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The fourth Act

first Scene.

Phillis, Daphne, Chorus.
Bvt what a dart was that, which mightily flew fro the fingers
Of braue Lady Regent of these woods, Pembrokiana,
Vnto the forreine Beare, which came with greedy deuowring
Iawes to the harmeles game? Whose dying howre was a birth-day
Vnto her owne yong whelpes, whose groanes thus lastly resounded,
Deaths dart, (yet sweete dart, as throwne by Pembrokiana)
Make my wound more wyde, giue larger scope to my yong ones,
Geue them a free passage, herself hath geu'n them a pasport.
Daphne.
Phillis, for your sports I doe much ioy, but yet a thousand
Times more for yourself, sith you soe quickly reuiued
Lyue yet safe and sound: for Fuluia lately reported
Strange newes of your death: would God that Fuluia had beene
Dumme, or an other deafe: one mischif draws on an other.

Phillis.
And in truth iust cause had Fuluia for to beleeue soe,
Sith that I was not lyke from deaths dore soe to be scaping.


Daphne.
But yet noe iust cause had Fuluia for to report soe.
Now let's heare at large, thy dangers and thy delyu'ries.

Phillis.
Whyl'st I ran after a woolf, I was all inclosd on a soddayne
With darck dens and groues, and forc't that chase to be leauyng:
But when I sought to retyre and company lost to recouer,
There did I see this woolf (for I knew this Woolf by an arrow
Which myself did shoote, and gaue her a wound by the least care)
There did I see this Woolf and more Woolus greedyly praying
On some beasts carkas late slayne by them, but I could not
Well discerne what beast: this wounded Woolf in a fury
Coms with a gored mouth, (it seemes my face shee remembred)
And soe makes onward, whoe had beene worthyly welcomd,
Had not a tree by a chaunce my dart vnworthyly hindred.
My dart mislighting, fell Woolf more fiercely aproching
Drew soe neare, that I saw 'twas booteles now to be shooting,
And darts were all spent: Therfore at last I retyred
And fled back for feare, but wyl'd Woolf hastened onward:
Now marck what chaunced, my lawne hang'd downe to my shoulders
And stooke fast to a bush, and stayd my flight, but I plucked,
Yet bush held it fast; at last my lawne I relinquisht
For to reserue my life, and tore it away with a greate part
Of my scattered hayre, and feare soe forcibly vrged
Lightfooted Phillis, that a fearefull death shee auoyded.
As to my house full glad for ioy I repayred, I met thee
Daphne, there full sad by the way, and greately amased.

Daphne.
Phillis alas is aliue, but an other's gone to be dying.

Phillis.
And what mean's this, Alas? am I now soe lightly regarded,
That my life with, Alas, of Daphne must be remembred?

Daphne.
Phillis, I loue thy life, but I lyke not a death of an other.

Phillis.
Whose death?

Daph.
Death of Amyntas.

Phil.
Alas how dyed Amyntas?

Daphne.
How? that I can not tell; nor yet well whether it is soe:
But noe doubt, I beleeue; for it is most lyke that it is soe.


Phillis.
What strange news doe I heare? what causd that death of Amyntas?

Daphne.
Thy death.

Phil.
And I aliue?

Daph.
Thy death was lately reported,
And he beleeus thy death, and therfore seeketh his owne death.

Phillis.
Feare of Phillis death prou'd vayne, and feare of Amyntas
Death will prooue vayne too: life eache thing lyuely procureth.

Daphne.
O Phillis Phillis, thou knowst not what be the torments
Of truelouers hart, hart made of flesh as Amyntas,
Not flynte hart, as thyne; els wouldst thou loue that Amyntas,
Which lou'd Phillis more than life or sowle of Amyntas.
Phillis, I know, for I saw, then when thou fledst from Amyntas,
Fledst, when by reason thou shouldst haue kissed Amyntas:
Then did Amyntas tourne his poynted dart to his owne brest,
And thrust brest on dart: and vile dart pierst in a moment
Through his coate, skyn, flesh; and would haue speedily pierced
That same hart, which thou hadst more vnluckily pierced,
But that I grasped his arme, and stayd that desperat outrage.
And now that smalle wound perchaunce wil serue for a first proofe
Of cursed courage, and mynde vnkindely resolued,
And that dart make way, and passage shew to a damned
Knife, or a balefull swoord, with freer scope to be murdring.

Phillis.
Is this true?

Daph.
Noe doubt.

Phil.
But alas would noebody stay him?
O let's goe, let's run, let's seek and search for Amyntas.
Yf that Amyntas dy'de, when Phillis seem'd to be dying,
Then, sith Phillis lyues, let Amyntas truly be lyuing.

Daphne.
Yes yes, quyckly I ran; But whoe can deale with a madman?
Rage and griefe fro my sight conueyd him away in a moment.
Therfore now toolate, it's toolate now to be runnyng,
And thanck thy running that it is toolate to be running.

Phillis.
O, this fretts my soule Daphne, this deadly remembrance
Of my scornefull pryde, that I then my Chastyty called,
And it Chastyty was, but Chastyty noe-pyty-taking,
Now I repent it alas, but now toolate I repent yt.


Daphne.
Good God, what doe I heare? can Phillis now be repenting?
Can she relent or yeeld? What playnt, what passion is this?
Can proud Phillis loue?

Phil.
Noe loue, but yet pyty-taking.

Chorus.
When pyty runneth afore, loue always hasteneth after:
And now Phillis loues, since Phillis now pyty-taketh.

Daphne.
But toolate, Phillis, toolate. O wretched Amyntas,
Thou (eu'n lyke to a Bee, that stings, yet dyes as hee stingeth,
And his wounding life doth leaue in place that he woundeth)
Hast by thy death at last pierst Phillis through to the hart-roote,
Whereas in all thy life thou couldst not possibly moue her.
Now if Amyntas soule from flesh and blood be released.
And here wandreth abroade (as I thinck it for to be wandring)
Let that sowle now see, and ioy her paynes to bee seeing,
Sowle, that lyuing lou'd, and by death, bought, to be loued.

Chorus.
Pryce to the buyer deare, and shamefull price to the seller.

Phillis.
O that my loue might once purchase life for Amyntas,
O that Amyntas life with my life might be redeemed.

Daphne.
When steedes are stollen, then Phillis looks to the stable.

The second Scene.

Ergastus. Chorus. Phillis. Daphne.
My hart with pyty melts, my sowl's soe drowned in anguish,
That noe sight, noe sound obiects itself to my sences,
But drawes teares fro my eyes, and horror brings to my hearing.
Chorus.
What's this newmans news, that makes hym looke thus amased?

Ergastus.
News of Amyntas death.

Phil.
This deaths-newes brings mee to deaths dore.

Ergastus.
Most noble Pastor, that these woods lately frequented,
Gentle, loued of all, to the Nymphs deare, deare to the Muses,
And but a stripling dy'de, and what death?

Chor.
O, let vs heare it,
O, let vs heare it alas, that wee may all be a mournyng
His mischaunce, our grief.

Phil.
O deare God, I dare not aproach hym,
Least that I heare these news, yet these news must I be hearing.
Hart of stone, hard hart, curst hart, what maks thee be fearing?

Goe and encounter these kniues, these darts that he bringeth
In sowle-wounding tongue, there shew thyself to be stony.
Pastor, I come for part of thease news rightly belonging
Vnto my damnable hart, and due, more due to my hearing
Than thou canst conceaue; then spare not freely to geue it.

Ergastus.
Phillis, I surely beleeue, that I heard this wretched Amyntas
With thy name his life and lamentation ending.

Daphne.
Il news differring, is a plague as great as an ill news.

Ergastus.
Late as I mended netts on a hill, soretroubled Amyntas,
Horribly vext and chaft, in face and action altred,
Past by my side in a rage: but I stept and hastened after,
And ouertook him; for I mus'd what might be the matter.
Good fryend Ergastus, qd hee then, now doe me a pleasure,
Come with Amyntas now, and marck what hee dooe's as a witnes,
Stand as a witnes by; but first sweare, soe to be standing,
And my deedes soe marckt, in noe respect to be hindring.
Here I alas poore foole (for whoe would euer imagin
Such a detestable act, as he purposd then to be woorking?)
Rapt out horrible oathes straight way, and sware by the mighty
Nightwandring Hecate, Pallas, Pomona, Priapus,
And Pan Pastors God, that I would performe what hee wild mee.
Then did he leade me along to a steepe and horrible hill topp,
All abrupt and rough, and made soe feareful a downefall,
That my lyms all quakt, when I lookt fro the hill to the valley.
Here did he pause for a while, and somewhat seem'd to be smyling,
Which rather made mee noe mischif for to bee deemyng
Then, qd he, what thou see'st, that tell to the Nymphs, to the Pastors,
And at last, these woords with a downe cast looke he resounded,
If that I could aswell commaund those greedy deuouring
Throates and teeth of Woolues, as I can soone leap from a hilltopp;
As my life did dye, ô then soe would I be dying;
Then should these my lyms and cursed corps be dyuyded,
As those tender ioynts, ô grief, were all to be mangled.
But since frownyng skies wil'd beasts now will not aford mee,
(Which yet I know in tyme wil come this flesh to be tearing)
This must serue, short death, though sharper death I deserued.
Phillis, I come straight way, Ile com to thy company, Phillis,

If thou doest not yet disdayne my company, Phillis.
If that I were but sure, that death brought end to thy anger,
And that my commyng would giue noe cause to molest thee,
Then should life with ioy leaue wel contented Amyntas;
Phillis, I come, scorne not, scorne not my company, Phillis.
Thus sayd, lightly he leapt, and headlong fell to the valley;
My soule quakt for feare.

Daph.
O griefe.

Phil.
O woeful Amyntas.

Chorus.
And why staydst him not? wast feare, thy oath to be breaking?

Ergastus.
O noe, for when I saw his mynde thus bent to that outrage,
Oaths (in such case vaine) I began to be lightly regarding.
And cought hould (naught hould) cought hould by a paltery gyrdle;
Paltery gyrdle brake by the swing, and weight of Amyntas:
Part with Amyntas went, and th' other part I reteigned.

Chorus.
O but wher's that corps, and bruysed bones of Amyntas?

Ergastus.
God knows; for by the fall my senceles soule was amased,
Neyther durst I behould his corps vnluckily quashed.

Chorus.
O strange news indeede, breakneck, breakheart of Amyntas.

Phillis.
O pytyles Phillis, wel may thy hart bee a stony
Hart, if breakeneck news can not yet breake it a sunder.
Yf false tales of death, her death, whoe hated Amyntas,
Tooke his life yet away; good reason then that Amyntas
True death, too true death, whoe my hate louely requyted,
Should take life from mee; and soe it shall, with an endles
Griefe of troubled sowle, or a too too slowly reuenging
Stroake of a murdring hande, or this same peece of a gyrdle,
Peece of a gyrdle alas: that left his mayster Amyntas
For good cause, that soe proud Phillis might be rewarded,
And his maysters death with Phillis death be requyted.
Luckles gyrdle alas of too too luckles Amyntas,
Take noe scorne for a while in a bosome vile to be lodged,
Sith to requyte, to reueng thou mean'st therein to be lodged.
Phillis should haue beene true turtle-doue to Amyntas
In this lightsome world, but Phillis prowdly denyed;
Therfore by thy meanes Phillis shall meete with Amyntas

In those darcksome dens, as Phillis rightly deserued.

Chorus.
Poore distressed soule, forbeare thyself to be plaguing:
His fact, not thy fault, drew his confusion onward.

Phillis.
Pastors, why doe ye mourne? What meane these heauy bewaylings?
Yf you mourne Phillis; Phillis noe mercy deserueth,
Sith this merciles hart to Amyntas mercy denyed:
Yf you mourne his death, whoe had noe cause to be dying,
Noe such mournyng can suffice for murdred Amyntas.
Dry those teares, Daphne, and wipe thy watery fountayns,
And come, yet come not for mee, but come for Amyntas,
Help mee to seeke and fynde, t'entombe those bones of Amyntas;
For this I stay yet aliue: this funeral obsequy only
Phillis can performe for balefull loue of Amyntas.
And though murdring hand pollute soe sacred an office,
Yet sith Phillis her hand performs soe sacred an office,
This wil Amyntas take as a most acceptable office.

Daphne.
Phillis, I yeeld my help his scattred bones to be searching,
But soe that Phillis make noe more talk of a dying.

Phillis.
All this whyle to myself did I lyue; but now to Amyntas,
Or to Amyntas bones, crusht bones soe long wil I liue yet,
And lyue noe longer; my life, his funeral ending.
Pastors: But yet wher's that way which leads to the downefall?

Chorus.
There: and t'hill stands thence but a lytle more than a furlong,

Daphne.
Come, let's goe, and search: Ile guyde thee; the place I remember.

Phillis.
Pastors al farewel; farewell fayre Pembrokianaes
Yuychurches parck, and fountaynes watery, farewell.

Chorus.
This Nymph taks her leaue, as though these soe many farewells
Wereher last farewell, which should cause deadly departure.

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