Whilst she was waiting for the almoner's return, the Queen read the
petition, which she found to be an epistle in verse, written in the best
style imaginable; and were it not that I would have you acquainted
with it, I should never have dared to translate it; for you must know,
ladies, that, for grace and expression, the Castilian is beyond compare
the tongue which is best fitted to set forth the passion of love. The
matter of the letter was as follows:--

"Time, by his puissance stern, his sov'reign might,
Hath made me learn love's character aright;
And, bringing with him, in his gloomy train,
The speechless eloquence of bitter pain,
Hath caused the unbelieving one to know
What words of love were impotent to show.
Time made my heart, aforetime, meekly bow
Unto the mastery of love; but now
Time hath, at last, revealed love to be
Far other than it once appeared to me;
And Time the frail foundation hath made clear
Whereon I purposed, once, my love to rear--
To wit, your beauty, which but served as sheath
To hide the cruelty that lurked beneath.

Yea, Time hath shown me beauty's nothingness
And taught me e'en your cruelty to bless,
That cruelty which banished me the place
Where I, at least, had gazed upon your face.
And when no more I saw your beauty beam
The harsher yet your cruelty did seem;
Yet in obedience failed I not, and this
Hath been the means of compassing my bliss.
For Time, love's parent, pitiful at last,
Upon my woe commiserate eyes hath cast,
And done to me so excellent a turn,
That, if I now come back, think not I yearn
To sigh and dally, and renew the spell--
I only come to bid a last farewell.

Time, the revealer, hath not failed to prove
How base and sorry is all human love,
So that through Time, I now that time regret
When all my fancy upon love was set,
For then Time wasted was, lost in love's chains,
Sorrow whereof is all that now remains.
And Time in teaching me _that_ love's deceit
Hath brought another, far more pure and sweet,
To dwell within me, in the lonely spot
Where tears and silence long have been my lot.
Time, to my heart, that higher love hath brought
With which the lower can no more be sought;
Time hath the latter into exile driven,
And, to the first, myself hath wholl