University of Virginia Library

Messenger. Chorus.
Ch.
what new thing hast thou brought?

Me.
What lande is this? lythe Sparta here and Argos, that hath bred
So wicked brethern? and the ground of Corinth lying spred
Betweene the seas? or Ister else where woont to take their flight,
Are people wylde? or that which woonts with snowe to shyne so bright
Hircana lande? or els doe here the wandring Scythtans dwell?

Ch.
What monstrous mischiefe is this place then guilty of? that tell,
And this declare to vs at large what euer be the ill.

Me.
If once my mynde may stay it selfe, and quaking limmes I will.
But yet of such a cruell deede before myne eyes the feare
And Image walkes: yee raging stormes now far from hence me beare
And to that place me driue, to which now driuen is the day
Thus drawen from hence.

Ch.
Our myndes yee holde yet still in doubt: full stay.
Tell what it is yee so abhorre. The author thereof showe.
I aske not who, but which of them that quickly let vs know.

Me.
In Pelops Turret high, a part there is of Pallace wyde
That towarde the south erected leanes, of which the vtter syde
With equall top to mountayne slantes, and on the City lies,
And people proude agaynst theyr prynce if once the treytors rise
Hath vnderneath his batiring stroke: there shynes the place in sight
Where woont the people to frequent, whose golden beames so bright
The noble spotted pillers gray, of marble doe supporte,
Within this place well knowen to men, where they so oft resorte,
To many other roomes about the noble court doth goe.
The priuie Palaice vnderlieth in secret place aloe,
With ditch ful deepe that doth enclose the wood of priuitee,
And hidden parts of kyngdome olde: where neuer grew no tree
That chereful bowes is woont to beare, with knife or lopped be,
But Taxe, and Cypresse, and with tree of Holme ful blacke to see
Doth becke and bende the wood so darke: alofte aboue all theese
The higher oke doth ouer looke, surmounting all the treese.
From hens with lucke the raigne to take, accustom'd are the kyngs,
From hens in daunger ayd to aske, and doome in doubtfull things.
To this affixed are the gifts, the sounding Trumpets bright,
The Chariots broke, and spoyles of sea that now Mirtôon hight,
There hang the wheeles once won by crafte of taller axel tree,
And euery other conquests note, here leefullis to see
The Phrygian tyre of Pelops head: the spoyle of enmies heere,
And of Barbarian triumphe left, the paynted gorgeous geere.
A lothsome springe stands vnder shade, and slouthfull course doth take,
With water blacke: euen such as is: of yrkesome Stygian lake
The vgly waue whereby art wont, to sweare the gods on hye.
Here all the night the grisly ghosts and gods of death to crie
The fame reportes: with clinkyng chaynes resoūds the wood ech where
The sprights cry out and euery thinge that dredfull is to heare,
May there bee seene: of vgly shapes from olde Sepulchres sent
A fearefull flocke doth wander there, and in that place frequent
Worse things then euer yet were knowwne: ye all the wood full afte
With flame is woont to flash, and all the higher trees alofte
Without a fyre do burne: and ofte the wood beside all this
With triple barkyng roares at once: ful oft the pala:ce is
Affright with shapes, nor lighte of day may on the terrour quell.
Eternall night doth hold the place, and darknes there of hell
In mid day raignes: from hens to them that pray out of the ground
The certayne answers geuen are, what tyme with dredful sound
From secret place the fates be tolde, and dungeon roares within
While of the God breakes out the voyce: whereto when entred in
Fierce Atreus was, that did wyth him his brothers children trayle,
Dekt are the aulters: who (alas) may it enough bewayle?
Behynde the infants backs anone he knyt theyr noble hands,
And eke theyr heauy heads about he bound with purple bands:
There wanted there no Frankenfence, nor yet the holy wine,
Nor knyfe to cut the sacrifice, besprinkt with leuens fine,
Kept is in all the order due, least such a mischiefe gret
Should not be ordred well

Ch.
who doth his hand on sword then set?

Me.
He is him selfe the priest, and he himselfe the deadly verse
With prayer dyre from feruent mouth doth syng and oft reherse.
And he at th'aulters stands himselfe, he them assygn'de to dye
Doth handle, and in order set, and to the knyfe applye,
He lights the fyres, no rights were left of sacrifice vndone.
The woode then quakt, and all at once from trembling grounde anone
The Pallace beckt, in doubt which way the payse thereof woulde fall,
And shaking as in waues it stoode: from th'ayre and therewithall
A blasing starre that foulest trayne drew after him doth goe:
The wynes that in the fyres were cast, with chaunged licour floe,
And turne to bloud: and twyse or thryse th'attyre fell from his hed,
The Iuerye bright in Temples seem'de to weepe and teares to shed.
The sights amas'de all other men, but stedfast yet alway
Of mynde, vnmoued Atreus stands, and euen the Gods doth fray
That threaten him and all delay forsaken by and by
To th'aulters turnes, and therewithwall a syde he lookes awry.
As hungry Tygre wonts that doth in gangey woods remayne
With doubtfull pace to range & roame betweene the bullocks twayne,
Of eyther pray full couetous and yet vncertayne where
She fyrst may byte, and roaring throate now turnes the tone to teare
And then to th'other strayght returnes, and doubtfull famyne holdes:
So Atreus dyre, betwene the babes doth stand and them beholdes
On whom he poynctes to slake his yre: first slaughter where to make,
Hee doubts: or whom he shoulde agayne for second offring take,
Yet skills it nought, but yet he doubtes and such a cruelty
It him delights to order well.

Ch.
Whom take he fyrst to dy?

Me.
First place, least in him thinke yee might no piete to remayne
To graundsier dedicated is, fyrst Tantalus is slayne.

Ch.
With what a minde & count'naūce, could ye boy his death sustayne?

Me.
All careles of him selfe he stoode, nor once he would in vayne
His prayers leese. But Atreus fierce the sword in him at last
In deepe and deadly wound doth hide to hilts, and gryping fast
His throate in hād, he thrust him through. The sword thē drawne away
When long the body had vphelde it selfe in doubtfull stay,
Which way to fall, at length vpon the vnckle downe it falles.
And then to th'aulters cruelly Philisthenes he tralles,
And on his brother throwes: and strayght his necke of cutteth hee.
The Carcase headlong falles to ground: a piteous thing to see,
The mourning head with murmure yet vncertayne doth complayne.

Chor.
What after double death doth he and slaughter then of twayne?
Spares he the Child? or gilt on gilt agayne yet heapeth he?

Mess.
As long maynd Lyon feerce amid the wood of Armenie,
The droue pursues and conquest makes of slaughter many one,
Though now defyled be his iawes with bloud and hunger gone
Yet slaketh not his yreful rage with bloud of Bulles so great,
But slouthful now with weary tooth the lesser Calues doth threat:
None other wyse doth Atreus rage, and swelles with anger straynd,
And holding now the sword in hand, with double slaughter staynd,
Regarding not where fell his rage, with cursed hand vnmild
He strake it through his body quite, at bosome of the Child
The blade goeth in, and at the backe agayne out went the same,
He falles and quenching with his bloud the aulters sacred flame,
Of eyther wound at lenght he dieth.

Chor.
O'heynous hateful act.

Mess.
Abhorre ye this? ye heare not yet the end of all the fact,
There followes more.

Cho.
A fiercer thing, or worse then this to see
Could Nature beare?

Me.
why thinke ye this of gylt the end to be?
It is but part.

Cho.
what could he more? to cruel beastes he cast
Perhappes their bodyes to be torne, and kept from fyres at last.

Me.
Would God he had: that neuer tombe the dead might ouer hyde,
Nor flames dissolue, though them for food to foules in pastures wyde
He had out throwen, or them for pray to cruell beastes would flinge.
That which the worst was wont to be, were here a wished thing,
That them their father saw vntombd: but oh more cursed crime
Uncredible, the which denye will men of after tyme:
From bosomes yet aliue out drawne the trembling bowels shake,
The vaynes yet breath, the feareful hart doth yet both pant and quake;
But he the stringes doth turne in hand, and destenies beholde,
And of the guttes the sygnes each one doth vewe not fully cold.
When him the sacrifyce had pleasd, his diligence he puttes
To dresse his brothers banquet now: and streight asonder cuttes
The bodyes into quarters all, and by the stoompes anone
The shoulders wyde, and brawnes of armes he strikes of euerychone,
He layes abroad their naked lims, and cuts away the bones:
The onely heads he kepes and handes to him committed once.
Some of the guttes are broacht, and in the fyres that burne full sloe
They drop, the boyling licour some doth tomble to and froe
In moorning cawderne: from the flesh that ouerstandes aloft
The fyre doth flye, and skatter out and into chimney ofte
Up heapt agayne, and there constraynd by force to tary yet
Unwilling burnes: the liuer makes great noyse vpon the spit,
Nor easely wot I, if the flesh, or flames they be that cry,
But crye they do: the fyre like pitch it fumeth by an by:
Nor yet the smoke it selfe so sad, like filthy miste in sight
Ascendeth vp as wont it is, nor takes his way vpright,
But euen the Gods and house it doth with fylthy fume defile.
O pacient Phœbus though from hence thou backeward flee the whyle,
And in the midst of heauen aboue dost drowne the broken day,
Thou fleest to late: the father eats his children, well away,
And limmes to which he once gaue life, with cursed iaw doth teare.
He shynes with oyntment shed ful sweete all round about his heare,
Replete with wyne: and oftentymes so cursed kynd of food
His mouth hath held, that would not downe, but yet this one thing good
In all thy yls (Thyestes) is that them thou dost not knoe,
And yet shal that not long endure, though Titan backward goe
And chariots turne agaynst himselfe, to meete the wayes he went,
And heauy night so heynous deede to kepe from sight be sent,
And out of tyme from East aryse, so foule a fact to hyde,
Yet shall the whole at length be seene: thy ylles shall all be spide.