her, though she hates him, and though he
has previously been in love with Androclee, to whom he has
promised that he will not marry the other. A sort of
informal_ Cour d'Amour _is held on the subject, the
President being Cyrus himself, and the judges Princesses
Timarete and Palmis, Princes Sesostris and Myrsilus, with
"Toute la compagnie" as assessors and assessoresses. After
much discussion, it is decided to disregard the dead
father's injunction and the living inconstant's wishes, and
to unite Thrasimede and Arpalice. But the chief points of
interest lie in the following remarks:_]

"As it seems to me," said Cyrus, "what we ought most to
consider in this matter is the endeavour to make the fewest
possible persons unhappy, and to prevent a combat between
two gentlemen of such gallantry, that to whichever side
victory inclines, we should have cause to regret the
vanquished. For although Menecrate is inconstant and a
little capricious, he has, for all that, both wits and a
heart. We must, then, if you please," added he, turning to
the two princesses, "consider that if Arpalice were forced
to carry out her father's testament and marry Menecrate,
everybody would be unhappy, and he would have to fight two
duels,[181] one against Thrasimede and one against
Philistion (_Androclee's brother_), the one fighting for his
mistress, the other for his sister." "No doubt," said
Lycaste, "several people will be unhappy, but, methinks, not
all; for at any rate Menecrate will possess _his_ mistress."
"'Tis true," said Cyrus, "that he will possess Arpalice's
beauty; but I am sure that as he would not possess her
heart, he could not call himself satisfied; and his greatest
happiness in this situation would be having prevented the
happiness of his Rival. As for the rest of it, after the
first days of his marriage, he would be in despair at having
wedded a person who hated him, and whom he, perhaps, would
have ceased to love; for, considering Menecrate's humour, I
am the most deceived of all men if the possession of what he
loves is not the very thing to kill all love in his heart.
As for Arpalice, it is easy to see that, marrying Menecrate,
whom she hates, and _not_ marrying Thrasimede, whom she
loves, she would be very unhappy indeed; nor coul