 | Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie |  |
Scœn. 7.
Amilcar, Favorina, Gracchvs.
Wonder of women, pompe and pride of earth,
Whose wofull absence might make beauties dearth,
Goddesse of loue-sick soules, thou glorious Nymph
Who mightst attract the Angels eyes to sinne:
O thou beyond Amilcars country loue,
(Because indeed a concubine for Ioue),
Rob not the treasure of my soules delight,
Which lies imprison'd in æternall night.
Fa.
Did you for this (most lying impious man)
Pull me from refuge and protection safe?
Giue me aduice, in hope of due reuenge,
To follow thee, forsake the Title Queene
Of Sparta, to become a Queene of Lust?
For this did you sollicite (beastly Lord?)
And labour by this talking Eunuch-bawd,
To conquer chastity through faithlesse fraud?
For this did you obtest high oathes aboue
My poore conceit, to shew dissembling loue?
Ami.
Let me againe obtest the waking Gods,
Or (beyond them) your beauteous diety,
(Which to abuse, were vild impiety)
Thy glad fruition were a ransom'd soule,
Or kingdomes conquest in my rich account
Of glorious beauty; giuing more content
Then soule, imagine, or great kingdomes may.
Wee call to witnesse thy imperious hate,
And do appeale to vertue of thy loue,
Thy loue surmounts my value, doth infuse
A sudden rapture to my longing soule,
Doth change dull nature, quicken vp my braine,
Put a perfume into my sordid breath,
And is indeed restoratiue to death.
Fa.
If you intend a true religious loue,
Professe it sir, without offence to Ioue,
And so remember blessed nuptials;
For hee enioyes his fate and funerals,
Who sometime was Mænander, and my spouse;
Your selfe did seale his death by constant vowes.
Speake then, and let thy answere be direct,
Or I shall thinke, religion you neglect
Gra.
O shee hath giuen his fury a full stab,
My sweet-mouth'd Courtier swallows downe a crab.
The Eele is in a sand-bagge, some good man
See how the mimicke serues an Alphabet
Of hungry faces, how the maggot crawles
To feed vpon the kernell.
Fa.
Who replyes?
Gra.
Againe, againe (for loues sake) spur the Iade:
Giue him another pill, provoke the slaue,
And make him spue his heart with madnesse; melt
His larded veines with striving to extend
A lowsie answere; but the Idoll speakes.
Fa.
What makes Amilcar dumbe with my request?
What makes thy trembling blood so pale and wanne,
Most like the colour of a dying man?
Am.
The sad remembrance of my foolish vow,
Vexes meeke apprehension; yeelding forth
In stead of answere, ambiguities.
Gra.
Looke for a subtill rare-compacted lye.
Ami.
Madam, the vow makes mee monasticall,
I haue protested a true single life,
Which did ingender a Dilemma, long,
But religious indeed.
Gra.
Ridiculous,
Indeed you are a Goat libidinous.
I neuer will be yoak'd, by consequence
No drawing beast, no big laborious oxe,
I must not marry madame.
Fav.
Must you then
(Because not marry, to auoyd the oxe)
Liue like a noted and eggregious Asse?
Or like a Cammell, fierce with flaming lust?
Would you seduce my weaker innocence?
Seeke to intrap my credulous conceit?
You must not marry; would you then defile
The modest thoughts of virgin-chastity?
Would you take licence from a single life,
To make each maid a whore, not being a wife?
I blush to view such vild affinity,
Betwixt a Goatish beard, and bearded men.
Ami.
But be familiar (Madam) and re-call
I was a target once to thee condemn'd,
Both by Lucilla, and Pheudippe's doome;
Remember Madam, I did turne the edge
Of quicke Lucilla's wrath vpon her selfe,
Tooke thy confiscate beauty from the snare
Of imminent sub-version, drew thee out
As from a gulfe which gaping, ready stood
To swallow downe thy honor, sing thy hurt,
So change thy golden dignity to durt.
I did (remember Madam) banish hate,
For I did wrestle with vp-rising fate.
Fav.
You did infranchise my condemned life,
You did returne Lucilla's point of spleene
Vpon her wicked bosome; whence it came;
You (sir) did manage my neglected cause,
Tooke my confiscate beauty from the snare
Of imminent sub-version; you did this;
You, you haue beene my target, you alone
Drew my forgotten safety from the teeth
Of tugging dangers; you alone did this;
And did you this to amplifie abuse?
Did you reserue my innocence for this?
You kept my carkasse from a rampant Woolfe,
To feed your tame, but hungry, Lyons whelpe:
You did preuent a neere captiuity,
To make my thraldome be notorious;
You, from a guiltlesse danger, did redeeme
My maiden thoughts, to make the danger, guilt;
Thou gau'st new being ('bout too faile before)
After which being, must I be thy whore?
Faith you haue done a deed of charity,
Tooke mee by rescue, from death past the chin,
To rip my pregnant wombe, and flea my skin.
But know (Amilcar) I am so resolu'd
Vpon the spot-lesse loue of chastity,
As I with proper violence will rend
My wombe in peeces, teare my tempting face
And go beyond a womans forritude,
Rather then (like a Strumpet) prostitute.
Ami.
(Queene) I contemne your points of chastity,
Laugh at such idle trickes to colour sinne:
You are a captiue in my custody,
Consider well the law of time and place
Be at my proper nod; if naked lust
Bribe mee to some in-iustice, doe not blame
A smooth acceptance; for the frugall age
Wherein I liue, doth barke aloud for fees
Which in themselues be bribes; if to the knees,
Or necke, some rascall knaue be drench'd in bloud,
The scarlet can absolue a scarlet sinne
And call deepe slaughter a correctiue deed.
Then blame the bribes which did in-iustice feed,
Blame not the man (I pray;) so blame our lust
Not mee Amilcar, if enioy wee must.
Fa.
Haue you decreed some rauisher's attempt?
Will you determine to be violent?
A dead pale horror doth possesse thy cheeke
With repetition of the simple sound;
Canst thou commit an odious rape, a sinne
Of such high out-rage; yet looke pale and dead
Vpon recitall of the sinne it selfe?
Amil.
Nip mee (good Gracchus) how? looke pale and dead?
Fetch Aqua-fortis (Gracchus) stab my arme,
A shaking palsie doth oppresse my heart;
How? pale, and dead?
Gra.
(Wise woman) I adore
The quicke inuention, and if Gods agree
Will in despight of false-hood set her free.
Fa.
O what damn'd terrour to a wicked man
Be guilty thoughts, considering offence
(Fitly compar'd to prodigall expence:)
Nor may the valiant'st sinnefull youth aliue
With resolution so in-wal'd appeare
But his high heart will be below his feare.
Can you commit lewd rape (Amilcar?) no:
Maids, and chaste women need no more defence
For hot inuasion, except innocence.
Earnest resistance, by but one true maide,
Will make the fiercest rauisher afraid:
For if a virgin violate you see
Shee did in part deny, in part agree:
Firme resolution of a maidens hand,
Tall Gyant-letchers, cannot halfe with-stand.
Ami.
Take her (good Gracchus) to your custody
Be thou my bawd, and purge Phlebotomy.
| Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie | |