n: so easy, and, when learnt, so blissful? What breeds more close
communion between subjects than allegiance to the same queen? between
brothers, than duty to the same father? between the devout, than
adoration for the same Deity? And shall not worship for the same beauty
be likewise a bond of love between the worshippers? and each lover see
in his rival not an enemy, but a fellow-sufferer? You smile and say in
your hearts, that though all may worship, but one can enjoy; and that
one man's meat must be the poison of the rest. Be it so, though I deny
it. Shall we anticipate our own doom, and slay ourselves for fear of
dying? Shall we make ourselves unworthy of her from our very eagerness
to win her, and show ourselves her faithful knights, by cherishing
envy,--most unknightly of all sins? Shall we dream with the Italian
or the Spaniard that we can become more amiable in a lady's eyes, by
becoming hateful in the eyes of God and of each other? Will she love
us the better, if we come to her with hands stained in the blood of
him whom she loves better than us? Let us recollect ourselves rather,
gentlemen; and be sure that our only chance of winning her, if she be
worth winning, is to will what she wills, honor whom she honors, love
whom she loves. If there is to be rivalry among us, let it be a rivalry
in nobleness, an emulation in virtue. Let each try to outstrip the other
in loyalty to his queen, in valor against her foes, in deeds of courtesy
and mercy to the afflicted and oppressed; and thus our love will indeed
prove its own divine origin, by raising us nearer to those gods whose
gift it is. But yet I show you a more excellent way, and that is
charity. Why should we not make this common love to her, whom I am
unworthy to name, the sacrament of a common love to each other? Why
should we not follow the heroical examples of those ancient knights, who
having but one grief, one desire, one goddess, held that one heart was
enough to contain that grief, to nourish that desire, to worship that
divinity; and so uniting themselves in friendship till they became but
one soul in two bodies, lived only for each other in living only for
her, vowing as faithful worshippers to abide by her decision, to find
their own bliss in hers, and whomsoever she esteemed most worthy of
her love, to esteem most worthy also, and count themselves, by that her
choice, the bounden servants of him whom their mistress had condescended
to advance to the dig