 | Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie |  |
Scœn. 6.
Amilcar, Gracchvs.
Speake, is she made of waxe (sollicitor?)
Gr.
Of mil-stones (my good Lord) for lime & chalke
Cannot expresse the full comparison:
Cold Images of Ice, and frozen snow,
Had beene dissolued with my summer speech
Piercing vnto the quicke, but constant shee;
Like to some Ægle on a Cedars top,
Disdaining idle nets, will perch aboue,
In spight of Cupid, and his potent loue.
Ami.
I burne the rather, and by rape will quench
My lustfull famine, were she Ioues owne wench.
Gra.
O doe not offer head-strong violence;
Delay makes modest women more propense.
Am.
Death & damnations plague to boot! how long
Must I abstaine (you smooth-tongu'd flatterer)
Till doomes-day? doe not vrge my flaming wrath,
Least you provoke a Lyon to the spoile.
I will no more delay (thou lazy dogge)
Dost trifle? speake forbearance, and delay?
I doe begin to be suspitious
Of thy proceedings: tell vs of delay?
No, as the Faulcon doth a Phesant seize,
I will both seize vpon her (prating daw)
And trusse her vp in my Imperious claw.
(Sirrah) rememer, I did giue you meate,
Clothes, coine, and such good poore commodities,
When you were quite blowne vp with gamesters lucke,
Ragges and fowle linnen, scabbes and sciruy lice,
The quicke associates of all cheating dice,
Did honestly begin to set vp house
In your old single suit, 'pray do not make
Mee a disseisor of francke-tenements,
By tortious dealing with your free-holders,
Who had a better Title then my selfe
If you do proue vn-thankfull; so consider.
Gra.
Am I vp-braided? noble sir I thanke
The bounteous almes you lent my bare estate,
And I as freely doe desclaime desert,
As you did freely giue them; yet in-faith
I was not lowsie (Lord) consider well,
Though Lords be lowsie too sometimes; if hell
Heau'n, earth, and men, be not so gratious,
As to conceale infirmities of state.
Am.
Say I am lowsie sir.
Gra.
Can pox forbid?
But I must giue him better language now:
No (my respected sir) I dare not taxe
Especiall favorites, of lice or poxe,
'Mongst whom you are the chiefe, but milky skin
That hath faire out-sides, may be fowle within.
And I againe do in despight averre,
Voidance of lice from our natiuity.
Reclaime then that aspersion (Lord) and know
I was not lowsie, but like mid-night snow,
Took'st me to rescue from the iawes of want:
I was not lowsie (Lord) looke bigge and burst,
I will maintaine my credit, though accurst.
Ami.
You were not lowsie (knaue) not ragged, no
Nor sicke, I condiscend; yet sirrah know
The plagues of Ægypt all began to march
Full-mouth vpon thee (like devouring dogges
Ready enough to rend a breathlesse Fox)
When I with noble pitty being oppress'd,
Flew forth like lightning to thy rescu'd life,
Which is indeed my proper donatiue.
Do not reply thou true insulting toade,
Squint-ey'd caitife, you pernitious rat,
You golded rascall, you most lowsie rogue:
Do not reply, mad mastife, do not swell,
And thinke (because you can discouer well
My trickes of youth) to stop the feruent rage
Of our vn-tam'd affections; future age
Must, and shall, witnesse my fierce violence,
If thou discouer but one syllable;
Nay, if thou entertaine a peece of thought.
Which by vn-masking mee doth hope revenge:
Sweare, sweare (you thick-lip'd rascal) kindly sweare
Without compulsion, or base-minded feare,
To be like mid-night, as a sepulchre,
Dumbe as a Turkish executioner,
Nay, as a marble statue, void of signes
Touching the substance of my secresie.
Sweare (slaue) and thinke my soule a fury mad,
Able to force wide rupture through the face
Of threatning Horror to endamage thee;
As to demand account of periury.
Do not seeme loath, expecting new delay;
For I can stab you (capon) to the quicke,
Cut off your Eunuch-nose, then laugh and kicke
Your lowsie stinking neats-iowle to the dogges.
Without collusion I do strictly sweare.
Am.
And thinke withall, I who haue coine bestow'd,
Clothes, and faire countenance, with store of meat,
Can also giue sharpe sawce, which will procure
Digestion to the stomacke, else (proud sir)
You will dis-gorge the vomit in my face;
If kindnesse do recoyle, let feare take place:
Gra.
I am your foot-stoole, tread vpon my teeth,
And so charme silence if you do mis-doubt.
Ami.
No, but remember if you shall bewray
My darke designments, or vse cheating play
In prosecution of my priuate cause,
(Hoping for payment from the Spartan lawes)
Remember that thy life, and interest
Of being rich, both owe a speciall rent
With homage, and knight-seruice vnto me,
Remember you do hold in Capite.
Gra.
Cut then my seruile tongue out of my head,
Slit my suspected organs, make me dumbe,
Handlesse and sighlesse if you thinke me false,
For I must otherwise be false indeed:
Men that admonish to auoid some vice,
Must not inculcate motiues more then thrice;
Pupils much tutor'd with Identity
Of reprehension, proue but spur-gall Iades;
Because they thinke the vitious estate
Of things habituall, doe argue fate,
Which to resist, they thinke impiety,
Exclude me therefore from society
Of human habitants, or leaue to vex,
Which is a torment to all human sexe.
Ami.
I leaue addition, but consider well,
You are as deepe ingag'd almost as I;
Which depth, of both ingagements, reach to hell,
If any (but our selues) the depth espy.
Gra.
Sir, I haue broke the Ice to Appetite,
And with a studied phrase did I begin,
By representing multitude of feares.
Am.
And did she melt?
Gr.
Yes melted into teares,
But was a stranger to my wanton tales:
Shee comes whom your hot loue so close empales.
| Cinthia's revenge : Or Maenanders extasie | |