 | The Tragedy of Philotas |  |
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Scena Secvnda.
Antigona, and Thais.
VVhat can a free estate affoord me more
Than my incaptiu'd fortune doth allow?
Was I belou'd, inrich'd, and grac'd before?
Am I not lou'd, inrich'd, and graced now?
Tha.
Yea, but before thou wert a Kings delight.
Ant.
I might be his, although he was not mine.
Tha.
His greatnes made thee greater in mens sight.
Ant.
More great perhaps without, but not within:
My loue was then aboue me: I am now
Aboue my loue. Darius then had thousands more:
Philotas hath but me as I do know,
Nor none els will he haue, and so he swore.
Tha.
Nay, then you may beleeue him, if he swore.
Alas, poore soule, she neuer came to know
Nor liberty, nor louers periuries.
Ant.
Stand I not better with a meaner loue,
That is alone to me, than with these powres,
Who out of all proportion must b'aboue
And haue vs theirs, but they will not be ours.
And Thais, although thou be a Grecian,
And I a Persian, do not enuy me,
That I embrace the onely gallant man
Persia, or Greece, or all the world can see.
Thou, who art entertein'd and grac'd by all
The flowre of honour els, do not despise,
That vnto me, poore captiue, should befall
So great a grace in such a worthies eyes.
Tha.
Antigona, I enuy not thy loue,
But thinke thee blest t'enioy him in that sort.
But tell me truly, Didst thou euer proue
Whether he lou'd in earnest or in sport?
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Thais, let m'a little glory in my grace,
Out of the passion of the ioy I feele,
And tell the a secret, but in any case,
As y'are a woman, do not it reueale.
One day, as I was sitting all alone,
In comes Philotas from a victory
All blood and dust, yet iolly hauing wonne
The glory of the day most gallantly:
And warm'd with honour of his good successe,
Relates to me the dangers he was in:
Whereat I wondring, blam'd his forwardnesse.
Faith wench, sayes he, thus must we fight, toyle, win,
To make that yong-man proud: thus is he borne
Vpon the wings of our deserts; our blood
Sets him aboue himselfe, and makes him scorne
His owne, his country, and the authors of his good.
My father was the first that out from Greece
Shew'd him the way of Asia, set him on,
And by his proiect rais'd the greatest peece
Of this proud worke which now he treads vpon.
Parmenio without Alexander much hath wrought,
Without Parmenio, Alexander hath done nought.
But let him vse his fortune whilst he may
Times haue their change, we must not still be led.
And sweet Antigona thou mayst one day
Yet, blesse the houre t'haue knowne Philotas bed;
Wherewith he sweetly kist me. And now deeme,
If that so great, so wise, so rare a man
Would, if he held me not in deare esteeme,
Haue vttred this t'a captiue Persian.
But Thais I may no longer stay, for feare
My Lord returne, and find me not within,
Whose eyes yet neuer saw me any where
But in his chamber, where I should haue been,
And therefore Thais farewell.
Tha.
Farewell Antigona.
Now haue I that, which I desired long,
Layd in my lap by this fond woman heere,
And meanes t'auenge me of a secret wrong
That doth concerne my reputation neere.
This gallant man, whom this foole in this wife
Vants to be hers, I must confesse t'haue lou'd,
And vs'd all th'engins of these conquering eyes,
Affections in his hie-built heart t'haue mou'd,
Yet neuer could: for what my labour seekes
I see is lost vpon vaine ignorance,
Whil'st he that is the glory of the Greekes,
Virtues vpholder, honours countenance,
Out of this garnish of his worthy parts
Is fall'n vpon this foolish Persian,
To whom his secrets grauely he imparts,
Which she as wisely keepe and gouerne can.
Tis strange to see the humour of these men,
These great aspiring spirits, that should bewise,
We women shall know all: for now and then,
Out of the humour of their iollities,
The smoake of their ambition must haue vent,
And out it comes what racks should not reueale:
For this her humour hath so much of winde,
That it will burst it selfe if too close pent;
And none more fit than vs their wisdomes finde,
Who will for loue or want of wit conceale.
For being the nature of great spirits, to loue
To be where they may be most eminent;
And rating of themselues so farre aboue
Vs in conceit, with whom they do frequent,
Imagine how we wonder and esteeme
All that they do or say; which makes them striue
To make our admiration more extreme:
Which they suppose they cannot, lesse they giue
Notice of their extreme and highest thoughts:
And then the opinion, that we loue them too,
Begets a confidence of secrecy;
Whereby what euer they intend to doo,
We shall be sure to know it presently.
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Layd in my lap by this fond woman heere,
And meanes t'auenge me of a secret wrong
That doth concerne my reputation neere.
This gallant man, whom this foole in this wife
Vants to be hers, I must confesse t'haue lou'd,
And vs'd all th'engins of these conquering eyes,
Affections in his hie-built heart t'haue mou'd,
Yet neuer could: for what my labour seekes
I see is lost vpon vaine ignorance,
Whil'st he that is the glory of the Greekes,
Virtues vpholder, honours countenance,
Out of this garnish of his worthy parts
Is fall'n vpon this foolish Persian,
To whom his secrets grauely he imparts,
Which she as wisely keepe and gouerne can.
Tis strange to see the humour of these men,
These great aspiring spirits, that should bewise,
We women shall know all: for now and then,
Out of the humour of their iollities,
The smoake of their ambition must haue vent,
And out it comes what racks should not reueale:
For this her humour hath so much of winde,
That it will burst it selfe if too close pent;
And none more fit than vs their wisdomes finde,
Who will for loue or want of wit conceale.
For being the nature of great spirits, to loue
To be where they may be most eminent;
And rating of themselues so farre aboue
Vs in conceit, with whom they do frequent,
Imagine how we wonder and esteeme
All that they do or say; which makes them striue
To make our admiration more extreme:
Which they suppose they cannot, lesse they giue
Notice of their extreme and highest thoughts:
And then the opinion, that we loue them too,
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Whereby what euer they intend to doo,
We shall be sure to know it presently.
But faith, I scorne that such a one as she,
A silly wittied wench, should haue this grace
To be preferr'd and honor'd before me,
Hauing but only beauty, and a face.
I that was euer courted by the great
And gallant'st Peeres and Princes of the East,
Whom Alexander in the greatest state
The earth did euer see him, made his guest.
There where this tongue obtained for her merit
Eternity of Fame: there where these hands
Did write in fire the glory of my spirit,
And set a trophey that for euer stands.
Thais action with the Grecian acts shall be
Inregistred alike. Thais, she that fir'd
The stateliest palace th'earth did euer see,
Darius house that to the clouds aspir'd,
She is put backe behinde Antigona.
A silly wittied wench, should haue this grace
To be preferr'd and honor'd before me,
Hauing but only beauty, and a face.
I that was euer courted by the great
And gallant'st Peeres and Princes of the East,
Whom Alexander in the greatest state
The earth did euer see him, made his guest.
There where this tongue obtained for her merit
Eternity of Fame: there where these hands
Did write in fire the glory of my spirit,
And set a trophey that for euer stands.
Thais action with the Grecian acts shall be
Inregistred alike. Thais, she that fir'd
The stateliest palace th'earth did euer see,
Darius house that to the clouds aspir'd,
She is put backe behinde Antigona.
But soone Philotas shall his error see,
Who thinkes that beauty best, mens passions fits,
For that they vse our bodies, not our wits:
And vnto Craterus will I presently,
And him acquaint with all this whole discourse,
Who, I am sure, will take it well of vs:
For these great Minions, who with enuious eie
Looke on each others greatnesse, will be glad,
In such a case of this importancy,
To haue th'aduantage that may here be had.
Who thinkes that beauty best, mens passions fits,
For that they vse our bodies, not our wits:
And vnto Craterus will I presently,
And him acquaint with all this whole discourse,
Who, I am sure, will take it well of vs:
For these great Minions, who with enuious eie
Looke on each others greatnesse, will be glad,
In such a case of this importancy,
To haue th'aduantage that may here be had.
CHORVS.
VVe as the Chorus of the vulgar, stand
Spectators heere to see these great men play
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And censure all they do, and all they say.
For though we be esteem'd but ignorant,
Yet are we capable of truth, and know
Where they do well, and where their actions want
The grace that makes them proue the best in show,
And though we know not what they do within,
Where they attire, their mysteries of State:
Yet know we by th'euents, what plots haue beene,
And how they all without do personate,
We see who well a meauer part became,
Faile in a greater and disgrace the same.
We see some worthy of aduancement deem'd,
Saue when they haue it: some againe haue got
Good reputation, and beene well esteem'd
In place of greatnesse, which before were not.
We see affliction act a better scœne
Than prosperous fortune which hath marr'd it cleane.
We see that all which we haue praisd in some,
Haue only beene their fortune not desart:
Some warre haue grac'd, whom peace doth ill become,
And lustfull ease hath blemisht all their part.
We see Philotas acts his goodnesse ill,
And makes his passions to report of him
Worse than he is: and we do feare he will
Bring his free nature to b'intrapt by them.
For sure there is some engin closely laid
Against his grace and greatnesse with the King:
And that vnlesse his humors proue more staid,
We soone shall see his vtter ruining.
And his affliction our compassion drawes,
Which still lookes on mens fortunes, not the cause.
| The Tragedy of Philotas | |