Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A16636
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The tragicomoedi of the vertuous Octauia. Done by Samuel Brandon. 1598; Virtuous Octavia
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Brandon, Samuel, fl. 1598.
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1598
(1598)
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STC 3544; ESTC S104635
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47,881
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130
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Cleopatra sent A messenger Fonteius was his name Whose swiftnes did euen hast it selfe preuent More then we knew not but within short space Came Cleopatra royally attended And met directly at th' appointed place Which for their stay they had before pretended There did they sporte a time in great excesse Of all delights which any eye hath seene And there Antonius his great loue t' expresse Did frankely giue to this Aegyptian queene Phoenicia Cyprus and Cylicia Part of Arabia where those people dwell Cald Nabatheians part of Syria And finding that she could preuaile so well With Antony she further 〈◊〉 proceed And begd part of that land we Iewry call From whence mought be transported at hir neede True balme for to preserue hir grace withall This donâ—… my Lord to'ards Parthia tooke his way Which we with fier and sworde did waste and burne But in those confines did not long time stay But backe againe to Blanckbourge we returne From whence a poste was speedily addrest For to conduct this Cleopatra thither She kindly condiscends to his request Thus there they met and there they liue togither Octa. O what hart-piercing greefe doth theÌ„ tormeÌ„â—… That are thus countercheckt with riualles loue What worlds of horror do themselues present Vnto their mindes that do like passions proue O Ielousâ—…e when truthe once takes thy part What mercy-wanting tyrant so seuere What Sylâ—…a what Charibdiâ—… can impart But halfe those horrors which in thee appeare Poore Pluto why do we thy rigour dread All torments are containde within my brest Alecto doth whole troupes of furieâ—… leade Within my soule with endlesse greefe opprest O deserts now you deserts are indeed Your common-wealths are coucht within my hart Within my hart all rauening beasts do feede And with mad furie still encrease my smart O greefe I feele the worst that thou canst doe I taste the powerfull force of mischieses pride I proue the worst that chance can put me to The deepest wound of fortune I abide But staye Octauia if this be a lye If thy deare Lord do constant yet remaine Whom doost thou wrong is it not Antony O fault too great recall it back againe Canst thou be so vnkinde nay so vniust To censure iudge condemne without a cause Shall flying tales make thee so much mistrust Him bound to thee by Gods and natures lawes O traytor passion if thou couldst subdue Thy soueraigne reason what ill tragedies Wouldst thou soone acte but Ielousie adieu My Lord is constant and these are but lyes Did not he sweare on that our nuptiall day By all the sacred rights we holy deeme By those immortall powers which we obaye By all things els which dearly we esteeme By his right hand by this our wedding ring By all that mought a perfect truthe entend One time one day one houre should surely bring His life and loue vnto a finall end Did not he say the starres from heauen should fall The fishes should vpon the mountaines range And Tyber should his flowing streames recall Before his loue should euer thinke on change But what of this these are but onely words And so are those which do his faith impeache O poore Octauta how thy state affordes Nought but despaire to stand within thy reache The seate of truthe is in our secret harts Not in the tongue which falsehood oft imparts Hast back then Tyber to thy fountaines head Descend ye starres and this base earth adorne Let Neptunes people on these hilles be fed For Antony is fled false and forsworne But t is not so my Antony is true His honor will not let him basely fall Octauies name will faithfull loue renew His Inâ—…ate vertue will his minde recall As feare of torment houlds the wicked in So vertues loue makes good men loath their sinne Byl. Madam I cannot force you to beleeue That which I speake but that I speake is true I knew too well it would your highnesse greeue And would be lothe your sorrowes to tenew But would to God that all my words were lyes So my disgrace mought worke your sweete content Would this my soule mought be the sacrifice To reconcile his loue thus fondly bent O vertue thou that didst my good assure Arme now my soule against proude fortunes might Without thy succour I may not endure But this strong tempest will destroy me quite O sacred lampe pure vertues liuing flame That neuer failes sweet comfort to impart I feele thy power and glory in the same I heare thee say in closset of my heart Octauta liue and shew thy selfe a Queene Tread thou my path make constancy thy guide Let no base feare within thy minde be seene Let thine owne foote into no errour slide Make thine owne thoughts no witnes of thy misse Let thine owne conscience know no cause of blame A bulwarke stronge a brazen wall this is That will resist both sorrow griefe and shame Antonius fall his owne disgrace procures His is the fault and on his head shall fall The storme of mischiefes deep-reuenging showers When thine own worth in heauen shal thee enstall His is the fault but what mine is the wronge The errour his but I endure the smart O vertue if thou be so passing stronge Yet once againe remooue this from my heart Why vertue grieues but at his owne disgrace And mindes distrest with patience doth relieue With wisedomes light it stil directs his pace And cannot fall and therefore cannot grieue Well griefe I feele that thou art griefe indeed But patience is a prince and must not yeeld O sacred vertue help me at my need Repulse my foes with thy all mastering shield But what I must not heere stand and lament Thy deeds Octauta must approoue thy worth T is wisedome must these iniuries preuent I will no more excuse thy wrongs hencefoorth I le seeke by all meanes thee to reconcile And in my thoughts reuenge shall finde no place But if thou needes wilt worke a thing so vile To seeke my ruine and thine owne disgrace If nothing can preuaile I le make it seene Thou wrongst an Empresse and a Romaine queene Iulia. Camilla Syluia O deare Camilla what a wofull sight Ti 's to beholde the Empresse dolefull state Though others burthens in our eyes seeme light Death in my heart her griefe doth intimate O what exceeding pitty t' is to see Such noble vertues nurst in wisedomes brest Snar'd in the trap of humaine misery By others basenes thus to be distrest Cam. Madame the case is pittifull indeed And such as may relent a flinty heart A patient minde must stand her grace insteed Till time and wisedome may his loue conuert Iul. But who dares tell a Prince he goes aside Cam. His conscience best if wisdome were his guide Iul. But they are great and may do what they will Cam. Great if much good not great if they do ill Iul. But we must yeeld to what the Prince will haue Cam. He is no Prince that is affections slaue Iul. Be
disgrace And who so subiect to mischance As those whom fortune doth aduance These base earth-creeping mates Proud enuie neuer spyes When at the greatest states Hir poysoned quiuer flyes Each tempest doth turmoyle the seas When little lakes haue quiet ease Not those that are bedight With burnisht glistering gould Whose pompe doth steale our sight With wonder to behoulde Tast smallest sweet without much ga◅le Nor finde true ioyes within their call This did the heauens impose Not that they are vniust But for to punish those Who glory in their lust And our misdeeds procure vs still To seeke our good amongst much ill A monster honour is Whose eyes are vertues flame His face contempt of this Which we pale death do name His Lyon heart nought else dooth feare But crowing cock of shame to heare His wings are high desires His feete of Iustice frame Food dangerous aspires His seate immortall fame Onely the traine of Enuies plumes With others growthe it selfe consumes Actus Quintus Iulia. Geminus Camilla HAth Geminus beheld th' Aegyptian Queene The auctor of the troubled worlds distresse Hast thou hir guifts and rare perfections seene That makes Antonius scences thus digresse Tell vs is she so admirable faire That Italy hath none which may come nigh hir Doth she all beauties else so much impaire Or els indeed dooth partiall fame be lye hir Haue those hir eyes so rare an influence To houlde and captiuate mens sences so That foyling wit and reasons best defence They rauished must needs themselues forgoe Gem. I know not what may seem faire in your sight Because some like what others discommend But for my selfe and if I iudge aright Speaking of Cleopatra as a frend The fairest thing that in her may be seene Is that she is a Ladie and a Queene Madame that sun-burnt coast yeelds not a face Which with the Romain beauties may compare There mought be found a thousand in this place Whose naturall perfections are more rare Iul. How passing strange it seemes that Antony Should leaue the paragon of natures pride And follow hir whose shamefull luxurie Dooth make the world his folly to deride Whence should it spring that such a thing should be Is this his folly or the heauens decree Cam. His fault no doubt crosseth natures lawes Iul. And I thinke not for nature is the cause By nature we are moou'd nay forst to loue And being forst can we resist the same The powerfull hand of heauen we wretches prooue Who strike the stroke and poore we beare the blame Cam. Loue sure frō nature tooke his birth by right But loue of what Iul. Of beautie loues delight Cam. And what is beautie Iul. first say what is loue Cam. Loue 's a desire of what doth liking moue Iul. Desire doth spring frō what we wish and want Dooth loose himselfe in winning of his saint Enioying dooth that humor quite supplant And therefore cannot this loues nature paint If loue were a desire as you do guesse Sith none desires that which he doth enioy We could not loue the thing we do possesse For why enioying would our loue destroy But this is false and you haue iudg'd amisse Cam. Speak you the truth whose iudgment better is Iul. I thinke this loue a deepe affection sure Wrought by th' instinct of natures hidden might Which in our hearts an vnion doth procure With that which perfect seemes vnto our sight Such is that loue which in vs doth arise When such a beautie we do chaunce to see As with our nature best doth simpathize Which nature faultie is and not poore we Cam. Wel what is beauty Iu. that which liketh best Cam. Which liketh whō Iul. Some one aboue the rest Cam. Why some do like what others disalowe Some loue what others hate and few there are In whom a like affection doth growe Of any one thing though the same be rare Were beautie then such as you heere do name One thing should be and not be beautifull One thing should be and yet not be the same And that me thinkes were strange and wonderfull I rather thinke these outward beauties growe From iust proportion and right symmetrie Of these same guifts which nature doth bestow Vpon vs all in our natiuitie Iul. Indeed we see a mixture farre more fine In some then others wrought by natures frame To whom the praise of beautie we ascribe Yet do not all alike affect the same Now if this were the obiect of our loue We all should like some one that were most faire Who should alone most deepe affection mooue Whil's vulgar minds mought drown in deep despaire But as no woman easily can endure To be depriu'd of beauties louely praise So is there none so much deformed sure That in some minds affection doth not raise Ther 's none so faire whose beautie all respect Although we were enforst it should be so Some nothing faire whom we must needs affect Though reason wit and all the world say no. Cam. And what should be the cause of all this same Iul. I thinke because we lodge in natures frame Look how the Loadstone draws nought els but steele Though mettals far more pretious are about it Yet this as his fit subiect seemes to feele His power attractiue and mooues not without it Or as in diuerse instruments we see When any one doth strike a tuned string The rest which with the same in concord be Will shew a motion to that sencelesse thing VVhen all the other neither stirre nor playe Although perhaps more musicall then they So are our minds in spight of reasons nay Strain'd with the bent of natures sympathie VVhose powerfull force no wit no arte can stay And if you aske a farther reason why In these two things but shew the cause of both And then I le tell you why we loue and loathe Now if the power of nature be so strong That euen sencelesse things yeeld therevnto O why should we endure so great a wrong To beare the blame of that which others doe What liuing man can ceasse himselfe to be And yet as possible as to refraine From that whereto our nature dooth agree And spight of vs doth vs thereto constraine Who can be angry with the scencelesse steele For cleauing vnto this hard-harted thing Or blame that which can neither heare nor feele For moouing to the other sounding string If these may be excusd by natures lawes O how much more should we be free from blame Within whose tender hearts affection drawes Such deepe caractars leading to the same Cam. Is beautie then sole obiect of our loue Iul. That which seems so doth our affection moue Cam. I euer thought that vertue had been best Iul. We praise that most but yet esteeme it least Ca. Why disestemd whose worth is so wel knowne Iul. To shew that vice the world hath ouergrowne Ca. The name is often hard in each mans mouth Iul. The thing more rare then Eagles in the south Ca. The thing contemnd can