maximin appears among them ill of a fever. he dies after joining the hands of periander and auristella, now known as persiles and sigismunda.
so little certainty is there in all earthly joys, that no man can promise himself a moment of perfect security. auristella repenting the declaration she had made of her wishes and intentions to periander, now hastened to seek him out joyfully, believing that with her hand and her repentance all would come right, and according to his desire, for she believed herself to be the key of the wheel of his fortune, and the polar star of all his hopes; nor was she deceived in this, for already had he brought himself to comply with her will. but mark the cheats of this ever changing fortune. in one short instant, as we have seen, she finds herself quite another thing from what she was of late. she meant to smile, and she weeps; she thought of happy life, and she is at the point of death; she expected to see periander, and lo, in his place, his brother maximin! who, with a number of equipages and a large retinue, now approaches, entering rome by this, the terracina road; and seeing the crowd of persons that surrounded the wounded periander, he ordered his carriage to stop, that he might learn the cause. serafido went to meet him, saying, "o prince maximin, i bring you evil tidings; yonder wounded man in the arms of that beautiful lady is your brother persiles, and she is the peerless sigismunda; after all your diligence you find them in a sad time and season, so that instead of rejoicings, you will only come to follow them to their grave."
"they will not go to it alone," answered maximin; "but i shall bear them company. accordingly i am come;" and, putting his head out of the carriage, he recognized his brother, although he was all covered with blood. he knew sigismunda, too, although her face was pale as death, for the terror which had deprived it of colour had not altered the features. sigismunda was all lovely before, but, if possible, she looked lovelier still in her sorrow, for, in some cases, grief only adds to beauty."
he left his carriage, and sunk into the arms of sigismunda—auristella no longer—but the queen of friseland, and, in his imagination, queen of tile also.
these strange events all came under the name of what is called fortune, which is but another name for the ordering of a heavenly providence.
maximin had set out for rome, in the hope of finding better physicians to cure him of his disease than those he had at terracina, and they had warned him that before he could reach rome, he would be dead, more skilful and sagacious in this matter than in finding out how to cure him: it is true that his was an illness seldom cured.
and now before the great cathedral of st. peter, in the midst of an open plain, has hideous death stepped forth to meet the young and beautiful persiles, and threatens him with destruction, whilst to maximin it gives a grave. he, finding himself near expiring, with his right hand takes persiles' left in his own, and lifts it to his eyes, whilst in his left hand he takes persiles' right and joins it with sigismunda, saying, in a faint and feeble voice, and failing breath, "your truth and virtue, my children, and my brother, i well know: open, o my brother, those closed lids of thine, and shut these eyes of mine in eternal sleep, and with thy other hand clasp that of sigismunda, and seal therewith my gift and wish that she should be thy wife, and let this blood that is spilt of thine, and these thy friends who surround thee, be witnesses of the marriage. thy father's kingdom is left for thee, and thou wilt have sigismunda's also. may ye both enjoy health and happiness for many years to come!"
these words, so tender, so joyful, and yet so sorrowful, revived the fainting spirits of periander, and, obedient to his brother's desire (on whom death had set his seal) he closed his eyes, and, in accents divided between grief and joy, pronounced the words which bound him for ever to sigismunda as her husband.
this unexpected and melancholy event affected the bystanders strongly, and many of them shed tears, and sighs and sobs were heard all around.
they lifted up the dead body of maximin and carried it into st. peter's church, and placing persiles, only half alive, in the carriage of the dead prince, they returned with him to rome, where they found neither bellarmina nor delicia, both of whom had gone back to france with the duke.
arnoldo was strongly affected when he heard of this unexpected and strange marriage; he felt deeply how many years he had wasted in this pursuit, how many deeds he had done, and actions performed, in the hope of being at last rewarded by the peaceable possession of sigismunda's peerless charms; and that which most vexed and disturbed his mind, was, to remember all that clodio had said, which he would not believe, and of which he had now obtained such manifest proof. at first, indignant and disturbed, he determined to set off without speaking a word to either persiles or sigismunda; but, on second thoughts, considering their royal birth, and the excuse they had, and that this great piece of good fortune was reserved clearly for persiles, he resolved that he would go to them; he did so, and was very kindly received, and, in order to console him and give him less cause to complain, they offered him the young princess eusebia, sigismunda's sister, for a wife. he accepted this offer willingly, and he would have accompanied them at once to their own country, but that he thought it right to go and ask his father's leave, since in the affair of marriage, and indeed in all serious or important matters, it is right for children to consult their parents' pleasure. he stayed to assist in the cure of his intended brother-in-law; and when he was perfectly restored to health, he departed to join his father, and to prepare for his promised bride.
felicia flora had decided to marry antonio the barbarian; for she said she would never return to live among the friends and relations of the man who would have murdered him.
croriano and ruperta, their pilgrimage ended, returned to france, taking with them ample matter for discourse in the events of the feigned auristella's history.
persiles had his brother buried in st. peter's, and took all his servants under his protection.
they visited all the churches in rome, and loaded constance with caresses.
sigismunda presented her with the diamond cross, and would not part with her till she left her married to the count, her brother-in-law. then, having kissed the pope's feet, her vow accomplished, and her soul at peace, she lived in sweet companionship with her husband persiles, to see their children's children grow up around them, their lives prolonged and blessed in their happy and numerous posterity.
