University of Virginia Library

Medea,
O Gods whose grace doth guide their ghostes that ioy in wedlocke pure,
O Iuno thou Lucina hight, on whom the chary cure
Alotted is of those, that grone in paynfull chyldbed bandes,
O Pallas by whose heauenly arte, Sir Typhis cunning handes
Haue learnde to bridle with his helme his newly framed boate,
Where with the force of fighting fluds hee breaking rides a floate.
O God whose forked Mace doth stormes in rigour rough appeas,
And cause the ruffling surges couch amid the rampinge Seas:
O Titan who vpon the swift and werling Hemisphær
Deuides the chearefull day and night by egall turnes t'appere,
O threefolde shapen Hecate that sendest forth thy light,
Unto thy silent Sacrifice that offered is by night,
By whom my Iason sware to mee O heauenly powers all,
And yee on whom Medea may with safer conscience call,
O Dungeon darke, most dreadfull den of euerlasting night,
O dampned Ghosts: O kingdome set against the Gods aright:
O Lord of sad and lowring lakes, O Lady dyre of Hell,
(Whom though that Pluto stale by force yet did his troth excell
The ficke fayth of Iasons loue, that hee to mee doth beare,
With cursed throate I coniure you, O grisly Ghostes appeare.
Come out, come out, yee hellish hegges, reuenge this deed so dyre,
Bring in your scratting pawes a burning brand of deadly fyre,
Rise vp yee hiddeous diuelish Feendes, as dreadfull as yee weare,
When vnto me in wedlocke state yee did sometime appeare.
Worke yee, worke yee, the dolefull death of this new wedded Wyfe.
And martir yee this Father in lawe: depryue of breath and lyfe
King Creons ruthfull family: in plunge of passing payne
Torment yee mee, that on my spouse doe wishe this woe to raygne:
Preserue my Iasons life, but yet let him be bayled out
A myching, roging, rūnagate, in forren townes about.
To passe from dore to dore, with care to begge his needy bread,
Not knowing in what harbring place to couch his curssed head:
A banisht wretch, disdaynde of all, and still in feare of lyfe,
Then let him wish ten thousand times for me agayne his Wyfe:
This famous gest whom euery man will entertayne and haue,
Let him be driuē at straungers gates the table crūmes to craue.
And that my bytter bannings may with mischiefe most abounde,
God graunt in gulph of like distresse his chyldren may be drounde,
To synke in sorrowes stormes, that doe their mother ouerflowe:
Now, now, I haue, I haue the full reueng of all my woe,
I haue dispatcht: my pyteous playnt and wordes in vayne I lose:
What shall not I with vyolence get vp agaynst my foes?
And wring out of theyr wrested hands the wedding torch so bryght?
Shall I not force the firmament to lose his shrinking lyght?
What doth my Graundsirs Phœbus face this heauy hap beholde?
And standyng gasyng at this geare yet westwarde is he rolde,
On glystring chariot hoysted hyghe, and keepes his beaten Race,
Amid the christall colourde skye, why turnes hee not his Face,
Retyring fast into the East backe vp the day to twyne?
O Father Phœbe to me, to me, thy Chariot reynes resigne,
That I aduaunced vp, about the marble skyes may ryde,
Biqueath thy brydle vnto mee, and giue me grace to guide
Thy yoked prauncing teame, with yerking lasshe of burning whip,
That with thy feruent fyry beames on purple poole doe skip.
Let Corynth countrey burnt to dust by force of flame and fyre
Gyue place, that both the tumbled sees may ioyne: whom to retyre
It doth compell, and dassheth of from banke on eyther syde,
Least meete in one their chanels might, whose streames hee doth deuide.
No way to worke theyr deadly woe I haue but this at hande,
That to the wedding I should beare a ruthfull brydall brande,
Anoying Creons carelesse Court: when finished I haue
Such solemne seruice, as that ryght of sacrafice doth craue,
Then at the Aulters of the Gods my chyldren shalbe slayne,
With crimsen colourde bloud of Babes their Aulters will I stayne.
Through Lyuers, Lungs, the Lights & Heart, through euery gut, & gal,
For vengeaunce breake away perforce, and spare no bloude at all:
If any lusty lyfe as yet within thy soule doe rest,
If ought of auncient corage still doe dwell within my brest,
Exile all foolysh Female feare, and pity from thy mynde,
And as th'untamed Tygers vse to rage and raue vnkynde,
That haunt the croking combrous Caues, and clumpred frosen cliues,
And craggy Rockes of Caucasus, whose bitter colde depryues
The soyle of all Inhabitours, permit to lodge and rest,
Such saluage brutish tyranny within thy brasen brest.
What euer hurly burly wrought doth Phasis vnderstand,
What mighty monstrous bloudy feate I wrought by Sea or Land:
The like in Corynth shalbe seene in most outragious guise,
Most hyddious, hatefull, horrible, to heare, or see wyth eyes,
Most diuelish, desperate, dreadfull deede, yet neuer knowne before,
Whose rage shall force heauen, earth, and hell to quake and tremble sore.
My burning breast that rowles in wrath, and doth in rancour boyle,
Sore thrysteth after bloud, and wounds with slaughter, death, & spoyle,
By renting racked lyms from lyms to driue them downe to graue:
Tush, these be but as Fleabytings, that mentioned I haue:
As weyghty things as these I did in greener girlishe age,
Now sorrowes smart doth rub the gall and frets with sharper rage.
But sith my wombe hath yeelded fruict, it doth mee well behoue,
The strength and parlous puissaunce of weightier illes to proue.
Be ready wrath, with all thy might that fury kindle may,
Thy foes to their destruction bee ready to assay:
Of thy deuorsement let the Pryce to match, and counterpayse
The proude & precious pryncely pomp of these new wedding dayes.
How wilt thou from thy spouse depart? as him thou followed hast
In bloud to bath thy bloudy handes and traytrous lyues to wast.
Breake of in time these long delayes, abanden now agayne,
This lewd alliaunce, got by guilt, with greater guilt refrayne.