Shepherd bestowed among vs. They all said, they were glad to heare, and desired greatly that he woulde passe on farther. By that which I haue nowe heard of thee, (said Syrenus) and by that which not many daies since I heard of a Shpeherd called Firmius, if thou knowest him, who now keeps our sheep, this wise Shepherd is called Coryneus. By that which now I heare of thee, and not long since haue heard, saide the Shepherd, thou shouldst be either forgotten Syrenus, or despised Syluanus. Fir∣mius I know very well: for he is one of my greatest friends I euer had or shall haue, and it is true, that this is the learned Shepherds name, of whom I spake. I confesse, saide Syrenus, that I am the man forgotten, and nowe it greeues me not much, al∣though it made me once sorrowfull, But bicause Firmius tolde mee manie things woorthy to be remembred, and by that which thou hast nowe tolde vs of his friend∣ship, and acquaintance, I gesse thy name is Partheus. It is so, saide he. I knowe not, saide Seluagia, how thou hast made so large an account of Coryneus, leauing his yoong Shepherdesse called Dinia, bicause Firmius tolde vs she was passing faire, wise, and vertuous. Ah Shepherdesse, I dare not name her with my vnwoorthie mouth, for if I would go about to set foorth her praises, I thinke I should but dimi∣nish them, since there is no iudgement, nor conceite able to vnfolde the least per∣fection in her: Let it suffice you to know, that she is a yoong Shepherdesse, whom I reuerence for her singular vertues. And if I should speake of euery thing, I would not omit a daughter to them both, but yet twelue yeeres of age, that in beautie, ver∣tue and discretion is the right type and figure of her parents; to whom the fawne, that is lost, belongs, and whom I loue so much, that I dare not come before her sight, vnles I bring it with me, or know at the least where it is. And so, bicause I know what cōtent I shal giue my Shepherdesse, for that which the yong Shepherdesse shal haue, I know not what I were best to do to finde it out, to present it to her with mine owne hands. And it is not without good cause indeede that she loues it so much, bicause you would say the Gods had endowed it with vnderstāding to serue Luztea, (for so is this most faire yoong Shepherdesse called.) Tell me Partheus, said Syrenus, how long is it since thou didst see thy friend Firmius? For if thou desirest to see him, I can soone leade thee to him, where he is. I thanke thee (said Partheus) for thy good will. It is not yet a moneth since I last sawe him, the thing that I desire most in the world, and truely it greeued me to see him in such a case as he was in, bicause I thinke the loue of the ingratefull Shepherdesse Diana will make an ende of his life: for his owne greefe, thinking it not sufficient to make him leade such a sorrowfull life, hath conspired with a forrain greefe to raise vp a great corriual against him, a iolly yoong Shepherd, wise, and rich, called Faustus. What is it possible, said Syluanus, that Fau∣stus loues Diana? It is so, answered Partheus, and that not a little. Indeed he tolde vs, said Seluagia, when we were comming hither, that he desired to see Diana for the great report of her beautie: And nowe hee hath seene it, saide Partheus, and I thinke, will not praise the good market he made. I warned him well before, said Sy∣renus. But these Shepherds mooue me to pitie them, for I know by experience in what troubles Diana will put them, and how ill they will deliuer themselues againe. Syrenus and Syluanus would haue asked him, how Firmius did, when two Nymphes came in bringing with them the little faune. Which when Partheus saw, he rose vp ioyfully to go to it, which fauned on him with skipping and leaping vpon his breast and licked his face. Partheus began to speake verie louingly to it, as if it vnderstood him. All of them reioyced to see it; for besides, that it was a most faire one, it was so finely set out, that it inuited all eies to behold it. And bicause it would be too long
