your decree And I must play th' intruder gainst my will The King vpon your liues hath charged you To see that infant Lad immediatly Receiue his death he stayes for his warme bloud To offer to the Gods To thinke him slaine Sad partner of your sorrowes I remaine Nurs. Madam you heare the king doth threat our liues Let 's kill him then Sib. Is he inexorable Why should not I proue as seuere a mother As he a cruell father since the King Hath doom'd him I the Queene will doo 't my selfe Giue me the fatall Engine of his wrath I l'e play the horrid murdresse for this once I 'le kisse thee ere I kill thee for my life The Lad so smiles I cannot hold the knife Uesta Then giue him me I am his Grand-mother And I will kill him gently this sad office Belongs to me as to the next of kin Sib. For heauens sake when you kil him hurt him not Vesta Come little knaue prepare your naked throat I haue not heart to giue thee many wounds My kindnesse is to take thy life at once Now Alacke my pretty Grand-child smil'st thou still I haue lust to kisse but haue no heart to kill Nurs. You may be carelesse of the kings command But it concernes me and I loue my life More then I do a sucklings giue him me I 'le make him sure a sharpe weapon lend I 'le quickly bring the yongster to his end Alacke my pretty knaue t' were more then sin With a sharpe knife to touch thy tender skin On Madame hee 's so full of Angell grace I cannot strike he smiles so in my face Sib. I 'le wink strike come once more reach him hither For dye he must so Saturne hath decreed 'Las for a world I would not see him bleed Vesta Ne shall he do but sweare me secresie The babe shall liue and we be dangerlesse Sib, O blesse me with such happinesse Vesta Attend me The king of Epires daughters two bright maids Owe me for many fauours the like loue These I dare trust to them I 'le send this babe To be brought vp but not as Saturns sonne Do but prouide some trusty messenger My honour for his safety Sib. But by what meanes shall we delude the king Vest. A yong Kids heart swimming in reeking bloud Wee 'l send the King and with such forged griefe And counterfet sorrow shadow it That this imposture neuer shall be found Sib. Oh twice my mother you bestow vpon me A double life thus to preserue my boy Nurs. Giue me the child I 'le finde a messenger Shall beare him safe to Melliseus Court Vesta The bloud and heart I 'le presently prouide T' appease the rage of Saturne Sib. First le ts sweare To keepe this secret from King Saturnes eare Vesta We will and if this plot passe vndiscouer'd By like deuise we will saue all your sonnes About our taskes you some choyce friend to finde I with my feigned teares the King to blinde Actus secundi Scoena prima Enter HOMER Homer WHat cannot womens wits they wonders can When they intend to blinde the eyes of man Oh lend me what old Homer wants your eyes To see th' euent of what these Queenes deuise The doombe shew sound Enter the Nurse and Clowne shee sweares him to secresie and to him deliuers the child and a letter to the daughters of King Melliseus they part Enter at one doore Saturne melancholy with his Lords at the other Vesta the Nurse who with counterfeit passion present the King a bleeding heart vpon a kniues point and a bowle of bloud The King departs one way in great sorrow the Ladies the other way in great ioy This past so currant that the third sonne borne Cal'd Neptune was by like deuise preseru'd And sent to Athens where he liu'd vnknowne And had in time command vpon the seas Pluto the yongest was sent to Tartary Where he in processe a strange City built And cald it Hell his subiects for their rapine Their spoils and theft are Diuels tearm'd abrode Thus melancholy Saturne hath suruiuing Three Noble sonnes in seuerall confines plac'd And yet himselfe thinks sonne-lesse one faire daughter Hight Iuno is his sole delight on earth Thinke kinde spectators seuenteene sommers past Till these be growne to yeares and Iupiter Found in a caue by the great Epyre King where by his daughters he before was hid Of him and of his fortunes we proceeed My iournie 's long and I my eye-sight want Courteous spectators left blind Homer stray Lend me your hands to guide me on your way Enter Lycaon with his Lords Iupiter with other Lords of Epyre Lycaon After long warre and tedious differences Betwixt King Melliseus and our selfe What craue the Epyre Lords Iupiter This King Lycaon Since truce and hostage hath tane vp these broiles And ended them in peacefull amity Since all the damadge by the Epyrians done Is on our part aboundantly made good We come Lycaon to demand the like Of thee and of thy Kingdome and for proofe That all our malice is extinct and dead We bring thy hostage backe demanding ours Lycaon Receiue him Lords a Banquet instantly You shall this day braue Epyre feast with vs And to your boord your hostage shall be brought There to receiue him freely meane time sit And taste the royall welcomes of our Court Iup. Lycaon's iust in keeping these conditions So strictly with a reconciled foe Lyc. But faire prince tell me whence you are deriu'd I neuer heard King Melliseus had A Prince of your perfections Iupiter This demand Startles my bloud being borne I know not where Yet that I am of gentry at the least My Spirit prompts me and my noble thoughts Giue me approued warrant being an infant Two beauteous Ladyes found me in a caue Where from their voluntary charity Bees fed me with their hony for that cause The two bright Ladies cal'd me Iupiter And to their Father Melliseus brought me My Foster-father who hath train'd my youth In feats of Armes and military prowesse And as an instance of his deerest loue Hath honor'd me with this late Embassy A banquet brought in with the limbes of a Man in the seruice Lyca. We are satisfi'd Princes sit round and feast You are this day Lycaons welcom'st guest Iup. This meat distasts me doth Lycaon feast vs Like Caniballes feed vs with humane flesh Whence is this portent Lycan. Feede Epyrians eate Lycaon feasts you with no common meate Iup. But wher 's the Epyre Lord we left as hostage Lyca. Behold him here hee 's at the table with you This is the Epyres head and these his limbes Thinkes Melliseus that Lycaon can Discended of the valiant Tytanoys Bury his hatred and intoombe his spleene Without reuenge bloud in these warres was shed And for that bloud your hostage lost his head Iup. Beare wrong that list those can brooke it best I was not borne to suffrance thoughts mount hye A King hath wrong'd me and a King shall