University of Virginia Library

ACTUS QUARTUS.

Enter Argalio, Leonides, and spirits.
Arg.
Come deare Leonides, my loves sole miuion,
That like the powerfull ruler of the Fates,
Turnes my restlesse Negromantick charmes
Into what forme best fitts thy appetite:
Speake my Leonides, prithee smile, and speake it,
Could Earth or Hell invent a guard
To shield black crimes from direfull punishment?
Walls are by Warres strong Engins raz'd and torne,
And Center-reaching cavernes of the earth,
Have oft bin made the inhabitants sad graves:
But to build thee a stronger Barracado,
I have fetcht force from underneath the Poles,
The slimy mists of darke Avernus Lake,
Cocitus pitchy steems are mixt with that,
And black compounded smoake the Cyclops send
From the foule sulpher of hot Ætna's Forge,
All which I have compounded in a lumpe,
To make this Isle obscure and tenebrous.
I'le tell thee friend, those furious Gyants that did warre with heaven,
Had they effected their great enterprise,
Could not more glory in their usurpation,
Than I doe in this Master-piece of Art.

Leon.
True great Argalio,
Yet here I live as a repriev'd prisoner,
In hope of life, sure of imprisonment,
Losing the benefit of lifes repast.

Arg.
In what?

Leon.
In the grand losse of the all-pleasing light,
Without the which life is a misery too hard to be inflicted.

Arg.
Wrong not thy judgment with that fond opinion,
Night, why 'tis the proper spheare, the Orbe of pleasure;
When doe those heires of pleasure, Cupids Lords,
The active Courtiers and attractive Dames,
Choose to expresse their quintessence of mirth
In sports and revells, is't not in the Night?
Night and the pleasures that she brings with her,
Shall make thee scorne day, as unnecessary:
My several spirits in an active dance
Shall now present themselves.

Enter spirits, and dance; thunder & lightning.
Leon.
Why are these terrours mixt with our delights?

Arg.
The angry heavens with common destiny, Thunder,
Reprove my sports.

Leon.
As they'd oppose my sinnes:
Enter Leopides with father and sister.
See, see where those poore soules,
Their murthering hands puld from the mortall
Motion of their flesh, come backe to give
The Ferry-man his hire, I am behinde hand in that
Fatall debt: but now in spight of his blacke churlish Oare,
Wee'le waft our selves unto the hoped shoare.

Arg.
Correct thy feare affrighted fantasie
Against these fond illusions, see they are vanisht;
Come unto pleasures turne, they but abuse thy thoughts.

Enter Spirits.
Spir.
O great Argalio, call thy ablest charmes,
Never had Art more need to helpe her Mistresse:
Three bold adventerous Knights prepare themselves
To ruine thee and thy Leonides:
Aurela, Queene of this unhappy Kingdome,
Has given her best advice to further them.

Arg.
Be carefull of your charge,
Downe to the infernall vaults, call up
The Legion of the lower World, and throw
Hels vengeance on them:
Come my Leonides, away with feare,
Should these charmes faile, which to mistrust were poore,
My Art should helpe thee with tenne thousand more.

Exeunt.
Enter Iames.
Iam.
Sure I have lost mine eyes, or else am walkt
Into eternall darknesse: I have read how wise
Vlysses saw the under world, convers'd with bold
Achylles and the Greekes, and then returnd alive
To earth agen, but Fables helpe but weakly,
Imitate what really I feele I have lost,
My fellowes in this endlesse night; till now
Their voyces kept me company. Ho Denis, Denis.

Within.
Here, here.

Iam.
Where art thou man?

Den.
Wading through fire, and buffetting with aire.

Iames.
Where's Patricke?

Within.
Here, here.

Enter Patr.
Pat.
Where's my noble Spaniard?

Enter Iam.
Iam.
Here, my friend.

Pat.
We all came severall waies then?

Den.
But a worse than I have ventur'd, never
Men set foote to: first through a Lake that
Lybias Desarts yeeld not more hot contagions,
Venome that has strooke confused terrour
Throughout all my limbes, and pierc'd my armours
Closure, then was I faine to enterpose my shield,
Betwixt me and that pondrous weight, that fell,
As if some Castles ruines had falne downe,
To crush me into nothing.

Pat.
Mulciber like I walkt through fire,
And as the Salamander bathed in the flames,
Winding his body in a streame of sulphure,
So the devouring heate incompast me.

Iam.
Denis Reades.

Iam.
'Tis most plaine, Spaine gave me birth,
The Golden Fleece mine Armes,
The figure of that prize which Iason brought,
And to make perfect the Inscription,
Here is a Helmet fram'd in Normandy,
Which I have worne in all my travailes since.

Den.
No more of doubts; Argalio and Leonides
Prepare to meete your ruine, your all potent Charmes,
Me thinks I see them flye from roome to roome,
Searching the Cavernes and obscurest Vaults
To hide their gustly heads from vengeance:
And this strong Charme, once thought invincible,
When it shall vanish like an idle dreame,
Their confidence will plague their Conscience more,
Than if they had mistrusted it before.

Iam.
No more delaies, but boldly lets assaile,
Our cause is good, and justice must prevaile.

Exit.
Enter Argalio, and Leonides.
Leon.
It cleares, it cleares:
What does thy Art availe thee,
Thou that hast said for to obscure the Sunne,
Where are they fled? hide thy selfe now Argalio,
And hide my errours with thee, they are vaine,
As my beleefes are, that thou hast a knowledge
Above my mischieves: horse us on the Clouds,
For nought else can prevent our imminent ruine.

Arg.
Art thou yet doubtfull, unbeleeving boy?
Remember the large stretcht thoughts
I have imploy'd to arme thee, could I cause
Darknesse? could my powerfull Art hide the
Bright Sunne in his most royall progresse?
And shall it be confin'd by these opposers?

Leon.
I cannot have a faith in these delusions:
Let me despaire and dye; here is a sword
Can quickly ease my torments, and set free
A burthend Conscience: how freely will my spirit
Greet the aire of hells blacke kingdome:
There the Thracian sits, hard by the sullen
Waters of blacke Styx, fingring his Lute;
To heare whose pleasing straines, hells Ministers
Forget their offices, the wearied soules their torments,
The whole Vault resounds his ecchoes;
Thither will I hie, and lay my troubled head
Upon his lap, and he shall charme me
Into endlesse slumbers.

Arg.
Hold braine-sicke man, looke up for thy safety;
Seest thou this Throne by sable spirits borne,
In it wee'le mount, so unbeleev'd a height,
Earth shall appeare an attome to thine eye:
Thou shalt view Cynthia in her silver spheare,
Couch'd by Aurora on her Rosie bed; and make
The Sunne-God jealous of your loves:
Wee'le progresse over the Celestiall Orbes,
Thence to the Windes, and view the hollow cave,
Where Æol fetters up the unruly broode;
Then by descentions pleasing to our thoughts,
Wee'le take survey of Neptunes watry rule,
Ride o're the bosome of the Ocean
On drooked Dolphins,
Amphion like, striking a well tun'd Harp,
And then toth' earth agen.

Leon.
Thou hast given me a new life,
I feele a new unwonted joy assaile me,
And all my sorrowes vanish like those clouds,
That even but now invirond us with darknesse.

Arg.
Mount then my Sonne, and as we reach the sky,
My Spirits shall salute us with sweete bayes,
Iove shall bow downe his head to heare their layes,
And wish himselfe commander of their skill:
Will this delight thee?

Leon.
Oh my happy friend.

Enter Champions.
Pat.
Earth, nor her strongest hold shall not secure 'em.

Den.
O act of wonder, we in vaine pursue:
Looke how they raise themselves unto the clouds:
Oh had I wings but to ore'take
The Villaine, Divell, Inchanter.

Arg.
Ha, ha, ha; fooles to imagine you could wrong Argalio,
I pitty you, or else my powerfull hand
Should crush you into ayre:
Stand, and admire, whilst we ascend a height
'Bove your weake thoughts.

Pat.
Yet are we happy, though they scap'd
Our justice, that we have freed
The Countrey from contagion. The people
Finde this benefit already;
Shouts within.
And harke, with shouts applaud this act
Of wonder: Lets to the Queene,
And fully give relations of all these accidents,
Then are we free for other Warlike deeds.
Vertue should still be active, apt to right
Those which are wrong'd, and good deeds to requite.