Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A67336
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The maid's tragedy altered with some other pieces / by Edmund Waller, Esq. ; not before printed in the several editions of his poems.
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Waller, Edmund, 1606-1687.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing W502; ESTC R6612
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29,067
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108
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rest Exeunt Brothers and Guards The Scene changes into a Forest. Enter Aspasia Asp. They say wild Beasts inhabit here But Grief and Wrong secures my Fear Compar'd to him that does refuse A Tyger's kind for he pursues To be forsaken's worse than torn And Death a lesser ill than Scorn No Forrest Cave or Savage Den Holds more pernicious Beasts than Men. Vows Oaths and Contracts they devise And tell us they are sacred Tyes And so they are in our esteem But empty Names despis'd by them Women with study'd Arts they vex Ye Gods destroy that impious Sex And if there must be some to ' invoke Your Powers and make your Altars smoke Come down your selves and in their place Get a more Just and Nobler Race Such as the Old World did adorn When Hero's like your selves were born But this I wish not for Aspacia's sake For she no God would for Amintor take The Heart which is our Passions Seat Whether we will or no do's beat And yet we may suppress our Breath This let 's us see that Life and Death Are in our Power but Love and Hate Depend not on our Will but Fate My Love was Lawful when 't was born Their Marriage makes it merit Scorn Evadne's Husband 't is a Fault To Love a blemish to my thought Yet twisted with my Life and I That cannot faultless live will dye Oh! that some hungry Beast would come And make himself Aspasia's Tomb. If none accept me for a Prey Death must be found some other way In colder Regions Men compose Poyson with Art but here it grows Not long since walking in the Field My Nurse and I we there beheld A goodly fruit which tempting me I would have pluck'd but trembling she Whoever eat those Berries cry'd In less than half an hour dy'd Some God direct me to that Bough On which those useful Berries grow Exit Enter Amintor alone Am. Repentance which became Evadne so Would no less handsome in Amintor show She ask'd me pardon but Aspasia I Injur'd alike suffer to pine and dye 'T is said that she this dangerous Forrest haunts And in sad accents utters her complaints If over-taken e're she perish I Will gain her Pardon or before her dye Not every Lady does from Vertue fall Th' Injurious King does not possess them all Well I deserv'd Evadne's scorn to prove That to Ambition sacrific'd my Love Fools that consult their Avarice or Pride To chuse a Wife Love is our noblest Guide Exit Enter Aspasia alone with a Bough full of fair Berries Asp. This happy Bough shall give relief Not to my hunger but my grief The Birds know how to chuse their fare To peck this fruit they all forbear Those chearful Singers know not why They should make any haste to dye And yet they Couple Can they know What 't is to Love and not know Sorrow too 'T is Man alone that willing dyes Beasts are less Wretched or less Wise. How Lovely these ill Berries shew And so did false Amintor too Heav'n would ensnare us who can scape When fatal things have such a shape Nothing in vain the Gods create This Bough was made to hasten fate 'T was in compassion of our woe That Nature first made Poysons grow For hopeless wretches such as I Kindly providing means to dye As Mothers do their Children keep So Nature feeds and makes us sleep The indispos'd she does invite To go to Bed before 't is night Death always is to come or past If it be ill it cannot last Sure 't is a thing was never known For when that 's present we are gone 'T is an imaginary Line Which does our being here confine Dead we shall be as when unborn And then I knew nor Love nor Scorn But say we are to live elsewhere What has the Innocent to fear Can I be treated worse than here Justice from hence long since is gone And reigns where I shall be anon Enter Amintor Am. 'T is she those fatal Berries shew The mischief she 's about to do Women are govern'd by a stuborn fate Their Love 's insuperable as their hate No Merit their Aversion can remove Nor ill requital can efface their Love Asp. Like Slaves redeem'd Death sets us free From Passion and from Injury The Living chain'd to Fortunes Wheel In Triumph led her changes feel And Conquerors kept Poysons by Prepar'd for her Inconstancy Bays against Thunder might defend their Brow But against Love and Fortune here 's the Bough Here she puts some of the Berries to her mouth Amintor strikes the Berries out of her hand and snatches the Bough Am. Rash Maid forbear and lay those Berries by Or give them him that has deserv'd to dye Asp. What double Cruelty is this Would you That made me wretched keep me always so Evadne has you let Aspasia have The common refuge of a quiet grave If you have kindness left there see me laid To bury decently the injur'd Maid Is all the favour that you can bestow Or I receive Pray render me my Bough Am. No less than you was your Amintor wrong'd The false Evadne to the King belong'd You had my promise and my Bed is free I may be yours if you can pardon me Asp. Your Vows to her were in the Temple made The sacred Altar witness'd what you said Am. The pow'rs above are to no place consin'd But ev'ry where hear promises that bind The Heav'n the Air Earth and the boundless Sea Make but one Temple for the Deity That was a Witness to my former Vow None can Amintor justly claim but you Who gives himself away the second time Creates no title but commits a Crime Asp. I could have dy'd but once but this believ'd I may alas be more than once deceiv'd Death was the Port which I almost did gain Shall I once more be tost into the Main By what new Gods Amintor will you swear Am. By the same Gods that have been so severe By the same Gods the justice of whose Wrath Punish'd the infraction of my former faith May every Lady an Evadne prove That shall divert me from Aspasia's Love Asp. If ever you should prove unconstant now I shall remember where those Berries grow Am. My Love was always constant but the King Melantius's friendship and that fatal thing Ambition me on proud Evadne threw And made me cruel to my self and you But if you still distrust my faith I vow Here in your presence I 'll devour the Bough Asp. Snatching the Bough from him Rash Man forbear but for some unbelief My Joy had been as fatal as my Grief The sudden news of unexpected bliss Would yet have made a Tragedy of this Secure of my Amintor still I fear Evadne's mighty friend the King Am. He 's here Enter the King and his Brother to them King turning to his Brother How shall I look upon that noble Youth So full of Patience Loyalty and Truth The fair Aspasia I have injur'd too The guilty author of their