lenes and curtesie,
were vertues worthy of blame and correction, as your maiesty
hath very manifestly done me to vnderstande by wordes seuere,
and taunting checkes, vnworthye for practise of such rare and
noble vertues. But how so euer it bee, whether lyfe or death
shal depend vpon this prayse worthy and honourable purpose,
I meane hereafter to yeld my dutye to my souerayne lord, and
then it may please him to terme my dedes courteous or liberal or
to thinke on my behauiour, what his owne princely mynde shal
deme and iudge." The king vpon those wordes rose vp and sayd:
"Ariobarzanes, now it is no tyme to continue in further
disputation of this argument, committing the determination and
iudgement herof, to the graue deliberation of my counsel who at
conuenient leasure aduisedly shal according to the Persian lawes
and customes conclud the same. And for this present time I say
vnto thee that I am disposed to accompt the accusation made
agaynste thee to be true, and confessed by thy self. In the mean
tyme thou shalt repayre into the country and come no more to the
court til I commaund thee." Ariobarzanes receiuinge this
answeare of his souerayne lorde departed, and to his great
contentation, went home into his countreye merye, for that he
should be absent out of the daylye sight of his enemies, yet not
wel pleased for that the king had remitted his cause to his
Councell. Neuerthelesse minded to abyde and suffer al Fortune,
he gaue him selfe to the pastime of huntinge of Deere, runninge
of the wylde Bore, and flying of the Hauke. This noble Gentleman
had two onlye daughters of his wife that was deceased, the most
beautiful Gentlewomen of the countrey, the eldest of which two
was peerelesse and without comparison, older than the other by
one yeare. The beauty of those fayre ladies was bruted
throughout the whole Region of Persia, to whome the greatest
Lordes and Barons of the countrey were great and importunate
suters. He was not in his countrey resiant the space of fower
monethes, which for salubritie of ayre was most holsome and
pleasaunt, full of lordlike liberties and Gentlemanlike
pastimes, aswel to bee done by the hound as folowed by the
spaniell, but one of the kinge's Haraulds sente from the Court,
appeared before him with message to this effecte, saying vnto
him: "My lord, Ariobarzanes, the kinge my souerayne Lord hath
commaunded you to send with me to the Court the fayrest of your
two daughters, for that the repor