ng a husband, but Diana declares, that
though she is willing to bend to her father's will, love seems poison
to her, and marriage death. Gaston and Louis, nothing daunted,
determine to try their luck even against the fair lady's will, and
while the father prays to God, to soften his daughter's heart, Cesar's
courage sinks ever lower, though Perrin encourages him to begin the
farce at once. Donna Diana alone is cool and calm, inwardly resolved
to keep her hand and heart free, she is deeply envied by her two
cousins Fenisa and Laura, who would gladly choose one of the gallant
warriors.--Perrin now advises the Princes to try their wit and
gallantry on the Princess, and Don Diego, consenting to his daughter's
wish, that she need only suffer their courtship for a short time, she
cooly accepts this proposal. Gaston begins to plead his cause,
declaring, that he will not leave Barcelona without a bride and Louis
follows his example; both are greatly admired and applauded by the
{360} assistants, only Diana finds their compliments ridiculous and
their wit shallow. Cesar without a word retires to the background, and
when asked by the Princess, why he does not compete with his rivals,
answers "Because I will not love, nor ever wish to be loved; I only woo
you, to show you my regard." Greatly mortified Diana resolves to
punish such pride, by subjugating him to her charms.

In the second act a fancy ball is going on in the Prince's gardens.
Each of the ladies has a bunch of different coloured ribbons, and
decides to get the man she loves for her own. Diana now explains, that
each knight is to choose a colour, which entitles him to own the lady
who wears the same colours as long as the masquerade lasts. Don Louis
choosing green gets Donna Laura, Don Gaston wearing red is chosen by
Fenisa; Perrin loudly asserting that, abhorring love he chooses the
obscure colour black, wins Floretta, and Don Cesar choosing white,
finds himself Donna Diana's champion. She takes his arm, and soon her
beauty so inflames him, that forgetting good advice and prudence he
thrown himself at her feet, confessing his love. Triumphant, but
mockingly she turns from him, and thereby suddenly recalls his pride.
In a bantering tone he asks her, if she really believed, that his love
making, to which duty compelled him for the evening, was true? Hot
with wrath and shame at being so easily duped she bids him leave her,
and when alone resolves to have her rev