banditti dwelt; and one of
these robbers seized on Silvia, and would also have taken Eglamour,
but he escaped.

The robber who had taken Silvia, seeing the terror she was in, bid
her not be alarmed, for that he was only going to carry her to a cave
where his captain lived, and that she need not be afraid, for their
captain had an honourable mind, and always shewed humanity to women.
Silvia found little comfort in hearing she was going to be carried as
a prisoner before the captain of a lawless banditti. "O Valentine,"
she cried, "this I endure for thee!"

But as the robber was conveying her to the cave of his captain, he was
stopped by Protheus, who, still attended by Julia in the disguise of
a page, having heard of the flight of Silvia, had traced her steps to
this forest. Protheus now rescued her from the hands of the robber;
but scarce had she time to thank him for the service he had done her,
before he began to distress her afresh with his love-suit: and while
he was rudely pressing her to consent to marry him, and his page (the
forlorn Julia) was standing beside him in great anxiety of mind,
fearing lest the great service which Protheus had just done to Silvia
should win her to shew him some favour, they were all strangely
surprised with the sudden appearance of Valentine, who having heard
his robbers had taken a lady prisoner, came to console and relieve
her.

Protheus was courting Silvia, and he was so much ashamed of being
caught by his friend, that he was all at once seized with penitence
and remorse; and he expressed such a lively sorrow for the injuries
he had done to Valentine, that Valentine, whose nature was noble and
generous, even to a romantic degree, not only forgave and restored
him to his former place in his friendship, but in a sudden flight of
heroism he said, "I freely do forgive you; and all the interest I have
in Silvia, I give it up to you." Julia, who was standing beside her
master as a page, hearing this strange offer, and fearing Protheus
would not be able with this new-found virtue to refuse Silvia,
fainted, and they were all employed in recovering her: else would
Silvia have been offended at being thus made over to Protheus, though
she could scarcely think that Valentine would long persevere in this
overstrained and too generous act of friendship. When Julia recovered
from the fainting fit, she said, "I had forgot, my master ordered me
to deliver this ring to Silvia." Protheus, lookin