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was no way resembling the former Beauty which I had discoursed withal,whose Name was Nature; yet indeed very beautiful, even to the parallel ofHelena. This Lady was naked, and of an admirable fair complexioned Skin,as bright as the finest Silver; at first she appeared very small, and waxedbigger and bigger, until the Water appeared no more, but she her self hadtransmuted its whole substance into her shape. This sight I beheld withpity, for she (far unlike unto the first Lady) was wholly impatient of theheat which I had made, and yet was so inclosed in the Closet that she couldnot get out; she sweat therefore even as though she would melt, and seemedas though continually fainting: Then the King (who seemed as it were gladof the heat) seeing her knew her to be his Sister, his Mother, and his Wife,and compassionating her estate, ran into her and took her in his Arms, andshe feeling him, did so strongly embrace him, that he could not shake heroff, and with her sweat partly, and partly with her tears, she so bestream hisKingly Robes, which shone like unto Tagus or Pactolus, that they were allsuddenly changed into a colour Argent: the King loving her exceedingly,asked her what she desired? She answered That her desire was to have ofhim Conjugal Fealty; for, said she, I cannot endure this heat, but I must diein it, and without me your Highness can have no Off-spring: The Kingcondescended, and granted her Request, and so soon as she conceived theKings Seed, she said that she was better able to endure the Fire which didprevail upon her.Therefore not contented, she had a second, a third, and fourth Benevolence,even to the eleventh time: Then said the King, I am very faint and weak:and trying to go, as formerly, his Legs and Feet failed him, his Flesh andBody wasted as it were to nothing, and so continued worse and worse, untilat length his Body being thus wasted by Venery, began to sweatexceedingly, so long he sweated, till he was as it were wholly consumed;and his Wife seeing what fell out, wept bitterly, and her tears mingling withher Husbands sweat, grew into a large stream, in which both she and theKing were drowned so far I beheld: And then when they were both whollyout of sight, I mused at the strangeness of the object, and while I wondered,methought I saw them ascend again; but considering it well, I found thatthere swam upon the Water a Carcass, which being wholly void of Life, didwith the heat of the place draw to putrefaction more and more, so that itgrew livid, black, blewish, and yellowish, and sent up most venomousExhalations, and with its odour did so infect the Waters, which were beforeof an Argent Clearness, that they did grow very thick and dark, and at lastblack, resembling the form of muddy slime which is found in Boggs; and atlength with the heat of the Sun the moisture was wholly dried up (asMoorish low Grounds in the summer time use to be) and I sought what wasbecome of my Bodies, and I found a horrible venomous rumefied Toad,which seemed as it were dying; and a Raven almost famished walking there70