Sunne beheld or had I more Then Midas e're desir'd I would in briefe Give all to be deliver'd from this griefe Rocks of rich Indian pearle shores pav'd with gemmes Mountaines of gold and Empires Diadems These would I give yea and my selfe to boot My selfe and these prostrating at his foot To enioy him whom I so dearely love Aye me fond love that art a sweet sower evill A pleasant torture a well-favour'd devill But why doe I weake wretch prolong my griefe Why doe I live since death affords reliefe Doe thou sweet ponyard all my sorrowes ease That art a medicine for all grievances Assist my hand thou goddesse of revenge That on my selfe I may my selfe avenge Enter Poneria and Agnostus Po. Hold hold thy hand faire Shepheardesse Attempt not to commit a fact so horrid Eg. What Fury sent you hither Caitiffes vile Thus to prolong my sorrow and my toyle Po. No Fury but your happy Genius Brought us to these uncomfortable shades For to prevent your mischievous intent Eg. Death is a plaister for all ills they say What mischiefe then can be in death I pray Po. 'T is true death is a mortall wound that cures all wounds Of body and of mind it is the soules potion That purgeth her from corporall pollution But you must not your owne Physician prove Not be the Doctor and the Patient too For if thy soule be sickly and grow weary Of this unwholesome earthly habitation Because this ayres spissitude suits not With her Celestiall Constitution She must not like a bankrupt Tenant prove That flyes by night from an unprofitable Farme Before the terme of his Lease be expir'd But stay till heaven shall give her egresse free Vnto the haven of rest and happinesse Eg. Were I not plunged in a grievous plight Perhaps I would not thinke thy counsell light Po. Art not thou the sister of Cynosbatus Lord of the silver mines and golden mountaines And art not thou as faire a Shepheardesse As trips upon the plaines of Thessaly Eg. For being great I am malign'd by Fate For being faire I am unfortunate Po. I know thy sorrowes sweetest Eglantine Thy Rhodons absence hath wrought all thy woe Who now they say doth beauteous Iris court But if thov wilt make me thy instrument I 'll undertake to breake the match If not renew the love which earst he bare to thee Eg. Doe this and I will live Poneria To give thy merit ample satisfaction I will adore thy skill and thee adorne With what may make thee famous through all Thessaly Po. Then banish all these melancholly thoughts And decke thy selfe in thy most sumptuous weeds Make hast unto the Fane of gentle Venus A payre of Turtles of a snowy hue Vpon her altars offer thou to her And her beseech to intercede for thee Vnto her angry boy Then shalt thou finde The god and goddesse to true lovers kinde Eg. My deare Poneria I am truly thine But tell me I prethe what grave Sr. is this That lookes like one of Greeces Sages His reverent Countenance makes me surmise That he 's a man of sublime qualities Po. He is but what he seemes faire Shepheardesse His head 's the officine of art his tongue The oracle of truth he is the man Whom onely Nature hath vouchsaf'd to make Her privy Counsellour Those abstruse secrets which no mortall eye Did ever view he plainely can discry He is the man that 's destin'd to find out That grand mysterious secret in whose discovery So many bold adventrous wits have perished I meane th' Elixar the Philosophers precious stone He is the man who by strange policies Can breake the strong Confederacies of Kings And overthrow more Empires by his plots Then mighty Alexander er'e did by strength Agnostus is his name renown'd no lesse For honesty than skill in Sciences Eg. His silence argues something extraordinary Ag Belphegor Zazel Astragoth Golguth Machon Malortor Egl. offers to flye away and is stayed by Po. Eg. Aye me Poneria Po. Agnostus not a word more for thy life Stay stay sweet Eglaentine and dread no harme This is the language which the Persian Magi us'd When they with their familiars did converse To which he is so frequently accustom'd That oft he speakes it e're he be aware Agnostus vouchsafe to use your native language That Eglantine may know what you are I hope you know your lesson Aside Twice twenty times and ten c. Ag. Twice twenty times and ten hath Titan run Quite through the Zodiacke since I begun To converse with wise fiends that I might get The golden key of Natures Cabinet By industry I got immortall same For ignorance begets contempt and shame So perfect in the Magicke Arts I grew That natures secrets most abstruse I knew The spirits of ayre and earth did me dread And did at my venite come with speed The silly ghosts from graves I did forth call The earth I make to bellow starres to fall The world at my great awfull charmes did quake Nature her selfe for very feare did shake To change midday to midnight or to cause Estiuall snowes or breake the vipers iawes Or to drive rivers backe to their spring heads And make seas stand unmov'd or to strike dead The vernall blossome or the haruest eare A man would thinke these strange conclusions were But I account them of small weight I know The use of hearbes and whatsoever grow The cause to the effect I can apply And worke strange things by hidden sympathies I doe exactly know the compositions Of unctious Philters and loves potions Figures suspensions and ligations Characters and suffumigations For I the vertues of all simples know From whence effects that seeme impossible I show The gall of shreeke Owles harsh night Ravens tongus Guts of Panthers and Chamelions lungs A blacke Buls eyes a speckled toads dry'd head Frankincense camphire and white poppie-seed Poysenous Melanthion and a white Cocks bloud Sweet Myrrhe Bay-berries precious balsome wood A Harts marrow that hath devour'd a snake And scalpes which from a wilde beasts jawes we take The bone that lyes i th' left side of a Frogge A stone that is bitten with a mad dogge The Mandrake root the blood of a blacke Cat A Turtles liver the braines of a Batt Hyaenas heart the Cockatrices bloud That are against so many evils good The haire of a thiefe that hangs on a tree The nailes of ships that wracked be The blood of a wretched man that was slaine The eyes of a Dragon and Weasels braines These precious simples and a thousand more I could produce I have them all in store And though they seeme to men meere trifling things Each one I vow ore'weighes ransomes of Kings The blindnesse of these times cannot discrie The vertues rare that in these simples lye Po. Enough Agnostus Now faire Shepherdesse I hope you have a faire expression Of this learn'd mans sublime desert and art Eg. I doe admire his skill and see by happe Good stuffe may be beneath
I obey'd But trust me friend thou wert too much mistaken To thinke that love had scorch'd or sing'd so much The wings of reason that I must needs fall And perish in the fornace of despaire Thou art a bad constructer of my thoughts If that thou think'st 't is love which makes me sad Yea thou oft-times dost take thy marks amisse To thinke me sad perhaps when as my minde Uprais'd above the sphere of terrene things Is ravish'd with Celestiall Contemplation For earthly passion hath no power at all To worke upon an elevated soule Passions are starres to lower orbs confin'd Scorching an earthly not a heavenly mind Yet am I not so much a Stoicke or a Stocke To plume the pinions of th' immortall soule Who while she 's Cloyster'd in this Cell of Clay Moves with the wings of the affections But lest she like to heedlesse Icarus Should soare too high a pitch or like young Phaeton Should shape her Course too low Iove hath appointed Wise Vertue for to regulate her flight Of these affections love the Empresse is Who while she stands submisse to reasons lore Doth keepe the Fabricke of the little world in frame Love is the geniall goddesse the Lucina Which doth produce each honourable atchievement Which this true axiome evidently proves Nobilitas sub amore iacet Had not the spritefull flames of love egg'd on That Theban Kilcrow mighty Hercules To brave adventures he perhaps had dy'd As much inglorious as did base Thersites Had not the faire Andromache beheld From Troian Towers Hectors valiant acts Among the Greeks amid the Phrygian fields The gallant Dames of Troy then might perchance Most justly have preferr'd Achilles farre before him T is this heroicall passion that incends The sparkes of honour in each noble minde Making dull sluggards study industry And animating each unlearned head To toyle in Arts and liberall Sciences Even to the high degree of rare proficience Then cease Acanthus with thy lawlesse tongue True loves Condition to maligne or wrong Ac. Thou zealous patron of the winged Boy Well hast thou pleaded thy blind Archers Case Pray Iove thou maist deserve a lusty fee For this Herculean labour of thy tongue Rho. Surcease these malapert invectives friend Cupid is arm'd with fire and arrowes keene To be aveng'd on those that shall him spleene Ac. When Sol shall make the Easterne Seas his bed When Wolves and Sheepe shall be together fed When Starres shall fall and planets cease to wander When Iuno proves a Bawd and Iupiter a Pander When Venus shal turn Chast and Bacchus become sober When fruit in April's ripe that blossom'd in October When Prodigals shall money lend on use And Vsurers prove lavish and profuse When Art shal be esteem'd and golden pelfe laid down When Fame shal tel all truth Fortune cease to frown To Cupids yoke then I my necke will bow Till then I will not feare loves fatall blow Rho. Wert thou a meere spirit then I confesse And thinke this resolution might endure But so long as thy soule weares robes of earth Lac'd all with veynes that o're a Crimson deepe Set forth an Azure bright needs must thy heart Yeeld to the force of Cupids golden dart ACT. 1. SCEN. 3. Clematis Eglantine Cle. OH impotent desires allay the sad consort Of a sublime Fortune whose most ambitious flames Disdaine to burne in simple Cottages Loathing a hard unpolish'd bed But Coveting to shine beneath a Canopy Of rich Sydonian purple all imbroider'd With purest gold and orientall Pearles In tesselated pavements and guilded roofes Supported by proud artificiall Columnes Of polish'd Ivory and Marble doth love delight There doth he like a mighty Tyrant rage Subverting the whole edifice of reason With his impetuous conflagration That this is true the gentle Shepheardesse Faire Eglantine doth evidently shew For she a sister to the great Cynosbatus Was Courted lately by the Shepheard Rhodon Whose suit she entertain'd with due respect Requiting love with love but Fate it seemes Not condescending that great Hymen should Accomplish their desires forbade the Banes And Rhodon hath relinquished his suit And is return'd to Hybla sweet whose flowry vales Began to droope and wither in his absence But Eglantine remaines disconsolate Like to a Turtle that hath lost her mate See where she comes expressing in her face A perfect Map of mellancholy I will retire because I well desery Shee 's out of love with all society Enter Eglant with her Lute Eg. Addresse thy selfe sweet warbling Instrument My sorrowes sad Companion to tune forth Thy melancholly notes somewhat to slake Those furious flames that scorch my tender heart She sings and playes upon the Lute Vpon the blacke Rocke of despaire My youthfull ioyes are perish'd quite My hopes are vanish'd into ayre My day is turn'd to gloomy night For since my Rhodon deare is gone Hope light nor comfort have I none A Cell where griefe the Landlord is Shall be my palace of delight Where I will wooe with votes and sighes Sweet death to end my sorrowes quite Since I have lost my Rhodon deare Deaths fleshlesse armes why should I feare Enter Cle. Cle. What time shal end thy sorrowes sweetest Eglantine Egl. Such griefe as mine cannot be cur'd by time But when the gentle fates shall disembogue My weary soule and that Celestiall substance free From irkesome manacles of clay then may I finde If not a sweet repose in blest Elysium Yet some refrigeration in those shades Where Dido and Hypsiphile do wander Exit Egl. Cle. Thou gentle goddesse of the woods mountains That in the woods and mountaines art ador'd The Maiden patronesse of chaste desires Who art for chastity renowned most Tresgrand Diana who hast power to cure The rankling wounds of Cupids golden arrowes Thy precious balsome deigne thou to apply Vnto the heart of wofull Eglantine Then we thy gracious favour will requite With a yong Kid than new falne snow more white exit ACT. 1. SCEN. 4. Cynosbatus Martagon Cy. MY honor'd friend most noble Martagon Who whilom didst with thy imperiall power Command the mountaines proud and humble plaines Of happy Thessaly who hath eclips'd The splendour of thy light and clipp'd those wings That did ore-shade these fields from East to West Each Shepheard that was wont to feed his flocks Vpon these fertile meads was wont whilere To pay the tribute of his primest lambs But now as one coup'd in an angle up Thou art compell'd to satisfie thy selfe With a small portion of that soveraignty Which thou didst earst enioy Ma. Deare friend Cynosbatus if that the world Had bin compos'd in a cubicke forme And not orbicular or if this globe Were destin'd to be ought else then fortunes ball By alterations racket banded to and fro Then iustly might'st thou wonder to behold My present state so short of my precedent height Nor doth this monster Change beare sway alone Ore elements men beasts and plants But those celestiall bodies that are fram'd Of purer constitutions are
the same on bankes of Tigris growes Or on the sun-burnt brinke of warme Hydaspes Whose golden channels pau'd with precious stones Some of these herbes she doth by twilight gather At midnight some and some at breake of day Nor is she ignorant how to apply The panting heart of the dull melancholy Owle Or the breathing entrailes cut from a living Cat The proudest Swaine that lives in Thessaly Is glad to be obsequious to her will For in her power it is to cure or kill Vnto this reverent Sybill let us goe And her advice request in this designe By her instructions let us our actions regulate Providing for our owne security She can divine of all events and tell Whether things shall succeed or ill or well Cy. What thy sound judgement thinks fit to be done I condescend to noble Martagon ACT. 3. SCEN. 4. Rhodon Anthophotus Acanthus Rho. SInce that the proud usurper Martagon Will not restore what he hath tane away By force and injury from Violetta We are resolu'd to put on lawfull armes To swage the pride of that great Termagant That of his prowesse doth so vainly vaunt Therefore deere friends addresse your selves to shew Your true and faithfull fortitudes for know An ignominious peace may not compare With any iust and honourable warre An. Out upon this Fabian valour These tedious cunctations I tell thee Rhodon I must needs chide thee for our losse of time My troopes are all in perfect readinesse And long to meet their foes in open field If we deliberate a day longer The edge of their valour I feare will be quite taken off Rho. Now fie upon that valour which depends On circumstance of time or place T is relative vertue that like glasse is brittle Whose force soone dyes and perfects very little Ac. Now recollect thy spirits Rhodon Let Spartan resolution spread it selfe Into each angle of thy noble heart For now our hostile forces are assembled Covering the fields from Ossa to Olympus Their painted banners with the windes are playing Their pamper'd coursers thunder on the plaines The splendor of their glistring armes repels The bashfull sun-beames backe unto the clouds Their bellowing drums and trumpets shrill Doe many sad corrantos sound Which danger grim and sprawling death must dance Now therefore Rhodon doe reflect thy eye Upon the glories of thy ancestours And strive by emulation to transcend Those trophies which were yet nere paralleld An. Surcease this needlesse talke let us to action The losse of time consisteth in protraction Rho. Your noble courages endeared friends A good event to our designes portends exeunt ACT. 3. SCEN. 5. Martagon Cynosbatus Ma. VVIthin the precincts of this grove Poneria dwels Here nightly she hath coventicles With her wise spirits see how the trees are carv'd With Magicall mysterious characters See how the fiery fiends with their frequent resort have Scorch'd the leaves and chang'd the Merry livery of the spring into a mournfull hue Behold the grasse dyde with the swarthy gore Of some great sacrifice that late was offer'd up To the infernall powers Cy. The blacke aspect of this strange uncouth place Doth make my heart to quake Ma. Within a vault hewne from the stony bowels Of you high precipicious rocke she dwels Cheere up Cynosbatus and come away Let 's to her Cell and I le shew thee the way ACT. 4 SCEN. 1. Iris Panace Violetta Ir. CVrst was the wight that did in murther first Embrue his guilty hands curst was that hand Which first was taught by damned hellish art To forge the killing blade in Vulcans flames What raging fury raignes in mortall brests That man should man pursue with deadly hate Oh what maglignant power hath defac'd That specious image of the gods above Who hath inspir'd man with that bestiall quality Of murderous revenge The Lybian Lyons seldome are at oddes The Tygers of Hyrcania doe agree But man to man 's become a very divell That Thracian god which is delighted most With humane sacrifices is now ador'd Blood-thirsty Mars now beares the onely sway Who direfull devastations doth affect Peace hath forsooke the earth and fell debate Shaking his batter'd armes now stalketh every where I hop'd for nuptials sweet of late but now I may have cause to feare a funerall Hymen affrighted with the confus'd noyse Of brutish warre is fled I know not whither My dearest Rhodon must depart from me And in the field ingage his tender Corps To all extremities of death of wounds of danger Of sicknesse and unrest Vi. Strike not the ayre with this vaine language Iris Wound not thy soule with these unseemely plaints But be content to wait the will of Iove Who will crowne our designes with blest successe For in a cause that 's honest iust and right The gods themselves will take up armes and fight Ir. Then oh ye powers that are the grand protectors Of Hyblas happinesse and welfare Whether ye doe delight in our flower-crown'd mountaines Our od'rous vales or in our Christall fountains Your gracious favour I implore besceching you To gard the person of my dearest Rhodon Fond woman how forgetfull have I bin Here is a gemme whose price doth farre transcend All estimation my faithfull Panace Deliver't thou unto my gentle Shepheard And pray him weare it for my sake Pa. Madam I will Ir. It from the bowels of a Cocke was tane And whoso weares the same as wise men say Shall ever be victorious in warre Vio. Commend me to my brother gentle nymph And beare this token of my love to him It is the precious herbe call'd Latice Which whosoever weares shall never want Sufficient sustenance both for himselfe and his Besides it frustrates quite the divellish force Of strongest poysons or enchantments exit Pan. Now Iris let us haste to Floras fane With our devotions let 's importune her These horrid sturs and troublous broiles to cease That we againe may live in happy peace exeunt ACT. 4. SCEN. 2. Martagon Cynosbatus Poneria Ma. DIvinest Matron god-inspired Sybill Doe this and be what thou canst desire Po. Doubt not great Martagon but I will effect it Ma. Now deere Cynosbatus let us prepare To resist th' impression of our foes Since that our powerfull forces ready stand To be obedient to our great command Cy. With thee I am resolu'd to spend my breath Indifferent in the choice of life or death exeunt Ma. Cy. Po. Agnostus come forth blacke cloud of ignorance Advance thy leaden pate dull Camell Ag. I cannot brooke this thin and piercing ayre Po. Thou sonne of sleepe that hat'st the lightsome day Clap on thy spectacles of iudgement and behold How I have plaid my part Thou flow'st with gall Agnostus I confesse But thou hast a braine intolerably dry As empty of wit as the world is of conscience Ag. What hast pluck'd up the flowers by the roots Or is all Thessaly in a combustion Po. Surcharg'd with deepe despite and viprous hate Their forces they against each other bend Ag. Then