The elder gentleman had risen from his bench, and was pacing the

hall with some impatience, while the youth, with much earnestness

and feeling, recited these lines. When he had done, the other wrapped

himself in his cloak, and again stretched himself down, saying, "I

marvel, Tressilian, you will feed the lad in this silly humour. If there

were ought to draw a judgment upon a virtuous and honourable household

like my lord's, renounce me if I think not it were this piping,

whining, childish trick of poetry, that came among us with Master Walter

Wittypate here and his comrades, twisting into all manner of uncouth and

incomprehensible forms of speech, the honest plain English phrase which

God gave us to express our meaning withal."

"Blount believes," said his comrade, laughing, "the devil woo'd Eve

in rhyme, and that the mystic meaning of the Tree of Knowledge refers

solely to the art of clashing rhymes and meting out hexameters." [See

Note 4. Sir Walter Raleigh.] At this moment the Earl's chamberlain entered, and informed Tressilian

that his lord required to speak with him.

He found Lord Sussex dressed, but unbraced, and lying on his couch, and

was shocked at the alteration disease had made in his person. The Earl

received him with the most friendly cordiality, and inquired into the

state of his courtship. Tressilian evaded his inquiries for a moment,

and turning his discourse on the Earl's own health, he discovered, to

his surprise, that the symptoms of his disorder corresponded minutely

with those which Wayland had predicated concerning it. He hesitated not,

therefore, to communicate to Sussex the whole history of his attendant,

and the pretensions he set up to cure the disorder under which he

laboured. The Earl listened with incredulous attention until the name

of Demetrius was mentioned, and then suddenly called to his secretary to

bring him a certain casket which contained papers of importance. "Take

out from thence," he said, "the declaration of the rascal cook whom we

had under examination, and look heedfully if the name of Demetrius be

not there mentioned."

The secretary turned to the passage at once, and read, "And said

declarant, being examined, saith, That he remembers having made the

sauce to the said sturgeon-fish, after eating of which the said noble

Lord was taken ill; and he put the usual ingredients and condiments

therein, namely--"

"Pass over his trash," said the Earl, "and see whether he had not been

supplied with his materials by a herbalist called Demetrius."

"It is even so," answered the secretary. "And he adds, he has not since

seen the said Demetrius."




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