University of Virginia Library

SCÆNA II.

To them Callias, Neander, Artops: (Led by Macrinus, Lacero, Serpix.
Macr.
Come Gentlemen, now stand in Ranke, and keepe
Due Distance from the Lords; Lest there passe from you
A creeping Entercourse, which may disturbe
The sitting of the Court.

Theag.
Are these the Captaines
You tooke last Night?

Mac.
These are the Three Commanders
An't please your Lordships; who have since chang'd shapes
With us their Conquerors.

Mel.
Indeed They looke
As if They lately had beene in a Fight;
Their Garments doe want Surgeons. What's your name?

Cal.
Callias

Me.
What's yours?

Ne:
Neander.

Me.
What's yours?

Art:
Artops.

Theag.
I do remember you; you were imploy'd
In our late Civill Warres, by the factious Members
Of our Synedrium, when they arm'd their slaves,
And made their Bondmen Curiasseirs against
Th'Equestrall Order; And did enact it lawfull
Ith' Kings Name to take Armes against Him; And
Out of Obedience to Him to rebell.
And 'mongst their other Wilde and furious Votes,
Decreed it lawfull, for the Good oth' Subject,
To rifle their Estates; slaughter their persons;
Ravish their Wives, and to defloure their Daughters.

Mel.
Are these the Three, who helpt to make war 'gainst
Our Gods? And to reforme their Temples, did
Deface their Altars? And called it sacrifice
To robbe Them of their Incense, And pull downe
Their Images? And did erect strange Preists,
Taken from Awles and Anvills, to deliver
False Oracles unto the people?

Theag:
These
Sir, are the Three.

Mel:
Apply the Racke to them,
To force true Answers from them to our Questions.

Call.
Pray hold, pray hold, Freinds. Alas, My Lords, we are not
The men you meane. We ne're saw Warres before,
Civill, or Forraigne; Nor ever were beyond
Our owne Coasts yet.

Neand.
Nor do we understand
What your Synedrium is, unlesse it be
Your Mayor and Senate of Bizantium.
Who, as we heare, once in an age runne madde;
And then talke Idly, of nought but Liberty;
Changing of Government; The fatall periods
Of States and Kingdomes; How They vote twice two Thirty:
Or their owne Scarlet's gray; Or Thracians, Scythians;
Or that They not rebell against your King,
When in a popular fury They cast off
The yoke of Subjects, for any aide They e're
Received from us.

Theag.
Well, since y'have cleared your selves
Of that great Doubt; Resolve us then, what makes
The Queene of Amazons among you?

Call:
What made
Her Grandmother in Alexanders Army?
She comes to show Her selfe her Neece, To fight,
And to have Amazons begot upon her.

Neand.
Had these not interrupted us, we should
By this have knowne whither her Ladies came
For the same businesse.

Mel.
That Sir is presum'd;
Subjects are bound to imitate their Princes.

Theag:
Next, what are your Designes? we heare you mean
This Day to give us Battle.

Call.
For our Designes,
Some say you have tame pidgeons, taught to fly
With Newes and Letters, betwixt Campe and Campe;
Whereby our Counsels are no sooner hatcht,
But They take Wing to you.

Neand.
Others affirme,
You have your Multiplying Instruments,
Which take our Truthes at one end, and, like Glasses,
Show Them in various shapes to th'people; And
Returne your Monsters to us at the Other,
In shapes more various and prodigious,
To fright us, as the Barbarous did of old,
With Elephants, and Castles in the Aire;
And such like Expeditions; which once knowne,
Looke bigge, and are despised.

Art.
Then for the battle,
This is the Day for our New Legions
To be brought in; which when They come; Our King
Intends to stake his Kingdome 'gainst your Princesse:
The Conquerour take both.

Mel.
This is a playnesse,
Which does show generous in you. Lastly, therefore
As you'l avoide the Tortures of the Wheele,
Or Racke, in Questions of this moment; Tell us,
What Officers have you that may be bought,
To let us have good penny-worths, if we
Should have occasion to joine Art to Armes,
And chaffer for a Castle, Fort, or Towne,
Or a Defeate, or so? How's your Prince guarded?

Call.
As a Prince should be, by Gentlemen; whose Lives
Are cheaper to them then their Honours; And
More cheaply to be purchast from Them. Men
Who'd looke on Tempters, as New Enemies;
And think't New Justice added to their Cause,
To fight 'gainst those who would corrupt 'em, Breifly,
Th'are Men who doe propose onely these two
Brave Ends unto Themselves, to dye, and to
Be Loyall to their Prince; About whose person
Their Valours make one Guard, their Loves another.

Art.
Some under Officers perhaps there may be,
Whose Trade & Occupation 'tis to Kill,
And to grow rich by Slaughters; Vile Market Spirits,
Who doe not fight for Fame, or Cause, but thinke
That side is most ith' Right which gives most pay.
And these Warres justest where there is most plunder:
Whom you may buy o're to your side, and we
Upon a New Sale, may buy backe againe.
You I beleive have some in your Campe too,
Who are like Victory; Hover a while
With doubtfull Wings betweene both Armies, and
At last forsake the weakest.

Theag:
Since y'have made
A free Confession, wee'l now proceed unto
As free a Centure of you. My Lords, pronounce
Each in your order.

Orith.
My sentence is, that since
They were caught in a Ladies Tent, at Houres
When all good Souldiers should be on their Watches;
And since They were surprized, and no swords drawne:
(Which renders them uncapable of a
More Manly punishment) They be attir'd
In Womens Clothes, and so led through the Campe
In triumph, then left to their Ransomes.

Thal.
I
Concurre with you; But doe adde farther, that
Instead of Ransome, in that Dresse. They be
Returned to be Another show of scorne
To their owne Army.

Theag.
What say you two?

Men.
We
Doe both agree in one breife Vote; which is,
That since we heare they boast of Ladies favours,
To which a gratefull speechlessnesse is due,
That first They have their Tongues cut out, and so
Made Mutes; Next, that they be gelt, and made Eunuches;
And thus disabled from all what concernes
The Company of Women, but to keepe 'em;
That thy be sold to th'Persian; who'l imploy 'em
With these Capacities in their Seraglio's.

Serp.
You see we told you true.

Call.
Pray, pray my Lords,
Reverse this cruell sentence. Rather let us
Be drest like Women, then be made no Men.

Neand.
Rather cut off our Heads, then Tongues; and make us
Mutes that way.

Mel.
To which of us doe you speake?

Neand:
To the Lords with the treble voyces.

Mel.
Well,
Though we might shew our rights of Conquest on you,
And yet proceed to harder Doomes; since victours
Cannot be cruell, where the worst is lawfull;
Yet if you'l sweare never hereafter to
Beare Armes against us, with your eyes we will
Restore you to your Liberty.

Art:
Let's sweare;
'Twilbe a fine excuse to keepe's from fighting.

Call:
We sweare.

Mel:
By our Gods or your own?

Call:
By all
Our Country Gods we'l neare beare armes against you.

Mel:
You take the same oath?

Nean:
Yes.

Art:
If you'l have me
I'le sweare by all your Gods too, you shall never
Take me in armes against you.

The.
Perhaps you will
They unbind 'em.
Out run your followers. Now unbinde 'em; next
They unblinde 'em.
Give 'em their sight.

Orith.
Ha, ha, ha, Looke how meekely,
And peaceably they looke?

Thal:
what a Tranquillity,
And harmelesse Calme is in their Countenances?

Men.
How undisturb'd they beate this? How serenely?
As if they were at Truce with all the world.

Mar.
who would not be a Coward, to be endu'd
with such a guift of Patience?

Theag:
Gentlemen,
Having so amply testified your valors
To us, and these faire Ladies, We'l report
Your Chievalry to th'King. Meane time we leave you
To you stout Resolutions, and Chronicle,
To be set forth in Epicke Meeter on you.

Mel:
Farewell brave Champions; Take heed your examples
Do not infect your Companions.

Orith:
Pray, when
You have spare houres, and are returnd unto
Your Courages, let us once more partake
Of your defences at our Tent.

Thal:
And as
You finde us free, and yeilding, pray for our
Sakes, and your own, conceale your Entertainment.

Exeunt.
Men.
Pray keep your selves whole men.

Mar:
And safe from dangers

Mac:
Captaines we have our pay a month before hand.
We'l take leave too, and returne to our postures.

Call:
Pray stay, pray stay; Is not your name Macrinus?

Mac:
Yes Sir.

Nean:
Yours Lacero I take it?

Lac:
True Sir.

Call.
And you are Lantspesado Serpix?

Serp.
Sir,
I should deny my selfe else.

Neand.
And 'tis thought
There are your Breeches?

Lac.
We confesse it; And
These yours, and Doublets.

Mac:
Troth we know you scorne
To weare 'em after us; or to put on
Clothes which you once cast off.

Serp.
Adiew sweet Captaine;
We will report your Bounty to the Campe.

Lacer.
And show how you have guilded us, and made us
Three Compleate Gentlemen of your Companies.

Exeunt.