tyrant, that wondringe at their meruailous frendship he suffred them frely to departe, without doinge to them any damage.a Pitheas and Damon, two Pythagoriens, that is to say, studentes of Pythagoras lerninge, beinge ioyned to Pitheas gither in a parfeite frendship, for that one of them and was accused to haue conspired agayne Dionyse, king Damon. of Sicile, they were bothe taken and brought to the kinge, who immediately gaue sentence, that he that was accused shulde be put to dethe. But he desired the kinge that, er he died, he mought retourne home to set his householde in ordre and to distribute his goodes; whereat the kinge laughinge demaunded of him skornefully what pledge he wolde leaue hym to come. agayne. At the whiche wordes his companyon stepte furthe and saide, that he wolde remayne there as a pledge for his frende, that in case he came nat againe at the daye to hym appointed, that he wyllingly wolde lose his hede; whiche condicion the tyraunt receyued. The yonge man that shuld haue died, was suffred to departe home to his house, where he set all thinge in ordre and disposed his goodes wisely. The day appointed for his retourne was commen, the tyme moche passed; wherfore the kynge called for him that was pledge, who came furthe merely without semblaunte of drede, offringe to abide the sentence of the tyraunt, and without grudginge to die for the sauinge the life of his frende. But as the officer of iustyce had closed his eien with a kerchiefe, and had drawen his swerde to haue striken of his hedde, his felowe came runninge and cryenge that the daye of his appointment was nat yet past; wherfore he desired the minister of iustice to lose his felowe, and to prepare to do execution on hym that had giuen the occasion. Whereat the tyraunt being all abasshed, commaunded bothe to be brought in his presence, and whan he A 'Ire jubet Pylades carum periturus Oresten. Hic negat: inque vicem pugnat uterque mori. Ovid, Epist. ex Pont. lib. iii. 2, 85-88. had ynough wondred at their noble hartes and their constance in very frendship, he offring to them great rewardes desired them to receyue hym into their company; and so, doinge them moche honour, dyd set them at liberte. Undoughtedly that frendship whiche dothe depende either on profite or els in pleasure, if the habilitie of the parsone, whiche mought be profitable, do fayle or diminisshe, or the disposition of the parsone, whiche shulde be pleasaunt, do chaunge or appayre, the feruentnesse of loue cesseth, and than is there no frendship. CHAPTER XII.b The wonderfull history of Titus and Gisippus, and whereby is fully declared the figure of perfet amitie. BUT nowe in the middes of my labour, as it were to pause and take brethe, and also to recreate the reders, which, fatigate ■ 'Damon et Phintias, Pythagoricæ prudentiæ sacris initiati, tam fidelem inter e amicitiam junxerunt, ut, cum alterum ex his Dionysius Syracusanus interficere vellet, atque is tempus ab eo, quo, prius quàm periret, domum profectus res suas ordinaret, impetravisset, alter vadem se pro reditu ejus tyranno dare non dubitarit. Solutus erat periculo mortis, qui modo cervices gladio subjectas habuerat: eidem caput suum subjecerat, cui securo vivere licebat. Igitur omnes, et in primis Dionysius, novæ atque ancipitis rei exitum speculabantur. Appropinquante deinde definitâ die, nec illo redeunte, unusquisque stultitiæ tam temerarium sponsorem damnabat. At is "nihil se de amici constantiâ metuere" prædicabat. Eodem autem momento, et horâ à Dionysio constitutâ, qui eam acceperat, supervenit. Admiratus amborum animum tyrannus, supplicium fidei remisit ; insuperque eos rogavit, "ut se in societatem amicitiæ, tertium sodalitii gradum ultimâ culturum benevolentiâ, reciperent.”’— Val. Max. lib. iv. cap. 7, ext. 1. The greater portion of this chapter is entirely omitted in Mr. Eliot's edition. The tale which occupies nearly the whole of the present chapter is a translation of one of the stories in the Decameron of Boccaccio (Gior. X. Novel. viii.), and is probably the earliest English version of any of the great poet's writings. It is doubtful, however, whether Sir Thos. Elyot translated directly from the original or (as appears more probable) made use of a Latin version, by the celebrated Philip Beroaldo, whose editions of the classics were in great repute in the sixteenth century. As copies of the latter version are now extremely rare, it has with longe preceptes, desire varietie of mater, or some newe pleasaunt fable or historie, I will reherce a right goodly example of frendship. Whiche example, studiousely radde, shall ministre to the redars singuler pleasure and also incredible comforte to practise amitie. There was in the citie of Romea a noble senatour named Fuluius, who sent his sone called Titus, beinge a childe, to the citie of Athenes in Greece (whiche was the fountaine of al maner of doctrine), there to lerne good letters, and caused him been deemed advisable to present a new edition of it to the reader, who can of course easily make for himself the comparison with the original in its native tongue. The single copy in the Brit. Mus., which is now reprinted for the first time, bears the title 'Mithica historia Johannis Boccatii, poetæ laureati, de Tito Romano Gisippoque Atheniensi, philosophiæ tironibus ac commilitonibus, amicitiæ vim elucidans, nuper per Philippum Beroaldum ex italico in latinum transversa;' and is without date, but is supposed to have been printed at Leipsic in 1495. More than thirty years after the publication of The Governour, one Edward Lewicke, whose name, says Warton, is not known in the catalogue of English poets,' brought out a rhythmical version of the story, calling it 'The most wonder ful and pleasaunt History of Titus and Gisippus, whereby is fully declared the figure of perfect frendshyp, drawen into English metre by Edwarde Lewicke, anno 1562. Mr. Collier has shown conclusively (Poet. Decameron, vol. ii. pp. 84, 85) that Lewicke was indebted not only for the form of the narrative, but 'even for some of his very words and phrases,' to this chapter of The Governour; and 'there is not only a strong resemblance throughout, but a perfect identity in some passages,' which renders it extremely probable that the story was only known to Lewicke by a perusal of Sir T. Elyot's work. Lewicke's version, therefore, deservedly sank into obscurity, and is now very rarely met with. According to M. Brunet, a copy was sold in 1854 for £27, but the National Library does not contain any specimen of this poetaster. Another metrical version of much the same character was that printed by Wynkyn de Worde, entitled 'The History of Tytus and Gesyppus, translated out of Latyn into englyshe by Willyam Walter;' this is even more rare than the former, and is not to be found in the Brit. Mus., but a copy is said to have realised the high price of £36 at the Roxburgh sale. According to Brunet, the Latin text which Walter translated was written by Matthew Bandello, and published at Milan in 1509. Warton calls this an exceedingly scarce book.'Hist. E. P. vol. ii. p. 493, note. The reader who compares Sir T. Elyot's version either with the Italian of Boccaccio, or with the Latin of Beroaldo, will not fail to remark that our author has diverged widely from both sources. 'Quo tempore Octavius Cæsar, nondum cognominatus Augustus, in triumviratum Romanum tegebat imperium, fuit Romæ P. Qu. Fulvius, homo patricius ac nobilis, qui filiun nomine Titum Fulvium, juvenem singulari ingenio præditum, to be hosted with a worshipfull man of that citie called Chremes. This Chremes hapned to haue also a sone named Gisippus, who nat onely was equall to the said yonge Titus in yeres, but also in stature, proporcion of body, fauour, and colour of visage, countenaunce and speche. The two children were so like, that without moche difficultie it coulde nat be discerned of their propre parentes, whiche was Titus from Gysippus, or Gysippus from Titus. These two yonge gentilmen, as they semed to be one in fourme and personage, so, shortely after acquaintaunce, the same nature wrought in their hartes suche a mutuall affection, that their willes and appetites daily more and more so confederated them selfes, that it semed none other, whan their names were declared, but that they hadde onely chaunged their places, issuinge (as I mought saye) out of the one body, and entringe in to the other. They to gether and at one tyme went to their lerninge and studie, at one tyme to their meales and refection; they delited bothe in one doctrine, and profited equally therein; finally they to gether so increased in doctrine, that within a fewe yeres, fewe within Athenes mought be compared unto them. At the laste died Chremes, whiche was nat only to his sone, but also to Titus, cause of moche sorowe and heuinesse. Gysippus, by the goodes of his father, was knowen to be a man of great substaunce, wherfore there were offred to hym great and riche mariages. And he than beinge of ripe yeres and of an habile and goodly parsonage, his frendes, Athenas misit ut philosophiæ studiis erudiretur, eumque etiam atque etiam commendavit Chremeti, viro nobili, amico vetustissimo. Qui Titum hospicio suscipiens voluit ut in contubernio filii Gisippi familiariter educaretur, et utrumque Aristippo, id temporis philosopho illustrissimo, tradidit erudiendum, ut eisdem pariter doctrinis imbuerentur. Cum itaque ambo juvenes vitam degerent communem, tanta similitudo morum repente apparuit, ut summa germanitas, summaque benevolentia, inter ipsos coaluerit. Adeo ut vix morte potuerit dissociari. Simul ambo philosophiæ studiis incumbere, simul ambo ad fastigium divini dogmatis ascendere, ambo excellentissimi ingenii dotibus pares existere. Qui talem vitam duxere circiter triennium, maximâ cum voluptate Chremetis. Is utrumque pio amore prosequens nec in filium quàm in Titum propensior, cum jam esset senio confectus, è vitâ migravit. Cujus obitum tanquam communis parentis Titus atque Gisippus peræque defleverunt, et pari lamentatione prosequuti sunt. Adeo ut nec ipsius Chremetis familiares ac kynne, and alies exhorted hym busely to take a wyfe, to the intent he mought increase his lygnage and progenie. But the yonge man, hauinge his hart all redy wedded to his frende Titus, and his mynde fixed to the studie of Philosophie, fearinge that mariage shulde be the occasion to seuer hym bothe from thone and thother, refused of longe tyme to be parswaded; untill at the last, partly by the importunate callynge on of his kynnesmen, partly by the consent and aduise of his dere frende Titus, therto by other desired, he assented to mary suche one as shulde lyke hym. What shall nede many wordes? His frendes founde a yonge gentilwoman, whiche in equalitie of yeres, vertuous condicions, nobilitie of blode, beautie, and sufficient richesse, they thought was for suche a yonge man apte and conuenient. And whan they and her frendes upon the couenauntes of mariage were throughly accorded, they counsailed Gysippus to repayre unto the mayden, and to beholde howe her parsone contented hym. And he so doinge founde her in euery fourme and condicion accordinge to his expectation and appetite; wherat he moche reioysed and became of her amorouse, in so moche as many and often tymes he leauinge Titus at his studie secretely repayred unto her. Nat withstandyng the feruent loue that he had to his frende Titus, at the last surmounted shamefastnes. Wherfore he disclosed to him his secrete iournayes, and what delectacion he toke in beholdinge the excellent beautie of her whom he purposed to mary, and howe, with her good maners and swete entretaynement, she cognati satis dignoscere possent, uter eorum juvenum magis consolandus foret. Post aliquot menses amici necessariique Gisippi hominem conveniunt, et ad uxorem ducendam pariter hortantur, puellam se reperisse dictitantes, civem Atticam, incredibili formositate conspicuam, et generosissimâ gente procreatam, cui Sophroniæ nomen erat, et id temporis quintum decimum agebat ætatis annum. Horum votis Gisippus, utpote juvenili ardore calescens, libenter annuit. Jamque appetebat tempus nuptiarum, cum sponsus unà cum Tito ad sponsam visendam proficiscitur. Jam ambo intra ædes sponsæ penetraverant, jam inter Gisippum Sophroniamque facetissimi sermones serebantur, cum Titus, quasi elegans spectator feminæ formositate adhibitus, cepit curiosis oculis cuncta prospicere et singula Sophroniæ membra callenter pensitare, quæ cum mirandum in modum tota complacuisset, ipse |