221How Apollonius came to the knowledge of his wife the Lady Lucina, and how they rejoiced at the meeting of each other.

222THE Lady Lucina was not so busy in executing her office in the Church but that she gave also attentive ear unto her Lord Apollonius' talk, whom at first she knew not. But when she heard the long discourse, whereby she knew by all signs that he was her husband and she was his wife, her heart burned within her and she could scarce temper her affections until he had done talking. Yet measuring her love with modesty, as now of long time having learned the true trade of patience, she gave him liberty to make an end; which done, she ran hastily unto him and embraced him hard in her arms and would have kissed him. Which thing when Apollonius saw, he was moved with disdain and thrust her from him, as misliking such lightness in her whose modesty and good grace he had so lately before commended in his heart, and nothing at all suspecting that she had been his wife. Then she, pouring forth tears abundantly, "O my lord Apollonius," said she, "the one half of my life, why deal you thus ungently with me? I am your wife, daughter unto Altistrates, King of Pentapolis, and my name is Lucina. And you are Apollonius, Prince of Tyrus, my lord and dear husband, and you are my schoolmaster, which taught me music; and moreover you are the sea-wrecked man whom I especially loved above many, not for concupiscence' sake, but for desire of wisdom."

223When Apollonius heard those words, he was suddenly astonished; and as the strangeness of the chance appalled him much, so the great joy revived his spirits again, and he cast his eyes earnestly upon her, and immediately called her to remembrance and knew perfectly that it was she indeed, and he went unto her and fell upon her neck and for exceeding joy burst out into tears, and then lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven, he said: "Blessed be the most mighty God of heaven, which sitteth above and beholdeth the state of men on earth and dealeth with them according to his great mercy; who now also of his unspeakable goodness hath restored unto me my wife and my daughter." Then did he most lovingly embrace and kiss his lady, whom he supposed long before to be dead, and she likewise requited him with the like fruits of goodwill and courtesy, whom she surely thought she should never have seen again. And when they had continued a good space in entertaining the one another: "O my most dear lord, Apollonius," said the Lady Lucina, "where is my child, whereof I was delivered?" Apollonius answered: "My best beloved lady, it was a daughter, and she was named Tharsia, and this is she," and therewithal he showed her Tharsia. Then kissed and embraced she her daughter and likewise her son-in-law Athanagoras, and they greatly rejoiced one in another.

224And when report hereof was spread abroad, there was great joy throughout all the city of Ephesus, and the report was blown about in every place how Prince Apollonius had found out his lady and wife among the nuns in the temple. Then Lucina discoursed unto her lord and husband, Apollonius, of all the strange accidents that happened unto her after his casting her forth into the sea. Namely, how her chest was cast on land at the coast of Ephesus and taken up by a physician, and how she was revived and by him adopted and, for preservation of her honesty, placed among the nuns in the Temple of Diana, where he there found her, accordingly as it appeareth before in the history, wherefore they blessed the name of God and yielded most hearty thanks unto him, that he had preserved them hitherto and granted them so joyful a meeting.