 | Dido and Aeneas |  |
ACT the Second,
Scene the Cave.Enter Sorceress.
Sorc.
Weyward Sisters you that Fright,
The Lonely Traveller by Night.
VVho like dismal Ravens Crying,
Beat the VVindowes of the Dying.
Appear at my call, and share in the Fame,
Of a Mischief shall make all Carthage to Flame.
Enter Inchanteresses.
Incha.
Say Beldam what's thy will,
Harms our Delight and Mischief all our Skill,
Sorc
The Queen of Carthage whom we hate,
As we do all in prosperous State.
E're Sun set shall most wretched prove,
Deprived of Fame, of Life and Love.
Cho.
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, &c.
Inchas
Ruin'd e're the Set of Sun,
Tell us how shall this be done.
Sorc.
The Trojan Prince you know is bound
By Fate to seek Italian Ground.
The Queen and He are now in Chase,
Hark, how the cry comes on apace.
But when they've done, my trusty Elf
In Form of Mercury himself.
As sent from Jove shall chide his stay,
And Charge him Sail to Night with all his Fleet away.
Ho, Ho, ho, ho, &c.
[Enter a Drunken Saylors, a Dance
6
But e're we, we this perform,
We'l Conjure for a Storm.
To Mar their Hunting Sport,
And drive 'em back to Court.
Cho.
In our deep-Vaulted Cell the Charm wee'l prepare,
Too dreadful a Practice for this open Air.
Eccho Dance.
Inchanteresses and Fairees.
Enter Æneas, Dido and Belinda, and their Train.
Scene the Grove.
Bel.
Thanks to these Lovesome Vailes,
Cho.
These desert Hills and Dales.
So fair the Game, so rich the Sport,
Diana's self might to these Woods Resort.
Gitter Ground a Dance.
2d. Wom.
Oft she Visits this Loved Mountain,
Oft she bathes her in this Fountain.
Here Acteon met his Fate,
Pursued by his own Hounds,
And after Mortal Wounds.
Discovered, discovered too late.
A Dance to Entertain Æneas, by Dido Vemon.
Æneas,
Behold upon my bending Spear,
A Monsters Head stands bleeding.
VVith Tushes far exceeding,
These did Venus Huntsmen Tear.
Dido.
The Skies are Clouded, heark how Thunder
Rends the Mountain Oaks asunder.
Hast, hast, to Town this open Field,
No Shelter from the Storm can yield.
[Exit.
The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Æneas in likness of Mercury.
Spir.
Stay Prince and hear great Joves Command,
He Summons thee this Night away.
Æn.
To Night.
Spir.
To Night thou must forsake this Land,
The Angry God will brook no longer stay.
Joves Commands thee wast no more,
In Loves delights those precious Hours,
Allowed by the Almighty Powers.
To gain th'Hesperian Shore,
And Ruined Troy restore.
Æn.
Joves Commands shall be Obey'd,
To Night our Anchors shall be weighed,
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My Injured Queen to pacify.
No sooner she resignes her Heart,
But from her Armes I'm forc't to part.
How can so hard a Fate be took,
One Night enjoy'd, the next forsook.
Your be the blame, ye Gods, for I
Obey your will—but with more Ease cou'd dye,
The Sorceress and her Inchanteress.
Cho.
Then since our Charmes have Sped,
A Merry Dance be Led.
By the Nymphs of Carthage to please us.
They shall all Dance to ease us.
A Dance that shall make the Spheres to wonder,
Rending those fair Groves asunder.
The Groves Dance.
| Dido and Aeneas | |