herselfe uppon the bedde of the poore pacient, saying
vnto him: "Sir, I beseech you to be of good cheere." The
languishing creature, so hard as he could for his extreeme
debilitie, stretched forth his faint consumed armes, and with al
the force of his body imbraced the cause of his death, and
kissinge her with his colde and wanne mouth, held her so long as
he could, and then spake vnto the mayden: "The loue which I haue
borne you hath bin so great, and the good will so honest, as
neuer (mariage excepted) I wished anye other thinge of you, but
that which I presentlye haue, throughe the wante whereof and
with the same I will ioyfully render my spirite to God, who is
the parfaicte Loue, and truest Charitie, whoe knoweth the
greatnes of my loue and the honestie of my desire: humblie
beseeching him, (that nowe I hauing my desire betweene mine
armes,) to interteigne my ghost within his blessed bosome." And
in saying so he caught her againe betweene his armes with such
vehemencie, as the feeble hart not able to abide that assault,
was abandoned of all powers and mouinges: for the instant ioye
so dilated and stretched forth the same, as the siege of the
soule gaue ouer, making his repaire and flighte to his Creator:
and because the senceles bodye rested withoute life, it gaue
ouer his holde. Howbeit the loue, which the Damosell had still
kept secrete, at that time shewed it self so strong and mightie,
as the mother and seruauntes of the dead Gentleman had much a do
to separate that vnion, but by force they haled away the liuing,
almost deade with the deade. After the funerall was done with
honourable exequies: but the greatest triumph was spent in
teares, weepinges and cryes, specially by the gentlewoman, which
so much more were manifeste after his death, as before in his
life time they were dissembled, bestowinge them as an expiacion
or sacrifice, to satisfie the wrong she had done vnto him. And
afterwards (as I haue heard tell) she was maried to one, for
mitigacion of her sorow, that neuer was partaker of the ioye of
her harte. See here good Ladies an Image of perfect loue, that
so muche had seazed vpon thaffections of this amorous Gentleman,
as the pange neuer gaue ouer, till death (the rest of all
troubles) had diuided life from the body. Yet some perchaunce
for the desperate part of this hopeles louer, will terme him to
be a fonde louing foole: and say that it is not meete that they
should neglecte theyr liues for womens