Sicilian swaines, ill luck shall long betide
    To every bridegroome, and to every bride: 
    No sacrifice, no vow shall still mine Ire,
    Till Claius blood both quench and kindle fire. 
    The wise shall misconceive me, and the wit
    Scornd and neglected shall my meaning hit. (I. v.)

Upon this Claius fled, leaving his children in the care of his sister Thestylis.  Although Philaebus was dead, two younger children remained to Pilumnus, Damon and Urania.  In the course of years it fortuned that Urania and Amyntas fell in love, and though misliking of the match, Pilumnus went so far as to consult the oracle concerning his daughter’s dowry.  With the uncalled-for perversity characteristic of oracles the ‘ompha[276]’ replied: 

    That which thou hast not, mayst not, canst not have
    Amyntas, is the Dowry that I crave: 
    Rest hopelesse in thy love, or else divine
    To give Urania this, and she is thine.

Pondering whereon Amyntas lost his wits.  In the meanwhile Amarillis had conceived an unhappy passion for Damon, who in his turn sought the love of the nymph Laurinda, having for rival Alexis.

This is the situation at the opening of the action.  In the first act we find Laurinda unable or unwilling to decide between her rival lovers, and her endeavours to play them off one against the other afford some of the most amusing scenes of the piece.  Learning from Thestylis of Amarillis’ love for Damon, she determines on a trick whereby she hopes to make her choice without appearing to slight either of her suitors.  She bids them abide by the award of the first nymph they meet at the temple in the morning, and so arranges matters that that nymph shall be Amarillis, whose love for Damon she supposes will move her to appoint Alexis for herself.  In the meanwhile the banished Claius has returned, in order, having heard of Amyntas’ madness, to apply such cures as he has learnt in the course of his wanderings.  He is successful in his attempt, and without revealing his identity departs, having first privately obtained from Urania the promise that she will vow virginity to Ceres, lest Amyntas by puzzling afresh over the oracle should again lose his reason.  The nymphs now appear at the temple, and the foremost, who is veiled, is appealed to by Damon and Alexis to give her decision.  She reveals herself as Amarillis, and Damon, fearing that she will decide against him, refuses to be bound by the award of so partial an arbiter.  Alexis thereupon goes off to fetch Laurinda, who shall force him to abide by his oath, while Damon in a fit of rage seeks to prevent Amarillis’ verdict by slaying her.  He wounds her with his spear and leaves her for dead.  She recovers consciousness, however, when he has fled, and with her blood writes a letter to Laurinda bequeathing to her all interest in Damon.  At this point Claius returns upon the scene, and finding her wounded applies remedies.