The ancient

Mariner earnestly entreateth the Hermit to shrieve him;

and the penance of life falls on him.

And ever and anon throughout his future life an agony constraineth him to travel

from land to

land,

The holy Hermit raised his eyes,

And pray'd where he did sit.

I took the oars: the Pilot's boy,
Who now doth crazy go,

Laugh'd loud and long, and all the while
His eyes went to and fro.

'Ha! ha!' quoth he, full plain I see,
The Devil knows how to row.'

And now, all in my own countree,
I stood on the firm land!

The Hermit stepp'd forth from the boat,
And scarcely he could stand..

6

'O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy man!'
The Hermit cross'd his brow.

'Say quick,' quoth he, 'I bid thee say
What manner of man art thou?'

That moment that his face I see,

I know the man that must hear me:

To him my tale I teach.

What loud uproar bursts from that door!
The wedding-guests are there:
But in the garden-bower the bride

And bride-maids singing are:
And hark the little vesper bell,
Which biddeth me to prayer!

O Wedding-Guest! this soul hath been
Alone on a wide wide sea:

So lonely 'twas, that God himself
Scarce seemed there to be.

O sweeter than the marriage-feast,
'Tis sweeter far to me,
To walk together to the kirk
With a goodly company!-

To walk together to the kirk,
And all together pray,

While each to his great Father bends,
Old men, and babes, and loving friends.
And youths and maidens gay!

Farewell, farewell! but this I tell

To thee, thou Wedding-Guest! He prayeth well, who loveth well Both man and bird and beast.

And to teach by
his own ex-
ample, love and
reverence to all
things that God
made and
loveth.

He prayeth best, who loveth best

All things both great and small;

For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.

The Mariner, whose eye is bright,
Whose beard with age is hoar,

Is gone: and now the Wedding-Guest
Turn'd from the bridegroom's door.

He went like one that hath been stunn'd,

And is of sense forlorn:

A sadder and a wiser man,

He rose the morrow morn.

THE STORY OF ARGALUS AND PARTHENIA.

From THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE'S ARCADIA.

Sir Philip Sidney.

Pyrocles and Musidorus are separated by shipwreck off the coast of Laconia; Musidorus is saved by shepherds, to whom he gives his name as Palladius, according to a previous arrangement with Pyrocles, who was to be known as Daiphantus. Pyrocles is carried off by pirates; Palladius is taken to the house of Kalander, a wealthy Arcadian, who entertains him for some weeks. One day, word comes to Kalander that his son Clitophon has been captured by the Helots. Palladius, observing the sudden alteration in his host, inquires of a steward the cause. "Whereunto the steward easily in this sort condescended:"

"My Lord," said he, "when our good King Basilius took to wife the fair young princess Gynecia, there came with her a young lord, cousin-german to herself, named Argalus, led hither, partly with the love and honor of his noble kinswoman, partly with the humor of youth, which ever thinks that good whose goodness he sees not. And in this court he received so good increase of knowledge, that after some years spent, he so manifested a most virtuous mind in all his actions, that Arcadia gloried such a plant was transported unto them, being a gentleman, indeed, most rarely accomplished, excel

lently learned, but without all vainglory; friendly, without factiousness; valiant, so as for my part I think the earth hath no man that hath done more heroical acts than he; howsoever, now of late the fame flies of the two princes of Thessalia and Macedon, and hath long done of our noble prince Amphialus; who, indeed, in our parts is only accounted likely to match him; but I say for my part, I think no man, for valor of mind and ability of body, to be preferred, if equalled to Argalus; and yet so valiant, as he never durst do anybody injury; in behavior, some will say, ever sad, surely sober, and somewhat given to musing, but never uncourteous; his word ever led by his thought, and followed by his deed; rather liberal than magnificent, though the one wanted not, and the other had ever good choice of the receiver; in sum (for I perceive I shall easily take a great draught of his praises, whom both I and all this country love so well), such a man was, and I hope is, Argalus, as hardly the nicest eye can. find a spot in, if the over-vehement constancy of yet spotless affection may not in hard-wrested constructions be counted a spot which in this manner began that work in him, which hath made both him, and itself in him, over all this country famous. My master's son, Clitophon (whose loss gives the cause to this discourse, and yet gives me cause to begin with Argalus, since his loss proceeds from Argalus), being a young gentleman, as of great birth (being our king's sister's son), so truly of good nature, and one that can see good and love it, haunted more the company of this worthy Argalus than of any other; so as, if there were not a friendship (which is so rare as it is to be doubted whether it be a thing indeed or but a word), at least there was such a liking and friendliness, as hath brought forth the effects which you shall hear.

About two years since, it so fell out, that he brought him to a great lady's house, sister to my master, who had

with her her only daughter, the fair Parthenia; fair indeed, fame I think itself daring not to call any fairer, if it be not Helena, queen of Corinth, and the two incomparable sisters of Arcadia; and that which made her fairness much the fairer was that it was but a fair ambassador of a most fair mind; full of wit, and a wit which delighted more to judge itself than to show itself: her speech being as rare as precious; her silence without sullenness; her modesty without affectation; her shamefacedness without ignorance: in sum, one that to praise well, one must first set down with himself what it is to be excellent: for so she is.

I think you think, that these perfections meeting, could not choose but find one another, and delight in that they found; for likeness of manners is likely in reason to draw liking with affection; men's actions do not always cross with reason: to be short, it did so indeed. They loved, although for a while the fire thereof, hope's wings being cut off, were blown by the bellows of despair, upon this occasion.

There had been a good while before, and so continued, a suitor to this same lady, a great nobleman, though of Laconia, yet near neighbor to Parthenia's mother, named Demagoras; a man mighty in riches and power, and proud thereof, stubbornly stout, loving nobody but himself, and, for his own delight's sake, Parthenia: and pursuing vehemently his desire, his riches had so gilded over all his other imperfections, that the old lady, though contrary to my lord her brother's mind, had given her consent; and using a mother's authority upon her fair daughter, had made her yield thereunto, not because she liked her choice, but because her obedient mind had not yet taken upon it to make choice, and the day of their assurance drew near, when my young lord Clitophon brought this noble Argalus, perchance principally to see so rare a sight as Parthenia by all well-judging eyes was judged,