 | The Scottish Historie of Iames the fourth |  |
After the first act.
Ober.
Here see I good fond actions in thy gyg,
And meanes to paint the worldes in constant waies
But turne thine ene, see which for I can commaund.
Enter two battailes strongly fighting, the one Simi Ranus, the other, Staurobates, she flies, and her Crowne is taken, and she hurt.
Boh.
What gats this din of mirk and balefull harme,
Where euery weane is all betaint with bloud?
Ober.
This shewes thee Bohan what is worldly pompe.
Simeranus, the proud Assirrian Queene,
When Ninus died, did tene in her warres,
Three millions of footemen to the fight,
Fiue hundreth thousand horse, of armed chars,
A hundreth thousand more yet in her pride
Was hurt and conquered by S. Taurobates.
Then what is pompe?
Bohan.
I see thou art thine ene,
Thou bonny King, if Princes fail from high,
My fall is past, vntill I fall to die.
Now marke my talke, and prosecute my gyg.
How shu'd these crafts withdraw thee from the world?
But looke my Bohan, pompe allureth.
Enter Cirus king, humbling themselues: himselfe crowned by Oliue Pat, at last dying, layde in a marbell tombe with this inscription
Who so thou bee that passest,
For I know one shall passe, knowe I
I am Cirus of Persia,
And I prithee leaue me not thus like a clod of clay
Wherewith my body is couered.
All exeunt.
Enter the king in great pompe, who reads it, & issueth, crieth vermeum.
Boha.
What meaneth this?
Ober.
Cirus of Persia,
Mightie in life, within a marbell graue,
Was layde to rot, whom Alexander once
Beheld in tombde, and weeping did confesse
Nothing in life could scape from wrethednesse:
Why then hoast men?
Boh.
What recke I then of life,
Who makes the graue my tomb, the earth my wise:
But marke mee more.
I can no more, my patience will not warpe.
To see these flatteries how they scorne and carpe.
Ober.
Turne but thy head.
Enter our kings carring Crowns, Ladies presenting odors to Potentates in thrond, who suddainly is slaine by his seruaunts, and thrust out, and so they eate.
Exeunt.
Sike is the werld, but whilke is he I sawe.
Ober.
Sesestiis who was conquerour of the werld,
Slaine at the last, and stampt on by his slaues.
Boh.
How blest are peur men then that know their graue,
Now marke the sequell of my Cig.
Boh.
An he weele meete ends: the mirk and sable night
Doth leaue the pering morne to prie abroade,
Thou nill me stay, haile then thou pride of kings,
I ken the world, and wot well worldly things,
Marke thou my gyg, in mirkest termes that telles
The loathe of sinnes, and where corruption dwells
Haile me ne mere with showes of gudlie sights:
My graue is mine, that rids me from dispights.
Accept my gig guid King, and let me rest,
The graue with guid men, is a gay built nest.
Ober.
The rising sunne doth call me hence away,
Thankes for thy gyg, I may no longer stay:
But if my traine, did wake thee from thy rest,
So shall they sing, thy lullabie to nest.
Ober.
Here see I good fond actions in thy gyg,
And meanes to paint the worldes in constant waies
But turne thine ene, see which for I can commaund.
Enter two battailes strongly fighting, the one Simi Ranus, the other, Staurobates, she flies, and her Crowne is taken, and she hurt.
Boh.
What gats this din of mirk and balefull harme,
Where euery weane is all betaint with bloud?
Ober.
This shewes thee Bohan what is worldly pompe.
Simeranus, the proud Assirrian Queene,
When Ninus died, did tene in her warres,
Three millions of footemen to the fight,
Fiue hundreth thousand horse, of armed chars,
A hundreth thousand more yet in her pride
Was hurt and conquered by S. Taurobates.
Then what is pompe?
Bohan.
I see thou art thine ene,
Thou bonny King, if Princes fail from high,
My fall is past, vntill I fall to die.
Now marke my talke, and prosecute my gyg.
2.
Ober.
How shu'd these crafts withdraw thee from the world?
Enter Cirus king, humbling themselues: himselfe crowned by Oliue Pat, at last dying, layde in a marbell tombe with this inscription
Who so thou bee that passest,
For I know one shall passe, knowe I
I am Cirus of Persia,
And I prithee leaue me not thus like a clod of clay
Wherewith my body is couered.
All exeunt.
Enter the king in great pompe, who reads it, & issueth, crieth vermeum.
Boha.
What meaneth this?
Ober.
Cirus of Persia,
Mightie in life, within a marbell graue,
Was layde to rot, whom Alexander once
Beheld in tombde, and weeping did confesse
Nothing in life could scape from wrethednesse:
Why then hoast men?
Boh.
What recke I then of life,
Who makes the graue my tomb, the earth my wise:
But marke mee more.
3.
Boh.
I can no more, my patience will not warpe.
To see these flatteries how they scorne and carpe.
Ober.
Turne but thy head.
Enter our kings carring Crowns, Ladies presenting odors to Potentates in thrond, who suddainly is slaine by his seruaunts, and thrust out, and so they eate.
Exeunt.
Sike is the werld, but whilke is he I sawe.
Ober.
Sesestiis who was conquerour of the werld,
Slaine at the last, and stampt on by his slaues.
Boh.
How blest are peur men then that know their graue,
Now marke the sequell of my Cig.
An he weele meete ends: the mirk and sable night
Doth leaue the pering morne to prie abroade,
Thou nill me stay, haile then thou pride of kings,
I ken the world, and wot well worldly things,
Marke thou my gyg, in mirkest termes that telles
The loathe of sinnes, and where corruption dwells
Haile me ne mere with showes of gudlie sights:
My graue is mine, that rids me from dispights.
Accept my gig guid King, and let me rest,
The graue with guid men, is a gay built nest.
Ober.
The rising sunne doth call me hence away,
Thankes for thy gyg, I may no longer stay:
But if my traine, did wake thee from thy rest,
So shall they sing, thy lullabie to nest.
| The Scottish Historie of Iames the fourth | |