The Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch Conteining the affectionate life, and vnfortunate death of Phillis and Amyntas: That in a Pastorall; This in a Funerall: both in English Hexameters. By Abraham Fravnce |
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 | The Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch |  |
first Scene.
Thyrsis, Chorus.O extreame disdaigne, ô most vnmerciful hard-hart,
O vnthankfull gyrle, ô prowde, and no-pity-taking
Woemen, curst by kynde, vnkynd kinde, kyn to a Tyger,
Kyn to a poysned snake. O dame, nay rather a stepdame,
Bunglyng artificer Nature, which framed a woemans
Externall countnance, and outward parts to be chearfull,
But th' internall soule, and inward part to be spytefull.
O perchaunce, poore wretch, himself hath murdred his ownself.
Euery place doe I seeke and search our euery corner,
Euery bush, each caue, each banck, and euery fountaine
All these three howres long, by the well where lately I left him;
Yet noe sight can I get, noe hearing, no not a footestepp
Wherein he troade of late, not a footestepp yet can I light on:
Ile ask these Pastors, if they can shew any tydings:
Good friends, haue you seene, doe yee know any newes of Amyntas?
Chorus.
Some bad misfortune thy minde seemes greatly to trouble:
What mean's this sweating and blowing? Fearst any mischif?
Thyrsis.
Mischif I feare indeede of Amyntas: shew mee Amyntas.
Chorus.
No-body here sawe hym, since you twoo lately departed.
But what mischif fearst?
Thyrs.
That Amyntas murder Amyntas.
Chorus.
Murder Amyntas. Why? What works so desperat outrage?
Thyrsis.
Hate and Loue.
Chor.
Twoo foes, th' one th' other deadly maligning,
Either sufficient, but both more mighty to murder:
Yet make this more playne.
Thyrs.
To be tootoo hartily louing,
And of a loued Lasse to be tootoo spytefuly hated.
Chorus.
But shew all at large: this place is an ord'nary through-fare:
Here some man may passe that may bring newes of Amyntas,
And some wynde himself may hither chaunce to be driuing.
Thyrsis.
Ile shewe all indeede, for I should vniustly be dealing,
If that I blaze not abroade so shameful a fact to the whole world.
If that I blaze not abroade so shameful a fact to the whole world.
Wretched Amyntas knew, and knew by my only relating,
(Now I repent too late, that I was soe fonde a relator)
That Daphn' and Phillis would wash themselues in a well-spring:
Thither Amyntas went, but went very faintily thither,
All vnwilling went, and backwards oft he retyred,
But that I stil stil droue him most vnluckily forward.
Forward thus wee went, and now came nere to Dianaes
Well, when alas wee heard some dolefull sound of a damsell,
That stil cryed, Alas; and saw how woefuly Daphne
Wringed her hands and wept, and seeing vs to be comming,
Lifted her hands and voyce; O run run quickly to Phillis,
Phillis alas is forst, ô run run quickly to Phillis.
Louer Amyntas leapt, as a Rowe-buck prickt with an arrow,
At these woords, and flew, and quickly I hastened after:
When wee came, wee saw faire Phillis bound to a willow,
Naked, stark-naked, bound head hand foote to a willow.
Her locks seru'd for a cord, her gold-locks lapt in a thousand
Knotts, (noe true-loues knotts) were all ty'de fast to the willow:
Her braue Belt, which first that pure virginity guarded,
Bound both hands to to the trunck, and this fowle villany furthred:
And wynding willow, vnwilling foe to be winding,
(And yet glad those leggs with tender twiggs to be tutching)
Lends her slipps to be strings (each thing can further a mischif)
Strings those trembling leggs (ô rufull case) to be bynding.
And that beastly Satyre, which causd this monsterus outrage,
Stood with lusting rage, and raging fury before her,
And now, eu'n iust now had left of fully to bynde her.
Phillis stroue asmuch as Phillis might be a striuing,
But for a naked gyrle with an armed foe to be striuing,
Booteles it had bene sure, if sharpned dart of Amyntas
Gainst that fleshly Satyre had not been tymely directed:
And I myself meane while my lapp with stones was a filling,
Which made lusting beast at last for feare to be flying.
(Now I repent too late, that I was soe fonde a relator)
That Daphn' and Phillis would wash themselues in a well-spring:
Thither Amyntas went, but went very faintily thither,
All vnwilling went, and backwards oft he retyred,
But that I stil stil droue him most vnluckily forward.
Forward thus wee went, and now came nere to Dianaes
Well, when alas wee heard some dolefull sound of a damsell,
That stil cryed, Alas; and saw how woefuly Daphne
Wringed her hands and wept, and seeing vs to be comming,
Lifted her hands and voyce; O run run quickly to Phillis,
Phillis alas is forst, ô run run quickly to Phillis.
Louer Amyntas leapt, as a Rowe-buck prickt with an arrow,
At these woords, and flew, and quickly I hastened after:
When wee came, wee saw faire Phillis bound to a willow,
Her locks seru'd for a cord, her gold-locks lapt in a thousand
Knotts, (noe true-loues knotts) were all ty'de fast to the willow:
Her braue Belt, which first that pure virginity guarded,
Bound both hands to to the trunck, and this fowle villany furthred:
And wynding willow, vnwilling foe to be winding,
(And yet glad those leggs with tender twiggs to be tutching)
Lends her slipps to be strings (each thing can further a mischif)
Strings those trembling leggs (ô rufull case) to be bynding.
And that beastly Satyre, which causd this monsterus outrage,
Stood with lusting rage, and raging fury before her,
And now, eu'n iust now had left of fully to bynde her.
Phillis stroue asmuch as Phillis might be a striuing,
But for a naked gyrle with an armed foe to be striuing,
Booteles it had bene sure, if sharpned dart of Amyntas
Gainst that fleshly Satyre had not been tymely directed:
And I myself meane while my lapp with stones was a filling,
Which made lusting beast at last for feare to be flying.
When this flight gaue leaue to the louing eyes of Amyntas
For to behold his ioys, those lyms so dayntily trembling,
Trembling yet for feare; at last, at last he aproached
Vnto the naked Nymph, and yet yet somwhat abashed:
Pardon, faire Phillis, qd Amyntas, pardon I pray thee
This my toobold hand, which tootoo rashly presumeth,
And to thy spotles lyms, lyms neuer tutcht yet, aprocheth,
Sith soe extreame neede, soe greate a necessity forceth
Forceth Amyntas his hands faire Phillis her hands to be loosing:
Let not then this grace which fortune seemes to aford them,
Seeme any fowle disgrace, or woork any wooe to my Phillis.
For to behold his ioys, those lyms so dayntily trembling,
Trembling yet for feare; at last, at last he aproached
Vnto the naked Nymph, and yet yet somwhat abashed:
Pardon, faire Phillis, qd Amyntas, pardon I pray thee
This my toobold hand, which tootoo rashly presumeth,
And to thy spotles lyms, lyms neuer tutcht yet, aprocheth,
Sith soe extreame neede, soe greate a necessity forceth
Forceth Amyntas his hands faire Phillis her hands to be loosing:
Let not then this grace which fortune seemes to aford them,
Seeme any fowle disgrace, or woork any wooe to my Phillis.
Chorus.
Woords well woorthy to make any hart of flynt to be tender:
But what said Phillis?
Thyrs.
Not a woord; but scornfuly blushing
Looks downe, hyding all that bands would haue to be hidden.
Gentle Amyntas coms, and golden lockes he releaseth,
And as he vnknits knotts, thus golden-locks he beespeaketh,
Golden locks too good this senceles tree to be chayning,
What shal Louers haue, wherein they may be triumphing,
If loues-lace can abide to be stretcht from a Nymph to a willow?
Paltery willow breakes with rude and boysterus handling,
Golden chaine, which gaue such grace to the paltery willow.
As that hee wisht and feard hart-holding hands to be handling.
Lastly, to free her feete, himself he begins to be kneeling:
But when Phillis her hands from bands felt fully released,
His louing seruice with these proud words she refused,
Tutch me not, hence Pastor, mine owne hands shall be my owne leggs
Freedome tutch not a Nymph, that's consecrat vnto Diana.
Chorus.
O graceles guerdon for seruice dutiful offred,
How can a Nymphs sweete brest harbor so fylthy a monster?
Thyrsis.
Gentle Amyntas straight with these woords myldely retyred,
And withdrew himself, not daring once to be lifting
Vp those loue-sick eyes, himself vnkindly denying
Ioyes to his owne poore self, that he might ease his bony Phillis
Of that paine, small paine, of geuing him the deniall.
And withdrew himself, not daring once to be lifting
Vp those loue-sick eyes, himself vnkindly denying
Ioyes to his owne poore self, that he might ease his bony Phillis
Of that paine, small paine, of geuing him the deniall.
All this I heard and saw, whilst vnder an oake I did hide mee,
All this I heard and saw, and once I began to be speaking
For very grief; yet I stayd: But marck yet, marck yet a woonder.
After long toyling her feete at last she released,
And scarce, scarce her feete from bands at last she released,
But those winged feete she bestyrs as fast as a yong Hynde,
And to Amyntas giues noe not soemuch as a farewell:
Yet noe cause of flight, for Amyntas made not an offer.
All this I heard and saw, and once I began to be speaking
For very grief; yet I stayd: But marck yet, marck yet a woonder.
After long toyling her feete at last she released,
And scarce, scarce her feete from bands at last she released,
But those winged feete she bestyrs as fast as a yong Hynde,
And to Amyntas giues noe not soemuch as a farewell:
Yet noe cause of flight, for Amyntas made not an offer.
Chorus.
What did he then poore man, when Phillis leaft him alone thus?
Thyrsis.
That can I noeway gesse; for I was soe mad to behold this
Scornefull pride, that I ran t'haue brought her back to Amyntas,
Ran with might and mayne, in vayne: for I feard her away still;
And when I came backward to the well, then I missed Amyntas.
Surely I feare hee's dead, for I know that he fully resolued
Ere that he came to the well, himself t'haue speedily murdred.
Chorus.
That's but an ord'nary thing, for a louer death to be threatning,
But not an ord'nary thing any man for loue to be dying.
Thyrsis.
God graunt it proue soe in Amyntas.
Chor.
Doubt not.
Thyrs.
I feare it.
Yet to the Caue Ile goe, where sage Elpinus abydeth:
There, if hee liue, its like, that Amyntas wilbe recounting
And with pleasant pipe, with voyce soe sweetely resounding
Make those rocks to resound, and wring out teares fro the fountaines.
| The Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch | |