University of Virginia Library

Actus IIII.

Scæna 1.

Enter Aladin King of Caramania, sonne in Law to Amurath, with Nobles, Embassadors from Amurath.
Aladin.
Sends our proud father in Law this greeting to us?
Was our sword sheath'd so soone to heare this answer?

Embass.
My Lord, he bad me tell you that 'twas you
Have made him leave off this great Prophets Warres,
When he was hewing downe the Christians;
Therefore submission should not now appease him,
Mo, though your Wife, his Daughter, should her selfe,
Vpon her penitent knees be supplyant!
No sooner shall the Tycian splendent Sol,
Open Heavens Casements, and inlarge the day,
But his horse hoofes shall beat your treacherous Earth;
And that you may be warn'd of his approach,
Murder and flames shall be his Prodromo's!

Alad.
Confederate Princes and my kind allyes,
Shall his proud nosthrils breath those threats on us?

Emb.
Moreover, my Lord wil or win, or raze,
Iconium and Larenda.

Alad.
Iconium and Larenda? I? No more?
Had best looke first, how safe his Prusa stands!
Lords, I am mov'd, and will forget my Queene
Was ere the issue of his hated blood!
My splene is tost within; mine entrailes pant,
As, wen the Sea is rais'd with Southerne gusts,
The wind allay'd, yet still the Waves will tremble,
Princes, now binde your selves with such strong chaines,
Your faith and breaths can make; sweare to me all,
To be as firme to me 'gainst Amurath,
As is the skin and flesh unto the Nerves;

Here they all kneele, and sweare vpon his sword.
Nobles.
We all sweare we will.

Aladin.
Then all here kisse my Sword,
Which shall be steept within the head-mans throat:
We'l make him know those will not flye in Warre,
Which may in policie intreat a peace!
Hast thy course (time) and soone reduce the yeare!
Ensignes may Ensignes meet, Carmania's King,
Great Aladin, scornes to avoyd a Turke:
Princes, and Neighbours, muster up your strength,
That we may meet him on his full Cariere!
And let it be Carmania's pride to say,
To overcome him we askt no second day.

Scæna 2.

Enter Amurath at one doore with Nobles Bajazet, Enter at th'other, Hatam, richly attended, they meet, salute in dumbe shew; Amurath ioynes the hands of the Prince, and Princesse; whilst this is solemnizing, is sung to soft Musicke, this Song following.
Song.
Chorus.

Am.
You Gods of Marriage: sacred Protectoresse
Of lawfull propagations, and blest Love
Be most propitious to these grafted stemmes!
Drop dewing showers of generation on them!
Thinke (Sonne) this day too prodigall of blessing
As, that had Juno taskt thee (like Alcides)
To grapple with Stymphallides, or clense
Angelas stables: or like the Trojan Boy,
Sit like a Shepheard on Dardadias Hils,
Such a reward as this faire Queen repayres,
O thou hop'd future off-spring spare thy Parent!
Hurt not this tender wombe, these Ivory worlds,
When you are borne; O be within your limbes,
The Grandsire Amurath, and fathers strength!
Line their faces (Nature) with their Mothers dye!
And let the Destinies marke the ensuring night
In their Eternall Bookes, with notes most white.

All.
Grant it great Mahomet!

Hatam.
Most awfull father and my honored Prince,
Although it be enacted by the Heavens,
That in these bonds of marriage such curse
Attends on Princes above private men,
That nor affection, nor home-nourisht Love
But state and policy must elect their Wives.
Which must be fetcht from Countries farre remote!
Yet the protecting Powers have such a care,
Both of their off-springs and their Kingdomes state,
That to what they ordaine, they worke in us
A suddaine willingnesse to make us obey;
For, in this brest, I doe already feele
That there's a kindling a Diviner heat:
Which disobedience never shall extinguish.
And, if there be any felicity
From these united Loves to be derived
From the weake sexe into the husbands soule,
Then may my Lord make his affection sure,
To be repayd with unattainted Love,
In which a pritty people ye shall live,
With soft and yeilding curtesie in all
He shall command, my willing armes shall still,
Be ope t'enfold within a Wives embrace,
If any comfort else there be in store,
(Which modesty keeps silent to it selfe)
Cause onely husbands and the night must know't,
My Loyalty shall ever all performe,
And (though my) Lord should frown, Ile be the same,
Greene wood will burne with a continued flame:

Baiaz.
Princesse our ardor is already fired,
Yet with no violent temerity;
Such as might feare it's short and soone decaying;
Thy vertue seemes so to exceed thy Sexe,
And wisdome so farre to out-pace thy yeares,
That, surely (Ptincesse) soone maturity,
Argues in them, hidden Divinity.
Expected (Hymen) here hath bound our hands,
And hearts, with everlasting ligaments:
Fortunate both we are, and have one blisse
The want of which for ever doth infect,
With anxious cares the sweets of marriage Beds:
Our Parents benediction and consent,
They are the truest Hymens, and should be
To children the best marriage Deity.
Thus then attended with such sacred charmes
Our last day of content shall never come;
Till we must part by th'unresisted doome,
With a pleas'd error we will age beguile,
All starres on us, an æquall yoke must smile.

Amur.
Now (Lords) who'le dance
A Turkish measure? Ladies our nerves are shrunke;
And you now fixe the signe of age on me,
You who have bloud still flowing in your veynes,
Be nimble as an Hart: Caper to the Sphæres!
O you are light, that wrnt the weight of yeares!

Musicke.
Here Amurath ascends his Throne, the rest set downe to dance, Bajazet with Hatam, &c. the end of the dance, all kneele, Amurath begin an health, a flourish with Cornets.
Amur.
And health to our Bride and her father!
O (Nobles) would this wine were Christians blood,
But that it would Phrenetique humours breed,
And so infect our braines with Superstition!

Enter Eurenoses with sixe Christian Maidens, richly attyred, their Haire hanging loose, in their hands Cups of Gold with Iewels, &c.
Euren.
Auspitious fortunes to great Amurath!
To ope more springs unto this full tide of joy,
Know (potent Emperor) I from Europe bring
Sixe daughters of sixe severall Kings,
Whose Cities we have equall'd to the ground;
And of their Pallaces did torches make,
To light their soules through the blacke Cave of death (Acherō)

Am.
Describe (good Captaine) how the dogs were wearied.

Euren.
So weary were they to indure to indure our swords,
That by impetuous mutiny themselves,
Turn'd on each other; slew their Maisters;
Childrens own hands, tore out their fathers throats.
And each one strove who should be slaughtered first;
Here did a brother pash out a Brothers braines,
Some in stinking Quagmires, and deepe Lakes
(Which they had made t'avoyd their excrements)
Ran quicke, and in the lake lay buried.

Am.
(Goon Executioner of our most just wrath!)

Eu.
Nor did it leave till death it selfe was weary:
Murder grew faint, and each succeeding day,
Shewed us the slaughter of the day before.
'Mongst carkasses and funerals we stoood,
Denying those that liv'd such Ceremonies
As in their Temples to the Indian Gods,
With prayers and vowes they dayly offred:
Nor destiny, nor cruelty ere left,
Till they had nothing to worke upon;
For, of so many soules that breath'd
These sixe are all remain'd: which as a Pledge
Of my best service to your Majesty.
I here am bold to yeeld an offer.

Am.
Nor shall this present be unrecompenced;
For thy true service, on thee Ile bestow
All the rich guifts, which all these Asian Lords
Brought to adore these happy Nuptials,
On you faire Bride great Princesse and our Daughter
Doe we bestow these Virgins (daughters to Kings)
For your attendance.

Hat.
We are too much bound unto our Princely Father!

Am,
No (Daughter) no! we hope thou art the spring,
From whence shall flow to all the world a King.
(Captaines and Lords, to morrow we must meet,
To thinke of our rebellious sonne in Law)
Be this time all for comfort and delight,
Short wedding dayes make it seeme long to night.

Exeunt omn.

Scæna 3.

Enter Lazarus and Cobelitz, bringing the dead body of Sesmenos.
Laz.
Here set we downe our miserable load,
O Cobelitz with whom is't that we fight?
With Lydian Lyons, and Hyrcanian Beares;
Which grinde us dayly in their ravenous teeth?
The Tyrant (as it were destructions Enginere)
Helpe Nature to destroy the worlds frame quickly,

Cob.
Alas my Lord that needs not, every day
Is a sufficient helper to decay:
Great workman, who art sparing in thy strength
To bring things to perfection, and to oreturne
All thy best workes, thou usest suddaine force,
When mans an Embrio! and first conceived
How long 'tis ere he see his native light?
Then borne, with expectation for his growth!
Tenderly nourisht, carefully brought up,
Growne to perfection, what a little thing,
Serves to call on his suddaine ruining?

Laz.
Come Cobelitz, 'mongst those demolisht stones
We'll sit as Hecuba, at those Troyan Walles:
Our teares shall be false glasses to our eyes:
Through these we'l looke, and thinke we yet may see
Our stately Pinacles, and strong founded holds;
That which one houre can delapidate,
One age can scarce repaire.

Cob.
No sir, for nothing's hard
To Nature, when she meanes t'consume
A thousand Oakes (which time hath fixt i'th earth,
As Monuments of lasting memory)
Are in a moment turn'd to ashes all;
Things that rise slowly, take a suddaine fall.

Laz.
What course now Cobelitz, must we still be yoak
To misery, and murder? We scarce have roome,
Vpon our bodies to receive more wounds,
And must we still oppose our selves to more?

Cob.
Yes! We are ready still; a solid minde
Must not be shakt with every blast of Winde!
Pollux, nor Hercules, had none other art,
To get them Mansions in the spangl'd Heavens
Then a true firme resolve; th'Adriatike Sea,
Shall from his currents with tempestuous blasts,
Be sooner heard, than vertue from it's ayme,
Let us but thinke (when we so many see,
Enjoying greater quiet than our selves.)
How many have endur'd more misery;
Ilion, Ilion, what a fate hadst thou?
How fruitfull wert thou in matter for thy foe?
Thus we'll delude our griefe, make our selfe glad,
To think of miseries that others had.

Laz.
I (Captaine) I! they that furnisht thee
With sentences of comfort, never saw,
Their Cities burnt, their Countries desolate!
'Tis easie for Physitians for to tell
Advice to others, when themselves are well!

Cob.
Tush, tush (my Lord) there's on our side we know,
One that can both, and will our weake hands guide,
One that will strike and thunder; Gyant then,
Looke for a dart! we must not appoint when;
Meane while helpe for to convay this burden hence
Turke, though thy tyranny deny us graves,
Corruption will give them spite of thee!
Nor doe our corps, such Tombes and Cavernes need:
For our owne flesh, still our owne graves to breed:
And, when the Earth receiveth not, when they die;
Heavens Vault ouerwhelmeth them, so their tombe's ith' skie.

Exeunt with a dead Truncke.

Scæna 4.

Enter Aladin as flying, an arrow through his arme, wounded in his forehead, his shield stacke with darts: with him two Nobles.
Alad.
Besieged on every side? Iconium taken?
Entrencht within my foes my selfe must lye
Wrapt in my Cities ruine! Turkes come on!

1. Nob.
Nay but my Lord, meane you to meet your death?
Let's hast our flight, and trust more to our feet
Then words, or hands—

Alad.
Why, so much of our bloud
Is already spilt, as should the glittering Sunne
Exhale it upward, 'twould obnubulate
It's luster, else to fiery Meteors turne.
Some councell (Lords) he that's amidst the Sea,
When every curled wave doth threat his death
Yet trusts upon the oares of his owne armes,
And sometimes the salt fome doth pitty him,
A Wolfe, or Lyon, that hath fild his gorge
With bloudy prey, at last will lye to sleepe,
And the unnaturalst creatures not forget
Their love to those whom they do know their own!
My wife's his Daughter; since we cannot stand
His fury longer, she shall savage his wrath.
The boysterous Ocean when as no winds oppose,
Growth's calme revenge is lost, when't hath no foes.

2. Noble.
Why then (my Lord) array your selfe in weeds,
Of a Petitioner: take the Queene along,
And your two children; they may move his eyes;
For, desperate sores aske desperate remedies.

Alad:
Goe (Lords) goe: fetch some straight. O Heavens!
O fortune they that leane on thy crackt wheele,
And trust a Kingdomes power, and domineere
In a wall'd Pallace, let them looke on me,
And thee (Carmania) greater instances
The world affords not to demonstrate
The fraile estate of proudest Potentates,
Of sturdiest Monarchies: high Pinacles
Are still invaded with the prouder winds;
They must endure the threats of every blast;
The tops of Caucasus and Pindus shake,
With every cracke of thunder; humble Vaults
Are nere toucht with a bolt, ambiguous wings
Hath all the state, that hovers over Kings.
Enter the 2. Nobles with a winding sheet, Aladin puts it on.
I, I, this vesture fits my miserie!
This badge of poverty must now prevaile,
Where all my Kingdomes power & strength doth faile,
Why should not a propheticke soule attend
On great mens persons, and forewarne their ils?
Raging Bootes doth not so turmoile
The Lybian ford, as Fortune doth great hearts.
Bestona and Erynnis scourge us on;
Should wars and treasons cease, why our owne weight
Would send us to the Earth; as spreading armes
Make the huge trees in tempest for to split.
For as the slaughter-man to pasture goes,
And drags that Oxe home first, whose Bulke is greatest,
The leane he still lets feed: disease takes hold
On bodies that are pampered with best fare;
So doth all ruine chuse the fairest markes:
At which it bends, and strikes it full of shafts,
Ambition made me now that eminent but:
And I that fell by mine owne strength, must rise
By profest weaknesse; Buckets full sinke downe:
Whilst empty ones dance ith' ayre, and cannot drowne.
Come (Lords) he out of's way can never range,
Who is at furthest! worst nere finds ill change.