 | Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie |  |
Scœn. 2.
Menander, Phevdippe, Hyarchvs, Hipponax, Evphorbvs.Hy.
The popular inuectiue doth exclaime
Vpon Pheudippe; sweare with open voyce
Hee bred this famine.
Phe.
Am I then betraid?
Will my sage Steward turne delinquent? ha?
Men.
Can my Pheudippe proue disloyall? no,
Doth hee intend subuersion of my state?
Ev.
Wee may consult of war-like discipline
Amidst our heigth of solace; (though secure)
Although at league with euery Potentate
So may wee well aduise your Maiesty
To haue a watchfull ouer-looking spy
Vpon your haughty Duke; (though innocent;
Though in himselfe obsequiously bent)
Learning aduanc'd may proue iudicious;
But (if mis-ledde) extremely vitious.
Me.
Tell mee my proper Genius may proue false,
My bloud become a traitor to my life;
The issue of my loines degenerate;
Say; this right hand conspires against my head;
Tell mee; the Gods whom I adore, neglect
Religion, doe forbid all sacrifice;
And I beleeue you: but the villaines lye,
Who dare imagine my Pheudippe false.
In-faith I am affraid you do abuse
My honest friends integrity, too much;
Pheudippe false? my bosome-counsellour?
The earth will shake at such a prodigy:
Some Phaeton shall mount the Chariot
Of our vp-rising Phœbus, and enflame
The world againe; each widdow shall conceiue
Without mans aide fiue dragons at a birth,
All threatning this impossible euent,
Ere I do entertaine a sillable
Of your sug-gestion: though the Gods descend
Though they admonish my credulity
(In speciall) to beware of whom wee speake
And call him traitor; ô I should reply
Within the bounds (I feare) of blasphemy.
See how hee walks perplex'd with agony;
My anger shall im-proue his patience.
Pheudippe.
Phe.
Doth my dread Soueraigne call?
Men.
What doth my demi-selfe Pheudippe doe?
Phe.
Beshrew my melancholique dumps I doe;
Which preter-mit Mænanders Maiesty
Without obeysance; whilst I walke secure
Me.
His aro-mâticke breath perfumes the aire:
The spicy fields where gossa-moure doth grow
Haue not one vapour halfe so redolent:
I must for fashion chide him fatherly.
Friend, friend, you are ambitous of rule,
Report exclaimes vpon your dignity;
All attribute the times calamity
Of dearth, to you the Authour; who ingrosse
Heapes of prouision without reall cause;
I must not winke at fraudulent abuse
Done to my Subiects; rather abuse mee:
Thou mightst enioy full many blessed yeares,
Liue in an æquall happinesse with mee,
Rather then thus neglect my sincere loue,
And loose the hope of our munificence
Do not (I pray) deserue that infamy
VVith which our scandalizing age condemnes
Thy whole endeuours; ô redeeme the losse
Of Loyalty; a thing so pretious.
Reiect those machinations infinite
VVith which the people charge thee; I conceale
The horrour of a rage so violent
As some censorious Critticks haue adiug'd
To dwell within thy bosome: prethee thinke
Whether I do deserue thy impious hand
To thrust me from a lineall descent
Or (being downe) deserue thy helping hand,
To rescue and vphold my primacy.
Phe.
Some better Angell be auspicious
Vnto my naked answere; (mighty King)
Your deepe discretion may with ease collect;
(Though I were dumb and did through silence purge
This weighty accusation) that per-force
To publicke censure all authority
Is often subiect: so ir-regular
Be sudden apprehensions; as vpright
The Prudent fam'd for ignominious
Mad Authors, of sicke innovation;
(Though not resolued how this language meanes:)
I do in ample, and with open tearmes
Confesse the crime suppos'd, not culpable,
Though burthen'd with ambition) I confesse
A dutious loue vnto the Common-weale,
Hath bred my damage; Ouer-diligence
May summon actiue zeale to a defence,
Which doth appeare in my ill-tun'd event,
As you perceiue, or call me insolent.
The famous Art of Mathe-maticke Rules,
(Wherein my ignorance will never boast
A singularity of knowledge, or conceit)
Did by infallible demonstrations
Fore-signifie this famine: ô resolue
Whether then by the law of Nations
I be accomptable vnto the Gods
For this pretended accusation;
Seeing to the safety of our Common-weale,
A prouidence coniecturall hath vrg'd,
My whole indevour? If vnto the Gods
I am excus'd; what impudence will dare
With false-hood to accuse my innocence?
For those designes which Gods allow, ne're can
Be in themselues offensiue vnto man.
Know therefore (vpon hopefull præ-science)
I did ingage a new dexterity,
To counteruaile the famishment fore-knowne,
I did ingrosse provision, did expend
Twelue-months revenew to accomplish corne:
Ill be my paines acquited, worse my loue;
Which, labours in the common cause may proue.
Thus imputations are too vsuall,
And bad constructions are authenticall.
Some Kings, (to manifest prædominance)
Honour aboue de-merit, offices,
Popular Cities, and in-franchis'd Townes;
Nay whole dominions, Dukedomes they'le bestow,
And raise a simple Mushrom to the height
Of any monarch's due magnificence;
Till by excesse of labour, sweate of braines,
Hee hath enrich'd his beggerly estate;
Then (like a full-ripe Orenge; or indeed,
Like a deceitfull spunge, whose empty pores
The owner doth replenish) hee must looke
To feele a sudden crush, a nip will squease
Him; who pretends hee may be rich and please:
If then my Title (ô iuditious King)
My now desertlesse wealth, or eminence,
Which (by especiall fauour I enioy,
Which freely were bestow'd long since) if these
Shall be accounted error and offence,
Or be imputed to my sawcinesse,
I doe submit, and will my crime confesse;
If your vn-reprehended sapience
Thinke it a pollicy expedient,
Il'e runne to exile, dye in banishment,
Liue like a scritch-owle in some secret caue,
Turne errant caitife, and so dye a slaue:
If you suppose it bee availe-able
Or to diminish, or annihilate
To dis-anull, or to abbreviate
My large allowance; if you doe account
The base degrading of a loyall peere
Will giue aduantage and security
To your successiue regiment; (may which
Continue to the worlds æternity:)
If thus you doe imagine (dreaded Liege)
Loe, I will prostrate fall, and aske a boone,
Begge that the heads-mans Axe may ouer-take,
May with a bloody sentence, mee salute,
Would I the messenger of death re-greet;
Till then, most lowly kisse your graces feet:
Me.
Arise my faithfull honourer, arise:
Good honest soule, thy language would enforce
The Cannibals to turne compassionate:
I will trans-mit thee into Scythia,
To Pontus, to the fierce vn-tamed Getes,
Till with a fluent phrase, thou doe compell
Their savage superstition to submit,
And mee acknowledge, as their lawfull King:
Thus thou like Orpheus couldst (I'me sure) enthrall
The rude Arabian, or the rugged Gaule,
And captivate their longing audience
With an æternity of eloquence.
Thus couldst thou re-inlarge my soueraigne awe,
Thus multiply each prouince, thus augment
The bounds of our dominion, or de-duce
Appointed troopes of Colony; with voyce:
But (my alone beloued) never thinke
I will exchange thy noble company
For temporall possession: though the Gods
Would all resigne Olympus, and elect
Mee as co-heire in-dubitate to Ioue,
Vpon Proviso to forsake this friend,
I rather would refuse deuinity,
Liue like a drudge in darke obscurity,
Then leaue so loyall, so compleat a friend:
And yet this man deserues a watchfull eye;
Speake you censorious ranke of Magistrates,
Doth hee deserue suspition? who replyes?
Evph.
Reports and rumour did deserue aduise.
Me.
Who guided by report so farre doth blame
Another, as to argue his ill-name,
Insisting much on some particular,
Detects himselfe, an Asse auricular.
Phev.
This vn-expected fume to pacifie
A Summer banquet, and I shall intreate
You the Patricians to accept my loue,
Rather then bounty; whom I will invite
And feast with my beloued Liege to night.
Me.
With temptiue cups wee'le wash away conceit,
And so renew each health in sober height.
| Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie | |