University of Virginia Library

ACT III.

SCENE the sea-shore, with the cave of Proteus.
Proteus and Antiope.
RECITATIVE. PROTEUS.
This feather, pluck'd from plumy wing
Of Jove's own bird, these flowers of spring
Fresh crop'd, with euphrasy and rue,
Thrice dip'd in Heliconian dew,
A wond'rous amulet comprize
To clear the film from mortal eyes.
Here, wood nymph, strike this magic bough,
With hand immortal, o'er the brow
Of charmed youth, and, strange to tell!
'Twill instantly disperse the spell;
With his purg'd eyes, he strait shall see
Calypso, as she ought to be.

RECITATIVE. ANTIOPE.
Henceforth may never hurt or harm
Approach thee or thy fishy swarm!
May thy sea-horses never more
Be tempest-driven upon the shore!
And ever-changing may'st thou be,
Still pleas'd with sweet variety.

Enter Mentor.
MENTOR.
Turn, wood nymph, and thou son of Neptune, stay!

AIR. PROTEUS.

RECITATIVE. MENTOR.
Whate'er I am more than I seem, Oh, Proteus!
To thee and to this wood nymph I must bear
Friendly affection; you have seal'd a peace
With the offended gods; these flowers medicinal
Of spell-dispersing quality I take,
And wave them thus and thus. Now, wood nymph, turn
And view thy lover. Is he not more pleasing?

RECITATIVE. ANTIOPE.
Can this be Proteus? Oh, surprizing change!

RECITATIVE. PROTEUS.
Where, and what am I? Sure my pendent locks,
Which hung like icicles upon the ribs
Of wintry Caucasus, grow crisp and curl'd;
My shaggy beard is gone, and my chin feels
Like young Apollo's, soft as cygnet's down;
And look, the wood nymph, once so chilling cold,
Now with warm glances smiles. Oh, for a mirror
To view myself withal.

RECITATIVE. ANTIOPE.
Ah! how is this!
What have you done? I feel, Oh, great magician!
I feel a throbbing; 'tis not pain, methinks;
Yet, if a pleasure, such an one it is
As borrows something of its opposite.
Wou'd I were such, Oh, Proteus! in thine eyes,
As thou art now in mine!

RECITATIVE. PROTEUS.
Fair thou wert ever;
But beauty so serene, such modest graces,
Till now I saw not.

RECITATIVE. MENTOR.
The protecting spirit,
Who guards Telemachus, hath wrought this change;
And now escape from this devoted isle;
Haste to the shore; attending tritons there
Shall welcome you rejoicing, and conduct
To the bright scene prepar'd for your espousals:
Farewel—be happy: only this remember,
Proteus must change no more.

[Exit.
AIR.
ANTIOPE.
Joyful I hear the fix'd decree,
That thou no more must change.

PROTEUS.
Ah, tell me, thus possessing thee,
Can Proteus wish to range?

PROTEUS AND ANTIOPE.
Come then, and e'er it be too late,
Fly this devoted shore,
Whilst sad Calypso meets her fate,
And falls to rise no more.

[Exeunt.
Calypso's Grotto.
Calypso and Telemachus.
AIR. CALYPSO.

TELEMACHUS.
I'll not approach your grotto. I renounce
Joys, which are purchas'd with the mind's content.

CALYPSO.
Know I have power to make those joys immortal;
To give thee the perpetual bloom of youth,
Or misery to the extent of time.

TELEMACHUS.
I'll not believe it; there are guardian spirits
Commission'd on the part of suffering virtue,
And I appeal to them. Lo, where I turn
From your false isle, and all its seeming joys.
Farewel, Calypso! Flatt'ring, treacherous ruin!
AIR.

Mentor enters from another part of the scene, and as Telemachus is departing, recalls him.
MENTOR.
Turn, turn, brave youth! your conquest is complete,
The tempter flies, your guardian friend returns,
A smiling train of happy days succeeds:
Away for Ithaca—your father lives—
Nay, doubt not—Hark! applauding thunder rolls;
Great Jove assents and ratifies the doom.

[Thunder.
TELEMACHUS.
Auspicious omen, hail! I do perceive
I am the care of some superior being;
But what I know not. Oh, protecting spirit,
How shall I go? Thy power I cannot doubt;
But yet no bark I see to bear me hence
From this lone island: all is sea around me.

MENTOR.
True, all is sea around you, and no bark
With ready sails presents itself to waft you
From this lone isle; yet if Telemachus
Hath constancy, he still shall be preserv'd.
AIR.

TELEMACHUS.
Instruct me how to act; behold me ready
For any deed thy wisdom may direct.

MENTOR.
Enough! then know thy guardian is Minerva.
Nay, rise, Telemachus! See'st thou the cliff
That beetles o'er yond fathomless abyss?

TELEMACHUS.
What would'st thou, mighty Power? I see the cliff.

MENTOR.
If thou dar'st plunge into the frowning flood
From this tremendous height, attending tritons
Shall to thy native Ithaca transport thee,
And carol strains of triumph o'er the waves.
Farewel; believe, obey me, and be bless'd.

[Exit.
AIR. TELEMACHUS.

[Exit.
Enter Calypso, alone.
RECITATIVE.
Death to my hopes! Come, dæmons all,
Assemble at your sovereign's call.
How now, familiars, have you sped?
Sluggards, you move with heels of lead.
What shakes you? Who your charm has crost?

The Dæmons enter mournfully.
FIRST DÆMON.
Alas, for pity, we are lost:
Some power unknown delights to thwart
The efforts of our magic art.

CALYPSO.
Base things, 'tis false; the only fault
Is in your natures. Open, vault,
And take them in!

[The vault opens.
RECITATIVE. FIRST DÆMON.
Ah, close the cave,
And save us, mighty mistress, save!

RECITATIVE. CALYPSO.
Will you then work, and work it well,
A stronger yet a stronger spell?
His stubborn virtue to controul,
And force my passage to his soul:
This done, not even the winds shall be,
Than you, more frolic or more free.

RECITATIVE. FIRST DÆMON.
Now, spirits, to your work apply;
I have a spell—

RECITATIVE. SECOND DÆMON.
And I—

RECITATIVE. THIRD DÆMON.
And I.

AIR. FIRST DÆMON.
I have the wonder-working stone
That faithful wooes the north alone;
With sultry blast that fans the flame
In melting breast of Lybian dame.

SECOND DÆMON.
I've tangles of Queen Dido's hair,
Rent in the frenzy of despair;
These with the dog-star's rage shall move
The embers of expiring love.

THIRD DÆMON.
I have the very nerve that hung
Sinon's false persuasive tongue;
I have the wanton dimples sleek
That bask'd in Helen's truant cheek.

FOURTH DÆMON.
I've jelly, caught from stars that fell,
By force of love-provoking spell;
And drops from Venus' tresses wrung,
When from the Cyprian wave she sprung.

FIFTH DÆMON.
I've gleanings of Hesperian fruit,
With rank Satyrion's guilty root;
These, with the hot Hispanian fly,
Shall make his languid pulse beat high.

CALYPSO.
Ye have enough. Spirits, be stout.
The charm is full. About, about!
[Exit Cal.

Each spirit, after reciting his spell, throws something into the cauldron, in the back scene, and retires. When the whole is performed, they all form a circle round it, crouching and squatting on their hams, stirring the flame at the same time; till Mentor appears, on whose coming they instantly start up.
RECITATIVE. MENTOR.
How now, malicious things! how do you dare,
With your vile drugs, prophane the wholesome air?
What is't you do?

RECITATIVE. FIRST DÆMON.
Ah, mighty Sir! we know
You can controul our doings, and we bow
To your superior power; but be our friend,
We'll do you faithful service without end.

RECITATIVE. MENTOR.
Dark are your deeds, and darkness be your doom,
Enter the cave, your everlasting tomb.
AIR.

CHORUS OF DÆMONS.
Dread being, protect us; Ah, pity our pain,
Release us from bondage, and loose us again!

MENTOR.
No being protects you, nor pities your pain;
No power to all time shall release you again.

[They enter the cave which closes upon them.
Enter Calypso hastily.
CALYPSO.
Now, spirits, have you done?

MENTOR.
Forever.

CALYPSO.
Mentor!

MENTOR.
Yes, Mentor.

CALYPSO.
Wretch, how have you dar'd?

MENTOR.
Sorceress, be still! your power is at an end;
Your dæmons are entombed here for ever,
And all your spells dissolv'd.

CALYPSO.
I'll call the winds,
And from its centre shake the solid isle:
I'll have a charm that shall provoke the thunder,
And launch Jove's fires on the audacious heads
Of meddling mortals.

MENTOR.
Peace, and hear me, goddess,
If you presume thus with enchanting spells,
And magic incantations, to approach me:
You then your great superior shall behold
In terror, and your bold presumption rue.

[Exit.
CALYPSO
alone.
He's gone, and I revive—
Inglorious thought—thus to be baffled: no:
I will pursue, or perish. Hah, Minerva!

As Calypso is going out, Minerva appears and opposes the Ægis.
RECITATIVE. CALYPSO.
The dreadful Ægis flashes in my eyes
Horrid confusion. Cover me, ye hills,
Fall on me, groves; or you, ye clouds, descend
And hide me from her sight! Oh, vengeful goddess,
I do implore thee to withdraw thy terrors,
Or in the milder change of Mentor's form,
Appear, and do thy will—
[Minerva disappears.
Thanks, mighty power!
The direful vision's vanish'd—She is gone:
And see, she comes again in human shape,
But still with brow severe.

Enter Mentor conducting Telemachus.
RECITATIVE. MENTOR.
Now hear your doom.
This isle, which you and your voluptuous train
Have made the seat of sinful pleasures, sinks,
With all its grottos, founts, and flowery groves,
Down to the unfathom'd bottom of the ocean,
Nay, to th'indignant center. See, 'tis falling!
[A crash is heard as of falling of buildings.
All, all must down, save one drear desart rock
Thy ruin's monument. Descend!
For earth and heaven renounce thee.

AIR. CALYPSO.
Ah! me, I sink—All cheering sun, farewel!
And you, sweet Phœbe, pleasure's better light!
Banish'd Calypso now, alas! must dwell
In scenes of sorrow with perpetual night.

[She sinks.
As Calypso is sinking, the scene vanishes, and the magnificent palace of Proteus, with its proper emblems and decorations, ascends. Proteus and Antiope are seated on a chrystal throne: the sea nymphs range on one side, and the tritons on the other. After a prelude, the following strain, with chorusses, is performed.
FINALE.
CHORUS.
Hail, happy scene, resplendent cave!
That glitters through the glassy wave,
Proteus, our king, returns from earth,
And gives this festival to mirth.

SEA NYMPHS.
Whilst here the chrystal waves beneath,
Through vocal reeds we softly breathe,
Tritons, your deep-ton'd shells prepare,
And caroll the responsive air!

CHORUS.
Hail, happy scene.

TRITONS.
Prepare, ye fathers of the flood,
Loud welcomes for the coming god,
Let your glad triumphs spread around,
And shake with joy the deep profound.

CHORUS.
Hail, happy scene.

ANTIOPE.
Proteus and you, who o'er the briny tide,
Tritons and nymphs, in scaly squadrons glide,
Your hymeneal strains awhile suspend,
And mark the moral of Calypso's end;
Happy, thrice happy must our union prove,
When sage Minerva guides the shaft of love.

PROTEUS.
Telemachus regains his native coast,
Whilst with her sinking isle Calypso's lost;
Of all her train one virtuous nymph alone
Remains to share my heart, and grace my throne:
Our bliss, no envious dæmon can destroy,
When crown'd by wisdom in the arms of joy.

GRAND CHORUS.
Their bliss no envious dæmon can destroy,
When crown'd by wisdom in the arms of joy.