The loves of Amandus and Sophronia, historically narrated a piece of rare contexture, inriched with many pleasing odes and sonnets, occasioned by the jocular or tragicall occurrences hapning in the progresse of the historie : disposed into three books or tracts / by Samuel Sheppard.

CHAP. II

The dreadfull end of Cheribrert. Amandus and Pallante, leaving Poland [being bound for Venice] by an angry Storme, are forced on the coasts of Grecia (the Ship and all else swallowed in the Waves) they save themselves by swimming, and arive on the Flowry Iland.

NOw it is high time that I made mention, what became of Cheri∣brert, after his deserting Verona (as you have heard) by night, accompanied only with one Servant.

He had not travailed many miles, in∣tending to take his journey, to the utter∣most borders of the Kingdom of Lombar∣dy,

and so take shipping for Spaine, but a crew of Robbers, who subsisted by spoile and rapine, set upon him (imagining to finde, as indeed they did, a good booty) plundering him of all his Gold and Trea∣sure, and stripping him, and his Servitor (who making some resistance was slain) to the bare Skins.

Being brought to this miserable exe∣gency (inflicted upon him by divine ven∣geance) he began to think of his many damnable crimes (yet so, as he not repen∣ted of them) and to curse the houre, that ever he ingaged himself (with Rhoxenor) to injure the vertuous Sophronia; he would have cast his eyes up to heaven, and have implored the remission of his charnell contrivances, but he dispaired of attaining audience, at the eares of the in∣censed Diety, and therefore sitting him down upon the earth, he began to wish, that a thurderbold from Heaven might pash him in peeces, or the earth open and receive him, when he might hear an hollow murmuring voyce, sing him this sum∣mons.

Orcus yawnes, the furies yell, Descend accursed Soul to Hell; Earth hates, thy loathed Trunk to have, The Wombs of Wolves shall be thy Grave. Let all take warning, by thy Fate, How they thy crimes, doe perpetrate.

This infernall Invitation, so much a∣mazed him, that he would fain have slain himself, but wanted fit meanes to accom∣plish it, and therefore the reprobate wretch, with his own nails, began to tear, and rend the ground, intending to dig his own grave; when (as if sent by some avenging Diety) a crew of ravenous Wolves came running upon him, and tearing him all in peices, buried his loathed body in their hungry mawes: a dreadfull end, worthy so devillish a wretch.

And now since we have rambled so farre from Verona, let us speak a little of the noble Knights, Amandus and Pallante, who having left the Kingdome of Poland, imbarqued themselves in a Ship bound for Venice (where Pallante had an Uncle,

named D' Francisco Mendoza, a famous Sennatour of that renowned City) in∣tending to reside there for a time in pri∣vate (though they would not have found it easie, so to have done, Amandus acts having made him so renownedly famous, throughout Europe) and to wait with pa∣tience a while, to see what end, Fortune would put to her own prankes.

They had not sailed farre from the Port, but the Winds began to blow very eagerly, the Marriners hoysed all their Sailes a trip, imagining to have found cer∣tainty, amidst the uncertain Waves, when the Skies on a sudden, were obscured, with black and pitchie Clouds; Eurus whis∣pering sad tales in the Sea-mens eares; from the Altantick Ocean came Notus, bringing with him Thunder and Light∣ning, when to encounter him, out flies Boreas, bearing Stormes, and Tempests on his wings, the high wrought Seas, fronted the Skies, wrapping their liequid curles in the clouds, no Sunne, nor Moon, or Starres appearing, so that had Palinu∣rus self been Pilot, he could not have

steer'd aright; the furious waves, rushing together with imbatled power, plow large furrowes in the sides of the Ship; the boystrous billowes, invade, and passe o∣ver her hatches, dashing her against the Rocks; nor could all their pumping pre∣vail, but that each man stood up to the knees in water, the passengers all crying to hea∣ven for help, in such dolefull manner, that it would have compelled an heart of flint to compassionate them, while the Ship (droven by furious winds many thousand leagues) was forced on the Coast of Gre∣cia.

But Amandus found not so great toile without, as he found terrour within; his heart beat louder Alarms then the angry Seas, when he thought upon his dear So∣phronia, imagining this punishment was sent from Heaven for his sake, for that he forsook Verona, ere he attempted to infranchise the person of his dearly lo∣ved Lady.

Oh Sophronia (said he) who knows what miserie thou endurest for my sake! Clodo∣mer will not faile to shed thy innocent bloud,

in revenge of his wicked Sonne, whom I justly slew. Ah, unfortunate Lovers! thou (I feare) art snatch'd away already, by the hand of violence, upon the Land; and I (by destiny droven) must, ere long, perish in this barbarous element.

Pallante endeavoured all he could to comfort him. But (quoth he) it is no time now, to practice a lovers passion, when we expect every minute to become a prey to the devouring waves.

By this time the waves came in so fast, hat the Ship began to sink; and the Ma∣ster, and Pilot, seeing there was no hope, let downe the cock-boat into the Seas, in∣tending (with Amandus and Pallante on∣ly) to trust to the mercy of the watry ele∣ment, in that dimunitive vessell: But so numerous and eagre, were those perishing passengers in the finking Ship, (every one desirous to preserve his life) that though they endeavoured to hinder their ap∣proach with their swords drawn, they could not, but that the little Skiffe, being over∣charged with numbers, chose rather to be choaked with the salt Seas, then harbour such mercilesse oppressors.

But Amandus, and Pallante, (being well skilled in swimming) perished not amongst the rest, but bore up above water, ma∣king way with their hands and feet, (while Neptune with all his Tritons gazed upon them, imagining, another Melicerta, with Saron accompanied, had divided the dusky waves) not ceasing to brush the blue billowes, till at length they espied a very faire harbour, situate between two Rocks, neere adjacent to a very pleasant Island, where grew (in seemly ranks) great store of pleasant trees, laden with fruit, the ground being garnished (like another Tempe) with all sorts of fragrant flowers, Zephire seeming continually to breath up∣on them; but no house, or humane sub∣stance could they view: To this delecta∣ble Paradice they directed themselves, comming on shoare exceeding faint, and weary, of whom more hereafter.