 | The Rare Triumphes of Loue and Fortune |  |
The fifth Acte.
Mercury.Ye goddesses of this eternitie,
To whom of right belonges each earthly thing.
And I beseech you marke the newes I bring.
My father Iupiter perceiuing well,
What hath heerin oft been doon by each of you:
O how ye still indeuour to excell,
Maintaining that wheron the quarrell grewe.
That is the gouernment of this estate,
And vnto whome the soueraintye shall fall:
Heere therfore to conclude your long debate,
Least your contention may be counted generall.
Desires ye both, and so commaundes by me:
Ye stand to his conclusion of the cause:
How say you therfore will you now agree,
that malice may no longer right delude.
Venus.
Brother Mercury, as I haue neuer been,
So obstinate or bent so frowardly:
But that I could some time relent the ill,
A woman must a little haue her will.
So am I now resolued for to doo,
What so my Father shall intreate me too.
Fortune.
And all the world by me perceiueth well,
Of course my fancy, my fauour and my skill.
And when my cause a little course hath had,
I am well pleased and no longer sad.
Mercury.
Then thus our Father Iupiter concludes,
To stay the stroake of your vnceasing strife:
As heeretofore betwixt these louers twaine,
Ye haue exprest your powers vpon their life.
So now he willes you to withholde your handes,
Enough suffiseth to confirme your might:
And to conioyne ye both in freendly bandes,
Of faithfull loue wherin the Gods delight.
His pleasure is, that Lady Uenus you,
Shall be content neuer to hinder them:
To whome Dame Fortune shall for freendship showe,
Of wretched to procure them happy men,
The credit of the honor in your hand:
If Lady Uenus doo them quite forsake,
You shall not seeme in her defence to stand.
But whome soeuer one of you preferre,
The other shall be subiect vnto her.
For thus hath Iupiter determined now,
Venus.
I must and will subscribe my will to you.
Fortune.
And I most gladly therof doo allow.
Venus.
Whom Fortune fauours I will not dispise,
Fortune.
Whom loue reiectes by me shall neuer rise.
Mercury,
To this conclusion doo you both agree?
Venus.
For my parte.
Fortune.
And I most willingly.
Mercury.
Then let your vnion be confirmed againe,
By proper course eche one in his discent:
Ouer mortall men and worldly thinges to raine,
By enterchange as Iupiter hath ment.
Mercury.
And freendly Fortune let me intreate alone,
Sith by your meanes these louers hindred were:
And now ye two are reconcilde in one,
You graunt the grace their honour vp to reare.
Venus.
Sweet Mercury, I giue thee my consent,
I will forthwith aduaunce them to renowne:
And their destruction better to preuent,
They shall releeue them that did throw them downe.
Fortune.
And I my gracious fauour will bestowe,
Upon them all according to desarte:
And I will helpe his fransie ere I goe,
Mercury.
That Beadlom vp and down he replaies his parte.
Enter Bomelio with Hermione, and Fidelia, with a Cope and Dagger.
Bomelio.
Hots wounds ye here I am not for your diet, hang rascal
make a leg to me, by Gogs blood Ile stab thee through, what
man Bomelio, goe hide thy selfe, goe hide thy selfe, goe
hang thy selfe, goe hang. Ile hang the hore out of hand, and
as for you villin, stand rascall stand.
Fidelia.
Good Father heare me, come take a little rest,
Yea my sweet Father come sleepe vpon my brest.
Bomelio.
Hark y
e hore, see what an impudēt hore it is, sleep you hore
ile sleep with you anon, gogs blood you hore, ile hang you vp,
Fidelia.
Helpe helpe Hermione.
Hermione.
Good father let her alone, come let vs goe,
Mercury.
Now with my musick ile recure his woe.
Play.
Bomelio.
Hark harke my hartes, Pipes, Fiddels, oh braue, I shall
haue my bookes againe, daunce about, Robin Hood is a good
knaue, come besse lets goe sleep, come besse together together
Mercury.
Now will I charme him that he shall not wake,
Untill he be releeued in this place:
Then take her blood and cast it on this brake.
And therwithall besprinckle all his face.
And he shall be restored to his sence,
His health and memory as heeretofore:
Doo this for I must now departe from hence,
And so your sorrowes shall increase no more.
Hermione.
Fidelia, what hast thou heard my deere,
O comfortable woordes were they but true:
If any God or Goddesse be so neere,
Uouchsafe of pitie on our paines to rue.
Delude not with a fained phantasie:
The wretched minde of men in miserie.
Fidelia.
Alas Hermione, let vs not feede
And flatter our selues with my good surmise:
We are too much accursed so to speed,
Or any hope therof for to deuise.
Resolue your selfe deere freend another way,
And let vs neuer looke for happy day.
Phyzan.
When thirst of hot reuenge inflameth high desire,
When malice blindeth so the minds of them yt would aspire.
That to inlarge their names, they wreak not his dispite,
That ouerseeeth all their woorkes, their dooinges to requite.
Marke then what followeth when Princes ye prouoke,
The deeper & the larger wound when longest is the stroake.
And this hath moued me to leaue my Court a while,
To be content in sweat of browes, in trouble paine & toyle.
To seeke out wretches them that haue abus'd me so,
And to rewarde their villany according ere we goe.
Penulo.
May it please your honour it is excellent doon,
Gogs blood and I were a Prince and had such an noble Sonne.
That should be so highly abused as he hath been,
Would I put it vp? no by his wounds I would neuer lin.
Till I had made such a mingle mangle vpon their nose,
That their skin should serue to make me a dublet and a paire of hose.
Lentulo.
What you would not? I faith you look not with the face,
Whē you haue their skin sir, what wil you doo with the case?
But maister Prince, since you are come to this trauelation,
Ile bring you to mine olde maisters conuoculation.
Where he hides him selfe when I ran away:
Its not farre within these woods: how think you sir I pray?
Phyzan.
Lead on the way and I will follow thee,
Lentulo.
Why then come on my valiant harts, march on and followe me.
But Ile make this bargaine first, heare you me what I say?
When I come home you shall not let my maister beate me for running away.
Phyzan.
He shall not I warrant thee:
Lentulo.
UUhy then my noble youths of Oke pluck vp your harts with me.
Wil you come sir, come on I faith keep in order you thereby:
And then Ile trounce him for running away with an other mans wife I trowe.
Penulo.
Stand sir, who lyes a sunning yonder can you tell?
Lentulo.
Its a Begger with a Roge.
Phyzan.
It is my daughter I see full well.
Hermione.
Fidelia be content, shrinke not at all,
Phyzan.
Strike not a stroke my sonne.
Penulo.
For helpe I shall goe run and call.
Phyzan.
And art thou found false traitour and vntrue:
Traitour to him that delte so well with thee:
Did I deuise to stop that would insue,
And found my cares such issue as I see.
I see I am abused too too much,
And too much sufferance is cause of this abuse,
This high abuse of yours as being such,
Affordes no cloke nor colour of excuse.
O where is thankfulnesse and loue become?
UUhere is feare of Princes wrath exilde?
Euen this is the vnhappinesse of some,
To be of them they trusted moste beguilde,
But sometime pardon breedes a second ill:
Thou shamelesse wench, and thou false harted knight,
By your vnhappy deedes I learne this skill.
But yet I list not kill thee as I might,
Her will I haue and keepe her as I may,
On paine of death I charge thee hence away.
Hermione.
O Prince, this sentence hath his force and strength,
And dead I am that heere appeer to liue:
For how alas can this my life haue length,
When she is hence that life and sence dooth giue.
But since alas I must be only he,
UUhom Fortune vowes to make a common game:
Armenio my foe doo this for me,
With thy reuenge to end my open shame.
To helpe thee to disgest thine iniurie,
Fidelia.
Farre be the thought of that accursed deede,
O sweete Hermione my sweet Hermione:
Foule be his fall that makes thy body bleede,
O sweete Hermione my sweete Hermione.
And father this I vowe, forgiue it me,
I will be sacrifice for this offence:
And or I will haue my Hermione,
My chosen loue: or neuer parte from hence.
Him haue the destinies ordained mine:
Most woorthy, me your daughter euery way:
Nor he to any will his choice resigne.
No more my troubled thoughts will let me say.
Phyzan.
What wilt thou foolishe girle and obstinate,
Saist thou this treason is deuisde by fate.
That shall we trie, dispatch her hence away,
Lets see who dares our princely will gainsay.
Penulo.
Sir, and youle haue vs carry her, heere be them come of the carriers:
Lentulo
And youle haue vs marry her, heere be them come of the marriers.
Penulo.
Lord I maruell to whose share this Lady will fall,
I am sure my parte in her wilbe least of all.
Venus and Fortune shew themselues and speak to Phizantius, while Hermione standeth in a maze.
Venus.
Hye time it is that now we did appeare,
If we desire to end their miserie:
Fortune.
Phizantius stay, and vnto vs giue eare,
What thou determinest perfourmed cannot be.
Phyzan.
Dread goddesse, whatsoeuer of this place,
If I heerin haue disobaied thy grace.
Of fauour graunt for to remit the same,
Let me not suffer vndeserued blame.
Venus.
Phizantius stand vp be of good cheere,
None but thy freendes are met together heere.
Thy freends though goddesses in other thinges,
And now wheras you seeke in what you can,
To let your childe to marry with this man.
Knowe that it is the pleasure of our will,
That they together be conioyed still.
For tis not so, he is not borne so base,
As you esteeme, but of a noble race.
His Father is the good Bomelio,
That sleepeth heere opprest with woe.
UUhom Phalaris thy father on a false reporte,
In wrath and anger banished his Court.
But this is he to whom thou wishest oft good,
And this his Sonne borne of a noble blood.
Thinke it no scorne to thee or thine heerafter,
To haue his Sonne espoused to thy daughter.
Phyzan,
Right gracious Goddesse if this be true indeed,
As I beleeue, because from you it dooth proceed.
Then pardon me, for had I knowne it so,
His Sonne had neuer tasted of this woe.
Unwitting of his linage till this time,
But I presumed sprung of a noble line.
But hence and please your dieties my greefe,
Because my Sonne is dumbe without releefe.
Penulo.
I faith sirra thou and I may holde our peace with their leaue,
For none but wise men speak heere I perceiue.
Lentulo.
In some respectes so, in some respectes not,
For a fooles bolte is soone enough shot.
Fortune.
Phizantius feare no longer his distresse,
The gratious Gods prouide for his redresse.
The shedding of thy daughters deerest blood,
Shall both to him and to this man doo good.
For let this Fearne be dipt in many a place,
And as he sleepeth cast it in his face.
And let his tung be washed there withall,
And both of them releeued see you shall.
Phizan.
How say you daughter will you graunt therto,
Most willing sir if you vouchsafe to doo.
But this request which I most humbly pray,
Then I may be Hermiones for aye.
Phyzan.
With all my hart heeron I giue my hand.
Fidelia.
I take it sir, and to your woord I stand.
And for thy sake Hermione my deare,
See what I doo, although it touch me neere.
Now take thy fill and for his madnesse proue,
Hermione.
O sweet and fearefull sight the signe of loue.
Lentulo.
If it be any sweeter masters that runnes from you so.
I pray you giue me some of your blessinges ere you goe.
Armenio.
I striue to speak and glad I finde my speeche,
Forgiue Hermione, forgiue me I beseech.
And you good sister pardon my freends too,
Too rash in all I ventured to doo.
See what proceedeth from vnstable youth,
Shame to him selfe, and to his freendes a cause of ruthe.
Hermione.
Armenio long hath my end desired,
To heare the proffer of this plesant peace:
Which sith the Gods doo graunt as we require,
Hence foorth let rancor and contention cease.
And in our brest be knit for euer sure,
The linkes of loue perpetuall to indure.
Bomelio.
What haue I heard? what is it that they say?
Amazed quite, confounded euery way,
My sonne Hermione, I know that is the same,
And thats my Prince, now comes greefe and shame.
Phizan.
My Lord Bomelio shun not, I know you now,
Forgiue the fact my Father did to you.
And what he did impute it not to me,
Thy former place I will restore to thee,
In token of our faithfull amitie,
UUe will be ioyned in neere affinitie.
Bomelio.
Long liue Phizantius, long liue in happy ease,
The Gods be blest I liue this day to see:
What please the one shall neuer me displease.
Penulo
Why then sir, sith euery thing is come to so good an end,
I hope my good master youle stand my good freend.
And giue me but two or three thousand pound a yeere to liue on.
Lentulo.
Much in my nock Nicols you and I shal slaue it anon.
Armenio.
Assure thee Penulo thou shalt not want as long as I liue,
Lentulo.
Why then maister, mine olde Maister, I pray you forgiue,
Your old runaway, twas for fashion sake, Ile doo so no more
Bomelio.
Look you doo not sirra and then I pardon you therfore.
Venus.
Thus euery thing vnited is by loue,
Now Gods and men are reconcilde againe:
On whome because I did my pleasure proue,
I will reward you for your former paine.
Receiue the fauours of our dietie,
And sing the praise of Venus soueraintie.
Fortune.
And for I plaid my parte with Lady loue,
While eche did striue for cheefe authoritie:
Your good deserts dame Fortune so dooth moue,
To giue these signes of liberalitie.
Thus for amendes of this your late vnrest,
By Loue and Fortune ye shall all be blest.
And thus heerof this inward care I haue,
That wisdome ruleth loue and Fortune both:
Though riches faile and beauty seeme to saue,
Yet wisdome forward still vnconquered goeth.
This we beseech you take freendly in woorth.
And sith by loue and fortune our troubles all doo cease,
God saue her Maiestie that keepes vs all in peace.
Now they and we doo all triumphe in ioy,
And loue and fortune are linked sure freendes:
All greefe is fled for your annoy.
Fortune and loue makes all amendes.
Let vs reioyce then for the same,
And sing hye praises of their name.
FINIS.
| The Rare Triumphes of Loue and Fortune | |