University of Virginia Library

THE THIRD ACTE.

Nutrix.
Medea.
Why trotst thou fisking in and out so rash from place to place?
Stand styll, and of thyne eger wrath suppresse the ruthfull race,
The rigour rough of ramping rage from burning breast out cast,
As Bacchus bedlem priestes that of his spryte haue felt the blast,
Run franticke, hoyting vp and downe with scitish wayward wits,
Not knowing any place of rest, so prickt with frowarde fits,
On cloudy top of Pindus Mounte all hyd with Snow so chyll:
Or els vpon the lofty riddge of braunched Nisa hyll:
Thus starting still with frounced mynde she walters to and froe,
The signes pronouncing proofe of pangues her frensy Face doth show
With glowing cheekes, and bloud red Face with short & gasping breath,
Shee fetcheth deepe ascending sighes from sobbing heart beneath,
Now blyth she smiles, ech tūbled thought in pondring braine she beats,
Now standes she in a mammering, now myschiefe sore she threats.
With chafing fume she burnes in wrath, and nowe she doth cōplayne,
With blubbering teares a fresh byliue shee weepes & wayles agayne.
Where will this lumpish loade of cares with headlong sway allight?
On whom entendeth shee to worke the threates of her despight?
Where will this huge tempestious surge slake downe it selfe agayne?
Enkindled fury new in breast begins to boyle a mayne.
Shee secretly entendes no mischiefe small nor meane of sise
To passe her selfe in wickednes her busy braynes deuise.
The token olde of pinching ire full well ere this know I:
Some haynous, huge, outragious great, and dredfull storme is nye:
Her firy, scowling, steaming Eyes, her hanging Groyne I see,
Her powting, puffed, frowning Face, that signes of freating bee.
O myghty Ioue beguile my feare.

ME.
O wretch if thou desire,
What measure ought to payse thy wrath then learne by Cupids fire,
To hate as sore as thou didst loue, shall I not them anoy
That doe vnite in spousall bed, theyr wanton lust t'enioy?
Shall Phœbus fiery footed horse goe lodge in western waue
The drowping day, that late I did with humble crowching craue,
And with such ernest busie suite so hardly graunted was?
Shall it depart ere I can bring my deuylish dryst to passe?
Whyle houering heauen doth counterpaysed hang with egall space,
Amid the marble Hemispheares, whyle rounde with stinted race,
The gorgeous Sky aboue the Earth doth spinning roll about,
Whyles that the number of the sandes, lyes hid vnserched out,
While dawning day doth keepe his course with Phœbus blase so bright,
While twinkling starres in golden traynes doe garde the slūbry nyght,
While Isle vnder propping poale with whyrling swyng so swift,
The shyning Beares vnbathde about the frosen Sky doe lift,
While flushing floudes the frothy streames to rustling Seas doe send,
To gird them gript with plonging pangues my rage shall neuer end.
With greater heate it shall reboyle, lyke as the brutishe beast,
Whose tyranny most horrible, exceedeth all the rest,
What greedy gaping whyrle poole wide what parlous gulph vnmilde,
What Sylla coucht in roring Rockes, or what Charybdes wylde,
(That Sicill, and Ionium Sea by frothy waues doth sup)
What Ætna bolking stifling flames, and dusky vapours vp,
(Whose heauy payse wt stewing heate doth smoldring crush beneath
Encelades, that fiery flakes from choked throte doth breath)
Can with such dreadfull menaces in sweeting fury fry?
No ryuer swift no troubled surge of stormy Sea so hye,
Nor sturdy seas (whom ruffling winds with raging force to rore)
Nor puissaunt flash of fyre, whose might by boystrous blast is more,
May byde my angers violence: my fury shall it foyle:
His court Ile ouer hourle, and lay it leauell with the soyle.
My Iasons heart did quake for feare of Creon cruell king.
And least the king of Thessaly would warre vpon him bring.
But loyall loue that hardens hearts makes no man be afright.
But beete, that he conuict hath yeelde himselfe to Creons might.
Yet once hee might haue visited, and come to me his wyfe,
To talke, and take his last farewell, if daunger of his life
In doing this (hard harted wretch most cruell) he should feare,
He being Creons sonne in law, for him it lefull were,
To haue proroged somwhat yet my heauy banishment,
To take my leaue of chyldren twayne one onely day is lent:
Yet doe I not complayne, as though the time to short I thought,
As proofe shall playne pronounce, to day, to day, it shall bee wrought,
The memory whereof no tract of time shall wype away.
With malice bent agaynst the Gods my wrath shall them assay:
And rifling euery thing, both good, and bad, I will turmoyle.

NV.
Madame thy minde that troubled is, and tost with such abroyle
Of swarming ills, thy vexed breast now set at rest agayne,
The peuish fond affections all of troubled mynde refrayne.

ME.
Then onely can I be at rest, when euery thing I see
Throwne headlong topsie turuey downe to ruthfull ende with mee.
With mee let all things cleane decay: thy selfe if thou doe spill,
Thou maist driue to destruction what els with thee thou will:

NV.
If in this folly stiffe thou stand, beholde what after clappes
Are to bee fearde, none dare contriue for Prynces trayning trappes.

Iason.
Medea.
O lucklesse lot of frowarde Fates, O cruell Fortunes hap,
Both whē she list to smite, or spare, in woe she doth vs wrap
A like, the salue yt God hath geuen so oft, to cure our griefe,
More noyeth then the sore it selfe, and sendeth lesse reliefe:
If for her good deserts to me, amendment I should make.
I hazard should my ventrous lyfe to leese it for her sake.
If I will shun my dismall day, and will not for her dy,
Then want the loue of loyalty, O wretched man must I.
No dastards dread my stomacke stout can cause to droupe & shrynke,
But meere remorse appaulleth me, when on my babes I thynke.
For why? when carefull parents are once reft of lyfe and breath,
Sone after them their wretched seede are drawne to dolefull death.
O Sacred righteousnesse (if thou enioye thy worthy place
In perfect blisse of happy heauen) I call vpon thy grace,
And thee for witnesse here alledge, how for my childrens part
With pity prick: I haue commit these things agaynst my hart.
And so I thinke Medea her selfe the Mother rather had,
(Though frantickly as now she fares with rage of heart so mad
And doth abhor with paynfull yoke of combrous cares to toyle)
Her spousall bed, then that her seede should take the plunging foyle.
I did determine in my minde, to goe her to entreate
With gentle wordes, & pray her cease, in feruent wrath to freate.
And loe, on me when once she caste the beames of glauncing Eye,
Full blythe she leapes, she iumpes for ioy, in fits she ginnes to fry.
Deepe deadly blackish hate she seemes in outwarde brow to beare,
And wholly in her frowning face doth glutting griefe appeare.

ME.
I packing, packing, Iason am: this still to chop, and chaunge
The fleeting soyle of my abode, to mee it is not straunge.
The cause of my departure yet (to me is straung) and new.
I wonted was in followinge thee all places to eschew:
I will depart, and get me hence, to whom for helping hande
Entendest thou to sende vs forth, whom hence to fly the land
Thou dost compell with thine alies? shall I repayre agayne
To Phasis flood, to Colchis Isle, or to my fathers raygne?
Or goary sweeting fieldes, that with my brothers blood do reeke?
What harbring lands aloofe dost thou commaund vs out to seeke?
What seas appoint yee me to passe? shall I my iourney dryue,
Uppon the parlous hatefull iawes of Pontus to arriue,
By which I did saufe conduct home kings valiaunt armies great,
Where rearing rocks with thundring noise the flapping waues do beate
Or on the narrow wrackfull shore, of Simplegades twayne?
Or els to small Hiolcos towne can I retourne agayne?
Or toyle, the gladsome pleasaunt lands of Tempe to attayne?
All places that I opened haue vnto thy passage free,
I shut them vp agaynst my selfe, now whether sendste thou mee?
A banisht wretch to banishment thou wouldest haue encline,
Yet to the place of her exyle, thou canst not her assygne,
Yet for all that without delay I must depart and go:
And why? forsoth the king his sonne in law commaundeth so.
Well: nothing will I stand against, with grypes of passing payne
Let me be scourgde, of my desarts such is the gotten gayne.
Let Creon in his pryncely ruffe lay to his heauy handes,
To whyp an whore in torments sharp, with iron giues, and bandes
Let her be chaynd, in hydeous hole of night for aye her locke:
Let her be cloyed with pestring payse of restlesse rowling rocke.
Yet lesse than I deserued haue, in all this shall I finde:
O thou vncurteous Gentleman, consider in thy mynde
The flamy puffes, and firy gaspes of gastly gaping bull,
And Ætas catell rych with Fleece of gorgeous golden wooll,
That went to graze amid so great and mighty feares in fielde,
Of vncontrouled Natton, whose soyle doth armies yeelde.
Reuoke to minde the deadly dartes of sodayne starting foe,
When gastly warriour (Tellus broode) to ground agayne did goe,
Through slaughter red of mutuall launce, to this yet further passe,
The lurched Fleece of Phrixes Ramme, that all thine errand was.
And vgsome Argos slumberlesse, whom fast I causde to keepe
His wery watching winking eyes with vnaquaynted sleepe.
My brother eke, whose fatall twist of feeble lyfe I shred,
And guilt that wrought so many guiltes when as with thee I fled.
The daughters whom I set on worke entrapt in wily trayne,
To slay theyr sire, that shall not ryse to quickned lyfe agayne.
And how to trauell other realmes, I set myne owne at nought.
By that good hope which of thy seede conceaued is in thought,
Eake by thy stable Mansion place, and mighty monsters, that
Downe beaten for thy health, I causde before thy feete to squat,
And by these drudging hands of myne vnspared for thy sake,
For dread of daungers ouer past that caused thee to quake,
By heauens aboue, and seas belowe, that witnesse bearers bee,
To knitting of out maryage vp, thy mercy vayle to mee.
Of all the heapes of treasure great so farre of being set,
Which Ætas sauage Scythians dyd trauell for to get,
From Ind, where Phœbus scorching blase doth dye the people blacke.
Of all this golde which in our bowers wee coulde not well compacke.
But tricke and trym wee garnished our groues with golde so gay,
I vanisht wretch of all this stuffe gat nought with mee away,
Except my brothers slaughtred flesh, yet I employed the same
On thee: the cares of countreyes health, my honesty and shame.
My Father, and my brother both hath yeelded place to thee,
This is the dowry that thou had my wedded spouse to bee.
To her whom thou dost abrogate restore her goods agayne.

IA.
When Creon in malicious moode had thought thee to haue slayne,
Entreated with my teares, exyle and life he gaue to thee.

ME.
I tooke it for a punishment, but surely as I see
This banishment is now become a friendly good rewarde.

IA.
While thou hast time to goe, be gone, for most seueare, and harde
The kings displeasure euer is.

M.
Thus wouldst thou dodge mee out?
Thy hated trull cast of thou dost, that please Creuse thou mought.

IA.
Dost thou Medea vpbrayde mee with the breach vnkynde of loue?

ME.
And slaughter vyle, with trechery, whereto thou didst mee moue.

IA.
When all is done what canst thou say my guiltines to slayne?

ME.
Euen whatsoeuer I haue done.

IA.
Yet more this doth remayne:
That thy vngracious wickednes of harme should mee accuse.

ME.
Thine, thine, they are, they are all thine what euer I did vse,
Who that of lewdnesse reapes the fruict, is grafter of the same.
Let euery one with infamy thy wretched Spouse defame,
Yet doe thou onely take her part, her onely doe thou call
A iust and vndefiled wight, without offence at all.
If any man shall for thy sake polute his hand with ill,
To thee let him an innocent yet be accompted still,

IA.
The life is lothsome that doth worke his shame who hath it chose.

ME.
The life whose choyse doth worke thy shame thou ought againe to lose.

IA.
Let reason rule thy eger mynde so vext with crabbed ire,
And for thy tender childrens ease to bee at rest requyre.

ME.
I doe defy it, wholy I detest it, I forsweare,
That bretheren bred vnto my barnes Creusas wombe shall beare.

IA.
It will be trim, when as a Queene of maiesty and myght
Hath issue, kinne vnto the seede of thee a banisht wight.

ME.
So cursed day shall neuer on my wretched children shine,
To mingle base borne basterdes with the bloud of noble Lygne.
Shall Phœbus stocke (that beares the lamp of heauen in starry throne)
Be macht with drudging Sisiphus that roules in hell the stone?

IA.
What meanest thou wretch, both thee & mee in banishment to yoke?
I pray then hence.

ME.
When humbly I my mynde to Creon broke,
Hee gaue an eare vnto my suite.

IA.
What lyeth in my myght
To doe for thee?

ME.
If no good turne, then doe thy worst dispyght.

IA.
On this side with his swerd in hand king Creon doth mee scarre:
On other part with armed hoast Acast doth mee detarre.

ME.
Medea eke to coape with these, that more apaull vs may:
Go to, to skyrmishe let vs fall, let Iason be the pray:

IA.
I yeelde whom sore aduersities haue tyerd with heauy sway.
Learne thou to dred thy luclesse lot that ofte doth thee assay.

ME.
I euermore haue rulde the swinge of fortunes wauering will.

IA.
Achastus is at hand, and nygh is Creon thee to spyll:

ME.
Take thou thy heeles to scape them both, I doe not thee aduise,
That thou agaynst thy father in lawe in traytrous armes should ryse.
Nor in Achast thy cosens bloud thy wounding handes to gore,
The vowes vnto Medea made, doe trouble thee so sore.
Whyle yet thou hast not spilt there bloud, yet fly with mee away.

IA.
When armies twayne their banners of defiance shall display,
And marching forth in fielde to fyght seeke battayle at my hande,
Who then for vs encounter shall their puissaunce to withstand?

ME.
If Creon and Achastus king encampe together shall
Admit that these in one with them should ioyne their powers all
My Countreymen of Colchis Ile, and Ætas lusty kyng,
Suppose the Scythians ioyne with Greekes, to ground I will thē bring,
Cleane put to foile.

IA.
The puissaunt power of hawty mace I feare.

ME.
Take heede, least more thou do affect the same, then for to cleare,
Thy selfe of Creons seruile yoke.

IA.
Least some suspicion grow,
Of this our tatling long here let vs make an ende and goe.

ME.
Now Ioue hurle out thy flames & force thy thundring bolts to fly,
With fiery drakes bright brandishing disparst in burning sky:
Strayne forth thy dreadfull threatning arme, dispose in due aray
The tossing dint of lightning flashe, that wrecke our quarrell may.
With rumbling cracke of renting cloud cause all the world to quake,
And leuell not thy houering hand to stryke with firy flake
Uppon my pasht and crushed corpes, or Iasons Carcasse slayne:
For whether of vs thou smight to death his due rewarde shall gayne,
Thy thumps of thwacking boltes on vs amisse they cannot light.

IA.
Fy, let thy mynde on matters runne that seeme a modest wight.
And vse to haue more cheerefull talke, if any thing thou craue,
Within my fathers house to ease thy flyght, thou shalt it haue.

ME.
Thou knowst my minde both can, & eke is wont, to doe no lesse,
Then to contemne the brittell wealth that Prynces doe possesse.
This, this shalbe the onely boone that at thy hande I craue,
As mates with me in banishment, my children let mee haue,
That resting on theyr sighing breastes my carefull mourning hed,
I may my chrystall teary streames into theyr bosomes shed.
But as for thee, new gotten sonnes of wife new wed doe stay.

IA.
I graunt that vnto thy request I wishe I might obey:
But nature mee with pity pryckes, that needes I must deny.
For though both Creon and Achast, in torments force mee lye,
I could not yeelde vnto theyr willes: on this my lyfe doth rest:
In times of teares, this is the ioy of dull afflicted brest
For better farre I can abyde the wante of vitall breath,
And succour of my lymmes, or loose, the light of worlde by death.

ME.
What loue vnto his seely Babes is deeply graft in him?
This worketh well I haue him tript, loe now there lyeth brim.
An open place whereby receaue a venny soone hee may.
Let mee or I departe, vnto my seely children say.
These lessons of my last adewe, and graunt to mee the space,
With tender grype of colling last theyr louing limmes t'embrace:
This wilbe comforte to my heart: yet at the latter woorde
I aske no more but onely that you shoulde mee this afoorde.
If eger anguish cause my tongue to cast out woords vnkinde,
Let all thing fly, let nothing be engraued in your minde
But let remembraunce otherwhyle of mee to touch your thought,
Let other thinges be wypte away that byle of wrath hath wrought.

IA.
I haue forgotten euery whit God graunt thou may of shake,
These surging qualmes of frounced minde & milder mayste it make:
For quietnesse doth worke theyr ease that dented are with woe:

ME.
What is he slily slypt and gon? falles out the matter so?
O Iason dost thou sneake away, not hauing minde of mee,
Nor of those former great good turnes that I haue done for thee?
With thee now am I cleane forgot: but I will bryng about
That from thy carefull sighing minde shall not bee banisht out:
Apply to bring this to effect, call home thy wits agayne,
And all thy wyly fetches farre, eache artificiall trayne.
This is the perfect fruict that may to thee of mischiefe spryng,
To presuppose that mischiefe is not graft in any thing.
Scant haue I oportunity for my pretensed guile,
Because wee are mistrusted sore: but try I will the whyle
To set vpon them in such sort, as none can deeme my sleyght:
March forth, now venture on, fall to, both what lyeth in thy myght,
And also what doth passe thy power. O faythfull nourse and mate
Of all my heauy heart breaking, and dyuers cursed fate.
Come help our simple meane deuice. Remayning yet I haue
A robe of Pall the present that our heauenly Graundsire gaue,
Chiefe monument of Cholchis Ile, which Phœbus did bestow
On Ætas for a pledge, that him his father he might know.
A precious fulgent gorget eake, that brauely glytters bryght,
And with a seemely shyning seame of golden thryds is dight,
Through wrought betwene the row of pirles doe stand in borders roūd,
Wherewith my golden crispen Locks is wonted to be croūd.
My lytle children they shall beare these presents to the Bryde,
That first with slibber slabbar sosse of chauntments shalbe tryde.
Request the ayde of Hecate in redinesse prepare
The lamentable sacrifice, vpon the bloudy Aare.
Enforce the fiers catching holde vpon the rafters hye
With crackling noyse of flamy sparkes rebound in azur sky.

Chorus.
No fiers force, nor rūbling rage of boistrus blustring winde,
No dart shot whirling in the skies, such terrour to ye minde
Can driue, as when ye ireful wife doth boile in burning hate
Depriued of her spousall bed, and comfort of her mate,
Nor where the stormy southerne winde with dankish dabby face,
Of hoary winter sendeth out the gusshing showres apace.
Where veighment Isters waumbling streame comes waltring downe amayne,
Forbidding both the banks to meete, & cannot oft contayne
Him selfe within his channels scoupe, but further breakes his way,
Nor Rodanus whose russhing streame doth launch into the sea,
Or when amid the floured spring with hotter burning sunne,
The winters snowes disolude with heate downe to the ryuers runne:
The clottred top of Haemus hill to water thin doth turne,
Such desperate gogin flame is wrath that inwardly doth burne,
And modest rule regardeth not, nor brydeis can abyde,
Nor dreading death, doth wish on dinte of naked blade to slyde.
O Gods be gracious vnto vs, for pardon we do craue,
That him who tamde the scuffling waues, vouchsafe yee would to saue.
But Neptune yet the Lord of Seas with frowning face will lower,
That ouer his second Scepter men to tryumph haue the power.
The boy that rashly durst attempt that great vnweldy charge
Of Phœbus euerlasting Carte, and rouing out at large,
Not bearing in his recklesse breast his fathers warnings wyse,
Was burned with the flames which hee did scatter in the Skyes.
None knew the costly glimsing glades, where straggling Phaëton rode,
Passe not the path, where people safe in former tyme haue trode.
O fondling, wilfull, wanton boy, doe not dissolue the frame
Of heauen, sith Ioue with sacred hand hath halowed the same.
Who rowde with valiaunt Oares tough, that were for Argo made,
Hath powled naked Pelion mounte of thycke compacted shade.
Who entred hath the fleeting rockes and serched out the toyle
And tyring trauels of the seas, and hath on saluage soyle
Knit fast his stretched Cable rope, and going forth to land.
To cloyne away the forren golde with greedy snatching hand.
Unto the seas (because that hee transgrest theyr lawes deuine)
By this vnlucky ende of his, he payes his forfeyte fine.
The troubled seas of theyr vnrest for vengeaunce howle and weepe.
Syr Typhis who did conquer fyrst the daunger of the deepe,
Hath yeelded vp the cunning rule of his vnweldy sterne,
To such a guide, as for that vse hath neede as yet to learne.
Who giuing vp his Ghost aloofe from of his natiue lande,
In forreyn more lyes buryed vile with durty soddes in sande.
He sits among the flittring soules that straungers to him weare.
And Aulis Isle that in her minde her masters losse doth beare,
Held in the Ships, to stand and wayle in croking narrow nooke:
That Orpheus Calliops sonne who stayde the running Brooke,
Whyle he recordes on heauenly Harpe with twanckling finger fine,
The wynde layde downe his pipling blastes: his harmony diuine
Procurde the woods to styr them selues, and trees in traynes along
Came forth with byrds that held their layes and listned to his song.
With lims on sunder rent in fielde of Thrace he lyeth dead.
Up to the top of Heber floude, eke haled was his head.
Gone downe he is to Stygian dampes, which scene hee had before,
And Tartar boyling pits, from whence returne hee shall no more.
Alcydes banging bat did bringe the Northern laddes to grounde.
To Achelo of sundry shapes he gaue his mortall wounde.
Yet after he could purchase peace both vnto sea and land,
And after Ditis dungeon blacke rent open by his hand,
He lyuing spred himselfe along on burning Oetas hill:
His members in his proper flame the wretch did thrust to spill:
His bloud he brewd with Nestors bloud, and lost his lothsome lyfe
By traytrous gyft that poysoned shyrt receaued of his wyfe.
With tuske of bristled groyning Bore Anceus lyms were torne.
O Meleagar (wicked wight) to graue by thee were borne
Thy mothers brethren twayne, and shee, for it with ruthfull hand,
Hath wrought thy dolefull desteny, to burne thy fatall brand.
The rash attempting Argonantes deserued all the death
That Hylas whom Alcides lost bereft of fading breath.
That springall which in sowsing waues of waters drowned was:
Goe now yee lusty bloudes, the Seas: with doubtfull lot to passe.
Though Idmon had the calking skyll of destenies before,
The serpent made him leaue his lyfe in tombe of Liby shore.
And Mopsus that to other men could well theyr fates escry,
Yet onely did deceyue him selfe vncertayne where to dy,
And he that could the secret hap of things to come vnfoulde,
Yet dyde not in his countrey Thebes. Dame Thetis husband oulde
Did wander like an outlawde man. Our Palimedes syre
Did headlong whelm him selfe in seas. Who at the Greekes retyre
From Troy, to rushe on rockes did them alure with wily light,
Stout Aiax Oleus did sustayne the dint of thunder bright,
And cruell storme of surging seas, to quite the haynous guilt,
That by his countrey was commit, in seas he lyeth spilt.
Alceste to redeeme her husbands Phereus lyfe from death,
The godly Wyfe vpon her spouse bestowed her panting breath.
Proude Pelias that wretch him selfe who bad them first assay
The golden Fleece that booty braue by ship to fetch away,
Perboylde in glowing cauldron hoate with feruent heate hee fryes,
And fleeting peece meale vp and downe in water thin he lyes.
Inough, inough, reuenged are O Gods the wronges of seas,
Be good to Iason, doing that hee did, his Game to please.