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A06402
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The phaenix in her flames A tragedy. The scene, Arabia. The author, Master William Lower.
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Lower, William, Sir, 1600?-1662.
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1639
(1639)
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STC 16873; ESTC S108864
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48,784
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96
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helpe our King and Country Amand. I am glad You are so alter'd in your inclination And rudenesse of your nature but where is The faire Lucinda and old Consolario Enter Lucinda and Consolario Faire Lady welcome you have made this place Poore by your absence Lucind. But you have enricht it With your faire presence Sir Amand. I 'm sorry Lady That we must part so soone the Prince of Persia Is come to fetch you with a mighty army Who claimes you as his wife therefore in justice And conscience too we cannot hold you from him You shall have all that is your owne and more Wee 'l wait upon you as becomes the state Of such a mighty Princesse with a guard To safe conduct you to the Persian campe How is your minde dispos'd Lucind. Vnkinde Amandus More cruell farre then proud Narcissus was Vnto the constant Nymph that lov'd him so More salvage hearted then the boy Adonis That scorn'd the love of Venus these were never Halfe so belov'd as you yet will you leave me To dye in your disdaine and put me over To him I cannot love unkinde Amandus Amand. Sweet Lady thinke I doe preferre your good Before mine owne misconstrue not my words For I doe speake this for your great advantage If you conceive me rightly but we will not Force you to any thing against your will I 'm sorry that you will participate Our evill fortunes and refuse to live The Persian Empresse 't was for this I did Perswade you unto what I did Lucind. O let me Goe with you Sir and if you cannot love me In nature of your wife yet I beseech you Respect me as your handmaid who 's still ready To waite on your command Amand. You do confound me And make me blush to heare so great a Princesse To speak to me in such an humble key Who do confesse my selfe your lowly vassaile And since you 're bent so much to wrong your selfe And to forget your state my life shall stand 'Tweene you and danger Madam you have heard Our resolution to assist and helpe Th' Arabian King against the Prince of Persia Will you goe over with us Lucind. Where you goe There doe I bend my journey Amand. Consolario I must dispatch you to the Arabian King About this businesse wherein I 'le instruct you Particularly more before you goe Consol. My faith and care shall not be wanting in The trust you shall commit unto my Charge How I may doe you service is my study Amand. So then al 's done but this to crave you hand And lead you wheresoee'r you shall command exeunt Enter the Persian and the Embassadour of Aegypt Perseus So let this most inhospitable Land Suffer our wrath so let the whippe of warre Inflicted on this countrey by our hand Lash them severely that have violated The lawes of Nations and therein committed What even the base Barbarians hate to thinke off Now let the speedy messenger of death The king of weapons call'd the sword unsheath him And drinke his fill in bloud let every souldier Freely enjoy his pleasure make his pillage And do the greatest outrage that he can We will no longer now suppresse our fury But let it burne unto full height the cries Of ravish'd Maids and Virgins shall no more Enter our eares the humble supplications Of undone Orphants shall not move my pitty So much I am incens'd against the King Embassad. I would divert you from this cruelty Great Prince if you would heare me and alleage Some reasons too to fortifie my speech First t is a beauteous country and the world I thinke not parralels it next you do Intend it for a conquest will you spoile So sweet a habitation and lay waste A seate will make you proud to be enthron'd in If this be not sufficient to induce you To spare the rodde of vengeance let respect Vnto your Princely fame with-hold your hand What sordid blot what foule aspersion can More taint the candid honour of a Prince Then tyranny upon poore seely wretches You know as much my Lord and histories Show many soule examples of such tyrants Whose names live in reproach to these our times But Sir have you receiv'd the newes my mind Was bigge to bring it forth before your speech Hindered the birth Perseus Newes I heare none but that The fearefull King dares not fight a battle We must enforce him to it or pursue him As greedy grey-hounds do the heartlesse Hares Till we have tane his Crowne and Life away Now what is that you heare Embassa. Quite contrary To what you last diliver'd for they say He is prepar'd to fight and with his army Meanes speedily to seeke you all the theeves That in your passage through the deserts did So damnifie your army have submitted Vnto their King and serve him in this war His force is much augmented and you 're like To to have a speedy triall of your fortune Perseus And after that a speedy strong possession Of all this Kingdome I am confident That with our breathes we shall destroy them all Powr'd forth in anger our great multitudes Will scater them as Wolves a flock of Sheepe Suppose his army doth amount unto Some fifty thousand men which is the most His strength can raise our army doth exceed it By halfe the number put away our horse Whose gallantry is spoaken of by all The Nations of the World and held to be The best for service in the universe Can he resist our Force or the Arabian Stand up against the Persian in a battle Speake your opinion Embassa. Sir you know the chance Of warre is doubtfull and plum'd victory Doth oftentimes deceive great expectations Besides dame fortune is a fickle Lady We know not how to trust her but if things Be justly carryed with an equall hand If iugling be not us'd amongst the fates T is evident your army must o'recome But judge we cannot till we see th' event Perseus We doubt not nor despaire of the successe But from this talke I have beene oftentimes Resolv'd to aske you but till now forgate What might be gather'd hence that faire Lucinda Your Princesse in this time of her restraint Sollicites nothing for her liberty Nor writes a word unto us of her state We heare she lives at the Arabian Court Embassa. I heare so too and worthily entreated According to her by th and high degree Perseus This makes me to admire nay to suspect The streame of her affection is diverted Another way and holds no constant course It must be so else being so entertain'd And high respected in all points of honour Would any man conjecture that the King Would hold her 'gainst her will if she desir'd To come unto us now she hath forgate us And may be too her honor and good name Then we are grosse abus'd fool'd with a match And must be full reveng'd I have no patience My Lord Embassadour doth your opinion Goe hand in hand with mine Embassa. Then I
THE PHAENIX IN HER FLAMES A TRAGEDY The Scene Arabia The Author Master William Lower LONDON Printed by Thomas Harper for Michael Young 1639 TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL MY Most honoured Cosin Thomas Lower Esquire humbly Health and Happinesse Sir IT was once disputed within me whether to give this poore Phaenix birth or buriall whether to commit her to the fire and suppresse her in her ashes or let her ascend againe in her owne nature and live there was onely one reason to perswade the former and that was your favourable and courteous approbation divers considerations to urge the later but the chiefest of all her imperfections I have adventured notwithstanding by vertue of your patronage to expose her to the publicke view and censure of the world no longer now behaving my selfe as I have scene a timorous young souldier at his first entrance i' th' warre ducke downe the head at every shot of th' enemy but rather as a bold and experienced Martialist under your Colours runne resolutely on up to the Canons mouth of the most carping and most malitious Critick whatsoever needing no other fortification then your protection which is a sufficient guard and defence against their strongest invasion Cherish this innocent bird that flyes into your bosome for sanctuary respect her for her rarity though shee can plead no other merit and in lieu of such noble favour she hath vow'd when she expires to make her selfe in her flames your sacrifice as I Your servant WILLIAM LOWER Prologue THis aire shall be perfum'd and every sence Delighted with sweet smelling frankinsence And aromatick fumes for please you know Gentle Spectators from our Sceane doth grow Abundance of such fragrant stuffe you 'll see A Play that breathes Arabian spicerie And such a dolefull story as may take Your minds to see a Prince and Princesse fate Presented and their hard adventures showne Yea make you weepe and think they are your own Our Poet feares none but the common wits Who think a Sceane 's not good unles it fits Their merry humours with some apish toyes And peevish jeasts fancyed by girles and boyes Despis'd by abler judgements who desire A sad and solid matter such a fire Is kindled for you heere we feare no blame Shall brand our Phaenix in her Funerall flame Dramatis personae The King of Arabia Amandus Prince of Damascus Consolario his Tutour A Colonell of his A Gentleman of his Perseus Prince of Persia The Embassadour of Egipt Alecto Nephew to the King 5 Theeves Rapinus Captaines of the theeves Praedarius Lucinda Princesse of Egipt Sara her Maid Phaenicia daughter to the King Saba her Maid Her Doctor Besides Messengers and attendants The Phaenix in her Flames A Tragedy Actus Primus Scena Prima Amandus Consolario Cons. SIr do not grieve it is the chance of warre Cheer up triumph in despight of fortune What fals without the compasse of redresse To sorrow for argues a feeble spirit And it doth nothing suit your Princely minde Too much to yeeld to passion Amand. I confesse Morall Philosophy doth teach as much And you have given me precepts read me lectures Of fickle fortunes mutability How madly and without consideration She doth conferre her favours yet my sufferings How great you know my faithfull Consolario Are of that nature as but counterpoiz'd In equall ballance with weake humane frailty They would in spite of my resistance weigh me Down down unto she ground Cons. How noble Prince Your passion hath unrectifi'd your minde And lead you into errour did you never Read and believe what Scipio Affricanus Said unto some commanders of his army That he did shew a greater magnanimity In mastering the affections of his minde Then in o'rethrowing armies conquering kingdomes Apply this noble Roman to your selfe Sweet Prince Amandus what although your state Be desperate now your Country almost ruin'd Your army fled and your chiefe City strait Besieg'd by these Barbarians if you can Beare with a constant patience what the will Of heaven doth lay on you no doubt you shall Purchase a greater glory to your selfe By manly suffering what yon cannot helpe Than Geolon the Tartar though the fates Surrender faire Damascus to his hands Amand. Why should the partiall fates be so unjust So cruell to me had my fortune been Good as my right the lot of griefe had falne Vpon another soile and thou my Country My dearest Country hadst not felt these wrongs These miseries of warre thou now sustainest The carefull husbandman had then enjoy'd His harvest to himselfe and reap'd the fruits Of his owne labours had not seene his house Burnt to the very ground his Vineyards spoil'd His fields laid waste the wofull father then With bleeding heart had not beheld his daughter His fairest daughter ravish'd in his sight And his chaste wife lye prostituted to The lust of common souldiers whilst alas He stands spectator of the loathed Scene Whose death at last shuts up the tragedy These things had never hapned if my cause Had been consider'd nor this stately City Whose lofty turrets wrap themselves in clouds Had never been begirt thus round about By forraine foes Enter a Gentleman with a letter What newes bring you my friend Gent. Sir heavy newes this letter will inform you Sent from the Governour which to bring hither In a disguised shape I pass'd the guards The trenches and the campe of Geolon With thousand hazards of my life all which I reckon not to doe my Noble Prince My Prince Amandus service Amand. You are welcome And we congratulate your safe arrivall But in what state did poore Damascus stand When you departed thence how victualled How furnished with ammunition was it How long can it hold out first I will heare Your sad relation ere I breake the seale Gent. O Sir I 'm sorry my unworthy mouth Should be the organ to convey a sound Vnto your Princely eares so harsh as this So dolefull so unpleasant I would rather Be silent in a story of such woe Yet since you doe command me know my Liege The City is distress'd for want of food All their provision is consum'd and spent And nothing left for to sustaine their lives These two moneths have they fed upon the flesh Of horses dogs and cats now they are driven To such an exigent as they begin To eate sod leather yea the excrement Of men and beasts and which is more their flesh Their proper flesh this day within Damascus I saw a sight which grieves me to relate It did appeare so horrid 't was a woman With hunger pin'd who had not eat a bit In seven dayes space of any sustenance forc'd with her knife to cut her infants throat That suckt upon her breast to satisfie With its sweet flesh her ravenous appetite And for the ammunition of the towne As powder bullets match and such materials Of warre 't is almost spent for three yeeres siege Cannot but empty well the magazine Yet notwithstanding all this misery