d
sundry consideracions wherby hir nature by no meanes would
agree, nor heart consente to ioyne wyth Philon. The king aboue
all worldly thynges loued his fayre daughter: and albeit hee
would fayne haue broughte to passe, that she should haue taken
him to husband, yet he would not vse the father's authoritie,
but desired that Loue rather than force should mach his
daughter, and therfore for that tyme was contented to agree vnto
hir wyll. There was in the Court a young man borne of hir
Father's bondman, whych hyght Acharisto, and was manumised by
the kinge, who made him one of the Esquiers for hys body, and
vsed his seruyce in sundrye enterpryses of the warres, and
bicause hee was in those affayres very skilfull, of bolde
personage, in conflicts and battayles very hardy, the king did
very much fauor him, aswell for that he had defended him from
manifold daungers, as also bycause he had deliuered him from the
treason pretended against him by the kyng of the Lacedemonians:
whose helpe and valyance, the king vsed for the murder and
destruction of the sayde Lacedemonian king. For whych valiant
enterpryse, he bountifully recompenced him wyth honorable
prefermentes and stately reuenues. Vpon this yong man Euphimia
fixed hir amorous eyes, and fell so farre in loue, as vpon him
alone she bent hir thoughtes, and all hir louing cogitations.
Whereof Acharisto being certified, and well espying and marking
hir amorous lookes, nouryshed with lyke flames the fire
wherewyth she burned. Notwythstanding his loue was not so
feruently bent vpon hir personage, as his desire was ambicious
for that she shoulde be hir father's onely heyre, and therfore
thought that he should be a most happy man, aboue al other of
mortall kynde, if he myght possesse that inheritance. The king
perceiuing that loue, told his daughter, that she had placed her
minde in place so straunge, as hee had thought hir wysdome would
haue more warely foreseen, and better wayed hir estate and
birth, as com of a princely race, and would haue demed sutch
loue, farre vnworthy hir degree: requiringe hir wyth fatherly
words, to withdraw hir settled mynde and to ioyne with him in
choyse of husbande, for that he had none other worldly heire but
hir, and tolde hir how he ment to bestow hir vppon sutch a
personage, as a most happy life she should leade, so long as the
destenies were disposed to weaue the Webbe of her Predestined
life: and therefore was resolved to Espouse hir vnto th