of them being of beaten golde, and curiously wrought and enameled: And com∣ming to Syrenus, she saide vnto him. If there were any other remedy for thy greefe (forgotten Shepherd) but this, I woulde with all possible diligence haue sought it out, but because thou canst not now enioy her, who loued thee once so well, with∣out anothers death, which is onely in the handes of God, of necessitie then thou must embrace another remedie, to auoide the desire of an impossible thing. And take thou, faire Seluagia, and despised Syluanus, this glasse, wherein you shall finde a soueraine remedie for all your sorrowes past & present; and a beginning of a ioy∣full and contented life, whereof you do now so little imagine. And taking the cri∣stall cruet, which she helde in her left hande, she gaue it to Syrenus, and badde him drinke; and Syrenus did so; and Syluanus, and Seluagia drunke off the other be∣tweene them, and in that instant they fell all downe to the ground in a deepe sleepe, which made Felismena, and Belisa not a little to woonder, to whom the sage Ladie said. Discomfort not thy selfe Belisa, for I hope in time to see thee as glad, as euer any was after their many sorrowes and paines. And vntill thy angrie fortune be not pleased to giue thee a needfull remedy for thy great greefes, my pleasure is, that thou still remaine heere in my companie. The Shepherdesse woulde haue kissed her hands at these words, but Felicia did not let her, but did rather imbrace her, shew∣ing how greatly she loued her. But Felismena standing halfe amazed at the deepe sleepe of the Shepherdes, saide to Felicia: If the ease of these Shepherds (good La∣die) consisteth in sleeping (me thinkes) they haue it in so ample sort, that they may liue the most quiet life in the worlde. Woonder not at this (saide Felicia) for the water they drunke hath such force, that, as long as I will, they shall sleepe so strongly, that none may be able to awake them. And because thou maist see, whe∣ther it be so or no, call one of them as loude as thou canst. Felismena then came to Syluanus, and pulling him by the arme, began to call him aloud, which did profite her as little, as if she had spoken to a dead body; and so it was with Syrenus and Sel∣uagia, whereat Felismena maruelled very much. And then
Felicia saide vnto her. Nay, thou shalt maruell yet more, after they awake, bicause thou shalt see so strange a thing, as thou didst neuer imagine the like. And because the water hath by this time wrought those operations, that it shoulde do, I will awake them, and marke it well, for thou shalt heare and see woonders. Whereupon taking a booke out of her bosome, she came to Syrenus, and smiting him vpon the head with it, the Shepherd rose vp on his seete in his perfect wits and iudgement: To whom Felicia saide. Tell me Syrenus, if thou mightest now see faire Diana, & her vnworthy husband both togither in all the contentment and ioy of the worlde, laughing at thy loue, and making a sport of thy teares and sighes, what wouldest thou do? Not greeue me a whit (good Lady) but rather helpe them to laugh at my follies past. But if she were now a maide againe, (saide Felicia) or perhaps a widow, and would be mar∣ried to Syluanus and not to thee, what wouldst thou then do? My selfe woulde be the man (saide Syrenus) that woulde gladly helpe to make such a match for my friende. What thinkest thou of this Felismena (saide Felicia) that water is able to vnloose the knottes that peruerse Loue doth make? I woulde neuer haue thought (saide Felismena) that anie humane skill coulde euer attaine to such diuine knowledge as this. And looking on Syrenus, she saide vnto him. Howe nowe Syrenus, what meanes this? Are the teares and sighes whereby thou didst manifest thy loue and greefe, so soone ended? Since my loue is nowe ended (said Syrenus) no maruell then, if the effects proceeding from it be also determined.
