University of Virginia Library

Actus Primus.

Scena Prima.

Musique having plaid a little, Philaretus is discovered discontented on his Couch, whilst one sings the ensuing Song.
They sing.
A Song.
Chorus.
Chorus.

Phi.
Play on, let Musique feed the ear, which is
[They play it again.
Deny'd my Mistress voice. That strain again:
Oh 'tis compos'd of Harmony, it has
The Magick of a Syrens note. So, So.
[The musique ceases.
Now. let them sing what in my sleep I dream't
Of Cupids cruelty.

They sing.

Phila.
Enough, no more.
Why should I tax thy power gentle Boy,
That holds so much Divinity, it awes
Not mortalls only, but makes other powers
Sub-Deities to thine? Great Love forgive me,
I'le with religious and devout submission
Beg reconcilement for my errors.

Enter servant.
Serv.
Sir.
Your Father doth command your presence.

Phila.
Tell him
My duty shall present it self; I go
Like an unwilling Sacrifice to pay
My life, 'am loath, but must obey.

Exeunt.

Scena. 2.

Enter Lariscus and Cassarina.
Lar.
Can you be Mistress of so cold a heart,
When such a flame as mine Courts you to warm it?
Think but how long and with what testimonies
Of my true service I have woed your favour.

Cast.
You are deceiv'd Lariscus, I have not
Such a cold heart as you pretend, nor am I
In gratefull to your love you have exprest;
But you must pardon me, if I forbear,
And pause before I give my self away.
You men, when you enjoy what you desire,
Cool in affections, and being married
We lose our price and value, while we keep
Our freedome, you poure forth your service to us,
And study new wayes of devotion too
How to preserve us: Yet I do not make
This my reason, that I am so slow
In giving you that answer you desire:
I have profest already that I love
Your Person.

Lar.
These are words, Oh give me proof!
And let not Hymen wast his holy tapers;
Give me Possession of my Happinesse.

Cast.
Tame your affection, if you love me as
You have made boast, you will not think it tedious
To expect till I declare my resolution.
Me-thinks that Lovers might content themselves
Sometimes to meet, and talk, and smile, and kiss,
Without desire of more possession.
Thus I could satisfie my self, and you
A man, that better can correct your passions,
Should rest in this. The wish of more betrayes
But the rank part of Love.

Lar.
Were every Virgin
Of this opinion, the Race of men
And women would be lost; had but your Mother
Been of that minde, the world had never known
Such a thing as Castarina, whose sweet frame
And charming beauty, now hath made Lariscus
The subject of your pity.

Cast.
Enter Cleobulus and Philaretus.

Lar.
I am happy to wait on you.

Exeunt. Lar. and Cast.

Scena 3.

Cleob.
Is this the reward of all my care? Hast thou
Forgot thy Birth and generous blood? Have I
By my own industry added to the Estate
My Father left me, with an hope to make
Thee great, and match thee to a Family
Of Honor? and have you thrown your kinde heart
Forsooth, upon a Beggar, a base Shepherdess?

Phil.
Oh Sir forbear! The thunder when it breaks,
Carries no more horror with't, then this
Speech of yours. Can she be base, whom Nature
Hath grac'd with all perfections of the first
Creation? I tell you Sir, were all
As she, Pandora should receive her ills.
Into her Box again, and man as at
The first, should be exempted from a fear
Of death.

Cleob.
Alas poor silly Boy! thou think'st
That virtue, which is onely varnisht o're
With modest looks.

Phil.
Such modest looks as grace
Arismena, cannot be counterfeit: She's
No Impostor: her chast looks are the true
Symptoms of what lies treasur'd in the heart,
To which I've vow'd devotion, and will pay
My love religiously to her chast self.

Cleob.
But ere you do't, think on these aged haires,
And tell me, if their whiteness exact not
Your quick obedience to my will.

Phil.
Indeed
I must confesse you are my father, and
May by that challenge Sir, to be the Pilot
Of my will, and in ought which may concern
Me (but my wife.) You shall bear greater sway
Then I my self.

Cleob.
I thank thee Sir; in things
Of most importance I must be a stranger;
In slight and common things you'l use my counsell.

Phil.
Nay Sir; I did mean
To beg here your consent with all humility
Became a son; and I did nourish hope
You would be kinde, and make my wishes happy;
For I must here professe, I love her so,
That were the world propounded, my reward
To change that deer affection to this maid,
Thus I would spurn it. My soul flies to her
With wings of chast and zealous love.

Cleob.
Y'are then resolv'd?

Phil.
I am.

Cle.
To marry without a portion?

Phil.
Without such portions as the world esteems:
And yet she is not Sir so poor, she has—

Cleob.
What has she foolish Boy, a nest of sheephooks?
Her fathers goodly armory; a stock
Of tar, and seering irons, to grace your dining room,
Where for variety, instead of Armes
Shall hang so many Bottles and old Pouches:
Abroad his rotten sheep will raise a sum
To build, and purchase Towns; you'l learn a trade too
Of lying in the Sun, and lousing of
Your ragged Wardrope, besides the art
Of whistling to the dog that barks again
To help a Consort; these are precious things;
And then the beauteous Paragon your wife
With her Straw-Hat and Linsey-Wolsey robe,
A Peticoat has serv'd her twelve May daies,
Besides the Feasts of jegging about May-Poles,
Is such a treasure?

Phil.
If you consider Sir how great a vertue
Lies hid under so mean a veil; shall I
Despise a Diamond 'cause it comes not in
A golden Casket: all which the Poets faign
Was extant in Astrea fled, will seem
But as one drop unto the Sea, if my
Sweet Arismena's vertues be but weighed.

Cleob.
And this you praise so much, shall be your sole
Patrimony.

Phil.
Sir, your pleasure.

Cleob.
A goodly Patrimony: Vertue will buy
Lordships, and stock your grounds, maintain the off-spring
Of your admired choice; yes, and at length
Leave something to your Noble Family.

Phil.
Much wealth consists Sir in the enjoying
A vertuous Wife: admit you gave me to
A woman with a Golden Mine, whose vast
And unexhausted intralls can scarce
Be fathom'd, yet she may be a Strumpet Sir,
And so defile your unadulterate Race.
Will bags heap'd with coyn restore chast blood
Into those sinfull veins? I know 't will serve
As Panders to corrupt your Noble Stock;
Oh think on that, and tell me if my choice
Deserve your scorn?

Cleob.
If you can finde estate
And riches to her comeliness, and create
A Noble blood to fill her bright transparent veins,
I may consent.

Phil.
The grounds we walk in Sir, and what your eye
In flowry meads may see abroad, are hers:
She has a thriving father, unto whom
She is sole childe; these things I grant hold no
Proportion to your estate, and yet
A less may bring content, but where she comes
To crown all this; what can be an addition
To my felicity? Pray Sir be not cruel,
But give consent.

Cleob.
Thou mention'st only shadows,
And art in love with baseness, leave this folly,
And think not of her.

Phi.
Bid me Sir not live,
And it will be much easier to obey you;
But while I have my breath, and use my reason,
I must be Arismena's Votary.

Cleob.
You must?

Phi.
My heart's compell'd.

Cleob.

'Twill break that heart when you finde want and force
to turn a Shepherd.

Phil.
'Tis a pleasant change.

Cleob.
So, so, I here cast off
The relation of a Father, thou art no more
My son, I will adopt a stranger, and
He shall have all, my care meant thine.

Phi.
You are
Unmercifull: think Sir that once your self
Did love, and I have heard you tell a story
Something like mine, how much unpossible
You found it to withdraw your heart from one
Inferiour in Blood, and Fortune too.

Cleob.
But Sir, I was my self,
And had no father to offend.

Phi.
The Act
Was still the same.

Cleob.
Still arguing? no more,
I banish thee my sight, and what is mine.
Be absent from my thoughts, and know I can
Leave off to be a Father, when my Son
Shall cease his duty to my care.

Phil.
You might
Have given me a gentle doom, but since
You banish me your presence, I must go
To be repair'd in Arismena's smiles,
And there intomb your frowns: Yet let me beg
Your blessing first, which shall while you deny me
The benefit of what you have, to me
Serve as a Patrimony.

Cleob.
You hav't.

Phil.
Thanks worthy Sir, for now I'le strip my self
Of these mis-seeming weeds, the Shepherds green
Shall cloath Philaritus, nor can it make
Him poor, if Arismena smiles. The rich
Have wakefull nights, whilst the poor mans Turfe
Begets a peacefull sleep, in which they're blest
From frigid fears all day, at night with rest.

Exit.
Cleob.
He's gone: Has Loves inflamed dart then pierced
Past all recovery? I do pity him,
But must not shew't; if there be any means
That time or art can shew me to reduce him,
I'le study it.

Scen. 4.

Enter Bracheus.
Bra.
Good day Cleobulus:
You do my field a grace to take the ayr in't:

Cleob.
Oh! are you come? D'ye hear? you have a Daughter.

Bra.
I hope I have.

Cleob.
A fair one too.

Bra.
She's a pretty Sun-burnt wench.

Cleob.
What Portion will you give with her?

Bra.
Why Sir, she has a Portion.

Cleob.
Say y' so?
Pray let me know the sum, happ'ly I may
Graft her in a Family of Honor Sir.

Brach.
Excuse me then, good Sir, if I appear
Too great a praiser of my own, she has
An honest minde, and that some men accompt.
A Portion Sir, it is not found in all
Her Sex, if stories may be credited:
She's young, and in my eyes fair, I dare yet
Believe 'em, she's handsome, and she can
Pray too, and spend not all the morn to dress her.

Cleob.
's this all her Portion?

Brach.
If I do like the man would be her Husband,
I can give Acres too, and many Flocks
Of sheep.

Cleob.
And will that make her in your judgement
A fitting match for my Philaritus?

Brach.
I do not say it will.

Cleob.
Why then is she in love with him?

Brach.
Why? is Philaritus in love with Arismena?

Cleob.
I, and not without your knowledge too, you have
By base temptations and devises wrought him
To affect her; but I'le cross all your plots.

Brach.
Have I contriv'd the ruine of your Son,
And basely wrought him to affect my Daughter?
I tell you Sir, I wisht both good to you and him,
But know I scorn as much your Son
Should marry with Arismena, as you
Can hate Philaritus for loving her.

Cleob.
Out Beggar, know that if my Son Philaritus
Doth marry Arismena, I will throw him
Quite from my blessing, from my state, from all,
And smile to see the ruine of you all.

Cleobulus offers to go forth.
Bra.
Pray stay, and hear what I resolve, if my
Daughter do marry, nay but entertain
A good thought of your Son, rich as you are,
I'le turn her out of doors without my blessing,
And not relieve her, though at point to starve.
I fear you not, nor your estate, I shall
Live in despite of your so generous blood,
Yes, and live honestly, which you rich men do not.
Get off my ground.

Cleob.
So, so, your goodly ground.
Exit Cleobulus.

Bra.
I'm vext, but he shall finde e're I ha done,
My Daughter is too good for his proud Son.

Exit.

Scen. 5.

Enter Lariscus, Castarina.
Lar.
They're gone again, and we may take this walk
Without the fear of spies; but you delay
To satisfie my urgings with discourse
Of that must be remov'd, before my wishes
Can meet their happinesse.

Cast.
The memory
Of banisht Paromet my Father wounds
Each thought I vary. If your Unkles power
Could make his doom reverst—

Lar.
If we might own
The knowledge where he is.

Cast.
Yet he hath being,
For else some vision would have taught my dreams,
Both how, and where he dy'd, till he's restor'd,
My vows have seal'd my resolution
To live a Maid, and not till then Lariscus
Must hope for Castarina. So adieu.

Exit.
Lar.
You have pronounc'd my sentence worse then death,
My torments will be lingring. Paromet,
If living, is not to be found, if dead,
All my desires must lose their ends. But stay,
Jealousie prompts me to suspect she mocks me:
I'le to the Oracle, my doubts shall be
Quickly resolv'd from its Divinity.

Exit.