University of Virginia Library

Scen. 2.

Liuely, Lucius.
Liue.
See where hee comes; but yet how heavily!
How full of earth mee thinks his paces bee!
Hee lookes as though his teeth had playd this fortnight,
Kept Holyday. But I'le accost him.—Lucius.

Luc.
The Gods befriend thee, whosoe're thou art,
That I am thought worth naming yet, not lost
Vnto all mankinde quite, though to my selfe!

Liue.
These words doe favour of too much distraction.
You must take comfort sir.

Luc.
Who's that dares talke
Of comfort to me? But once name the word
That is exil'd whole Nature? good Mr Liuely
Wast you that spoke?

Liue.
It was, and I must haue you
Remoue this same December from your lookes:
I come to make you happy.

Luc.
Thou art come
To loose thy labour then; I am below
Both all the loue, and all the spight of Fortune,
Shee will not make mee happy, and shee cannot
Make mee more wretched then I am. I lye,
Shee may doe both. But speake thou reverend head,
Has ought that's good befallen my Neander,
That thou dar'st venture out that name of happy
So confidently upon me?—say.

Liue.
There has,
But more to you!

Luc.
What's that?

Liu.
Good, happinesse.

Luc.
How? happinesse to me? thou should'st haue put
The space of fifteene ages 'twixt those words,
They are so farre from reconciliation;
Thou hast no Grammar in thee, know'st no concord.

Liue.
But I haue Musicke in me, and that's better.
I'le make thee daunce my solitary one.
Pandora shall be thine to day.

Luc.
How? mine to day?

Liue.
Thy wife, thy selfe, but in another character.

Luc.
Vnspeak't againe, it must not be.

Liue.
It must.

Luc.
Doest thou intend to buy me to thee? and
To breake me and my fortunes with a courtesie,
Which I shall ne're be able to repay?
Imploy thy art then, all thy quicker plots
To further my Neander in his loue:
Who by how much the more his vertues be
Greater then mine (who hardly haue so much
As will redeeme me from the name of vicious)
So much the more will apprehend the benefit,
So much the more reward thee.

Liu.
Speak no further,
Pandora's thine, shee's thine, thine owne, beleeu't.
Hee is already married to another.

Luci.
I doe confesse that I am something fallen
Oft from that height of reason which before,
While I had libertie, I did enjoy:
But thou do'st wrong me much, if thou do'st thinke
That Loue has eaten up all man in mee.
I tell you, I doe know your plots, your drifts,
And all your consultations, as well
As if I had had a cabbin in your bosome,
And had from thence betrayd them; did not I
Heare when Neander did sollicite thee
For to procure a Masculine Bride for him?
Did not I heare thee promise him to doe it?
Hast thou not now perform'd it? are not they
By thy procurement now contracted? speake;
'Tis not so easie to deceiue the eyes
Of Loue, how e're our franticke Poets say
He feeds on nought but Lolium.

Liue.
Lucius,
As I doe hope to liue, as I doe prize
My lungs, my breath, laughter, and sacke, (beleeue me)
I haue Neander fast, hee's married
To one that is as truely woman, as
Was she that did produce thee, and because
You shall be certaine of't, 'tis Constantina.

Luc.
But canst thou utter this (without a blush?)
Or hath thy many yeeres
Block'd up those channels of thy blood, that now
They are not able to afford that face,
(That starved face of thine, bankrupt of vertue)
The least reliefe? but I'le undoe your plots.
Since you doe force me, I'le confesse a secret,
Which hitherto I'ue hardly whispered
Vnto my privat'st thoughts. I am no husband,
No husband (marke you) for Pandora, nor
For any woman living; for kind Nature
Has stamped Eunuch on mee from my cradle.

Liu.
What do I heare?

Luc.
That wc h is true.

Li.
An Eunuch!