Tractus de Hermaphrodites | Page 6

other Amaryllis: Theodora was the
Daughter of an eminent Courtier, and in her Person most beautiful; her Shape was form'd
according to the nicest Rules of Symetry; her Waste was slender, her Breasts were full
and round, and for Whiteness equall'd the falling Snow; her Face was exactly compos'd,
the Features strong and yet beautiful; her Cheeks more lively than the Rose and Lilly; her
Eyes sparkled beyond the most shining Planets; her Teeth excell'd the best polish'd Ivory;
soft as Velvet were her Lips, and redder than Vermillion; her Hand and Arm more white
than Milk; her Feet small, and her Gate stately, and on her Shoulders were display'd her
auborn Tresses, hanging in Ringlets to her Waste; in short, every Part that was visible
invited to hidden Charms; her Looks were languishing, and her Eye-Balls large, which,
perpetually rowling, cast a thousand Darts at all Beholders. Amaryllis the Daughter of a
wealthy Merchant and no less admir'd for her Beauty than the lovely Theodora; she was
made up of Perfections, and whomsoever she saw unguarded, she was sure to captivate:
These two Ladies were both of them cross'd in their amorous Inclinations; Theodora,
before she was thirteen Years of Age, had made a powerful Conquest over the Affections
of a Youth of Gallantry, his Name was Leander, and he was the eldest Son of a
Nobleman of Naples; but Theodora's Father having no regard to the Happiness of his
Daughter, after Leander had made his Addresses, he forbad him his House, not approving
the Circumstances or the Character of the young Gentleman; for the Father of Theodora
was a mercenary Courtier, having no regard to any but such as were in their Nature
Misers and sanctified Hypocrites, and Leander being a Gentleman inclin'd to
Extravagancy. Leander setting a greater value upon his Education, Manners and good
Nature than his Fortune, was oblig'd to desist in his Pretensions and to sink under the
oppression of Avarice: He determin'd to leave Ferara, since he was there to see his
Happiness, no more, however, he resolv'd to send his Fair One, a moving Billet Doux

before his Departure, which he did, and it was as follows.
To the GODDESS of Ferara, the Beautiful THEODORA.
_Divine Creature,
It is not to be admir'd that I, the meanest of your Servants, should be rejected by your
wealthy Parents, and that Heaven should deny me a Happiness which it self only ought to
enjoy; Why did Nature make you so Beautiful and Deserving, and me so unworthy of
your Affection? My misery increases with your Happiness, unless you participate my
Pains; you are in the Bud of your Beauty, which when full blown, will be like the Sun in
the midst of the Horizon, Illuminating the whole World, but its penetrating Rays not to be
gaz'd upon. You are the Lilly and I am the Thorn; you beautify the rich fertile Vale,
whilst I retire to the barren Mountains. I will pass the Alps 'till I approach the most
aspiring Mount, and there, in view of Ferara, I will lay me down and bid the World
Adieu. When I am gone, remember that you had once a Lover who could sacrifice every
thing for our Service, and without you he could enjoy nothing. I have not only concerted
my Journey from Ferara, but likewise to the Elysian Groves; if my grizly Ghost should
terrify that sordid Wretch your Father, 'tis no more than he deserves, and if my Shade
appears to you, look on that unconcern'd which cannot injure you. My last Request to you
is to take care of your self, who am_
Your despairing Lover,
But Admirer,
LEANDER
Theodora receiv'd this moving Letter with a Concern proportion'd to the melancholly
Occasion; she communicated it to an intimate Acquaintance, who likewise express'd the
utmost Uneasiness; the thoughts of the Catastrophe of the Loves of Theodora and
Leander presented a lively Idea to Theodora's Companion, of the Miseries and
Misfortunes attending Mankind. "Hard is the Case (says she) that Leander, one of the
finest young Gentlemen of Naples, should be sacrific'd to a mercenary Wretch, a Wretch,
that in the midst of plenty is poor and miserable, and who, tho' he has all Things to
compleat his Happiness, his avaricious Temper will not permit him to enjoy the common
Necessaries of Life: The Pleasures of living he's a Stranger to, he lives despis'd, and will
die unpitied: But such is the inequality of Fortune's Favours, that Merit must stoop and
Ideots be advanc'd to the highest Pomp and Magnificence. It is entirely out of your Power
to give the pitied Leander the least Relief; your Father's House is a Nunnery, he has his
Locks and Keys to secure you, and his Spies for Intelligence; but