University of Virginia Library

Scena 1.

Fortune descends downe from heauen to the Stage, and then shee cals foorth foure Harpers, that by the sound of their Musicke they might awake the ancient Bardh, a kind of Welsh Poet, who long agoe was there intoombed.
Fortune.
Thus from the high Imperiall Seate of Ioue,
Romes awfull Goddesse, Chaunce, descends to view
This Stage and Theater of mortall men,
Whose acts and scenes diuisible by me,
Sometime present a swelling Tragedy
Of discontented men: sometimes againe
My smiles can mould him to a Comicke vayne:
Sometimes like Niobe, in teares I drowne
This Microcosme of man; and to conclude,
I seale the Lease of mans beatitude:
Amongst the seuerall obiects of my frownes,
Amongst the sundry subiects of my smiles,
Amongst so many Kings housde vp in clay,
Behold, I bring a King of Cambria:
To whom great Pyrrhus, Hector poysde in scales
Of dauntlesse valour, weighes not this Prince of Wales.
Be dumbe you scornefull English, whose blacke mouthes
Haue dim'd the glorious splendor of those men,
Whose resolution merites Homers penne:
And you, the types of the harmonious spheares,
Call with your siluer tones, that reuerend Bardh,
That long hath slept within his quiet vrne,
And let his tongue this Welshmans Crest adorne.

The Harpers play, and the Bardh riseth from his Tombe.
Bardh.
Who's this disturbs my rest?

Fortune.
None, Poet Laureat: but a kind request
Fortune prefers vnto thy ayry shape,
That once thou wouldst in well-tunde meeter sing
The high-swolne fortunes of a worthy King,
That valiant Welshman, Caradoc by name,
That foylde the haughty Romanes, crackt their fame.

Bardh.
I well remember, powerfull Deity,
Arch-gouernesse of this terrestriall Globe,
Goddesse of all mutation man affords,
That in the raigne of Romes great Emperour,
Ycleped Claudian, when the Bryttish Ile
Was tributary to that conquering See,
This worthy Prince suruiued, whose puissant might
Was not inferiour to that sonne of Ioue,
Who, in his cradle chokte two hideous Snakes.
Which, since my Fortune is to speake his worth,
My vtmost skill aliue shall paint him forth.

Fort.
Then to thy taske, graue Bardh: tell to mens eare,
Fame plac't the valiant Welshman in the spheare.

Exit.
Bardh.
Then, since I needs must tell the high designes
Of this braue Welshman, that succeeding times,
In leaues of gold, may register his name,
And feare a Pyramys vnto his fame;
This onely doe I craue, that in my song,
Attention guyde your eares, silence your tongue.
Then know all you, whose knowing faculties
Of your diuiner parts scorne to insist
On sensuall obiects, or on naked sense,
But on mans highest Alpes, Intelligence.
For to plebeyan wits, it is as good,
As to be silent, as not vnderstood.
Before faire Wales her happy Vnion had,
Blest Vnion, that such happinesse did bring,
Like to the azure roofe of heauen full packt
With those great golden Tapers of the night,
Whose spheares sweat with their numbers infinite;
So was it with the spacious bounds of Wales,
Whose firmament contaynd two glorious sonnes,
Two Kings, both mighty in their arch-cōmands,
Though both not lawfull in their gouernement:
The one Octauian was, to whom was left,
By lineall descent, each gouernment:
But that proud Earle of Munmouth stealing fire,
Of high ambition did one throne aspire,
Which by base vsurpation he detaines.
Of lawfull (right) vnlawfull treason gaines.
Twise, in two haughty set Battalions,
The base vsurper Munmouth got the day:
And now Octauian spurde with griefe and rage,
Conducted by a more propitious starre,
Himselfe in person comes to Shrewsbury,
Where the great Earle of March, great in his age,
But greater in the circuit of his power,
Yet greatest in the fortunes of his sonnes,
The Father of our valiant VVelshman calld,
Himselfe, his warlike sonnes, and all doth bring,
To supplant Treason, and to plant their King.
No more Ile speake: but this olde Barde intreats,
To keepe your vnderstanding and your seates.