Fortunes tennis-ball, or, The most excellent history of Dorastus and Fawnia rendered in delightfull English verse, and worthy the perusal of all sorts of people / by S.S., Gent.

CANT. III.

The Child that floated on the Main, Is sav'd by a Sicilian Swain: Who fosters her with happy care, Till she is almost fit to bear: Her glorious beauty is made known, To King Egistus's only Son; Who comes to gaze, but when they part, Fawnia secludes his Princely heart:

(Doubting his Father's rage) they flye VVith an intent for Italy, But by a sullen fate are driven Into a fair Bohemian Haven: Dorastus is to Prison sent, (To Fawnia's direful discontent) VVho now is known Paridosto's Heir; All to Sicilia then repair: There these two Lovers (crost by Fate Till now) becomes incorporate: Pandosto kills himself, and leaves His Crown, Dorastus it receives.

THe Infant Princess by a cruel doom, Allow'd in bright-hair'd Thetis angry womb (Tost by the merciless winds and angry seas) Avoids the horrid shock for two whole days But had not scap'd the third, if she that guides Saphire-hew'd Neptune, and in triumph ride Over the surface of the swelling deep, Had not commanded Spio safe to keep The Royal babe; the plyant Nymph obeys Guiding the boat through Neptunes pathless ways Till on the Coast of Sicily it stands, There Spio leaves it sticking on the sands: It fortuned a shepherd that had lost One of his Flock, implores about the Coast, His sheep he seekt in vain: but in's retreat The shepherd hears this pretty Lamb to bleat

He stands amaz'd a while being crampt with fear, But taking heart of grace, he comes more near: Finding the fairest Babe e're seen with eye, Wrapt in a Mantle broidered curiously: The shepherd (who's astonisht at the thing) Resolves to bear the Child unto the King; The pretty Bantling in his arms he bears, And presently unto his Cot repairs: But as the shepherd seiz'd the Royal Child, A Purse of Gold he at her feet beheld: His mind is altered now, himself will keep The Infant (who does writhe his head & weep, Wanting the dulcide Dug) but he hasts home, And is no sooner to his Mansion come, But the Child cries aloud; the shepherdess (Amaz'd) with both her hands her self doth bless. Women (tho' excellent) are so much accurst By Nature, that they still believe the worst: She thinks it is some Bastard, seizes on A Cudgel, vowing Chastigation: The good man seeing her, (who wore the Breeches) Arm'd with her Mace, strives with the fairest speeches, To pacific her rage, but his sweet Honey Cannot be won, until the Purse of Money Greet her gray eyes; declaring all the matter, How he had found the Infant on the water: She then began to simper somewhat sweetly, And in her arms she takes the Babe most neatly;

Be sure (quoth he) you never blab our store, Profit (qd. she) is a good Hatch to th' door: All things in order fet, he carefully Doth keep his sheep, she sings a Lullaby At home unto her Babe: the Child grew tall, Inrich'd with all those Graces which we call Supreamly excellent; she's Fawnia nam'd, Fawnia, that shall in future time be fam'd: The honest shepherd and the shepherdess Her Father and Mother she doth guess; Whom she obey'd in all things, yet her face Was so Coelestial; and with such a grace She bears her self (so young, and yet so sage) All men might run and see her Parentage. The Swainlings who live near, do wonder sore That Porrus, who was once so very poor, Should on the sudden have such wondrous store Blest with a daughter too, whose wit & feature Almost declar'd she was no mortal creature; Who now such favour finds in each man's eye, Sicilia's Prince hears of her fulgency; Egistus Son (Dorastus) whose rare parts Wan him the peoples wonder, with their hearts: Now by the gods (qd. he) speaking in laughter, I will go see the shepherds handsom daughter: Who kept her fathers sheep with solemn care. The chearful Sun did for the West prepare, When Prince Dorastus goes from Court, set on, And finds the fairest Fawnia all alone; Somnus had seiz'd her senses on the ground,

Cloth'd with sweet grass, she slept, her head was crown'd With a fine flowry Chaplet, Flora she, Or arrow-loving Cynthia seem'd to be: But while the Prince doth feed his greedy eyes His noble heart becomes her beauties prize: Who waking, wonders; she conceits some god Had left the pleasures of his bright aboad, To bless Mortality, upon her knee She falls; Incomparable Mago, quoth he, I am no Deity; though Princes are Call'd gods, like other mortal men they fare, And travel to the Grave the self-same way. I am thy slave, most beautious Fawnia, Behold Dorastus King Egistus Son, Implores thy love, sure Fawnia can be won; The shepherdess (whose colour went and came) To hear of Love, and Prince Dorastus Name, Replies, My gracious Lord, it is your will To jest with her who shall adore you still. But simple shepherds never aim so high As Princes Courts; the brow of Majesty Breaks their frail senses, Odours poyson them, They dare not gaze upon a Diadem. This said, she rose, and reverently bow'd, While 1000 thoughts about her soul do crowd: The Prince repay'd her courtesie with a kiss; Can Heaven (qd. he) afford a greater bliss? Now by the Powers coelestial, should my father (As sure he will) & all earthly Kings together,

Conspire to hinder my Resolves, I'de do What my unbounded thoughts do prompt me to; I'le wed thee Fawnia, we this night will fly From hence (my Dear) to fertile Italy: Good store of Gold and Jewels we will bear Along, the rich find friendship every where: Fawnia replies, Your Highness speech shall be, As true and sacred Oracles to me. Dispose your humble hand maid as you please, Within these few hours we will take the seas; (Quoth he) I have a trusty servant, who I know will further what I lift to do: Him will I send to thee within this hour, Him follow; and may the Almighty power Prosper our loves: this said, they kiss & part; Dorastus soon (aided by Capnia's art) Fills three fair casks full of Gold, beside Trunks full of rich Attire for his fair Bride: A ship lies ready, and (as their intents Were own'd by Heaven) no rude North-wind rents The rolling waves, while things preparing were Capnia doth unto Fawnia repair; Who welcomes this true servant to her Lord, By whom she presently is brought on board: The Mariners finding such pleasant gales, Prepape for lanching, and expand their sails: When lo, Dorastus comes and clips his Dear, And now they on the raging Ocean are; Who slatters for a while, but suddenly A paleful darkness muffles up the sky:

The winds are all inlarg'd, dire thunders heard, The Master pores in vain upon the Card: All look for death, when lo, a minutes time Makes satisfaction for three days crime: All's whist, and they are lodg'd upon the port That's not far distant from Pandosto's Court, Dorastus droops so to mistake his way, Instead of Italy, Bohemia. Fawnia laments, for now, behold, there came Some of Pandosto's Guard, to know what name The Ship did bear, and presently to bring All her Inhabitants unto the King: There no excuse can serve, along they go, Dorastus, Fawnia, and Capnio, With lowly homage, humbled on the knee, They do salute Bohemia's Majesty; Who askt Dorastus what's his name, & whence He came, and straitway renders his pretence: My name, Sir, is Meleagrus, by my birth A Knight, brought up on Trapolonian's earth: This Gentlewoman, whom I mean to make My wife, is an Italian, for whose sake (Doubting her friends consent) I took my way By partial Fate, to Trapolonia; But forc'd by tempest hither ('gainst my mind) Where I shall hope hospicious friends to find, Pandosto starting from his Throne, replies, Now by the everliving Deities, Thou art a perjur'd Traytor, and hast won This Lady to her sure destruction;

By cursed frauds, who for her grace & beauty Merits that mighty Kings should do her duty And till I hear of her descent, and can Prove that thou art a Trapolonian, A Prison shall contain thee. No reply Dorastus made, being hurried presently To prison; Fawnia wrings her Lilly palms, And swoons away, vext with uncessant qualms Pandosto, who (tho' old and sapless grown) Loves the lewd act more than he lov'd his Crown, He deeply doats on Fawnia, comforts her, Promising, if she'l presently confer Her love on him, he'l instantly set free Her Knight, and raise him unto dignity: She scarce refrains to pull the Tyrants beard, Calls him a Dog for Footy Dis prepar'd. A month is past since King Egistus lost His son, who sends about to every coast. At last his willy Messengers resort, With hasty motion, to Pandosto's Court; Who kindly welcomes them, their charge is thus, Where e're they find his son, with courteous And winged language to convene him home, But if they find he will yet further rome, To bring him into Sicily by force: But for poor Fawnia, her doom is worse, She must be murther'd instantly, and so The Princes servant, faithful Capnio;

They had no sooner told the Embassy, But King Pandosto sendeth presently For Meleagrus; he's Sicilia's Heir He knows, and he is glad he has him there: Dorastus wonders at this great mutation, But more to see some Lords of his own nation. There is no bogling now, Pandosto's glad That he shall manifest the hate he had Conceiv'd 'gainst Fawnia for her great disdain Commanding she and Capnio should be slain. Fawnia (no doubt, inspir'd by Heaven) cries, O why did the cruel Destinies Cause Prince Dorastus to affect a Maid So far beneath him, now to death betray'd? But since I must forsake the World, take here Brave Prince, this chain, which still for my sake wear, Which from my Infancy has ever been, About my neck, but till now never seen. Pandosto starts, he knew the chain of old, It was his wives: he then began to hold His thoughts in strict suspence, compares the time Since (mad with rage) he acted that black crime He finds she is his Daughter; strait he rears Himself from's throne, watring his cheeks with tears Ah Fawnia! my sweet Fawnia, he doth cry, All there admire at this strange Colloquie: Fawnia is not more glad that she has found So great a Father; then Dorastus crown'd With glorious hope, to gain so brave a wife, The Lords on both sides joy, that now the strife

'Twixt the Sicilians and Bohemia's State, Shall cease and nought remain of ancient hate The King great Feasts & Iustings doth prepare For joy he now hath found a Female Heir: Which done, he does imbark himself and his, With Prince Dorastus, and his only bliss Divinest Fawnia: the Sicilian Peers He takes along, and Neptunes brow appears So smooth, in six days they see Syracuse, Egistus marvels when he hears the news And having heard Pandosto's story, sends For Porrus, who was in the Jaylors hands, Who tells the truth of all, how Fawnia scapt, Shewing the Mantle wherein she was wrapt: Pandosto Knights him, and the Lovers are The next day married, Hymen every where Is chanted: Lo Hymen each man sings, And an eternal League 'twixt the two Kings Concluded, every Commoner is feasted. For forty days, so long the triumph lasted; Which was no sooner ended, but his soul Vext for his former facts, so black and foul Having betraid his Friend, and slain his Wife, Pandosto's own hands takes Pandosto's life: Whose death for many days they do bewail, And then Dorastus and his Queen set sail For fair Bohemia, where he sumptuously Inters his Father, Governs graciously For many years, till Death (with little pain) Did put a period to his Life and Reign.