University of Virginia Library

SCE. 2.

Titirus, Nuntio.
[Titirus.]
Which plaine I first (my child) of thee? thy life
Or honestie? He plaine thine honestie,
Because thy sire (though mortall) honest was:
And in thy steed my life I'le plaine and spend,
Of thy life and thine honestie to see an end.
O Montane, onely thou with thy deuices
And ill-cund Oracles, and with thy loue,
And proud despiser of my daughter, to this end,
Hast brought my child. Oh doubtfull Oracles,
How vaine you bee? and honestie gainst loue
In youthfull hartes a weake defence doth proue,
A woman whom no match hath euer sought,
Is euill guarded from this common thought.

Nun.
If dead he be not, or that through the ayre
No windes haue carried him, him might I finde:
But see him now, when least I thought I should:
O late for mee, for thee too quickly found,
Except the newes were better that I bring.

Ti.
Bringes thou the weapon that hath slaine my child?

Nun.
Not this, but lesse: But how heard you this newes?

Ti.
Why liues she then?

Nun.
Shee liues, and may do still,
For in her choyce it is to liue or die.

Ti.
Oh blest be thou that liftes me vp from death:
But how is she vnsafe, since at her choyce it is
To liue or die?

Nun.
Because she will not liue.

Ti.
Shee will not liue? What madnesse makes her thus

Nun.
Anothers death: and if thou dost not moue her,
Shee is so bent, as others send in vaine
Their praying wordes.

Ti.
Why stay we? let vs goe!

Nun.
What, soft and faire, the Temples gates are shut,
And know you not how it vnlawfull is
For any one saue sacerdotall foote,
To touch the sacred ground, vntill such time
The Sacrifize vnto the Aulters come,
Adorned with the Sanctuarie rites?

Ti.
How if shee'ffect her purpose in the while?

Nun.
Shee cannot, for shee's kept.

Ti.
in meane time,
Then tell truely how all this is come to passe?

Nun.
Thy mournefull child now come before the Priest
With lookes of feare and griefe, that teares brought foorth,
Not onely from vs by, but by my troth,
Eu'n from the pillers of the Temples selfe
And hardest stones, that seemd to feele the same,
Was in a trice accus'd, conuic't, condemn'd.

Ti.
O wretched child, and why was she condemn'd?

Nun.
Because the groundes of her defence were small:
Besides, a certaine Nimph, whom she did call
In testimonie of her innocence,
Was absent now, and none could finde her out:
And fearefull signes, and monstrous accidents
Of horrour in the Temple proou'd the doubt,
As dolorous to vs, as strange and rare,
Not seene since we did feele heauenly ire
That did reuenge Amintas loue betrayde,
The first beginning of our miserie.
Diana swet out blood, the Earth did shake,
The sacred Caue did bellow out vnwonted howlings
And dire deadly cries:
Withall, it breath'd out such a stinking mist,
As Plutoes impare kingdome hath no worse.
And now with sacred order goes the Priest
To bring thy daughter to her bloodie ende,
The whilst Mirtillo (wondrous thing to tell)
Offer'd by his owne death, to giue her life,
Crying, vnbind those handes (vnworthie stringes)
And in her sleed that should be sacrifiz'd
Vnto Diana, draue me to the Aulters
A Sacrifize to my faire Amarillis.

Ti.
O admirable deede of faythfull loue
And noble hart.

Nu.
Now heare a miracle:
Shee that before so fearefull was to die,
Chaung'd on the sodaine by Mirtilloes wordes,
Thus answeres with a bold vndaunted hart:
Think'st thou (my deare) then by thy death to gaine
Life to her death, that by thy life doth liue.
O miracle vniust: on Ministers, on on, why do you stay?
Leade me foorthwith vnto mine end: Ile no such pittie I,
Mirtill replies, Liue cruell pitteous loue,
My hart his spightfull pittie doth reproue:
To me it longes to die. Nay then to me
(She answeres) that by Law condemned am:
And heere anew begins a wondrous strife,
As though that life were death, and death were life.
(O soules well borne) O couple worthy of
Eternall honour, neuer dying prayse:
O liuing, and ô dying glorious louers.
Had I so many tongues, so many voyces,
As Heauen hath eyes, or Ocean sea hath sandes;
All would be dumbe and hoarse in setting out
Their wondrous and incomprehended prayse.
Eternall Childe of heauen, O glorious Dame,
That mortall deedes enchroniclest to time,
Write thou this Historie, and it infold
In solid Diamond with wordes of gold.

Ti.
But what end had this mortall quarrell then?

Nun.
Mirtillo vanquisheth? O rare debate,
Where dead on lyuing getts the victorie.
The Priest speakes to your Child, be quiet Nimph,
We cannot change this doome, for he must die
That offers death, our Law commaunds it so:
And after bids, your Daughter should be kept,
Least griefes extreame should bring her desperate death
Thus stood the state When Montane sent me for thee.

Ti.
In sooth tis true, sweete scented Flowers shall cease
To dwell on Riuers bankes, and Woodes in Spring
Shall be without their Leaues, before a Mayde
Adorn'd with youth, shall set sweete Loue at naught:
But if we stay still heere how shall we know
When it is time vnto the Church to go?

Nun.
Heere best of all, for in this place alas,
Shall the good Shepheard sacrifized be.

Ti.
And why not in the Church?

Nu.
Because there where
The fault is done, the punishment must be.

Ti.
And why not in the Caue? there was the fault.

Nun.
Because to open skyes it must be hallow'd.

Ti.
And how knowst thou all these misteriall rites?

Nun.
From the High-priest, who from Tireno had them,
For true Amintas and vntrue Lucrine,
Were sacrifized so: But now tis time to goe;
See where the sacred Pempe softly descendes:
T'were well done of vs by this other way,
To go vnto the Temple to thy daughter.