University of Virginia Library

Scena 4.

Enter the Witch and her sonne from the Caue.
Gloster.
Thou famous Mistresse of the vnknown depths
Of hels infernall secrets, oh vvhat revvard
Shall a deiected, miserable man,
Chased from the confines of his natiue land,
By vvrong oppression, and insulting pride,
Disgrace, contempt, and endlesse infamy,
Giue, for redresse from thy commanding arte?

Witch.
Gloster, I know thee wel, although disguisd:
Thou comest to craue our helpe, for thy reuenge.
'Gainst Caradoc, who now hath vanquished
The Bastard Codigune in single fight.
Know Gloster, that our skill
Commaunds the Moone drop from her siluer sphere,
And all the starres to vayle their golden heads,
At the blacke horrour that our Charmes present,
Atlas throwes downe the twinckling Arch of heauen,
And leaues his burthen at our dreadfull spels.
This pendant element of solid earth,
Shakes with amazing Earthquakes, as if the frame
Of this vast continent would leaue her poles,
Neptune swels high, and with impetuous rage
Dashes the haughty Argoscy with winds,
Against the Christall battlements of heauen.
The troubled ayre appeares in flakes of fire,
That, till about the ayres circumference,
We make the vpper Region
Thicke, full of fatall Comets, and the skie
Is filde with fiery signes of armed men.
Hell roares, when we are angry, and the Fiends,
As schole-boyes, tremble at our Charming rod.
Thus, when we are displeased, or male-content,
Both hell obeyes, and euery Element.

Gloster.
Thou matchles wonder, worke but my reuenge,
And by the triple Hecate, and the povvers
Your Charmes adore, Ile load you vvith a vvaight
Of gold and treasure, till you cry, No more.
Inuent, great soule of arte, some stratagem,
Whose fame may draw him to these dismal woods.
No danger can out-dare his thirsty soule
In honourable enterprises: he is a man,
Should hell oppose him, of such dauntlesse mettal,
That were but fame the end of his atchieuement,
He would as boldly cope with it, as with things
Of common danger.

Witch.
Then Gloster, harke: Here in this dismall Groue,
By arte I will create a furious beast,
Mou'd by a subtill spirit, full of force
And hellish fury, whose deuouring iawes
Shall hauocke all the borderers of Wales,
And in short space vnpeople all his Townes.
Now, if he be a man that seeks for fame,
And grounds his fortunes on the popular loue,
Or King like doe preferre a common good,
Before a priuate losse; this famous taske,
Whose fearefull rumour shall amaze the world,
Will egge him on: where being once but come,
He surely meetes with his destruction.
Sonne, to this purpose, straitway to thy booke,
Enter the Caue, and call a powerfull spirit by thy skill,
Commaund him instantly for to appeare,
And with thy Charmes, binde him vnto the shape
Of a deuouring Serpent, whilest without
We doe awayte his comming.
Exit Magician.
Thunders and Lightning.
Now whirle the angry heauens about the Pole,
And in their fuming choler dart forth fires,
Like burning Aetna, being thus inraged
At this imperious Necromantike arte.
Dis trembles at our Magicall commaund,
And all the flaming vawtes of hells Abisse,
Throw forth sulphureous flakes of scorching fire.
The iangling hell-hounds, with their hellish guizes,
Daunce damned rounds, in their infernall rage.
And to conclude, earth, water, ayre, and fire,
And hell grow sicke, to see mans arte aspire.
A generall enuy makes them malecontent,
To see deepe arte commaund each element.
See, Gloster, see, thinkes he, this monstrous shape
Enter the Serpent.
Will not abate the courage of his foe,
And quell the haughty pride of Caradoc?

Gloster.
Yes, mighty Artist, were he thrice inspirde
With more then humane courage, he may as soone
Conquer those matchlesse Giants, that were set
To keepe the Orchard of Hesperides,
Or match the labours of great Hercules.

Enter the Serpent. It thunders.
Witch.
Goe shrowde thy horrid shape within this wood,
And seize on all thou meetst. Come, Gloster, in,
And here awhile abide within this Caue.
Thy eyes shall see what thy vext soule did craue.

Exeunt.