accuser fall her sacrifice But if she can forget her former Vertue I can forget my former Love and be As just as she is wicked I can take As true a pleasure then to see her blood Drop from the fatal sword as ere I did To see it blushing on her cheek when erst I thought her modest And for the Priest whom I Have ever Father call'd and have rever'd More in my thoughts then language if he can Un-priest himself by wickedness I can Be glad to see those hands in iron which So oft have blest me to behold him burn VVho hath burnt holy incense and perfum'd All my Devotions with it I can glory To let him feel this Truth That 't is Heaven's guise Not to have beasts for Priests but Sacrifice Enter Queen and Priest Look where they come Let us withdraw it may be VVe shall hear something Pyrrh Sure they see you Priest And nothing is more common Then this which is not thought a sin because It seemeth rather an impulse of Nature King Hear'st thou Pyrrhus Queen The King Priest All happiness attend your Majestie King I must contain How doth my Queen Queen Always happy whilst your Majesty Is so King And what are you discoursing Queen Nothing but good with this good person sure King VVhat 's that you talk of that which is not sin ' Cause an impulse of Nature Queen Smiles What means your Majesty Priest I know not how we came by chance to speak How little wantonness is thought a sin Because it seemeth an impulse of Nature VVhereas the Vertuous still do fix their eye On the Command not the Temptation And think 't enough if what Heaven gives as Law Be possible although not natural King aside 'T is well put off I shall never hold To hear this hypocrite Well I must leave you Queen I shall wait upon your Majesty If 't may not be a trouble King To you it may be Queen Smiles That as your Majesty's pleasure is to make it Exeunt King and Queen Priest How happy 't is to see a King and Queen Thus blestly live together Pyrrh Heaven keep them so Priest Pray Heaven Amen My Lord adieu Exit Priest Pyrrhus solus Did I but dare to disobey my Prince In any thing or call my self to counsel VVhether I should reveal a secret he'th Vouchsaf'd to tell me I would certainly Prevent this Tragedy My Queen and Priest Should still be white and holy But what Kings Please to command requires obedience not Examination when they once have judg'd 'T is want of judgment if we dare judge too Enter King hastily King Pyrrhus I had forgot one thing Thou knowst the Prince is expected here to morrow and I doubt he will be somewhat early too It will be necessary his coming be retarded untill this business be over that I may know with what face to receive him after all the glorious actions he hath done I would not for a world his arrival should happen 'till the whole examination be over Pyrrh It will be an unhappy entertainment for his Grace Would your Majestie please to have me go my self King If thou canst handsomely do it and be early back in the morning It is but riding all night In the morning I shall want thee Pyrrh I shall do it with much ease if it be your Majesties pleasure King I shall leave thee to frame the excuse Pyrrh I shall be gone immediately Heaven grant I meet good newes to morrow morning Exit Pyrrhus King I doubt that Thus we with them in plotting do consent But they plot sin and we plot punishment And little think they in how small a time Poor souls my justice shall o'ertake their crime Too happy were men if they understood There is no safety but in being good Exit King Finis Act. 4. ACTUS 5. Enter the King He walks a while then seateth himself in a Chayre King UNfortunate Basilius How just Are all thy punishments proportion'd Heaven To unjust men Yet should I dare to judge Those happy Essences that dwell in Light And cannot erre I should be apt to say My punishment exceeds my crime my sin Went never farther then th' intention and My sufferance is real But was 't not Solely your goodness that it rested there And must you not be just now ' cause you then Were merciful Enter Pyrrh Pyrrhus undone My eyes are witnesses I saw them both Enter the Grotto Pyrrh The Priest in womans habit King All 's true The Queen hath been already Examin'd by the Councel All she saith Is that she 's innocent but will not say The cause which mov'd her to an action so Suspected though she die for 't But such Fyrrhus Are never innocent who are asham'd To vindicate their deeds when once their lives Do lie at stake for 't Pyrrh Your Majesty was not present King No I leave them totally to justice I Shall make the Law their judge Pyrrh But pray VVhat saith the Priest King I now expect to hear Th' examination It hath been very long Two houres at least It 's bad enough for certain But here it comes My Lord you have been long Enter Lord of the Councel But I expect no good and therefore care not If you had longer been Lord. An 't please your Majesty Before I can give satisfaction to Your expectations I must humbly pray You will pleas'd to pardon the intreating Your answer to a question on which all That we have done depends Pyrrhus withdraws a little King VVhat is it Lord. 'T may seem too insolent but the whole truth Of all th' examination wholly doth Depend upon it Whether your Majesty For reasons known best to your royal self Did not one night command a little Lady VVho waits upon the Princess one Urania To attend you in that Grotto where The Queen and Priest were seis'd on King I did Lord. And she was there King She was Lord. And was your Majesty Assur'd that it was she or might it be The Queen King Her whispers were the Queens Pyrrhus Knows what I told him riseth Lord. Be happy then great Prince Your Queen is Innocent your Priest is holy And Geron and Neader only are The Criminals King Relieve my wonder Lord. Hear Great Prince in short a plot that seems contriv'd In Hell by Heaven to add more whiteness to The Vertuous Here is the Priests confession Unrols a paper and reads it The confession of the Priest and his examination With the confession of Phronesia Geron and Neander That Geron came yesterday in the afternoon unto the Priest and after much seeming troubled told him that he had some houres before over-heard a contrivance between the Queen and the Lord Neander to meet at eleven of the clock that night at the Grotto in the Garden and that Neader was to be habited like a woman and the Queen to be dressed like a young lass named Vrania who waits on the Princess the better to prevent suspition in case they should
all but for the love of that poor Maid The Prince not ten months since took from a Cottage As he a hunting was and gave the fair Cleantha for a present Endym. Who Vrania Pyrrh Yes But stay I see him coming Enter King Let us retire It may be we shall hear Some of the thoughts that trouble him Endym. Husht King Ah! VVhere will this tyrant end Heav'n shall I still Be Priest and Sacrifice and Altar too Unto a passion I can satisfie But never conquer what poor things are Kings What poorer things are Nations to obey Him whom a petty Passion doth command Fate why was man made so ridiculous But I can quench my Flame And where my prayers Have not prevail'd my power can command Who in Arcadia dare resist my will But stay When this poor Maid sprung from a stock Low as the Cottage where she first saw light Shall call on Vertue and the Gods to keep Her body they too weakly have expos'd White as her soul which all the world cann't sully Shall I whom men call sacred and divine And look on as deriv'd from Ancestors VVho have not Tombs but Altars without shame And thousand blushes dare with ruder force To drive poor Vertue from her cleanest Temple And use that power the Gods have given me O'er others but t' offend them how I please By Heaven by Heaven I will not But I dy Oh I am mortal Men but flatter me Oh fate why were not Kings made more then Men Or why will people have us to be more Alas we govern others but our selves VVe cannot rule as our eyes that do see All other things but cannot see themselves I must submit I am a King but LOVE 'S a Deity I am resolv'd to trie Whether Urania will Love or die I 'll in and faithful Pyrrhus streight shall prove My fate Lords must be Pimps when Kings do love Exit King Pyrrhus and Endymion appeare again Pyrrh He 's gone Endym. But he first thought on your employment Pyrrh Truth I have had already but too much on 't Endym. Have you then been the Mercury between Him and the fair Urania Pyrrh Yes I have Already done what Language and Rewards Have power to do But she 's as deaf to this As blind to those She seemeth not to see Ought shine but Vertue Endym. But what can she say Poor Country Girl VVhere can she find words And resolution when you do assault her Pyrrh VVhy 'faith my Lord I 'll tell you VVhen I first Mention'd the business to her all alone Poor soul she blush'd as if already she Had done some harm by hearing of me speak VVhilst from her pretty eyes two Fountains run So true so native down her fairest Cheeks As if she thought her self oblig'd to cry ' Cause all the world was not so good as she Endym. aside Heaven how doth this carriage please me Pyrrh For my own part I know not what to say Her tears so innocently beg'd my pity That I was straight turn'd over to her side And had forgot the cause for which I strove 'Till rallying once again I once more gave A new assault and urg'd her to an answer All her reply was No then humbly pray'd me Not to be cruel to a poor weak maid VVho had not any thing in all the world To give her credit but her innocence VVith such success as this I often have Assail'd her vertue adding promises Of all things I could suppose might tempt her But all in vain This Ermyne will not be Perswaded from the whiteness she so loves Endym. And do you think the King will now use force Pyrrh You heard him what he said I cannot tell 'T is hard to say what men whom reason guides Intend to do much more whom passion rides But let 's away I would not have him know VVe were so neer the venting of his thoughts Endym. There comes my Lord Leander let 's away Exeunt severally Enter Neander Cleantha and Urania waiting on her Neand. How doth this hour transport my soul with Joy To have the blessed priviledge to be With fair Cleantha the best Princess Cleanth I 'm glad it makes some body happy Sir Neand. With her who hath my heart Cleanth Have it I Sir Pray my Lord then take it again for I would not be troubled with the keeping such a bauble for all the world Neand. She whom great Nature now grown wanton made To look upon and scorn her other works Cleanth My Lord I see you are resolv'd not to studie to no purpose You will have our your Complement let me say what I please But by the by I hope you will not be angry if I prove somewhat like my scornful Mother as you say and make you the first example of it Fare you well Neanth Nay Madam I beseech your Highness Cleand. Nay my Lord now I have put you out of your Complement I 'll tarry a little longer Neand. Madam You are cruel How do you kill Cleanth Kill Neander No sure for then you would be affraid to come neer me Neand. Great Princess You are cruel But I ne'er Could fear Death from so fair a hand as yours Cleanth Perchance you do your self the justice to think that such will not foul their fingers about you I beleeve indeed my Lord You fear Death least from the hands of a woman which is the reason you chuse to tarry here at Court among the Ladies rather then go to the War with the Prince Neand. Madam You Ladies have a Priviledge Cleanth Yes my Lord it 's sometimes a Priviledge to speak Truth Neand. 'Faith Madam You may say what you please Cleanth Pardon me my Lord it would please me much better if I could say you were in the war in Thessalia Neand. Why truly Madam I could give your Highness very good reasons why I went not to the war with the Prince Cleanth I believe you can my Lord and so can every body else that knows your Lordship It was because you were affraid Neand. Do not disgrace me so Madam I beseechy you It was for very different reasons Cleanth Truely my Lord You will give very much satisfaction to the world if you say what they are and very much undeceive them Neand. Why then Madam to tell you truly I am somewhat troubled with Corns so that I cannot without pain wear a riding Boot And then I am strangely subject to the Tooth-ake which makes me very unfit to lie in the Field Which indeed were the two main reasons made me to refuse the war Cleanth What pity it is so brave a minde should be thus unluckily hindred from shewing it self Neand. Madam I perceive you jeer me Cleanth What a quick apprehension you have my Lord And do not you perceive you merit it But the Queen will expect me and possibly Sir you are by this time somewhat satisfied with my company adieu Exeunt Cleanth and Urania Neand. Pox take her for me for all she is so great
Which sort of temper being no wise proper To your more sprightly age and 〈◊〉 I As one oblig'd by Heaven to serve you and Authori'zd too to speak presum'd to watch A fitting opportunity to pray Your Highness to unfold whether its cause No wise concerns my Function or if I Might serve you with my Counsel or my Prayers Clean. Sir You have ever been a Father to me And possibly your great respect a little May injure your great judgement and present Things you are pleas'd to fear as though they were Priest No Madam pardon me I 'm not mistaken But much more doubt what you with so much art Desire to hide Sure 't is no common thing You can think worth the covering with such language Cleanth Indeed I am no wise sad Sir you but doubt it Priest Pardon me Madam if I dare to tell you You do not well to say so You are troubled Madam you are in love You ought not to Deny it ' cause 't is truth Cleanth Nor ought I to Confess it ' cause it is no sin Priest If it be not Indeed you are not bound to 't But if you Love one beneath your birth and Fortune Madam That is a sin Cleanth It may be so but I Am no wise guilty of it Sir Pri. Madam Endymion is so Cleanth And can I help it Sir So are a thousand more it may be Pri. Madam 'T were to affront your Highness should I longer Delude you by my seeming ignorance Of what would Heaven had ne'er been known to you Nor me Madam you love that poor Mean Lord Endymion 'T is for him that you Look pale and sigh and walk alone and die To all that 's glorious and worthy you So high a Princess 'T is for him you slight The Prince of Macedon and disoblige The King your Unkle 'T is for him you are No more Cleantha no more that noble Princess That like a Deity reflected on Your own perfection that Supreme Estate Nature and Fortune thought you worthy of And did esteem your self at the same rate Heaven and the Gods had valued you But Madam 'T is not too late yet to recant all this And there is oft more glory in repenting Us of some errours then never to have err'd Because we find there are more folks have Judgment Then Ingenuity Madam let me be The happy Messenger of this good news Cleanth Poor Cleantha poor Endymion Aside Pri. Madam Cleanth Enough Sir I am not asham'd My Priest should know what my Prayers are not Asham'd to own Pri. Then you love Endymion Confess it if you 're not asham'd Cleanth It may be It suits not with my Modesty to say so Nor yet with my Religion to deny it I am sorry you are angry Sir Pri. Ah! dear Princesse I am not angry that would not become me I am afflicted Madam I am afflicted At what much less becomes your Highness Can You love so mean a Lord and own it too And still think your self innocent and talk Of Modesty and say Love is no sin And pray Cleanth Nay Sir I must be bold when you Instruct me to be so and interrupt That Language Sir you must not let me hear Know I may love Endymion and yet talk Of Innocence and Modesty much more then you May of Civility when you presume Sir To tell me to my face the contrary You 'll pardon me I hope Sir I would fain Remember you yet not forget my self Pri. Pardom my passion Madam 'T is for you Clean. 'T is not for me to hear That Modesty You dar'd to doubt heaven have I heard it Know She cryes Is much too tender to be touch'd Sir with Hard fingers yet Priest Dear Princesse pardon me Clean. Had you not been my Priest I could have thought So bold a passion but for you who teach That all the Wealth and Grandeur in the world Doth hold no more proportion with true Vertue Then this world with Elysium her reward For you who teach this and have taught it me And if you teach it not your Function's nothing For you I say to be so much in passion I love Endymion who is poor but hath More vertue then a thousand Princes this Is wonder Sir But for your office sake I 'll think you speak not your own words and so I still may reverence you as you well know I still have done Priest Madam have I your pardon Cleanth You have it Sir Priest Then give me leave to be Gratefull and serve you Humbly to discusse This Love you 're pleas'd to own without the least Of prejudice or favour Thus you may Best judge of this great action of your life Cleanth You have it Sir and may oblige me with it Priest Then know faire Clean. But when you name Endymion Priest Your pleasure Madam Clean. Nothing I do attend you Priest Nay Madam pray be free Clean. It 's nothing Sir Endymion needs not my Apology Priest Madam you do acknowledge that you love The Lord Endymion Cleanth Sir I do to you But never have to him and it may be I never will Priest Your Highnesse doth oblige me And you do seem to give this reason ' cause He ownes more vertue then a thousand Princes Which sure is probable Yet Madam know That there are Princes too are vertuous As he and in particular the high Born Prince of Macedon who courts your Highnesse Doth yield to none but hath as good a title To Virtue as his Crown Now though you ought To prefer Vertue before Wealth or Greatnesse As what is of more value then them both Yet these are both fair Pedals unto Vertue They much advance her stature and do make Her more conspicuous to the world and so Much more ador'd and therefore alwayes are To be preferr'd when to be had with her Low Violets may smell among the grasse And their own leaves whilst that the nobler Rose Adornes the Garden and is no lesse sweet Clean. Sweeter then both in your comparison But Sir if it be possible t' advance This humble Violet almost unto The stature of the Rose to whom great Nature Hath gi'n a higher stem though not more sweetness Pray would it not be more of charity And judgement then t' endeavour with more hazard To adde some leaves unto that Rose whom Nature Already had made fair enough Pri. Madam I well do understand your Highnesse owns Greatness enough to make another Great And that the Prince of Macedon appears Already fair enough to all the world Yet surely Madam though your structure be Noble and high if you will build it on A low foundation it can ne'er appeare So high as if your Basis higher were You may appear your self but when you do Joyn with an equall you appear him too Clean. Pardon me Sir I onely him appear I lose my name and all I was before I am not greater when his wife because I was a Princesse for should he but wed The meanst Lass in all