 | Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie |  |
Scœn. 5.
Phevdippe, Menander Lvcilla, Hipponax, Evphorbvs, Hyarchvs, Lelio, Milites, Lesbia.
The most of subiects welcome, to my Liege,
Accept our weake indeavour, I beseech;
Sit (gratious King) the Cates containe our loue.
Me.
Wee doe accept, and will deserue (my deere)
This thy extended free munificence:
This plentifull provision I may call,
(With licence of our Ethickes) Liberall.
Phe.
No (my most mindfull & more sapient Prince)
I am your vassaile, drudge, obsequious,
Not bountifull; for 'tis impossible
That a dependant caitife who doth owe
His whole indeavour, and essentiall part,
His poore existence, spirits animall,
His function, his each power vegetall,
To a supreame efficient, should obtaine
(After a free expence, to gratulate
His all-respectiue patron, God, or Saint)
Of Bountifull, or Liberall, because
Duty and loue exact such obsequies
For lawfull Kings, instead of sacrifice.
Me.
What meanes thy mad irruption Lælio?
Ph.
The ambush, the ambush; strike fellow, strike.
Lae.
Strike this ignoble traytor, Cockatrice,
The subtill vermin base Pheudippe, strike,
Strike fellowes, strike, as doth your Generall,
Who hath withstood temptation actuall.
Hip.
If deere temptation, if inticement smile,
Happy is hee who can himselfe beguile.
Me.
Amazement be my death; deere captaine hold.
Lae.
Hold from the rescue of my royall King?
No: Wee were tempted to thy causelesse death.
Me.
Permit the traytor to enioy some breath.
Ph.
My wounds are many, I degenerate,
Liu'd villain-like, and dye a reprobate.
Lv.
My husband, my deere husband is betraid,
Anothers death makes guilty men afraid.
Me.
Infamous change of dignity! deere friend,
Loyall repentance might againe restore,
(Couldst thou reviue) thy simple innocence.
Captaine, you haue abus'd our Maiesty,
And thy audacious act will wee revenge.
Lae.
Revenge a traytors ignominious death?
Me.
Traytor? thou lyest, admit his actiue bloud,
His nimble braine, acute sincerity,
Conceiu'd some sober meanes to ratifie,
Or to confirme opinionate beliefe,
With tryall of our vn-attempted loue;
May this deserue a stab? what insolence
May tearme this loyall proiect an offence?
Il'e over-vexe with artificiall fire,
Thee (slaue) who didst Pheudippe's death conspire.
Lae,
May tretchery be then accounted zeale?
To his perswasiue lines I do appeale.
Fowle matter of sedition: I avouch
The guard to witnesse, I implore the Gods
In their omnipotence, to testifie
The zeale of my affection; to resolue
Whether this kingdome had not suffred woe,
Thy Maiesty beene trampled vnder foote,
Thy sinewes crack'd, thy bones vn-buried,
Sparta beene batter'd with intestine warre,
If through dis-loyall humor, through neglect
Of homage, we had hearken'd to the false,
But honey-mouth of this rebellious man.
Me.
Insolent sir, suppose my friend were false,
(Which I can scarce imagine) or suppose
Confident faith made him erronious:
Will you abridge the tryall of our law?
Prevent my absolution? I appeale
Vnto the blessed Theater of Saints,
Let holinesse, or let humanity,
Your zeale, how much defectiue, testifie:
For though the three dimensions did concurre
In his offence, yet I had mercy left.
Pheudippe, simple man, thy false designes
Ne're knew a height in mischiefe so extreame,
A bredth, or depth in folly so profound,
So villanous, but our compassion knew
A meanes to mitigate thy error; See
My Concubine comes fraught with sober newes;
Beginne, resolue, and so ex-aggerate
Our heauy losse, wee will intoxicate
Our soule with im-bibition of more change:
Begin, depose an accident so strange,
As repetition of two syllables
May strike vs with a sudden lethargy,
And so conclude a Kings Catastrophe.
Les.
The queene—
Me.
There make thy period; wee know
Mischiefe (like mighty waues) ne're comes alone.
Some winged Dragon; is shee so? or dead?
Les.
Privately walking in the forrest-groue
A ruffaine seiz'd her, slue thy hopefull Queene,
Truss'd vp the carkasse on a speedy nagge,
Which by instruction (as my iudgement giues)
Flew fast away, like Pegasus: poore I
(Never-enough contented with a chance
Of so secure amazement) stupid wretch,
I looking stood immoue-able with feare,
Whilst hee vpon his palfrey cut the aire;
Whilst ev'ry mountaine eccho'd with laments,
The hollow rockes, and ev'ry bush repents
Their weake vn-able powers to resist
And stop the caitifes passage: ô desist
From a pursuit of such high consequence
Not a small minute longer; captaine flye,
A bold careere may stop loues destiny.
Lae.
Wee'le flye with expedition; follow friends.
Me.
Discharge a bullet in my naked breast;
Be charitable some auspicious arme.
Hyar.
My daughter, ô my daughter, shee is dead.
Me.
Faire Favorina's dead, thy loue, my Queene,
My deere Pheudippe's dead our ioyes bee gone
Evp
Mirror of change! the plagues of Cinthia
Are manifest, revenge is palpable,
O that assembly (sir) who by command
Of your in-iunction did restraine the vow
Which masculines a-like with females owe
To Cinthia, great Goddesse of the aire,
Was without question all-erronious.
Hip.
Your edict which pronounc'd her deity,
Sole-potent ouer fœminine degrees,
Which did confine her awe cœlestiall:
To that vnable sexe, seemes triviall:
These accidents do cancell your designe,
They dis-allow your obstinate decree,
O now reforme delusion: terror speakes,
Cinthia is Goddesse over humane sexe.
Me.
Cinthia's a female wether-cocke, a whore,
Doth shee afflict our happinesse? resolue
Speake (friends) deliuer what you thinke.
Hip.
Abstaine
(Distressed King) from blasphemy; beware
Iudgements more strict may follow; these but scare.
Me.
O could I compasse with a sudden leap,
The verge of bigge Olympus, or assault
With Swallowes-wings, the orbe of Cinthia!
O my revenge, my sweet reuenge, more bold
Then bloody-iaw'd Bucyris, then the Boate
Which slue dame Venus-ioy, should wrathfull vexe
Her opposite excelse deuinity.
With rage would I blaspheame, though angry Ioue
Makes ready thunder to præcipitate
My daring voyce: I will ingeminate
With deepe derision, her distastfull name,
Enforcing others to abuse the same.
Doost thou not heare mee Cinthia? dissolue
The melancholly clouds which maske thy brow,
And let compunction mollifie thee (witch)
Forth from thy cloudy pallace (Luna) peepe
And with incessant soft contrition, weepe:
Reduce the antique deluge with thy teares,
Turne thy reioycing into pale-fac'd feares.
Cinthia, remember my abuse, and blush,
Blush thou immodest harlot, be asham'd
To looke vpon the shadow'd vniverse.
Catch mee some whirle-wind with a sweeping blast,
And carry mee aloft, Il'e vexe the Moone
For shee (vngratious Goddesse) doth afflict
Vs, and our dignity: shee did suggest
Rebell-temptations to my beauteous friend,
Whose innocence I euer shall commend.
Hip.
Manifest proofe (Mænander) doth detect
Compos'd of pregnant infidelity:
To mischiefe his endeauour's daily bent,
I ever thought hee was male-volent:
Of crimes detected (blame vs if thou wilt)
Despairing apprehensions, argue guilt:
Hee did alike despaire: which proceeds
From the confusion of abortiue deeds:
I do enforce, that Cinthia hath done well,
Shee giues good warning to prevent a hell:
These weaker med'cines do but search the wound,
Least rotten members perish; to confound
An vlcerous limbe'is worse then scarifie;
But rather then loose all: what remedy?
To Cinthia's, revenge ô this apply:
Me.
Touching her name Il'e proue a renegate,
My sudden scourge what soule can tollerate?
| Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie | |