University of Virginia Library

Scena secunda.

Æmon.
Aemon.
How well this sad and solitary place
Suites with my thoughts? these vnfrequented woods,
Where nature voide of artificiall robes
Presents her naked and vngarnish'd face.
In such abodes as these dwelt piety,
White innocence, and spotlesse chastity
In that first golden age when Saturne reign'd.
And still me thinkes within these woods he reignes,
Though banish'd quite from all the world beside.
Here liues the soule of vertue; here abides
The faire Antigone, whose matchlesse goodnesse
Vpbraides, and expiates this ages crimes,
And quite out-weighs th'impiety of Thebes,
This place the Gods, disdaining other sights,
Behold with wonder, when Antigone
With pious hands directs her blinded sire
The wofull Oedipus; hither the Graces,
The chaster Nymphs, and harmelesse Dryades
Leauing their bowers of pleasure, all resort
To waite on her; and beare her company.

Antigone, Aemon.
Anti.
My father is asleepe; you powers aboue
Send sweete refreshment to his wearyed soule.
Oh pity him, and punish not too farre
That crime which fate and you your selues haue made.
He has already beene himselfe a iudge
Too cruell to himselfe, to expiate
His fatall errours, left a crowne and scepter,
Fled mens society, and day it selfe,
Torne out his innocent vnhappy eyes.
Now since he wants the comfort of your light
Grant him a quiet vndisturbed night.
Young Aemon heere?

Aem.
Pardon me royall virgin,
Thinke it not rudenesse in me thus to presse
Vpon your priuacyes; but call it seruice,
Or zeale to wait vpon you, and behold
What I doo most admire.

Anti.
Sir, tis no fault
That I can apprehend; or if it bee,
Tis such a fault as punishes it selfe.
This is the house of sorrow; nought is heere
That can inuite or recompense your comming.

Aem.
To visite you, so you be pleas'd to grace
That visite with a welcome, is a blessing
No place has power to lessen, it would make
Hells saddest caue a faire Elysium.

Anti.
You come from Court, and speake as that has taught you.
This place knowes no such language.

Aem.
Aemon neuer
Was tax'd of flattery, nor will your worth
Admit it; gentle Lady, be but pleas'd
To thinke my heart speakes in my tongue to you.
Oh giue me leaue but to confesse my flame,
Which neuer can be hid; a better fire
More chast, more true, and full of constancy,
(I dare maintaine it) warmes no breast on earth.
No earthly power but sweete Antigone
Can sentence me to blisse or endlesse woe.
Oh saue that creature that depends on you,
Make me immortall by a faire returne
Of grace from you and fauour.

Anti.
Noble Aemon,
(That title, though I hated you, your worth
Would challenge from my truth) I loue you better
Then so to worke your ruine; Loue and wed-locke
Haue still beene fatall in our family.
The balefull owles and croaking rauens sing
Our Hymenæan songs, and furies light
Their brands for torches to our bridall bedds.

Aem.
No, wondrous maide, you beare a heauen about you,
A heauen of vertue, that is proofe against
The furies rage, and fortunes vtmost spite:
You are aboue them all. Oh take me to you,
And by coniunction of your goodnesse, make
Me higher then the power of fate can reach.

Anti.
These are no times for Hymen, when the frowne
Of all the gods lyes heauy on our house.
Oh mooue that suite no more; but yet as farre
As my chast sorrow can admit of loue,
Let this suffice you, I do loue your soule.
And if this storme should cleare, and I haue power
To marry euer, Aemon is the man
Of all the world I choose.

Aem.
Oh heauenly voyce!
This promise from diuine Antigone,
More then fruition of the proudest beauty
That ere mortality could boast, reuiues me,
And makes me euer happy; all the howers,
That from my countreys cause, and from the warre
I can be spar'd, Ile keepe as holy ones
To pay deuotion heere, heere Ile relate
What euer fortune throwes on doubting Thebes.
But one chast kisse and so farewell.

Anti.
You haue it.
Yee powers of loue, bee all auspicious now.
Hymen redeeme the wrongs that thou hast done
Our house already; had I neuer seene
Young Aemon's face, nere knowne his matchlesse worth,
No other man or minde had ere had power
To warme Antigones cold breast with loue.
prosper that flame that you your selues did mooue.

Dircus, Ianthus.
Dir:
'Tis so, Ianthus, Aemon is in loue
With faire Antigone; no other passion
Could make so fresh a youth and spirit as his
To seeke such sad retreats; from that darke groue,
Which cloaths Cythærens rough and craggy top,
Where farre from sight and company of men
The wofull Oedipus laments alone
His happlesse errours fault, vnseene by any
But good Antigone his pious daughter,
How oft of late braue Aemon has beene mett!
What but her loue had power to draw him thither?

Ian.
Shee is an obiect worthy Aemon's loue.
The mirrour of her sexe, a lasting patterne
Of piety to all succeeding times.

Dir.
As much true worth and manly vertue liues
In noble Aemons breast, hee's the true brother
Of braue Menæceus, whose deuoted head
Sau'd Thebes from ruine.

Ian.
True, if Thebes be safe,
As neuer fairer were her hopes then now;
Th'Argolian forces are dishearten'd quite,
And of their seuen proud leaders, which of late
Beset the gates of Thebes, but two are left
Onely Adrastus, and our banish'd prince,
If we, I say, be safe, we owe that safety
To Creons sonnes, to braue Menæceus death,
And Aemon's liuing valour; one by death
Gaue life to thousands; t'others noble life
Deseru'd an easier way to fame then death.

Dir.
But I haue heard newes from the enemies campe,
Alls quiet there, and tis suppos'd they meane
To fight no more, but secretly dislodge,
And fly away by night.

Ian.
Tis like enough,
And would the King be rul'd by my aduice
Hee should not follow them, there has beene spilt
Already blood enough in that vniust,
Vnnaturall cause. Those braue Argolians,
Whose vertues wee, although their enemies,
Must needes acknowledge, and lament their deaths,
Besides those dearer funeralls, which Thebes
Has mourn'd already for, to iustifie
The broken faith of King Eteocles.
But who's that makes to vs so speedily,
Thy lookes speak newes, what are they man? be briefe.

Nuntius, Dircus, Ianthus.
Nun:
The King was walking round the city walls,
When straight a parley sounded from the foe,
And Polynices our exiled Prince
Himselfe appear'd, who from below complain'd
So many noble funerals had pay'd
The forfeit of his brothers periury;
Defi'd him then, and challeng'd him alone
To end the difference in a single combate.

Dir.
Oh horrid monstrous challenge?

Ian.
Has the King
Accepted it?

Nun.
Yes, with a seeming ioy,
And did complaine alone that he himselfe
Was not the challenger.

Dir.
Vnnaturall!

Nun.
Though many that were by, perswaded him
He neede not answer it at all; his strength
Was great enough to keepe the crowne without it.

Ian.
But piety how euer should forbid it.

Nun.
It did not mooue his breast; thou shalt (quoth he)
Immediatly at head of all our troopes
Finde vs prepar'd to answer, and to take
Mistake away, wee'll weare our royall crowne:
It grieues vs onely t'was thy motion first.
And one of vs, when this blacke fight is done,
Shall without riuall keepe the Theban crowne.

Ian.
Come Dircus, let's away, and or preuent,
Or see the issue of this dire intent.

Exeunt.
Chorus Thebanorum.
Cho.
Can Thebes yet finde no peace, nor see
A period of her misery?
What booted braue Menæteus death,
Who gaue vp his deuoted breath
To saue his Countrey? what the falls
Of all those worthyes, whom the walls
Of our sad Thebes late trembled at?
Bold Capaneus, whose strange fate
No human strength, but from aboue
The thunderbolts of armed Ioue
Could worke; the stout Hippomedon,
And Meleager's beautious sonne;
Apollo's sacred Prophet too.
Quicke to Auernus forc'd to goe
Amphiaraus, to preuent
The fates, by his so strange descent
Frighting the Ghosts that dwell below.
Nor could the fatall sisters know,
Before they saw him 'mong'st the dead,
That they should cut his vitall thread.
These, and a thousand worthyes moe
Are fled downe to the shades below,
And yet the wicked part of warre
Doth still remaine; the Princes are
Both yet aliue, and yet doe hate.
What end can be compos'd by fate?
Their hate is impious, but to try
The cause, were more impiety.
Our feares doe still encrease, the skyes
Are fill'd with nought but prodigyes
Which woes and ruines doe display.
I long to heare what fate to day
The field affords; relate to vs
How blacke so ere and ominous.

Nuntius, Chorus.
Nun.
Then heare a story that might make
Amazed natures selfe to shake
The Princes both are slaine (alas).

Cho.
What guilty hands could act such tragedyes?

Nun.
Nay there's the sorrow of it, and a griefe
Worse then their death's are, in a single combate
They slew each other.

Cho.
Oh blacke family?
But yet relate the manner of their death.

Nun.
When this great warre of one diuided wombe,
Two brothers mett, both armies stood at gaze,
Amazed both; the greiued gods of warre,
Withdrew their presence from so blacke a fight.
Bellona broke her lance, the blew-ey'd maide
Fled from the field asham'd, and Mars droue backe
His Thracian charriot; in whose stead the furyes
Marshall'd the field, and all th'Ogygian ghosts
In a blacke ring beset the combatants
Blasting the day with dampes of Acheron.
No Trumpets sounded, nor shrill cornets peirc'd
The wounded aire; for these the nights sad King
Thrice thunder'd from Auernus; thrice the Earth
with mournfull grones gaue signall to the fight.
Old men complain'd that they had liu'd too long.
To see that horrid sight; the women shreik'd,
And weeping mothers from the walls forbad
Their children to behold it, but the Princes
With such a furious hatred both encounter
As if the soules of all their slaughter'd friends,
And both the armyes, whom their cause engag'd,
Had liu'd in them, till fate so cruelly
Ballanc'd their strength, that both were slaine, yet both
were guilty conquerours.

Cho.
But did they dy
Together then.

Nun:
Eteocles fell first;
Ore whom, before death closed vp his eyes,
Bloodlesse and feeble Polynices stood,
And from his head taking th'imperiall crowne
Empal'd himselfe therewith; at last (quoth hee)
Thou art mine owne. oh doe not close his eyes
Pale death, till he haue seene me weare the Crowne.
But I must leaue it too; Oh short short raigne.
If there be iustice in the other world,
Before great Minos vrne, it Minos vrne
Be not a fable, will I summon thee,
Nor shall this combate end our enmity.
Then on his brother falling downe he dy'd.

Cor.
Oh horrid fight! bright Phæbus hide thy head,
Wrap vp the day in foggy clouds, and make
An endlesse night, to hide this tragedy
From human eyes; a blacker deed then this
Thy light did nere discouer, here let all
The prodigyes that threaten'd vs, haue end.

Nun.
The Argiues all with winged speede are fled,
And Thebes once more has peace; but that, I feare
Long cannot last.

Chor.
What storme can threaten now?

Nun.
Creon no sooner was saluted King
(For so hee was since both those Princes fell)
But he commanded (Oh fond tyranny)
No man on paine of death should dare to bury
One body of the Argiues, they (alas)
Remaine exposed in the open field
To feede the foules, or perish in the aire.
Nor must the Argiues only want the rites
Of funerall; but Theban Polynices
Because with them he fought against his countrey,
Remaines exposed as the Argiues are
In th'open aire, who ere shall bury him,
His owne dead carcasse shall supply the place.

Cho.
Thebes will, I feare, incurre the enmity
Of nations by this act, and we shall wish
(If Creon so begin his froward reigne)
Th'vnhappy house of Oedipus againe.

Finis actus primis