may thereby with some tranquillitie go to my searched for solitude. When I came to Constantinople, asking justice against my Brothers, who refused me that right which I had to the paternall Succession, the prudent Pulcheria, re∣jected not my requests: She heard me: And making me loss my cause verie advantageouslie gave me For tunes, which she ought to have preserved for me. At that time my Lord, there was onlie a poor cottage in agitation, and three foot of Earth to cover me from extream necessitie: But to day when not onlie the ho∣nor of Anthenais is in question, but that of Eudosia your Wise, you are oblidged to hear her, and to do her justice. I think my Lord, that the cause of your anger and my grief is, because I have given a trifle which you gave me: And that afterwards, to excuse an action, which I saw by your eies, would not have pleased you if you had known it; I excused that innocent error by a lie. Behold, my Lord, all the crime that I have com∣mitted: And the fear onlie of dispeasing you, hath made me displease you. When your Majestie gave me that fatal fruit, which hath caused my disgrace, I receiv∣ed it with joy; Both for its extraordinar pleasantness, and more because it came from your hands. The pleasure I had in seeing of it, perswading me that it was more proper to divert the sight, then to satisfie the teast; And being irresolute to destroy it, I examined what I could do with such an agreeable present: The unfor∣tunate

Paulinus was then sick: So that being minded to send & visit him; I thought the amiable gift that you gave me, could not be better bestowed, then by giving it to a person whom you testified that you loved better then your self. But my Lord, Paulinus made not a misterie of this liberalitie: For because I did not tell him that I had received it from your Majestie, the same apprehension that had oblidged me to send him that fatall apple, was doubtless the cause, why to testifie to me the esteem he had of the present I made him, he would put it in more worthie hands then his own. But if you say to me, that since you gave me the gift, I ought never to have regiven it, because everie thing that comes from the person beloved, should be held as dear as the life: I shall agree with you, be∣cause by that I pretend to justifie my self. However there is an important distinction to be made in this en∣counter: For as there is great diversitie in mens loves, the things which that passion produces, should also be all differing. The love of husband, and Wife, is no more that of Lover and Mistris: And though they be the same persons, and though love be as ardent in their hearts, as it was before their marriage; Yet their o∣pinons are different in manie occasions. They have more soliditie, and less affection; And none of all these follies which criminall loves do produce, are to be found in their Souls. So, my Lord, if Paulinus had had a passion for me, he would have keeped the pre∣sent which I made him, with care and with jealousie: Since it is most certain, that in this kind of illegitti∣mate affections, (which I never heard spoken of since I have been at Court) the least things that comes from the person beloved, are inestimable Treasures, which are never parted from, but with the life. However Paulinus no sooner received my present, but he sent it to you: And in that occasion it may be said, that he designed more to please you, then to content me. For me, my Lord, I never thought, you could take it ill, that I should have given a triviall thing, which you gave me: And that liberalitie was a vertue, which I ought not to practise. For, my Lord, if I ought to give nothing but what I have not received from you, I must give my self: Having brought nothing into your Palace, but

that simplicitie and innocence. which some would ra∣vish me of to day. Why, my Lord, do your not re∣member, that by the innumerable riches that you have given me, I have diverse times enriched severall whole Towns? Why, my Lord Theodosius hath permitted me to give Gold, Pearls and Diamonds, to a hunder∣ed people, who were unknown to him; And could I have foreseen that he would have been dissatisfied with my giving a simple fruit to the man in the World who had most profitable served him, and for whom he had most affection? No, my Lord, that was not possible: And the wise Pulcheria, howsoever clear sighted she is, and is believed to be, and who fore∣sees things from a far, had been deceived in it. But, my Lord if I ought to take care of anie nixt to your Ma∣jestie, it should be of Paulinus: And if I dare say it, I owe more to him then to my Father, and more then to your Majestie; For my Father gave me nothing but life, and having received nothing from you but the Throne, I can say, Paulinus having inspired me with the lights of faith, I am more oblidged to him, then to all the rest of the Earth. Yes, my Lord, I owe the saftie of my Soul to him, and my eternall beatitude, if the innocence of the life that I shal lead, do make me obtain it. You know, my Lord, that it was he who converted me, that all your Doctors could not convince me; that only he unseilled my eyes? And letting me see the absurdites of my religion gained me to embrace yours. Believe then my Lord, that the birth of our Friendship had too holie a beginning, to be criminall in its progress? And that he who had opened the gates of Heaven to me, would never conduct me to the waies of hell. And moreover, my Lord, know that when Eudosia shall again be Athenais; When she shall I say, be again of that Religion, wherein all crimes are authorised by the example of the Gods whom she adores: She shall not be less innocent. Chastitie is a Vertue which hath been known of all Nations, and through all ages; It is so essentiall to my Soul, that nothing can banish it thence. Judge then, my Lord, if being of a Religion, where modestie is rewarded, I could do anie thing against my dutie to you, and a∣gainst my dutie to my self. I thing if I be not deceived,

that I have made you know, that I might have given with out crime what you gave to me: And at last that I have made you see, with a similtude sufficientlie true, that Paulinus his liberalitie to you; Justifies mine to∣wards him. Now as to what concerns the lie that I made, in telling you that I had eat the fruit, it is cer∣tain that I cannot deny, I would have done better to have told you the truth: But, my Lord, all follies are not crimes. When you spake to me at that time, I saw such alteration in your Countenance, and so much choller in your eies: That fear of angering you having seised my spirit, I lost my use of reason, Consider, my Lord, that if there had been anie too particular affection, between Paulinus and me; Assoon as you had spoken tome, I might have wel judged, that you did know something: And therefore, by an apparent in∣genuitie, though artificiall; I should have told you that I sent it to Paulinus. But having nothing in my minde, that objected anie error! I told an innocent lye not fearing it was evillie explained. I failled, through fear of being accused of a fault: And a too fearfull affection, hath made me loss yours. Further, my Lord, being unprepared for that accusation, and be∣ing ignorant of the crime that I am accused for; I then answered you onlie with tears. My silence and respect, were the onlie colours, that I employed for my justifi∣cation: A too scrupulous & too austere Vertue, made me believe, that I would stain my self by vindicating me of such a thing; And I also think that I should never have spoken to you, if I had not designed to separate from you. But venerable Emperour I reprehend my self for all I have said; you are not the Subject of my dis∣grace, I accuse you no more; I receive it as the chastisement of my past errors. I have too much de∣fended the cause of Idolls, to gain n••y own to day: And it is verie just having so eagerlie maintained a lie, that I be not believed, when I speak a truth that is of importance to me. I have sacrificed too much to Ju∣piter, and have offered too manie criminall Victimes, not to expiat that fault, by some innocent sacrifice. I my self must be my Victime at this time: And by pa∣tient suffering, merit the pardon of my past errours. My Lord, do not think that I bear anie grudge in my

Soul: I well see, that I whereas the journey I am going to make, was undertaken by my own will; I well see, I say, that the permission which is given me, was consented to in such manner, that I may rather call it, a place of banishment, then of pilgramage. However that shall not hinder me from praying to GOD, that the blood of Paulinus be not an obstacle to the felicitie of your dayes. I shall also make vowes for the prudent Pulcherias Reign; Whose pietie doubtless doth ap∣prove of the place I have chosen for my retirment. I shall be more profitable to her at Jerusalem then at Constantinople; And perhaps more agreeable. But in acknowledgement of the last obligations I had from her, I shall begg of Heaven, to give her such repose, as I go to enjoy in my solitude; Though perhaps this is not the favour that she askes from it in her praiers. Further my Lord, I go not so far off, that fame may not speak of me to you: And if I be not mistaken it shall tell you so manie things of my lifes innocence, that you will believe it was never soilled: And that holie land where∣in I go to dwell, shall obtain for me from Heaven, the pleasure and honor of seeing you again. This, my Lord, is the hope, which a person who lived contented in a poor cottage bears in her minde; A person who with∣out pride received the first Crown of the World; Who without regrate quits the highest Throne that is upon the Earth; And who never loved anie thing but the Emperour Theodosius and vertue.