And all the ladies who saw this first beginning between the prince and Miranda, began to curse and envy her charms, who had deprived them of half their hopes.

After this, I need not tell you, he made Miranda a visit; and from that day, never left her apartment, but when he went home at nights, or unless he had business; so entirely was he conquered by this fair one. But the bishop, and several men of quality in orders, that professed friendship to him, advised him from her company; and spoke several things to him, that might (if love had not made him blind) have reclaimed him from the pursuit of his ruin. But whatever they trusted him with, she had the art to wind herself about his heart, and make him unravel all his secrets; and then knew as well, by feigned sighs and tears, to make him disbelieve all. So that he had no faith, but for her; and was wholly enchanted and bewitched by her, at last, in spite of all that would have opposed it, he married this famous woman, possessed by so many great men and strangers before, while all the world was pitying his shame and misfortunes.

Being married, they took a great house; and as she was indeed a great fortune, and now a great princess, there was nothing wanting that was agreeable to their quality; all was splendid and magnificent. But all this would not acquire them the world’s esteem; they had an abhorrence for her former life, despised her, and for his espousing a woman so infamous, they despised him. So that though they admired, and gazed upon their equipage, and glorious dress, they foresaw the ruin that attended it; and paid her quality very little respect.

She was no sooner married, but her uncle died; and dividing his fortune between Miranda and her sister, leaves the young heiress, and all her fortune, entirely in the hands of the princess.

We will call this sister Alcidiana; she was about fourteen years of age, and now had chosen her brother, the prince, for her guardian.

If Alcidiana were not altogether so great a beauty as her sister, she had charms sufficient to procure her a great many lovers, though her fortune had not been so considerable as it was; but with that addition, you may believe, she wanted no courtships from those of the best quality; though everybody deplored her being under the tutorage of a lady so expert in all the vices of her sex, and so cunning a manager of sin, as was the princess; who, on her part, failed not, by all the caresses, and obliging endearments, to engage the mind of this young maid, and to subdue her wholly to her government. All her senses were eternally regaled with the most bewitching pleasures they were capable of: she saw nothing but glory and magnificence, heard nothing but music of the sweetest sounds; the richest perfumes employed her smelling, and all she ate and touched was delicate and inviting; and being too young to consider how this state and grandeur was to be continued, little imagined her vast fortune was every day diminishing, towards its needless support.

When the princess went to church, she had her gentleman bare34 before her, carrying a great velvet cushion, with great golden tassels, for her to kneel on, and her train borne up a most prodigious length; led by a gentleman-usher, bare; followed by innumerable footmen, pages and women. And in this state she would walk in the streets, as in those countries ’tis the fashion for the great ladies to do, who are well; and in her train, two or three coaches, and perhaps a rich velvet chair embroidered, would follow in state.

’Twas thus for some time they lived, and the princess was daily pressed by young sighing lovers, for her consent to marry Alcidiana; but she had still one art or other to put them off, and so continually broke all the great matches that were proposed to her, notwithstanding their kindred, and other friends, had industriously endeavoured to make several great matches for her; but the princess was still positive in her denial, and one way or other broke all. At last it happened, there was one proposed yet more advantageous; a young count, with whom the young maid grew passionately in love, and besought her sister to consent that she might have him, and got the prince to speak in her behalf; but he had no sooner heard the secret reasons Miranda gave him, but (entirely her slave) he changed his mind, and suited it to hers, and she, as before, broke off that amour; which so extremely incensed Alcidiana, that she, taking an opportunity, got from her guard, and ran away, putting herself into the hands of a wealthy merchant, her kinsman, and one who bore the greatest authority in the city; him she chooses for her guardian, resolving to be no longer a slave to the tyranny of her sister. And so well she ordered matters, that she writ to this young cavalier, her last lover, and retrieved him; who came back to Antwerp again, to renew his courtship.

Both parties being agreed, it was no hard matter to persuade all but the princess; but though she opposed it, it was resolved on, and the day appointed for marriage, and the portion demanded; demanded only, but never to be paid, the best part of it being spent. However, she put them off from day to day, by a thousand frivolous delays. And when she saw they would have recourse to force, and that all her magnificence would be at an end, if the law should prevail against her; and that, without this sister’s fortune, she could not long support her grandeur, she bethought herself of a means to make it all her own, by getting her sister made away; but she being out of her tuition,35 she was not able to accomplish so great a deed of darkness. But since ’twas resolved it must be done, she revolves on a thousand stratagems; and at last, pitches upon an effectual one.

She had a page, called Van Brune, a youth of great address and wit, and one she had long managed for her purpose. This youth was about seventeen years of age, and extremely beautiful; and in the time when Alcidiana lived with the princess, she was a little in love with this handsome boy; but ’twas checked in its infancy, and never grew up to a flame. Nevertheless, Alcidiana retained still a sort of tenderness for him, while he burned in good earnest with love for the princess.

The princess one day ordering this page to wait on her in her closet, she shut the door; and after a thousand questions of what he would undertake to serve her, the amorous boy, finding himself alone, and caressed by the fair person he adored, with joyful blushes, that beautified his face, told her, there was nothing upon earth, he would not do, to obey her least commands. She grew more familiar with him, to oblige him; and seeing love dance in his eyes, of which she was so good a judge, she treated him more like a lover, than a servant; till at last the ravished youth, wholly transported out of himself, fell at her feet, and impatiently implored to receive her commands quickly, that he might fly to execute them; for he was not able to bear her charming words, looks and touches, and retain his duty. At this she smiled, and told him, the work was of such a nature, as would mortify all flames about him; and he would have more need of rage, envy and malice, than the aids of a passion so soft as what she now found him capable of. He assured her, he would stick at nothing, though even against his nature, to recompense for the boldness he now, through indiscretion, had discovered. She smiling, told him, he had committed no fault; and that possibly, the pay he should receive for the service she required at his hands, should be – what he most wished for in the world. To this he bowed to the earth; and kissing her feet, bade her command. And then she boldly told him, ’twas to kill her sister Alcidiana. The youth, without so much as starting, or pausing upon the matter, told her, it should be done; and bowing low, immediately went out of the closet. She called him back, and would have given him some instruction; but he refused it, and said, the action, and the contrivance should be all his own. And offering to go again, she – again recalled him; putting into his hand a purse of a hundred pistoles, which he took; and with a low bow, departed.

He no sooner left her presence, but he goes directly and buys a dose of poison, and went immediately to the house where Alcidiana lived; where, desiring to be brought to her presence, he fell a-weeping; and told her, his lady had fallen out with him, and dismissed him her service; and since, from a child, he had been brought up in the family, he humbly besought Alcidiana to receive him into hers, she being in a few days to be married. There needed not much entreaty to a thing that pleased her so well, and she immediately received him to pension.36 And he waited some days on her, before he could get an opportunity to administer his devilish potion. But one night, when she drank wine with roasted apples, which was usual with her; instead of sugar, or with the sugar, the baneful drug was mixed, and she drank it down.

About this time there was a great talk of this page’s coming from one sister, to go to the other. And Prince Tarquin, who was ignorant of the design, from the beginning to the end, hearing some men of quality at his table speaking of Van Brune’s change of place (the princess then keeping her chamber upon some trifling indisposition) he answered, that surely they were mistaken, that he was not dismissed from the princess’s service. And calling some of his servants, he asked for Van Brune; and whether anything had happened between Her Highness and him, that had occasioned his being turned off. They all seemed ignorant of this matter; and those who had spoke of it, began to fancy there was some juggle37 in the case, which time would bring to light.

The ensuing day ’twas all about the town, that Alcidiana was poisoned; and though not dead, yet very near it; and that the doctors said, she had taken mercury. So that there was never so formidable a sight as this fair young creature; her head and body swollen, her eyes starting out, her face black, and all deformed; so that diligent search was made, who it should be that did this; who gave her drink and meat.