University of Virginia Library

ACT V.

SCENE I.

Philena, Flamette,
Phi.
Flamette,
Thou knowst the secrets of every herb and plant,
And nothing's in Nature so hidden and abstruse,
Thou penetrat'st not with thy skill; Amongst the rest,
I remember th'other day,
Feeding thy Flocks i'th' pasture there below,
And spying suddenly one of thy tender Lambs
All-trembling, stretching out its fainting limbs,
And closing its dying eyes, thou straight cryedst out
A venumous herb had poyson'd it, and bidst
Lycisca bear him to the River with all speed,
And drive thy Flocks from thence.—

Fla.
'Tis true;—and what of this?

Phile.
Nothing, but the seeing these wondrous effects,
Gives me a curiosity to learn of thee
A little of thy skill; and to know what herb it is
That works so by surprize, it steals away
A Life so insensibly, one scarce perceives it,—
A friendly office it might do to some,
Who weary of living fear not so much to die,
As the pains devancing death—

Fla.
Take heed Philena,
This is a Curiosity more dangerous
Than knowing the cheats of Gaming, by how much life
Is more precious than coyn,—and those
Who know these tricks, tis fear'd at need will use 'um.

Phil.
Thou art deceiv'd, they'd rather know them to
Avoid them; therefore I prethee tell me
What herb 'twas.

Fla.
If you desire, as you say, to learn my skill,
I'll teach you the natures of a hundred
More soveraignly vertuous.

Phi.
Malicious wench!
That wilt not understand me.

Fla.
I fear I understand you but too well.

Phi.
Must I be put to't then,
To discover a secret to thee that concerns
My life so nearly?

Fla.
I, that's it I fear.

Phi.
Yet why should I dissemble?
Dissimulation is child of Fear,
And how fearless are those who are resolv'd to dy,
Not only of those lesser Tyrants, Want,
And Misery, but of those greater, Love,
And Fortune, of whom now I quit all my fears,
Being Deaths subject, and no longer theirs—
Know then since thou't needs know't, aweary of
Repulse upon repulse, aweary of
Euphanes scorns, and finally aweary of
My wretched being, I am resolved to die.

Fla.
Ah! far from so gentle a bosom be
So cruel thought.

Phi.
They are rather cruel wou'd divert me from't;
Cruel as those wou'd keep poor wretches still
Upon the Torture, rather than dispatch their pain.

Fla.
But d'ye know what 'tis to die?

Phi.
I know what 'tis to sleep; the afflicted'st ease,
Repose o'th' weary, comfort of the distrest,
When all our troubles, all our cares do cease;
And sleep, and death; but in the length, and the
Continuance nothing differ, so as deferring
My death, thou but defer'st my happiness,
For know Flamette when life is misery,
'tis hapiness to die.

Fla.
You talk the while
As if all were fabulous of the other world,
Furies there were none, nothing
Their Torments, and no
Gods to punish those Impiously leave
There stations here on Earth e'r they command.

Phi.
Troublesome ignorance; those who understand
Their Language, the Gods perpetually command:
So when we virtue eagerly persue,
They bid go on, when we abstain from ill
By repentance or avoidance, it is they who still
Recall us, or prohibite us, and finally,
When we feel in us a desire to leave this life,
'tis they infallibly command us for to die.

Fla.
But consider—

Phi.
Prithee no more consideration; Flamette I ask help,
Not counsell of thee, wo't do
What I desire?

Fla.
I'll see.

Phi.
Nay, who give us doubtfull help,
Do but deny us in necessity;
Say't shall be done, yet that's too slow, prithee say
'tis done.

Fla,
Since bootless 'tis to deny you, I'll but run
To th'mead, and instantly be here again.
[Exit Fla.

Phi.
Thou shalt find me in the Cipress grove—
So now my minds at ease, and it rejoyces me
To think how I shall triumph over Love
And Fortune, yet o'r Love for Euphanes sake
I'll do't more gently, and not insult too much; but o'r Fortune
I'll march in state, while she to her despite shall see't
How I'm above her, now tramples me under feet.—
But stay, being to divest me of this life,
And strait to die, 'tis requisit I make
My latest Legacy; first then my sufferance I bequeath
To desperat Lovers, my constancy to death,
My sighs to th'winds, to th'ocean my tears,
To Bellinda my hop'd-for joyes,
To Euphanes my memory; and lastly, my hopes and fears
To those wou'd live in longer misery;
Philena will not; for the rest,
All other passions die with us, only Love
Accompanies us to th'blest Mansions above.

Exit.

SCENE II.

Pamphilus leering after her.
Pam.
Iust like a Dogg with's mouth watering at
A Frumetty pot had scalded his chops before,
I look after these Wenches now, who ar all too hot for me;
Besides, that which keeps me most in aw,
Is the inkling I have of an odd punishment they have here,
To marry unruly Youngsters to old women, just
Like Doggs nose, beyond all possibility
Of ever heating 'um, and this they call forsooth
Mortification, in the Devils name,
A good cooler for him, but too cool for me.
But see where my quondam wife comes here with her Gallant,
Who took her from me, my stomack rises at him,—
Scurvy fellow,—none but my wife serve his turn?—
A little thing would make me bumbast him,—
If I thought he would not bumbast me agen.

Exit Grumbling, and looking spightfully towards Philander

SCENE III.

Philander, Bellinda.
Bel.
Nay I could tel you too
A hundred other stories, as how the Cabin,
Wherein y'ad inclos'd me from seeing
The danger of the storm, by a violent wave
Being washt away, and driven here on shore,
I ever since have only sustain'd my life,
With expectation of your arrival here;
My dreams, the faint shadows of our waking thoughts,
And oftentimes obscure representations
Of future Events, being so favourable still,
To promise me that happinesse, and your life,
Til at last, wearied out with long expectancy,
And my six moneths Residence here almost expir'd,
I took resolution to abjure the Isle,
And depart in search of you, just as you arived here,—
Mean time, I'll warrant ye, you ne'r thought of me?

Phil.
Alas! no sooner I saw
Your danger, and was o'th' point
(Had I not violently been withheld)
To cast my self after you into the Sea,
But Pirats making tow'rds us
All resistless took us Captives, we paying so
At expence of our Liberties the Ransom of our Lives,
So straightly guarded the whilst, as till th'other day
I was releas'd, (I as soon cou'd tell
To send to th'other world, as well
As when you were) when repairing to
The Oracle, by its directions I found you out—
But tell me,
How have you past your time here ever since?
And pray, who is that Philena and that Euphanes
Y'ave contracted so straight an Amity withall?

Bel.
O y'ar jealous ar ye?—I could find in my heart I faith
To defer answering you, til I had inform'd my self
What Mistresses you have had since I saw you last—
But not to hold you longer in suspense,
Know that Philena is a noble Nymph
Of Cypres here who when I was cast on shore
First found me, and hospitably entertained me,
And Euphanes one wou'd needs love me against my Will:
To avoid whose importunity,
I promis'd if any in the Isle I lov'd
It shou'd be him; now are you satisfied?
Or shall I bring you all Cypres to testifie
How like a Salamander midst of other flames,
To all their admirations, I have still lived here as cold as Ice,
And yet you are jealous?

Phi.
Not jealous sweet, but so covetous of the dear
Treasure I've in thy Love, as I confess
When then prayest in the Temple to the Gods above,
I ev'n do grudge 'um part of it.

Bel.
She inclines her head gently on his bosom.
Fie, to those who have given't you all?
That is too much Philander,—but oh my dear
What wou'd I have given a few days since for
The happiness I now injoy, to which,
Through how many miseries have I past?

Phil.
That, dearest, is it that gives our present joyes
The sweeter tast and relish, none being more
Happy than those were miserable before;
But who are these come here?

Bel.
Some neighbour Swains it seems,
Who in kind expressions of their loves, are come
To present us with som Pastoral shew, or Rural masque.

SCENE IV.

Prologue to them, and divers others, pressing to behold the Pastime, and incompassing Philander and Bellinda, who seat themselves: Polydor, Euphanes, Flamette, entring afterwards.
Pro.
VVe, whose due Affections move
Us to congratulate your Love,
Are come in Dance, to personate
The Emblem of a Lovers state;
As how wav'ring 'twixt Hopes and Fears
He stands distracted, till appears
The Mistresse of his soul and mind
To's love propitiously enclin'd,
When Hopes and Fears no more annoy,
But are converted all to Joy.

The Dance.
Expressing in its Figure all that formerly hath been declared under the abstract persons of Hope and Fear, with the Lover, & Fruition & Joy, with his Mistress, all six properly Habited, &c. Fear with doubtfull and trembling pace, Hope more confident; the Lover as he converts himself to th'one or th'other, participating their several Affections, till at the Entrance of his Mistress the Dance changes into a more sprightly Measure; at the end of the Dance, Enter Polydor distractedly, with Flamette.
Pol.
Can Joy be ne'r sincere, but still some grief
Be intermixt, to bitter all its sweets?
And is there nothing permanent here below,
But all, like th'Sea, perpetually must ebb and flow?
Away with all light jollity then, and lets
With heavy sorrow prepare to weep again.

Bel.
Alas! for what?

Pol.
For poor Philena, who yonder lies
A dying, or rather by this time dead,
The lamentablest spectacle was ever exhibited
On Fortun's Theater!

Bel.
Alack! alack, the woful day!

Pol.
to Euph. entring & off'ring to go out agen seeing Philander and Bellinda.
Nay, nay, draw nigh,
Know you that hand? read there,
Cruel as thou art, if thou canst without a tear,
And whē th'ast read it, thou must have a heart of stone
Or rather none at all, if't be not mollified with't,
By Philena's own hand writ 'twixt tears and blood,
Who, after thrice she had cried out on Euphanes
Name,—as if't were he, cruel he alone that kill'd her,
Poor Gentle soul she dyed.

Fla.
Cruel, barbarous Euphanes,
Nurs'd sure with Tygers milk, if a Tygers self
Were not the Damm of thee.

Eup.
What writes she here?
[reads.]

Farewel my best Euphanes, from her, who since she
cou'd not live thine, chose to die thine at least.
Philena.

—Hum!

Fla.
Now triumph in your victory,
And glory in your triumph, to have slain
An innocent Nymph, with scorn and with disdain,
So great a glory t'ye, as Euphanes name
'Mongst Nymphs and Virgins shall ever be the mark
Of infamy and shame, to shoot their hatreds at.

Bel.
But why defer we to seek her out, and see
If possibly there may be any remedy yet
To save her life?

Eup.
I am awak'd
By their reproaches, but much more
By somwhat here within, now lets me see
I was to blame to use her so cruelly,
And now I perceive, for all our corporal and
External sight, we nothing see, till Heaven
Do give our souls within Internal light—
And art thou dead for me, for me?
O extremity of love, beyond even life it self—
And shall I nothing do for thee again?
I, it shall be so, thou'st got the start
Of honour of me, but I may o'retake thee yet.

[Exit hastily]
Pamphilus.
Pam.
Not so fast I pray,
H'ad like to overthrown me,
And I'm little better than overthrown already—for
No Wenches! no Wenches! for love nor money;
Tis a hard case, this you'll say—but I'm
Well enough serv'd, I long'd for change of Pasture,
And see what's come on't,
I shall return home again nothing
But skin and bones—but no flesh at all to be got—
But soft, what's this?—
He spies Philena as she is discovered lying dead.
What another Moppet?
They shall catch me no more I'll warrant 'um,
They know what baits to lay for me it seems,
And would make a Gudgeon of me,
But I'll watch 'um well enough for that.

SCENE VI.

Philostrates, Mysti, attendants, &c.
Phil.
A nymph slain in our woods!
Unheard of prodigie, there are no savage beasts
And much lesse men so savage and barbarous
To violate the lives and Honours of our Nymphs—
Stay, is not that she there? alas it is
Too true, behold Philena dead—

Pam.
Hum Philena, 'tis a strange case this
One cannot know the Mopets from the Wenches here,
They are all so dead and spiritless.

Mysti.
Stay! who is that
Stands suspitiously there, is't not he has murther'd her?

Philos.
Ceaze on him, and till he can acquit himself
Of the crime, let him stand charg'd with it.

Pam.
Ah! now I'm paid
For my following of Wenches,
No warning, no warning wou'd serve my turn,
And see what comes on't:
Now if I be hang'd, what a goodly exhortation
Shall I make, with an—oh good people,
Let all young men take warning by me; for
This comes of following of Wenches,
I've been a wicked liver in my days,
And one o'th' greatest Wenchers—and
See what't has brought me to,
The Gallows, a wry-mouth, a neck as long
As a Cranes, and so with a thump on the brest,
There'll be an end of Pamphilus.

SCENE VII.

Bellinda, Philander, Flamette, &c. to them Euphanes after.
Bell.
I, here she is—
Rest gentle soul, and may nought heavy lie
Upon thee, to press thee to the shades beneath,
But ever in the Elizian fields among
The blessed Quires of Lovers, mayst thou be honor'd, and
Adored as Love's Martyr, and in his Kalendar
Be ever recorded as a Rubrique Saint;
Mean time, upon thy Anniversary day,
Each year, we'll pay our vows unto thy Tomb,
And to the King and Queen of Shades erect
Two grassie Altars, whereon wee'll offer our
Libations every year, so as all living Lovers
Envying thee, shall wish them dead to have the like
Obsequies; and lastly, wee'l
Inscribe an Epitaph on thy Sepulcher,
In reading which, all passing by shall know,
A gentler soul walks not i'th' shades below.

Eup.
[Enter Euphanes:
Room, room, for the most concern'd
In this Catastrophe—Fair sweetest flower,
By rigid Winter of Euphanes frowns and scorns
Untimely dead, what parentations
Shall wretched Euphanes use now, to appease
Thy angry Ghost?
And with what sad Libations shall I invoke
Thy blessed Manes? take here this hair of mine
[tears his hair.
I offer on thy Tomb; and fairest soul,
For ever wayl'd, for ever pitty'd, if
Thou't deign to look upon me from the Groves
Of fair Elizium, behold, behold
Euphanes so strangely metamorphosed
Who living lov'd thee not, he now loves thee dead,
Thus ready with's life to expiat the crime
Which he committed, in being the loss of thine.

Fla.
offers to kill himself, & is withheld by Flamette.
Hold, hold, and know
Philena is not dead.

Eup.
We trifle both,—away.

Fla.
I adjure the sacred deity
She is not, but only by my Art entranc'd,
So deceiving and deluding her despair;
In witness of't, besprinkle but her face
With water, and you'll see she'll instantly return to life again

Eup.
Nay, if water may revive her, no other than my tears
Shall have the honour of't,
[he weeps over her
And if those will not do't,
I'll let out all my blood on her to boot.

Bel.
Oh! happy we if this be so.

Fla.
See, see, she begins to stir already.

Pam.
Marry and I'm glad on't, for I began to stink
With the fright they put me in.

Phi.
Ha! where am I? in Hell I cannot be
Since Euphanes who's my Heaven is here with me,
Nor can I be in Heaven, until I know
Whe'r Euphanes will be kind to me or no.

Eup.
Alas, alas, 'tis I rather my dear Philena am
In Hell until I know
Whe'r thou canst forgive my unkindnes to thee or no.

Phi.
Nay, if't only does depends on that,
There is no fear, I can resolve thee strait,
W'ar both in Heaven Euphanes since for me,
I do desire no greatet Heaven than thee.

Philos.
Ioy unto both, and joy then to us all
In the accession to our Festival,
O'th' glad conjunction of this happy pair,
I'th' joy of which each has peculiar share;
Let us conduct 'um to their marriage then,
And whil'st to th'Temple they are going,
Tell 'um this most worth their knowing.
Love that tends but too enjoying,
Is satiate soon and eas'ly cloying,
Only that o'th' Soul still do's
Wax perfecter, and more lasting grows.
So we compare those light desires,
Only unto blazing fires,
Whilst these like fire o'th' Element,
Last always, and are never spent.—
Now what will Bellinda and Philander do?

Phi.
For us here, where we have found our happiness,
We are resolved, better to conserve it, even to remain,
And exchange our native Country for this happy soil.

Pam.
Beshrew me so wo'n't I,
For I've enough on't, if there be no Wenches here to be had;
Perhaps I may come here again when I'm old,
And have a mind to be good.

Pol.
Mean time who put off goodness to old age, are just like those
Who defer their Creditors till all their moneys spent.

Philos.
to Philander & Bellinda.
For you,
What should we say then for Conclusion,
But y'ar most welcom to Love's Dominion.

All.
[to the Auditors.]
Y'are most welcom to Love's Dominion.

[Exeunt Omnes.]