6
her ears, and joy to her heart, and often she would ask Amorissa, her nurse, who had brought her up, in whom she alone confided, what she had heard of the famous Grecian captain since he had passed the sea? This woman being of a ready and quick understanding, found by the young lady’s often changing colour, and sometimes hearing a sigh escape when she spoke of Leander, that she had more than ordinary concern for him, resolving to dive more deeply into her thoughts, she urged her many times to know why she so earnestly enquired into the fame and welfare of his person above all others? But she answered either with silence, or that she did no more in that than every body did of so brave a man: but one night Amorissa being to watch in the chamber of the fair Hero, whose inward fire had, by burning too fierce, somewhat distempered her health, she heard her in her slumber cry out, Oh! how cruel is the god of love to an innocent virgin to give such a sorrowful wound without hope of cure? She had scarce said this, when she fancied in her dream, as she afterwards declared, she beheld Leander standing by her in a most lovely and charming shape, and the goddess Venus, as it were, presenting her with these words,
Behold, fair maid, what you desire,
His breast I’ve fill’d with equal fire,
Both shall enjoy what either craves,
Till love is quench’d in Neptune’s waves.
Having thus said, Leander seemed to embrace her and she him, very tenderly and with ardent affection, when a great sea of water seemed to flow into the place on a sudden, and parted them; at which she started, between sleep and wake cried at in a fright, O my Leander! my love, how or where
