At her so flowring age O had my daughter I bare unto you liv'd she would have beene Almost as old as she I doe beseech you Spare her and let her serve me at my table For I am prompted strangely by my Genius Unto commiseration Hydas. So am I Beyond imagination but you know The Law requires the first fruits of the warre Should be the gods oblation to the Sunne Therefore we 'll offer him she to the Moone The gods must be obey'd the lawes fulfil'd They all offer to rise Cariclea fals at the feet of Sysimethres Caric. Wise grave and learned sir be pleas'd to stay A little longer for I have a cause Of consequence to plead before the King And Queene Persina which concernes them too Aswell as me this matter doth require A speedy judgment and I heare that you Give sentence on such noble personage Therefore judge you this plea of life and death And know it is not just to offer me Unto the gods Sysim. Vouchsafe to heare most gracious Soveraigne This strange appeale and what this maid requireth Hydasp. What judgement may this be or what have I To doe with her by what meanes should I come Into her danger Sysim. Please you to attend She will declare it Hydas. But take heed that this You doe be no true judgment but plaine wrong If I that am a King must stand to plead My cause with any prisoner whatsoever Sysim. Justice and equity ner'e lookes into The person but the cause and he speeds best That brings best reasons Hydasp. But the Law permits You onely to determine controversies Betweene the King and subjects not with strangers Sysim. Wise and discreet men doe not measure things By the appearance but by equity Hydasp. Well let her speake since good Sysimethres Will have it so but it is manifest She will say nothing to the purpose but Some forg'd devise to shun the stroke of death Caric. O Sunne thou founder of my ancestres High pedegree and all ye other gods Ye noble men that here are met together Assist me in this place and be a witnesse That what I say is true and by firme proofes It shall appeare doe you command O King Strangers or your owne subjects to be offer'd Hydasp. Strangers Caric. Then it is fit and necessary You seeke out such I am no stranger borne But of this countrey and your subject too Hydasp. Thou liest Caric. You seeme to wonder at small things But there are greater undiscover'd yet I am not onely of this Country borne But of the royall blood Hydasp. This woman's mad Away I 'le heare no more such lunacie Hydaspes turnes from her in anger Caric. My royall father I beseech you know Your onelie daughter and despise her not Hydasp. Sysimethres and grave Gymnosophists How long shall she abuse my patience This mayd 's distracted and the feare of death Makes her speake any thing how false soever How bould and impudent I know I had Sometimes a daughter but she dy'd assoone As she was borne this is a false impostor Wherefore away with her and let 's delay The sacrifice no longer Caric. none shall dare To take me hence unlesse the judges please So to command for you are not to judge In your owne cause although a King but must Be subject to the law aswell as others Which priviledgeth you perchance to kill Strangers but neither this law nor the law Of nature doth allow you to destroy Your naturall children for the gods to day Shall by a strange discoverie make you know I am your daughter though you now disclaime me All controversies in the law depend One these two pointes especiallie that is Firme proofe by writings and sure confirmation By witnesses both which I can produce To prove I am your child my witnesse shall not Be common neither but the judge himselfe And heer 's a writing shall declare both mine And your estate She gives the Fascia to the Queene she knowes it and is amazed Hydasp. What meaneth this Persina that thy blood Thus comes and goes and that thy countenance Weares such an alteration is there ought Contayned in this writing troubleth thee Pers. O King my Lord and husband I have nothing To say unto it but take heed and read it Your selfe the same shall teach you well and truelie Hydaspes reads it to the end then gives it to Sysimet and the rest Hydasp. Persina doe you owne this character As your owne hand and know the birth to be Legitimate and true Pers. By Sunne and Moone I sweare it Hydasp. Although you tould me that my daughter dy'd I yet believe she was exposed forth As heere is mention'd but who was the man That tooke her up and carryed her to Aegypt How shall I know that he was taken with her Or this is she or whether the exposed Be dead or no besides whether some man When he hap'd to finde this might his good luck Abuse and make her play this famed part Mocking the great desire we have of issue By the suborning of some changelinge and Colouring the truth with this devised Fascia All these doubts must be cleer'd ere I believe Sysim. I can resolve you in the first for I Was he that tooke her up and carried her With me to Aegypt when you sent me thither Embassadour you know we may not lye Who are Gymnosophists I know this Fascia Written with Aethiopias royall letters Therefore you need not doubt that it is forg'd Besides t is signed with Persinas hand But there are other tokens that I gave To him that did receive you at my hands Can you produce them Caric. Yes loe heere they are She shewes Sisimet and the queene her jewels Hydasp. What are they doe you know them Pers. Yes with wonder Caric. These jewells were my mothers but this ringe Was yours I thinke you know the Pantarbe well Hydasp. I doe and all the rest but whether you Came by them as my daughter that I know not You might have got them by some other meanes For to omit all other needles questions Your colour 's strange and the like never seene In Aethiopia Sysim. She was also white That I brought up and with this virgins age Doth correspond the terme of yeeres when she Was forth exposed being seuenteene yeeres So old seemes this faire mayd Hydasp. Sysimethres In my opinion you have show'd your selfe An advocate in this cause not a judge Beware least while you strive to cleere this doubt I may suspect Persina hath beene false For how i st possible that such a thing Sould be in nature we two being black To have an issue white this is against All humane sence and reason naturall Sysim. The Fascia tells you how this came to passe Persina in the act of generation Contemplatively eying the faire picture Of beautifull Andromeda and firing A strong imagination thereupon Conceived in her wombe the very figure Of Perseus Mistris when she was bound fast Unto the rocke and he
due to her praise I saw him busie in the ceremonies Dem. Is this the day by Iove I knew it not Else had I beene spectator of the sight Chiefly to see my Cnemon in his office Could I be angry with him I should chide him For not acquainting me This. He did it neatly I would not for my maiden-head have miss'd So rare a sight not for ten maiden-heads Dem. Are all the rites and ceremonies done I faine would see yet the conclusion This. Mistresse t is to late see Cnemon there return'd in all his robes Enter Cnemon in his robes crowned Demeneta runnes to him and takes him in her armes Dem. My young Hippolitus and my deare Theseus Welcome O welcome to me Cnem. Heavens defend me From this lewd Phaedra aside Mother what d ee meane To burne me thus with kisses Dem. Burthen thee With blisses too I can my pretty boy If thou wilt love thy mother Cnem. In what nature Require you that if as it ought to be That children love their Parents I agree Dem. As Venus with Anchises sported once In Ida grove so let mee sport with thee Dost understand me now Cnem. You are too bold Too impudent Dem. Nay prethee doe not frowne This night I must enjoy thee and thou me Thy fathers absence doth invite us to it I will maintaine thee like a Princes sonne Glittering in gold and our sweet furtive sports Keepe from the sunne and knowledge of the gods No one shall know it Cnem. Hence incestuous woman Think'st thou to make me wrong my fathers bed And to commit an act so foule as incest Tempt me no more by heaven by earth and all Th' immortall gods I 'le die a thousand deaths Ere thinke a thought on 't much lesse yeeld unto it Your damned wit nor quaint inticing words Shall not prevaile my hate exceeds my love Exit Cnemon in a rage Demen. Am I despised thus and my hot love Requited with disdaine as cold as ice By such a youngling he shall know the difference Betweene a womans favours and her frownes And curse too late his foolish modesty Goe Thisbe to the Castle tell my husband I am not well intreat him to come to me With all the speed he can This. I shall sweet Mistresse Exit Thisbe Demeneta a lies down upon the bed faining her selfe sicke Dem. What raging fires still burne me how I am Divided in my selfe tweene love and hate two mighty passions combatting together Love would prevaile if reason might be judge But love is too unreasonably harsh Hate therefore execute thy proper function Enflame my breast with rage and high disdaine Against this brat that gave me the repulse Inspire my study in his Tragedie Enter Aristippus and Thisbe Arist. How fares my sweet heart that she keepes her bed Dem. Deare husband very sicke and in ill case Arist. The gods forbid that sound doth strike me dead What ailes my dearest wife tell me the cause Of this your sudden sicknesse Dem. Nothing Sir I know no cause at all Arist. Come come you must not Conceale your griefe but lay it ope unto me I doe beseech my love Dem. Since you are so Importunate to know it understand The goodly young man sonne unto us both To you by nature but to me by love Whom I the gods know held as deare unto me As you when he perceiv'd by certaine tokens I was with child by you which thing I kept Hid from your knowledge till I knew my selfe The certainty and waiting for your absence When I in wonted manner councell'd him To leave his whores and to avoid his cups Which things I knew he lov'd but would not tell you Lest I should run into the ill suspition Of stepmother whilest I in gentle manner Told him these things I will not speake the worst Nor in what sort he did revile us both But last of all he spurn'd me on the belly Which hath procur'd this my disease and paine Arist. O villaine I will scurge him even to death Thisbe goe call him hither Exit Thisbe Then presently enters Cnemon Aristippus falls presently a buffetting of him without speaking a word then calls his servants and scurgeth him with rods Cnem. Deare father I beseech you let me know The cause of this your anger and my stripes So cruelly laid on mee Arist. Oh cleanly dissembler Thou wouldst indeed know thy owne fault from me Hee beats him afresh Cnem. Yet now at length Sir let me understand What I have done that thus provokes your wrath The gods doe know my innocence Arist. Base wretch Thy innocence would she belie thee thinkst thou That lov'd thee better than her selfe away Get out of my sight I will not heare thee speak Exit Cnemon My dearest Demeneta cheere your selfe Strive to forget the paine Dem. I 'm in bad plight So that I doe not onely feare the life Of that I goe with but mine owne besides These accidents are dangerous to women Yet Sir it griev'd me that you tooke so sharpe A punishment of Cnemon for all this I cannot chuse but love him Arist. That 's thy vertue But banish him thy thoughts as I will doe Hence forth as most unworthy of our love Come sweet you shall remove from hence into A fitter roome I 'le send a Doctor to you Exit Aristippus Dem. You doe mistake my pulse whose veines doe swell With rage and furie and shall live in paine Untill I be reveng'd This. My Mistresse knowes How to deceive old Dotards with false shewes Exeunt Actus primi Scena quinta Enter Nebulo solus frisking for joy Nebul. WEe shall fall downe the river Nile to night and hoise saile for Greece brave newes comfortable newes my heart capers within me for joy that I shall see my countrey againe my Master is sore troubled for blacke Sysimethres his constrained flight which hath defeited their appointed meeting and conference touching Caricleas fortunes but haste our journey the sooner there 's my comfort I left him cursing the Deputy and invoking the god Apollos wrath to plague him for dismissing the Embassadour so suddenly with such deadly threatenings to depart the Kingdome Alas poore maid I pity thee that by this meanes thou shalt not be able to knowe who begot thee nor who brought thee forth but all 's one thou wilt soone learne to be begotten and to bring forth by instinct of nature and thy owne experience Catadupice adiew adiew adiew gentlemen when you see us next t will be in Delphos away away away merrylie merrily Exit Finis actus primi Actus secundi Scena prima Enter Calasiris Isis priest at Memphis Am I the goodesse Isis priest and burne In these unlawfull fires shall Rhodopis With her Venerious charmes subdue my heart And make me breake that temperance of life Which I have hitherto preserv'd unspotted What shall I doe I cannot stand the push Of these strong passions yet I am resolv'd Nere to commit the act nor so to staine My priesthood with
coarse sticke to your promise Arist. I 'll not faile you sweet Exit Aristippus Dem. Where goe you Cnemon Cnem. No where but to waite Upon my Father to the Senate-house And instantly returne Dem. See that you doe And you shall not repent it Exit Cnemon I must gaine him Unto my will by faire and gentle meanes By promises and gifts by sweet allurements And strong inticing words by pleasing him With what he likes best this will take his youth I make no doubt and bring me to his bed I burne for love of him and must be quench'd Old Aristippus I have fool'd and made Believe I love him but it is not so I have brought him to my owne lure so that He stoops unto my beauty now if I Can but enjoy my Cnemon I am then Mistris of my designe and a chiefe Artist In this sweet trade let fooles burne in their fire Of modest love I 'le on to my desire Exit Actus primi Scena tertia Enter Caricles Sysimethres and Nebulo Sysim. Prethee honest friend Shall I intreat thee to go forth and bid The pretty girle without in the next roome To come here to me Nebul. Yes sir that I shall I love to be imploy'd a messenger To pretty mayds is she so beautifull Sysim. O wondrous faire and beautifull Nebul. I 'le then Usher her safely in and kisse her too Exit Nebulo enters againe with Cariclea Sysim. See here the second gift I meane to give you More pretious then the first you told me sir You had a daughter once but rap'd by death Here is another for you use her well Caric. I am amaz'd to see so rare a beauty Such an Angel-like creature Sysim. Cease your wonder The mother of this beautious girle which here Standeth before us for a certaine cause Which you shall learne hereafter laid her forth Clad in such weeds as commonly is us'd For such a purpose so committing her To fortunes doubtfull chance but I by hap Finding her tooke her up for t is not lawfull That we neglect a soule when once it hath Entred a humane body being a precept Amongst the wise men with us to be whose Unlearned scholler I was once judg'd worthy Besides even in the infants eyes appear'd Something which bred both wonder and delight With her I found this bag of precious stones Which I gave you of late and a silke cloth Wrought full with letters in her mother tongue Wherein contayned was her whole estate Her mother as I ghesse procur'd the same Which after I had read I knew from whence and what shee was and therefore carryed her Into the Land farre distant from the City Delivering her to certaine honest shepheards To bring her up with charge that they should not Reveale her unto any for those things That were found with her I detain'd with me Least for them she might suffer any danger And thus at first this matter was kept close Caric. But what befell her after pray goe one In processe then of time this princelie maid Growing and as she grew encreasing still More faire then any women else besides For beautie surelie cannot be conceald Though under ground but would from thence appeare I fearing least her fortune should be knowne And I brought unto danger su'd to be Sent in embassage to the Deputie Of Egipt and abtained it therefore come I And bring her with me full of zealous care To set her busines right and in good order Caric. Leave that to me Nebul. But chiefly unto me I 'le be her guardion too Caric. What will you have me doe concerning her Direct me and I 'le punctualle observe it Sysim. As touching her first I commend her to you And to the gods who hitherto have kept her On such conditions as by oath you 'r bound To see perform'd that is that you will use her As a free woman ought to be and give her In marriage to a free man as you doe Receive her at my hand or rather of Her mother who hath left her to your charge I hope you will performe all things according Unto your oath and answer the opinion I have of your good manners which I finde By some few dayes experience to be Greekish indead this much I had to say Before I executed my commission Concerning my embassage other secrets Belonging to the maid I 'le tell you them To morrow in more ample manner if You please to meet me about Isis temple Caric. Expect me there then but I cannot brooke So long a time to see the Virgin mask'd In so obscure a manner Sysim. Now I cannot Stay to discover what I know of her The Deputie of Egypt hath appointed This day for hearing of me farewell both Exit Sysim. Caric. Can you speake Greeke my pretty sweet heart can you she smiles upon him but saies nothing No can you speake Egyptian neither sweet Nebul. I 'le undertake to teach her both the tongues So I may be her tutor she frownes upon him Caric. Nebulo Thou seest I have another daughter now She shall be called faire Cariclea Deriv'd from Caricles which is my name Nebul. Would I had such a daughter too she should not Have then so course a name all men should call her The pretty Nebuletta Nebulo Then Nebulona then neate Nebuletta A sumptuous pedegree how sweet it runnes Caric. Thy house would flourish then were she thy daughter Nebul. Above the clouds the gods would lodge themselves Beneath my roofe and powre downe plenty on me In golden showers to rest in Danaes lap Caric. What growne so high conceited Nebulo Nebul. Something inspir'd my braine I know not what sir But now i 'm come unto my selfe againe 'T was but a toy that tooke me Caric. I believe it Many such toyes doe take thee in the head Get me a maske I must convey this damzell Muffled home to my house Nebul. She need not be Asham'd to shew her face it may procure her A husband by the way for ought you know You shall but wrong her much in doing so Caric. Sirrah away dispute no more but doe it Exit redit with a maske they muffle her Nebul. 'T is pitty faith methinkes to use her thus 'T is such a pretty thing Caric. Come you must goe With me my daughter deare where you shall be Us'd and respected as my native child When I have understood harke Nebulo Her 's newes for thee by good Sysimethres My daughters further state we 'll hye forthwith To Greece and Delphos and put on againe My first religious habit to your shrines Ye gods we 'll offer sanctified minds Exeunt Actus primi Scena quarta Enter Demeneta and Thisbe her mayd Demen. When sawest thou Cnemon Thisbe This. Know you not That Pallas high feast call'd Quinquatria This day was celebrated here in Athens One with a ship by land as is the manner Was consecrated Cnemon was imployd Clad in his robes and on his head a crowne To sing the usuall hymne
yet I would have my selfe excused to thee if thou happen to live and to him that shall finde thee if the gods procure any and therefore I declare the cause of thy exposition after king Hydaspes had beene married to me ten yeeres and we had never a child we happened one time to rest us after dinner in a gallerie where hung rare pictures and images amongst which were those of Perseus and Andromeda portrayed as when he first redeem'd her from the rocke at this time your father lay with me swearing that by a dreame he was commanded so to doe and I by and by perceived my selfe to be with child but thou wert borne white which colour is strange among the Aethiopians I knewe the reason because I looked sted fastlie upon the picture of Andromeda naked and by that meanes conceived a thing like to her yet I determined to rid my selfe of shamefull death counting it certaine that thy colour would procure me to be accused of adulterie and that none would believe me when I told them the cause and to commit thee to the unstablenes of fortune which is a great deale rather to be wished for then present death or to be called a bastard and telling my husband that thou wert straight dead I have privilie layd thee forth with the greatest riches that I had for a reward to him that shall find thee and take thee up above all thinges remember that thou seeke among thy jewels for a certaine ring which thy father gave me when we were first made sure in the hoope whereof is a princelie posie the stone is a Pantarbe of secret vertue consecrated in the place where it is set The gods preserve thee my deerest daughter and grant us a happy meeting Theag. A strange but blest discoverie hast thou made Of faire Caricleas royall pedegree Right reverend father which before lay buried Deepe in the obscure vault of ignorance Now princelie virgin raise thy glorious head Above the clouds and give thy conquering beautie Command to pull the thunderer from his seate To serve thee here on earth or in Olympus Where thou shalt please to dwell and rest not here Let Mars be fetter'd Mercurie a slave And bright Apollo dazled with the sight Of beames more splendant then his owne fall downe And worship thy appearance offering thee His throne to sit upon Calas. Theagenes Fie be not such a vaine Idolater The gods may plague you for it Theagines plague me for Adoring queene Caricles deity They are unjust then for themselves commit The same Idolatry aswell as I Calas. That 's but your superstitious jealousie Thinke you the gods will rivall you or love A mortall Virgin fie 't is blasphemy Theag. They have done so or else the Poets lie Witnesse Europas bull and Laedas swans Faire Danaes shower and Daphnes transformation If their poore beauties had that operation To worke such strange effects in heavenly powers How much more force nay violence thinke you Hath hers to whose compard theirs are like glasse To sparkling diamonds Caric. My dearest friend Forbeare these candid raptures of your wit Not my desert and enter into thought Of what concernes us most Theag. Agreed my goddesse Calas. No more dispute then but forthwith to sea Delphos adiew the fates call us away Exeunt Actus quarti Scena secunda Enter Arsace and her old baud Cibile Arsa. So sweet a man as thy description makes him Cib. Nothing inferiour Madame but beyond it His body is a Temple stately built Where Venus comes and offers turtle doves To gaine his liking Arsa. Such a majesty Accompanying that sweetnesse too Cib. As if They wedded were together hand in hand Walking in so delectable a mansion Arsa. So active and broad shoulder'd as thou saist So tall and portly Cib. Every way provided To satisfie your pleasure Arsa. Thou hast kindled A fire within me but what Countrey ownes This wonder of a man when landed he At Memphis shore who brought him canst thou tell Cib. He came with Calasiris from some parts Of Greece as I am given to understand And landed here last night Arsa. Where doth he lodge Cib. In Calasiris house without the Temple Arsa. Thou must devise some way to bring him to me And lodge him in our palace for I have An itching humour to enjoy the man Cib. Let me alone I am your Ingineer To worke your pleasure Arsa. But who is the maid Thou saist did beare him company and was So neere his bosome Cib. I suppose she is His sister or his wife Arsa. Is she faire as he Cib. I never saw one fairer such a beauty As would have made Iove stoope and shaken off His Eagles borrowed shape to force a kisse From her Nectorious hand Arsa. Thou mak'st me jealous With praises of my rivall Cib. Let not that Trouble your thoughts he cannot be so foolish That when so great a happinesse shall be Offer'd unto him as the love and liking Of faire Arsace Oromdates wife Egypts great Deputy but reverently Kneele downe and worship such a change in love Arsa. If thou canst bring deare nurse this thing to passe Thou shalt at once cure two diseases in me Fell love and jealousie Cib. I doubt it not What mad man but will be content to change His Brasse for Gold his Copper for rich pearle Both which he shall enjoy enjoying you Arsa. O what a sugred time have I to use My sweet disports now that the Deputy My husband is imployed in the warre Against Hydaspes King of Aethiopia About the Smaragd mines pray heaven they end not Before my pleasures period Cib. Never feare it You shall have time ynough to bathe in blisse Arsa. See Cibile who knocks there one knocks Cib. Calasiris And the faire parties Arsa. Heavens conduct them in Enter Calasiris Theagines and Cariclea Calas. All haile unto the Palace of my Prince Madame it may seem strange unto your Highnesse That I presume to bring these strangers with me To kisse you Princely hands I make no doubt But when you shall be well informed of Their birth and breeding it wil plead my pardon Arsa. What need this complement you 'r welcome sir So are your friends when did you ever know me Unkind to strangers or inhospitable To such as these whose outward lookes declare Their inward minds and speake their noble parts So elegant a grace and stately beauty As shineth in their countenances cannot Proceed but from some Princely pedegree Pray â—r speake whence you are Theag. Most beautious Lady Please you to understand we are of Greece Descended of a Noble family Which ne're produced yet unworthy branches Let it suffice I doe beseech your Grace We open it no further we have beene Rob'd on the sea by pyrates but redeem'd By Noble Calasiris and brought here To Memphis stately City Arsa. Is this Lady Your sister or your wife Theag. My sister Madame Tost equally with me by fortunes blasts Arsa. but now those stormes are past and