the more How much the wished conquest at the first Fell happily vnto the towne of Thebes But wise men ought with patience to sustaine The sundrie haps that slipperie fortune frames Nuncius commeth in by the gates Electrae Nun. Alas who can direct my hastie steppes Vnto the brother of our wofull Quéene But loe where carefully he standeth here Cre. If so the minde may dread his owne mishap Then dread I much this man that séekes me thus Hath brought the death of my beloued sonne Nun. My Lorde the thing you feare is very true Your sonne Meneceus no longer liues Cre. Alas who can withstand the heauenly powers Well it beséemes not me ne yet my yeares In bootelesse plaint to wast my wailefull teares Do thou recount to me his lucklesse deathe The order forme and manner of the same Nun. Your sonne my Lorde came to Eteocles And tolde him this in presence of the rest Renoumed King neither your victorie Ne yet the safetie of this princely Realme In armour doth consist but in the death Of me of me O most victorious King So heauenly dome of mightie Ioue commaunds I knowing what auayle my death should yéeld Vnto your grace and vnto natiue land Might well be déemde a most vngratefull sonne Vnto this worthy towne if I would shunne The sharpest death to do my countrie good In mourning wéede now let the vestall Nimphes With fainyng tunes commend my faultlesse ghost To highest heauens while I despoyle my selfe That afterwarde sith Ioue will haue it so To saue your liues I may receyue my death Of you I craue O curteous Citizens To shrine my corps in tombe of marble stone Whereon graue this Meneceus here doth lie For countries cause that was content to die This saide alas he made no more a doe But drewe his sword and sheathde it in his brest Cre. No more I haue inough returne ye nowe From whence ye came Nuncius returneth by the gates Electrae Well since the bloud of my beloued sonne Must serue to slake the wrath of angrie Ioue And since his onely death must bring to Thebes A quiet ende of hir vnquiet state Me thinkes good reason would that I henceforth Of Thebane soyle should beare the kingly swaye Yea sure and so I will ere it belong Either by right or else by force of armes Of al mishap loe here the wicked broode My sister first espoused hath hir sonne That slewe his fire of whose accursed séede Two brethren sprang whose raging hatefull hearts By force of boyling yre are bolne so sore As each do thyrst to sucke the others bloude But why do I sustaine the smart hereof Why should my bloud be spilt for others gilte Oh welcome were that messenger to me That brought me word of both my nephewes deathes Then should it soone be sene in euery eye Twixt prince and prince what difference would appeare Then should experience shewe what griefe it is To serue the humours of vnbridled youth Now will I goe for to prepare with spéede The funerals of my yong giltlesse sonne The which perhaps may be accompanyed With th' obsequies of proude Eteocles Creon goeth out by the gates Homoloydes Finis Actus 4. Actus 4. CHORVS O Blisful concord bredde in sacred brest Of him that guides the restlesse rolling sky That to the earth for mans assured rest From heigth of heauens vouchsafest downe to flie In thée alone the mightie power doth lie With swete accorde to kepe the frouning starres And euery planet else from hurtfull warres In thée in thée such noble vertue bydes As may commaund the mightiest Gods to bend From thée alone such sugred frendship slydes As mortall wightes can scarcely comprehend To greatest strife thou setst delightfull ende O holy peace by thée are onely founde The passing ioyes that euery where abound Thou onely thou through thy celestiall might Didst first of al the heauenly pole deuide From th' olde confused heape that Chaos hight Thou madste the Sunne the Moone and starres to glide With ordred course about this world so wide Thou hast ordainde Dan Tytans shining light By dawne of day to chase the darkesome night When tract of time returnes the lustie Ver. By thée alone the buddes and blossomes spring The fieldes with floures be garnisht euery where The blooming trées aboundant fruite do bring The cherefull birds melodiously do sing Thou dost appoint the crop of sommers séede For mans reliefe to serue the winters néede Thou doest inspire the heartes of princely péeres By prouidence procéeding from aboue In flowring youth to choose their worthie féeres With whome they liue in league of lasting loue Till fearefull death doth flitting life remoue And loke how fast to death man payes his due So fast againe doste thou his stocke renue By thée the basest thing aduaunced is Thou euerie where dost graffe such golden peace As filleth man with more than earthly blisse The earth by thée doth yelde hir swete increase At becke of thée all bloudy discords cease And mightiest Realmes in quiet do remaine Wheras thy hand doth holde the royall raine But if thou faile then al things gone to wracke The mother then doth dread hir naturall childe Then euery towne is subiect to the sacke Then spotlesse maids the virgins be defilde Then rigor rules then reason is exilde And this thou wofull Thebes to our great paine With present spoile art likely to sustaine Me thinke I heare the wailfull wéeping cries Of wretched dames in euerie coast resound Me thinkes I sée how vp to heauenly skies From battred walls the thundring clappes rebound Me thinke I heare how all things go to ground Me thinke I sée how souldiers wounded lye With gasping breath and yet they can not dye By meanes wherof oh swete Meneceus he That giues for countries cause his guiltlesse life Of others all most happy shall he be His ghost shall flit from broiles of bloudy strife To heauenly blisse where pleasing ioyes be rife And would to God that this his fatall ende From further plagues our citie might defend O sacred God giue eare vnto thy thrall That humbly here vpon thy name doth call O let not now our faultlesse bloud be spilt For hote reuenge of any others gilt Finis Actus quarti Done by F. Kinwelmarshe The order of the laste dumbe shevve FIrst the Stillpipes sounded a very mournful melody in which time came vpon the Stage a womā clothed in a white garment on hir head a piller double faced the formost face fair smiling the other behinde blacke louring muffled with a white laune about hir eyes hir lap ful of Iewelles sitting in a charyot hir legges naked hir fete set vpō a great roūd bal beyng drawē in by .iiij. noble personages she led in a string on hir right hand .ij. kings crowned and in hir lefte hand .ij. poore slaues very meanly attyred After she was drawen about the stage she stayed a little changing the kings vnto the left hande the slaues
vnto the right hand taking the crownes from the kings heads she crowned therwith the ij slaues casting the vyle clothes of the slaues vpon the kings she despoyled the kings of their robes and therwith apparelled the slaues This done she was drawen eftsones about the stage in this order and then departed leauing vnto vs a plaine Type or figure of vnstable fortune who dothe oftentimes raise to heighte of dignitie the vile and vnnoble and in like manner throweth downe frō the place of promotiō euen those whō before she hir selfe had thither aduaunced after hir departure came in Duke Creon with foure gentlemen wayting vpon him and lamented the death of Meneceus his sonne in this maner Actus .iij. Scena .1 CREON. CHORVS ALas what shall I do bemone my selfe Or rue the ruine of my Natiue lande About the which such cloudes I sée enclosde As darker cannot couer dreadfull hell With mine own eyes I saw my own deare sonne All gorde with bloud of his too bloudy brest Which he hath shed full like a friend too deare To his countrey and yet a cruell foe To me that was his friend and father both Thus to him selfe he gaynde a famous name And glory great to me redoubled payne Whose haplesse death in my afflicted house Hath put suche playnt as I ne can espie What comfort might acquiet their distresse I hither come my sister for to séeke Iocasta she that might in wofull wise Amid hir high and ouer pining cares Prepare the baynes for his so wretched corps And eke for him that nowe is not in life May pay the due that to the dead pertaynes And for the honor he did well deserue To giue some giftes vnto infernall Gods. Cho. My Lorde your sister is gone forth long since Into the campe and with hir Antigone Hir daughter deare Cre. Into the campe alas and what to do Cho. She vnderstoode that for this realme foorthwith Hir sonnes were gréed in combate for to ioyne Cre. Alas the funerals of my deare sonne Dismayed me so that I ne did receiue Ne séeke to knowe these newe vnwelcome newes But loe beholde a playne apparant signe Of further feares the furious troubled lookes Of him that commeth heere so hastilye Scena 2. NVNCIVS CREON. CHORVS ALas alas what shall I doe alas What shriching voyce may serue my wofull wordes O wretched I ten thousande times a wretch The messanger of dread and cruell death Cre. Yet more mishap and what vnhappie newes Nun. My Lord your nephues both haue lost their liues Cre. Out and alas to me and to this towne Thou doest accompt great ruine and decay You royall familie of Oedipus And heare you this your liege and soueraigne Lordes The brethren both are slayne and done to death Cho. O cruell newes most cruell that can come O newes that might these stony walles prouoke For tender ruthe to brust in bitter teares And so they would had they the sense of man. Cre. O worthy yong Lordes that vnworthy were Of such vnworthy death O me moste wretch Nun. More wretched shall ye déeme your selfe my lord When you shall heare of further miserie Cre. And can there be more miserie than this Nun. With hir deare sonnes the quéene hir self is slaine Cho. Bewayle ladies alas good ladies waile This harde mischaunce this cruell common euill Ne hencefoorth hope for euer to reioyce Cre. O Iocasta miserable mother What haplesse ende thy life alas hath hent Percase the heauens purueyed had the same Moued therto by the wicked wedlocke Of Oedipus thy sonne yet might thy scuse But iustly made that knewe not of the crime But tell me messanger oh tell me yet The death of these two brethren driuen therto Not thus all onely by their drearie fate But by the banning and the bitter cursse Of their cruell sire borne for our annoy And here on earth the onely soursse of euill Nun. Then know my Lorde the battell that begonne Vnder the walles was brought to luckie ende Eteocles had made his fotemen flée Within their trenches to their foule reproche But herewithall the brethren both straightway Eche other chalenge foorth into the fielde By combate so to stinte their cruell strife Who armed thus amid the fielde appeard First Polynice turning toward Gréece His louely lookes gan Iuno thus beséeche O heauenly quéene thou séest that since the day I first did wedde Adrastus daughter deare And stayde in Gréece thy seruaunt haue I bene Then be it not for mine vnworthinesse Graunt me this grace the victorie to winne Graunt me that I with high triumphant hande May bathe this blade within my brothers brest I know I craue vnworthy victorie Vnworthy triumphes and vnworthy spoyles Lo he the cause my cruell enimie The people wept to beare the wofull wordes Of Polynice foreséeing eke the ende Of this outrage and cruell combate tane Eche man gan looke vpon his drouping mate With mindes amazed and trembling hearts for dread Whom pitie perced for these youthfull knightes Eteocles with eyes vp cast to heauen Thus sayde O mightie loue his daughter graunt to me That this right hande with this sharpe armed launce Passing amid my brothers cankred brest It may eke pierce that cowarde hart of his And so him slea that thus vnworthily Disturbes the quiet of our common weale So sayde Eteocles and trumpets blowne To sende the summons of their bloudy fighte That one the other fiercely did encounter Like Lions two yfraught with boyling wrath Bothe coucht their launces full agaynst the face But heauen it nolde that there they should them teinte Vpon the battred shields the mightie speares Are bothe ybroke and in a thousande shiuers Amid the ayre flowne vp into the heauens Beholde agayne with naked sworde in hande Eche one the other furiously assaultes Here they of Thebes there stoode the Greekes in doubt Of whom doth eche man féele more chilling dread Least any of the twayne should lose his life Than any of the twayne did féele in fight Their angry lookes their deadly daunting blowes Might witnesse well that in their heartes remaynde As cankred hate disdayne and furious moode As euer bred in beare or tygers brest The first that hapt to hurt was Polinice Who smote the righte thighe of Eteocles But as we déeme the blow was nothing déepe Then cryed the Gréekes and lepte with lightned harts But streight agayne they helde their peace for why Eteocles gan thrust his wicked sworde In the lefte arme of vnarmed Pollinice And let the bloud from bare vnfenced fleshe With falling drops distill vpon the ground Ne long he stayes but with an other thrust His brothers belly boweld with his blade Then wretched he with bridle left at large From of his horsse fell pale vpon the ground Ne long it was but downe our duke dismountes From of his startling steede and runnes in hast His brothers haplesse helme for to vnlace And with such hungry minde desired spoyle As one that thought the fielde already woonne
shoulde be chastised and the yong man should be absolued All this rehearsed and considered you may as I say growe in some doubt whether I were worse occupied in first deuising or at last in publishing these toies pamphlets and much the rather for that it is a thing commonly seene that nowe adayes fewe or no things are so well handled but they shall bee carped at by curious Readers nor almost any thing so well ment but may bee muche misconstrued And heerewithall I assure my selfe that I shall bee generally condemned as a man verie lightly bent and rather desyrous to continue in the freshe remembraunce of my follyes than content too cancell them in obliuion by discontinuance especially since in a house where many yong childrē are it hath bene thought better pollicie quite to quench out the fire than to leaue any loofe cole in the imbers wherewith Babes may play and put the whole edifice in daunger But my lustie youthes and gallant Gentlemen I had an intent farre contrarie vntoo all these supposes when I fyrst permitmitted the publication heereof And bycause the greatest offence that hath beene taken thereat is least your mindes might heereby become enuenomed with vanities therefore vnto you I will addresse my tale for the better satisfying of common iudgements And vnto you I will explane that which being before mistically couered and commonly misconstrued might be no lesse perillous in seducing you than greeuous euidence for to proue mee guiltie of condemnation Then to come vnto the matter there are three sortes of men which beeing wonderfully offended at this booke haue founde therein three maner of matters say they verie reprehensible The men are these curious Carpers ignorant Readers and graue Philosophers The faults they finde are Iudicare in the Creede Chalke for Cheese and the cōmon infection of loue Of these three sorts of men and matters I do but very little esteeme the two first But I deeply regarde the thirde For of a verie troth there are one kinde of people nowadayes which will mislyke any thing being bred as I thinke of the spawne of a Crab or Creuish which in all streames and waters will swimme eyther sidewayes or flat backwards and when they can indeede finde none other fault will yet thinke Iudicare verie vntowardlye placed in the Creede Or beeing a simple Sowter will finde fault at the shape of the legge or if they be not there stopped they wil not spare to step vp higher and say that Apelles paynted Dame Venus verie deformed or euill fauoured Of this sort I make small accounte bycause indeede they seeke a knotte in the Rushe and woulde seeme to see verie farre in a Mylstone There are also certaine others who hauing no skill at all will yet be verie busie in reading all that may bee read and thinke it sufficient if Parrot like they can rehearse things without booke when within booke they vnderstande neyther the meaning of the Authour nor the sense of the figuratiue speeches I will forbeare to recyte examples by any of mine owne doings Since all comparisons are odious I will not say how much the areignment and diuorce of a Louer being written in ieast haue bene mistaken in sad earnest It shall suffice that the contentions passed in verse long sithence betwene maister Churchyard and Camell were by a blockheaded reader cōstrued to be indeed a quarell betwene two neighbors Of whom that one hauing a Camell in keping and that other hauing charge of the Churchyard it was supposed they had grown to debate bicause the Camell came into the Churchyarde Laugh not at this lustie yonkers since the pleasant dittie of the noble Erle of Surrey beginning thus In winters iust returne was also construed to be made indeed by a Shepeherd VVhat shoulde I stande much in rehersall how the L. Vaux his dittie beginning thus I loth that I did loue was thought by some to be made vpō his death bed and that the Soulknill of M. Edwards was also written in extremitie of sicknesse Of a truth my good gallants there are such as hauing only lerned to read English do interpret Latin Greke French and Italian phrases or metaphors euē according to their owne motherly conception and childish skill The which bicause they take Chalke for Cheese shall neuer trouble me whatsoeuer fault they finde in my doings But the third sort beeing graue Philosophers and finding iust fault in my doings at the common infection of loue I must needes alledge suche iuste excuse as may counteruayle their iuste complaynts For else I shoulde remayne woorthie of a seuere punishment They wysely considering that wee are all in youth more apt to delight in harmefull pleasures then to disgest wholesome and sounde aduice haue thought meete to forbid the publishing of any ryming tryfles which may serue as whetstones to sharpen youth vnto vanities And for this cause finding by experience also how the first Copie of these my Posies hath beene verie much inquired for by the yonger sort and hearing likewise that in the same the greater part hath beene written in pursute of amorous enterpryses they haue iustly conceyued that the continuance thereof hath beene more likely to stirre in all yong Readers a venemous desire of vanitie than to serue as a common myrrour of greene and youthfull imperfections VVherevnto I must confesse that as the industrious Bee may gather honie out of the most stinking weede so the malicious Spider may also gather poyson out of the fayrest floure that growes And yet in all this discourse I see not proued that either that Gardener is too blame which planteth his Garden full of fragrant floures neyther that planter to be dispraysed which soweth all his beddes with seedes of wholesome herbes neyther is that Orchard vnfruitfull which vnder show of sundrie weedes hath medicinable playsters for all infirmities But if the Chirurgian which should seeke Sorrell to rypen an Vlcer will take Rewe which may more inflame the Impostume then is hee more to blame that mistooke his gathering than the Gardener which planted aright and presented store and choyse to be taken Or if the Phisition will gather hote Perceley in stead of cold Endiue shall he not worthily beare the burthen of his owne blame To speake English it is your vsing my lustie Gallants or misvsing of these Posies that may make me praysed or dispraysed for publishing of the same For if you where you may learne to auoyd the subtile sandes of wanton desire will runne vpon the rockes of vnlawfull lust then great is your folly and greater will growe my rebuke If you where you might gather wholesome hearbes to cure your sundrie infirmities will spende the whole day in gathering of sweete smelling Posies much will be the time that you shal mispende and much more the harme that you shall heape vpon my heade Or if you will rather beblister your handes with a Nettle then comfort your senses by smelling to the pleasant Marioram then wanton is
liue and such a life leade I. The Sunny dayes which gladde the saddest wightes Yet neuer shine to cleare my misty moone No quiet sléepe amidde the mooneshine nightes Can close mine eyes when I am woe begone Into such shades my péeuishe sorrowe shrowdes That Sunne and Moone are styll to me in clowdes And feuerlike I féede my fancie styll With such repast as most empaires my health Which feuer first I caught by wanton wyll When coles of kind dyd stirre my blood by stealth And gazing eyes in bewtie put such trust That loue enflamd my liuer al with lust My fits are lyke the feuer Ectick fits Which one daye quakes within and burnes without The next day heate within the boosoms sits And shiuiring colde the body goes about So is my heart most hote when hope is colde And quaketh most when I most heate behold Tormented thus without delayes I stand All wayes in one and euermore shal be In greatest griefe when helpe is nearest hand And best at ease if death might make me frée Delighting most in that which hurtes my heart And hating change which might relieue my smart Yet you deare dame to whome this cure pertaines Deuise by times some drammes for my disease A noble name shall be your greatest gaines Whereof be sure if you wyll worke mine ease And though fond fooles set forth their fittes as fast Yet graunt with me that my straunge passion past Euer or neuer ¶ A straunge passion of a Louer AMid my Bale I hath in blisse I swim in heauen I sinke in hell I find amends for euery misse And yet my moane no tongue can tell I liue and loue what wold you more As neuer louer liu'd before I laugh sometimes with little lust So iest I oft and féele no ioye Myne ease is builded all on trust And yit mistrust bréedes myne anoye I liue and lacke I lacke and haue I haue and misse the thing I craue These things séeme strange yet are they trew Beléeue me sweete my state is such One pleasure which I wold eschew Both slakes my grief and breedes my grutch So doth one paine which I would shoon Renew my ioyes where grief begoon Then like the larke that past the night In heauy sleepe with cares opprest Yit when shee spies the pleasaunt light She sends sweete notes from out hir brest So sing I now because I thinke How ioyes approch when sorrowes shrinke And as fayre Philomene againe Can watch and singe when other sleepe And taketh pleasure in hir payne To wray the woo that makes hir weepe So sing I now for to bewray The lothsome life I lead alway The which to thée deare wenche I write That know'st my mirth but not my moane I praye God graunt thée déepe delight To liue in ioyes when I am gone I cannot liue it wyll not bée I dye to thinke to part from thée Ferendo Natura ¶ The Diuorce of a Louer DIuorce me nowe good death from loue and lingring life That one hath bene my concubine that other was my wife In youth I liued with loue she had my lustye dayes In age I thought with lingering life to stay my wādering wais But now abusde by both I come for to complaine To thée good death in whom my helpe doth wholy now remain My libell loe behold wherein I doe protest The processe of my plaint is true in which my griefe doth rest First loue my concubine whome I haue kept so trimme Euen she for whome I séemd of yore in seas of ioy to swimme To whome I dare auowe that I haue serued as well And played my part as gallantly as he that heares the hell She cast me of long since and holdes me in disdaine I cannot pranke to please hir nowe my vaunting is but vaine My writhled chéekes bewraye that pride of heate is past My stagring steppes eke tell the trueth that nature fadeth fast My quaking crooked ioyntes are combred with the crampe The boxe of oyle is wasted wel which once dyd féede my lampe The gréenesse of my yeares doth wyther now so sore That lusty loue leapes quite awaye and lyketh me no more And loue my lemman gone what lyking can I take In lothsome lyfe that croked croane although she be my make Shée cloyes me with the cough hir comfort is but cold She bids me giue mine age for almes wher first my youth was sold No day can passe my head but she beginnes to brall No mery thoughts conceiued so fast but she confounds them al. When I pretend to please she ouerthwarts me still When I would faynest part with hir she ouerwayes my will. Be iudge then gentle death and take my cause in hand Consider euery circumstaunce marke how the case doth stand Percase thou wilte aledge that cause thou canst none sée But that I like not of that one that other likes not me Yea gentle iudge giue eare and thou shalt see me proue My concubine incontinent a common whore is loue And in my wyfe I find such discord and debate As no man liuing can endure the tormentes of my state Wherefore thy sentence say deuorce me from them both Since only thou mayst right my wronges good death nowe he not loath But cast thy pearcing dart into my panting brest That I may leaue both loue and life thereby purchase rest Haud ictus sapio ¶ The Lullabie of a Louer SIng lullaby as women doe Wherewith they bring their babes to rest And lullaby can I sing to As womanly as can the best With lullaby they still the childe And if I be not much beguild Full many wanton babes haue I Which must be stild with lullabie First lullaby my youthfull yeares It is nowe time to go to bed For croocked age and hoary heares Haue wone the hauen with in my head With Lullaby then youth be still With Lullaby content thy will Since courage quayles and commes behind Go sleepe and so beguile thy minde Next Lullaby my gazing eyes Which wonted were to glaunce apace For euery Glasse maye nowe suffise To shewe the furrowes in my face With Lullabye then winke awhile With Lullabye your lookes beguile Lette no fayre face nor beautie brighte Entice you efte with vayne delighte And Lullaby my wanton will Lette reasons rule nowe reigne thy thought Since all to late I finde by skyll Howe deare I haue thy fansies bought With Lullaby nowe tak thyne ease With Lullaby thy doubtes appease For trust to this if thou be styll My body shall obey thy will. Eke Lullaby my louing boye My little Robyn take thy rest Since age is colde and nothing coye Keepe close thy coyne for so is best With Lullady be thou content With Lullaby thy lustes relente Lette others pay which hath mo pence Thou art to pore for such expence Thus Lullabye my youth myne eyes My will my ware and all that was I can no mo delayes deuise But welcome payne let pleasure passe With Lullaby now take your leaue
My faynting lymmes straight fall into a sowne Before the taste of Ippocrace is felt The naked name in dollours doth mée drowne For then I call vnto my troubled mynde That Ippocrace hath bene thy daylye drinke That Ippocrace hath walkt with euerye winde In bottels that were fylled to the brinke With Ippocrace thou banquetedst full ofte With Ippocrace thou madst thy selfe full merrye Such chéere had set thy new loue so alofte That olde loue nowe was scarcely worth a cherry And then againe I fall into a traunce But when my breth returnes against my wyll Before my tongue can tell my wofull chaunce I heare my fellowes how they whisper still One sayth that Ippocrace is contrary Vnto my nature and complexion Whereby they iudge that all my malladye Was long of that by alteration An other sayth no no this man is weake And for such weake so hote thinges are not best Then at the last I heare no lyar speake But one which knowes the cause of mine vnrest ▪ And sayth this man is for my life in loue He hath receiued repulse or dronke disdaine Alas crye I and ere I can remoue Into a sowne I sone returne againe Thus driue I foorth my doolefull dining time And trouble others with my troubles styll But when I here the Bell hath passed prime Into the Bathe I wallowe by my wyll That there my teares vnsene might ease my griefe For though I starue yet haue I fed my fill In priuie panges I count my best relife And still I striue in weary woes to drench But when I plondge than woe is at an ebbe My glowing coles are all to quicke to quenche And I to warme am wrapped in the webbe Which makes me swim against the wished waue Lo thus deare wenche I leade a lothsome life And greedely I séeke the greedy graue To make an ende of all these stormes and strife But death is deafe and heares not my desire So that my dayes continewe styl in dole And in my nightes I féele the secrete fire Which close in embers coucheth lyke a cole And in the daye hath bene but raked vp With couering ashes of my company Now breakes it out and boyles the careful cuppe Which in my heart doth hang full heauily I melt in teares I swelt in chilling sweat My swelling heart breakes with delay of paine I fréeze in hope yet burne in haste of heate I wishe for death and yet in life remaine And when dead sléepe doth close my dazeled eyes Then dreadful dreames my dolors do encrease Me thinkes I lie awake in wofull wise And sée thée come my sorrowes for to cease Me séemes thou saist my good what meaneth this What ayles thée thus co languish and lament How can it be that bathing all in blisse Such cause vnknowne disquiets thy content Thou doest me wrong to kéepe so close from me The grudge or griefe which gripeth now thy heart For well thou knowest I must thy partner be In bale in blisse in solace and in smarte Alas alas these things I déeme in dreames But when mine eyes are open and awake I sée not thée where with the flowing streames Of brinishe teares their wonted floods do make Thus as thou séest I spend both nightes and dayes And for I find the world did iudge me once A witlesse wryter of these louers layes I take my pen and paper for the nonce I laye aside this foolishe ryding rime And as my troubled head can bring to passe I thus bewray the torments of my time Beare with my Muse it is not as it was Fato non fortuna The extremitie of his Passion AMong the toyes which tosse my braine and reaue my mind from quiet rest This one I finde doth there remaine to breede debate within my brest VVhen wo would work to wound my wyl I cannot weepe nor waile my fyll My tongue hath not the skill to tell the smallest griefe which gripes my heart Mine eyes haue not the power to swell into such Seas of secrete smart That will might melt to waues of woe and I might swelt in sorrowes so Yet shed mine eyes no trickling teares but flouddes which flowe abundauntly VVhose fountaine first enforst by feares found out the gappe of ielousie And by that breache it soketh so that all my face is styll on flowe My voice is like the raging wind which roareth still and neuer staies The thoughtes which tomble in my minde are like the wheele which whirles alwayes Nowe here nowe there nowe vp now downe in depth of waues yet cannot drowne The sighes which boyle out of my brest are not lyke those which others vse For louers sighes sometimes take rest And lend their mindes a leaue to muse But mine are like the surging Seas whome calme nor quiet can appeas And yet they be but sorrowes smoke my brest the fordge where furie playes My panting heart yt strikes the stroke my fancie blowes the flame alwaies The coles are kindled by desire and Cupide warmes him by the fire Thus can I neyther drowne in dole nor burne to ashes though I waste Mine eyes can neyther quenche the cole which warmes my heart in all this haste Nor yet my fancie make such flame that I may smoulder in the same VVherefore I come to seeke out Care beseeching him of curtesie To cut the thread which cannot weare by panges of such perplexitie And but he graunt this boone of mine thus must I liue and euer pine Fato non fortuna LO thus déere heart I force my frantike Muse To frame a verse in spite of my despight But whiles I doo these mirthlesse méeters vse This rashe conceite doth reue me from delight I call to minde howe many louing layes Howe many Sonets and how many songes I dyd deuise within those happie dayes When yet my wyl had not receiued wronges All which were euermore regarded so That litle fruite I séemd thereby to reape But rather when I had bewrayed my woe Thy loue was light and lusted styll to leape The rimes which pleased thee were all in print And mine were ragged hard for to be read Lo déere this dagger dubbes me with this dint And leaue this wound within my ielous head But since I haue confessed vnto Care That now I stand vppon his curtesie And that the bale which in my brest I bare Hath not the skill to kyll me cunningly Therefore with all my whole deuotion To Care I make this supplication Fato non fortuna His libell of request exhibited to Care. O Curteous Care whome others cruell call And raile vpon thine honourable name O knife that canst cut of the thread of thrall O sheare that shreadst the séemerent shéete of shame O happye ende of euery gréeuous game Vouchsafe O Prince thy vassall to behold Who loues thée more than can with tongue be told And nowe vouchsafe to pittie this his plaint Whose teares bewray His truth alway Although his feeble tongue be forst to faint I must confesse
O noble king to thée That I haue béene a Rebell in my youth I preast alwaies in pleasures court to bée I fled from that which Cupide still eschuth I fled from Care lo now I tell the truth And in delightes I loued so to dwell Thy heauenly house dyd séeme to me but hell Such was my rage the which I now repent And pardon craue My soule to saue Before the webbe of weary life be spent But marke what fruites dyd grow on such a trée What crop dyd rise vpon so rashe sowne séede For when I thought my selfe in heauen to bée In depth of hell I drowned was in déede Whereon to thinke my heauie hart doth bléede Me thought I swumme in Seas of all delight When as I sunke in puddles of despight Alas alas I thought my selfe belou'd When deadly hate Did play checke mate With me poore pawne that no such prancks had prou'd This when I tryed ay me to be to true I wept for woe I pined all for paine I tare my héere I often chaunged hewe I left delight with dollours to complaine I shund each place where pleasure dyd remaine I cride I calde on euery kinde of death I stroue eache way to stop my fainting breath Short tale to make I stept so farre in strife That still I sought With all my thought Some happie helpe to leaue my lothed life But hope was he that held my hande abacke From quicke dispatch of all my griping griefe When heate of hate had burnt my will to wracke Then hope was colde and lent my life reliefe In euery choice hope challengde to be chiefe When coldest crampes had cleane orecome my heart Then hope was hote and warnde my weary smart Then heart was heardie hope was still in dread When heart was faint With feares attaint Then hardie hope held vp my fearefull head Thus when I found that neither flowing teares Could drowne my heart in waues of wery wo Nor hardy hand could ouercome my feares To cut the sacke of all my sorrowes so Nor death would come nor I to death could go And yet I felt great droppes of secrete smart Distilling styll within my dying heart I then perceiude that onely care was he Which as my friend Might make an end Of all these paines and set my fansie frée Wherefore oh Care graunt thou my iust request Oh kyll my corpse oh quickly kyll me nowe Oh make an ende and bring my bones to rest Oh cut my thread good Care I care not howe Oh Care be kinde and here I make a vowe That when my life out of my brest shall part I wyll present thée with my faithfull hart And send it to thée as a Sacrifice Bicause thou hast Vouchsaft at last To ende my furies in this friendly wise Fato non Fortuna WHat greater glory can a Keysar gaine If madde moode moue his subiectes to rebell Than that at last when all the traytours traine Haue trode the pathe of déepe repentaunce well And naked néede with Cold and Hunger both Hath bitten them abrode in forren land Whereby they may their lewde deuises loth When hairbraind haste with cold aduise is scande If then at last they come vpon their knée And pardon craue with due submission And for this cause I thinke that Care of me Was moued most to take compassion For now I find that pittie prickes his mind To sée me plonged still in endlesse paine And right remorse his princely heart doth bind To rule the rage wherein I do remaine I féele my teares doe now begin to stay For Care from them their swelling springs doth soke I feele my sighes their labours now allaye For Care hath quencht the coles that made thē smoke I feele my panting heart begins to rest For Care hath staide the hammers of my head I feele the flame which blazed in my brest Is nowe with carefull ashes ouerspread And gentle Care hath whet his karuing knife To cut in twaine the thread of all my thrall Desired death nowe ouercommeth life And wo still workes to helpe in haste with all But since I féele these panges approching so And lothed life begin to take his leaue Me thinkes it meete to giue before I go Such landes and goodes as I behind me leaue So to discharge my troubled conscience And eke to set an order for my heyre Who might perhaps be put to great expence To sue for that which I bequeath him here Wherefore déere wenche with all my full intent I thus begin to make my Testament Fato non fortuna His last wyll and Testament IN Ioue his mighty name this eight and twentith day Of frosted bearded Ianuar the enemy to May Since Adam was create fiue thousand yéeres I gesse Fiue hundreth forty more and fiue as stories do expresse I being whole of minde immortall Gods haue praise Though in my body languishing with panges of paine alwayes Do thus ordaine my wyll which long in woes haue wepte Beséeching mine executours to sée it duely kept Fyrst I bequeath my soule on Charons boate to tende Vntill thy life my loue at last may light on luckye ende That there it may awaite to wayte vpon thy ghost Whē thou hast quite clene forgot what pranks now please thée most So shall it well be séene whose loue is like to mine For so I meane to trye my truth and there tyll then to pine My body he enbalmde and cloased vp in chest With oyntments and with spiceries of euery swéete the best And so preserued styll vntill the day do come That death diuorce my loue from life trusse hir vp in tombe Then I bequeath my corps to couche beneathe hir bones And there to féede the gréedy wormes that linger for the nones To frette vppon her fleshe which is to fine therefore This seruice may it doe hir yet although it do no more My heart as heretofore I must bequeathe to Care And God he knowes I thinke the gift to simple for his share But that he may perceiue I meane to pay my dew I will it shall be taken quicke and borne him bléeding new As for my funerals I leaue that toye at large To be as mine executours wyll giue thereto in charge Yet if my goodes will stretche vnto my strange deuice Then let this order be obseru'd mine heyre shall pay the price First let the torche bearers be wrapte in weedes of woe Let all their lightes be virgin waxe because I lou'de it so And care not though the twist be course that lends them light If fansie fume frée wil flame then must they néeds burn bright Next them let come the quier with psalmes and dolefull song Recording all my rough repulse and wraying all my wrong And when the deskant singes in tréeble tunes aboue Then let fa burden say by lowe I liu'd and dyde for loue About my heauy hearse some mourners would I haue Who migh the same accompany and stand about the graue But let them be such
men as maye confesse with me How contrary the lots of loue to all true louers bée Let Patience be the Priest the Clarke be Close conceipt The Sertin be Simplicitie which meaneth no disceipt Let almes of Loue be delt euen at the Chaunsell doore And feede them there with freshe delayes as I haue bene of yore Then let the yongest sort be set to ring Loues Bels And pay Repentance for their paines but giue thē nothing else Thus when the Dirge is done let euery man depart And learne by me what harme it is to haue a faithfull hart Those litle landes I haue mine heyre must needes possesse His name is Lust the landes be losse few louers scape with lesse The rest of all my goodes which I not here rehearse Giue learned Poets for their paines to decke my Tombe with verse And let them write these wordes vpon my carefull chest Lo here he lies that was as true in loue as is the best Alas I had forgot the Parsons dewe to paye And so my soule in Purgatorye might remaine alway Then for my priuie Tythes as kysses caught by stealth Sweete collinges such other knackes as multiplied my wealth I giue the Vickar here to please his gréedie wyll A deintie dishe of suger soppes but saust with sorrow stil And twise a wéeke at least let dight them for his dishe On Fridayes and on wednesdaies to saue expence of fishe Nowe haue I much bequeathed and litle left behinde And others mo must yet be serued or else I were vnkinde Wet eyes and wayling wordes Executours I make And for their paines ten pound of teares let either of them take Let sorrow at the last my Suprauisor be And stedfastnesse my surest steade I giue him for his fée Yet in his pattent place this Sentence of prouiso That he which loueth stedfastly shall want no sauce of sorrow Thus now I make an ende of this my wearie wyll And signe it with my simple hand and set my seale there tyll And you which reade my wordes although they be in rime Yet reason may perswade you eke Thus louers dote sometime The Subscription and seale MY mansion house was Mone from Dolours dale I came I Fato Non Fortuna hight lo now you know my name My seale is sorrowes sythe within a fielde of flame Which cuts in twaine a carefull heart that sweltreth in the same Fato non Fortuna ALas lo now I heare the passing Bell Which Care appointeth carefullye to knoule And in my brest I féele my heart now swell To breake the stringes which ioynde it to my soule The Crystall yse which lent mine eyes their light Doth now waxe dym and dazeled all with dread My senses all wyll now forsake me quite And hope of health abandoneth my head My wearie tongue can talke no longer now My trembling hand nowe leaues my penne to hold My ioynts nowe stretch my body cannot bowe My skinne lookes pale my blood now waxeth cold And are not these the very panges of death Yes sure sweete heart I know them so to bée They be the panges which striue to stop my breath They be the panges which part my loue from thée What sayd I Loue Nay life but not my loue My life departes my loue continues styll My lothed lyfe may from my corpse remoue My louing Loue shall alwayes worke thy wyll It was thy wyll euen thus to trye my truth Thou hast thy wyll my truth may now be sene It was thy wyll that I should dye in youth Thou hast thy wyll my yeares are yet but grene Thy penaunce was that I should pine in paine I haue performde thy penaunce all in wo Thy pleasure was that I should here remaine I haue bene glad to please thy fansie so Nowe since I haue performed euery part Of thy commaunde as neare as tongue can tell Content thée yet before my muse depart To take this Sonet for my last farewell Fato non fortuna His Farewell FArewell déere Loue whome I haue loued and shall Both in this world and in the world to come For proofe whereof my sprite is Charons thrall And yet my corpse attendant on thy toome Farewell déere swéete whose wanton wyll to please Eche taste of trouble séemed mell to me Farewell swéete deare whose doubtes for to appease I was contented thus in bale to be Farewell my lyfe farewell for and my death For thee I lyu'd for thee nowe must I dye Farewell from Bathe whereas I feele my breath Forsake my breast in great perplexitie Alas how welcome were this death of mine If I had dyde betweene those armes of thine Fato non Fortuna The Reporters conclusion WHere might I now find flooddes of flowing teares So to suffice the swelling of mine eyes How might my breast vnlode the bale it beares Alas alas how might my tongue deuise To tell this weary tale in wofull wise To tell I saye these tydinges nowe of truth Which may prouoke the craggy rockes to rush In depth of dole would God that I were drownde Where flattering ioyes might neuer find me out Or graued so within the gréedy grounde As false delights might neuer bréede my doubt Nor guilefull loue hir purpose bring about Whose trustlesse traines in collours for to paint I find by proofe my wittes are all to faint I was that man whome destinies ordeine To beare eche griefe that groweth on the mold I was that man which proued to my paine More panges at once than can with tongue be told I was that man hereof you maye be hold Whome heauen and earth did frame to scoffe and scorne I I was he which to that ende was borne Suffized not my selfe to taste the fruite Of sugred sowres which growe in gadding yeares But that I must with paine of lyke pursute Perceiue such panges by paterne of my peares And féele how fansies fume could fond my pheares Alas I find all fates against me bent For nothing else I lyue but to lament The force of friendship bound by holy othe Dyd drawe my wyll into these croked wayes For with my frend I went to Bathe though loth To lend some comfort in his dollie dayes The stedfast friend stickes fast at all assayes Yet was I loth such time to spend in vaine The cause whereof lo here I tell you playne By proofe I found as you may well perceiue That all good counsell was but worne in wast Such painted paines his passions did deceiue That bitter gall was mell to him in tast Within his will such rootes of ruine plast As graffes of griefes were only giuen to growe Where youth did plant and rash conceite did sowe I sawe at first his eares were open aye To euery tale which fed him with some hope As fast againe I sawe him turne away From graue aduise which might his conscience grope From reasons rule his fancie lightly lope He only gaue his mind to get that gaine Which most he wisht and least could yet attaine Not I
leuie threatning armes Whereof to talke my heart it rendes in twaine Yet once againe I must to thee recompte The wailefull thing that is already spred Bicause I know that pitie will compell Thy tender hart more than my naturall childe With ruthfull teares to mone my mourning case Ser. My gracious Quéene as no man might surmount The constant faith I beare my souraine Lorde So doe I thinke for loue and trustie zeale No Sonne you haue doth owe you more than I For hereunto I am by dutie bounde With seruice méete no lesse to honor you Than that renoumed Prince your déere father And as my duties be most infinite So infinite must also be my loue Then if my life or spending of my bloude May be employde to doe your highnesse good Commaunde O Quéene commaund this carcasse here In spite of death to satisfie thy will So though I die yet shall my willing ghost Contentedly forsake this withered corps For ioy to thinke I neuer shewde my selfe Ingratefull once to such a worthy Quéene Ioca. Thou knowst what care my carefull father tooke In wedlockes sacred state to settle me With Laius king of this vnhappie Thebs That most vnhappie now our Citie is Thou knowst how he desirous still to searche The hidden secrets of supernall powers Vnto Diuines did make his ofte recourse Of them to learne when he should haue a sonne That in his Realme might after him succéede Of whom receiuing answere sharpe and sowre That his owne sonne should worke his wailfull ende The wretched king though all in vayne did séeke For to eschew that could not be eschewed And so forgetting lawes of natures loue No sooner had this paynfull wombe brought foorth His eldest sonne to this desired light But straight he chargde a trustie man of his To beare the childe into a desert wood And leaue it there for Tigers to deuoure Ser. O lucklesse babe begot in wofull houre Ioc. His seruant thus obedient to his hest Vp by the héeles did hang this faultlesse Impe And percing with a knife his tender féete Through both the wounds did drawe the slender twigs Which being bound about his féeble limmes Were strong inough to holde the little soule Thus did he leaue this infant scarcely borne That in short time must néedes haue lost his life If destenie that for our greater gréefes Decréede before to kéepe it still aliue Had not vnto this childe sent present helpe For so it chaunst a shepheard passing by With pitie moude did stay his giltlesse death He tooke him home and gaue him to his wife With homelie fare to féede and foster vp Now harken how the heauens haue wrought the way To Laius death and to mine owne decay Ser. Experience proues and daily is it séene In vaine too vaine man striues against the heauens Ioca. Not farre fro thence the mightie Polibus Of Corinth King did kéepe his princely court Vnto whose wofull wife lamenting muche Shée had no ofspring by hir noble phéere The curteous shepherd gaue my little sonne Which gratefull gift the Quéene did so accept As nothing séemde more precious in hir sight Partly for that his faitures were so fine Partly for that he was so beautifull And partly for bicause his comely grace Gaue great suspicion of his royall bloude The infant grewe and many yeares was demde Polibus sonne till time that Oedipus For so he named was did vnderstande That Polibus was not his sire in déede Whereby forsaking frendes and countrie there He did returne to seeke his natiue stocke And being come into Phocides lande Toke notice of the cursed oracle How first he shoulde his father doe to death And then become his mothers wedded mate Ser. O fierce aspect of cruell planets all That can decrée such seas of heynous faultes Ioca. Then Oedipus fraight full of chilling feare By all meanes sought t' auoyde this furious fate But whiles he wéende to shunne the shameful déede Vnluckly guided by his owne mishappe He fell into the snare that most he feared For loe in Phocides did Laius lye To ende the broyles that ciuill discorde then Had raysed vp in that vnquiet lande By meanes whereof my wofull Oedipus Affording ayde vnto the other side With murdring blade vnwares his father slewe Thus heauenly doome thus fate thus powers diuine Thus wicked reade of Prophets tooke effect Now onely restes to ende the bitter happe Of me of me his miserable mother Alas how colde I féele the quaking bloud Passe too and fro within my trembling brest Oedipus when this bloudy déede was doone Forst foorth by fatall doome to Thebes came Where as full soone with glory he atchieude The crowne and scepter of this noble lande By conquering Sphinx that cruell monster loe That earst destroyde this goodly flouring soyle And thus did I O hatefull thing to heare To my owne sonne become a wretched wife Ser. No meruayle though the golden Sunne withdrew His glittering beames from suche a sinfull facte Ioca. And so by him that from this belly sprang I brought to light O cursed that I am Aswell two sonnes as daughters also twaine But when this monstrous mariage was disclosde So sore began the rage of boyling wrath To swell within the furious brest of him As he him selfe by stresse of his owne nayles Out of his head did teare his griefull eyne Vnworthy more to sée the shining light Ser. How could it be that knowing he had done So foule a blot he would remayne aliue Ioca. So déepely faulteth none the which vnwares Doth fall into the crime he can not shunne And he alas vnto his greater gréefe Prolongs the date of his accursed dayes Knowing that life doth more and more increase The cruell plages of his detested gilte Where stroke of griefly death dothe set an ende Vnto the pangs of mans increasing payne Ser. Of others all moste cause haue we to mone Thy wofull smarte O miserable Quéene Such and so many are thy gréeuous harmes Ioca. Now to the ende this blinde outrageous sire Should reape no ioye of his vnnaturall fruite His wretched sons prickt foorth by furious spight Adiudge their father to perpetuall prison There buried in the depthe of dungeon darke Alas he leades his discontented life Accursing still his stony harted sonnes And wishing all th' infernall sprites of hell To breathe suche poysned hate into their brestes As eche with other fall to bloudy warres And so with pricking poynt of piercing blade To rippe their bowels out that eche of them With others bloud might strayne his giltie hands And bothe at once by stroke of spéedie death Be foorthwith throwne into the Stigian lake Ser. The mightie Gods preuent so fowle a déede Ioca. They to auoyde the wicked blasphemies And sinfull prayer of their angrie sire Agréed thus that of this noble realme Vntill the course of one ful yere was runne Eteocles should sway the kingly mace And Polynice as exul should departe Till time expyrde and then to Polynice Eteocles should yéelde the scepter
vp Thus yere by yere the one succéeding other This royall crowne should vnto bothe remayne Ser. Oh th unbridled mindes of ambicious men Ioca. Etocles thus plast in princely seate Drunke with the sugred taste of kingly raigne Not onely shut his brother from the crowne But also from his natiue country soyle Alas poore Polynice what might he doe Vniustly by his brother thus betrayed To Argos he with sad and heauie cheere Forthwith conuayde him selfe on whom at length With fauning face good fortune smyled so As with Adrastus king of Argiues there He founde such fauour and affinitie As to restore my sonne vnto his raigne He hath besiedge this noble citie Thebes And hence procéedes my most extreme annoye For of my sonnes who euer doe preuaile The victorie will turne vnto my griefe Alas I feare such is the chaunce of warre That one or both shall purchase death therby Wherfore to shunne the worst that may befall Thoughe comfortlesse yet as a pitifull mother Whom nature binds to loue hir louing sonnes And to prouide the best for their auaile I haue thought good by prayers to entreate The two brethren nay rather cruel foes A while to staie their fierce and furious fight Till I haue tried by meanes for to apease The swelling wrath of their outraging willes And so with much to doe at my request They haue forborne vnto this onely houre Ser. Small space good wot to stint so great a strife Ioca. And euen right now a trustie man of mine Returned from the campe enforming me That Polynice will straight to Thebes come Thus of my woe this is the wailefull sūme And for bycause in vaine and bootelesse plainte I haue small néede to spend this litle time Here will I cease in wordes more to be wray The restlesse state of my afflicted minde Desiring thée thou goe to Eteocles Hartly on my behalfe beseching him That out of hand according to his promise He will vouchsafe to come vnto my courte I know he loues thée well and to thy wordes I thinke thou knowst he will giue willing eare Ser. O noble Quéene sith vnto such affayres My spedie diligence is requisite I will applie effectually to doe What so your highnesse hath commaunded me Ioca. I will goe in and pray the Gods therwhile With tender pitie to appease my griefe Iocasta goeth off the stage into hir pallace hir foure handmaides follow hir the foure Chorus also follow hir to the gates of hir pallace after comming on the stage take their place where they cōtinue to the end of the Tragedie SERVVS SOLVS THe simple man whose meruaile is so great At stately courts and princes regall seate With gasing eye but onely doth regarde The golden glosse that outwardly appeares The crownes bedeckt with pearle and precious stones The riche attire imbost with beaten golde The glittering mace the pompe of swarming traine The mightie halles heapt full of flattering frendes The chambers huge the goodly gorgeous beddes The gilted roofes embowde with curious worke The faces swéete of fine disdayning dames The vaine suppose of wanton raigne at luste But neuer viewes with eye of inward thought The painefull toile the great and greuous cares The troubles still the newe increasing feares That princes nourish in their iealous brestes He wayeth not the charge that Ioue hath laid On princes how for themselues they raigne not He wéenes the law must stoope to princely will But princes frame their noble wills to lawe He knoweth not that as the boystrous winde Doth shake the toppes of highest reared towres So doth the force of frowarde fortune strike The wight that highest sits in haughtie state Lo Oedipus that sometime raigned king Of Thebane soyle that wonted to suppresse The mightest Prince and kepe him vnder checke That fearefull was vnto his forraine foes Now like a poore afflicted prisoner In dungeon darke shut vp from chéerefull light In euery part so plagued with annoy As he abhorrs to leade a longer life By meanes wherof the one against the other His wrathfull sonnes haue planted all their force And Thebes here this auncient worthy towne With threatning siege girt in on euerie side In daunger lyes to be subuerted quite If helpe of heuenly Ioue vpholde it not But as darke night succedes the shining day So lowring griefe comes after pleasant ioy Well now the charge hir highnesse did commaund I must fulfill though haply all in vaine Seruus goeth off the stage by the gates called Electrae Antygone attended with .iij. gentlewomen and hir gouernour commeth out of the Queene hir mothers Pallace BAILO ANTIGONE O Gentle daughter of King Oedipus O sister deare to that vnhappie wight Whom brothers rage hath reaued of his right To whom thou knowst in yong and tender yeares I was a friend and faithfull gouenour Come forth sith that hir grace hath graunted leaue And let me knowe what cause hath moued nowe So chaste a maide to set hir daintie foote Ouer the thresholde of hir secrete lodge Since that the towne is furnishte euery where With men of armes and warlike instrumentes Vnto our eares there cōmes no other noyse But sounde of trumpe and neigh of trampling stedes Which running vp and downe from place to place With hideous cries betoken bloude and death The blasing sunne ne shineth halfe so brighte As it was wont to doe at dawne of day The wretched dames throughout the wofull towne Together clustring to the temples goe Beseching Ioue by way of humble plainte With tender ruthe to pitie their distresse An. The loue I beare to my swéete Polynice My deare brother is onely cause hereof Bai. Why daughter knowst thou any remedie How to defend thy fathers citie here From that outrage and fierce repyning wrathe Which he against it iustly hath conceiued An. Oh gouernour might this my faultlesse bloude Suffise to stay my brethrens dyre debate With glad content I coulde afford my life Betwixte them both to plant a perfect peace But since alas I cannot as I woulde A hote desire enflames my feruent mind To haue a sight of my swéete Polynice Wherfore good guide vouchsafe to guide me vp Into some tower about this hugie court From whence I may behold our enemies campe Therby at least to féede my hungry eyes But with the sight of my beloued brother Then if I die contented shall I die Bai. O princly dame the tender care thou takste Of thy deare brother deserueth double praise Yet crau'st thou that which cannot be obtainde By reason of the distance from the towne Vnto the plaine where th armie lies incampte And furthermore besemeth not a maide To shew hir selfe in such vnséemly place Whereas among such yong and lustie troupes Of harebrainde souldiers marching to and fro Both honest name and honour is empairde But yet reioyce sith this thy great desire Without long let or yet without thy paine At wishe and will shortly may be fulfillde For Polynice forthwith will hither come Euen I my selfe was lately at
That at vnwares his brothers dagger drawne And griped fast within the dying hand Vnder his side he recklesse doth receiue That made the way to his wyde open hart Thus falles Eteocles his brother by From both whose breasts the bloud fast bubling gaue A sory shewe to Greekes and Thebanes both Cho. Oh wretched ende of our vnhappie Lordes Cre. Oh Oedipus I must bewaile the death Of thy deare sonnes that were my nephewes both But of these blowes thou oughtest féele the smarte That with thy wonted prayers thus hast brought Such noble blouds to this vnnoble end But now tell on what followed of the Quéene Nun. Whē thus with piecced harts by their owne hands The brothers fell and wallowed in their bloud That one still tumbling on the others gore Came their afflicted mother then to late And eke with hir chast childe Antygone Who saw no sooner how their fates had falne But with the doubled echo of alas She dymmde the ayre with loude complaints and cryes Oh sonnes quod she too late came all my helpe And all to late haue I my succour sent And with these wordes vpon their carcas colde She shriched so as might haue stayed the Sunne To mourne with hir the wofull sister eke That both hir chekes did bathe in flowing teares Out from the depth of hir tormented brest With scalding sighes gan draw thefe weary words O my deare brethren why abandon ye Our mother deare when these hir aged yeares That of themselues are weake and growne with griefe Stoode most in neede of your sustaining helpe Why doe you leaue hir thus disconsolate At sounde of such hir wéeping long lament Eteocles our king helde vp his hand And sent from bottome of his wofull brest A doubled sighe deuided with his griefe In faithfull token of his feeble will To recomfort his mother and sister both And in steade of swéete contenting words The trickling teares raynde downe his paled chekes Then claspt his hands and shut his dying eyes But Polynice that turned his rolling eyen Vnto his mother and his sister deare With hollow voyce and fumbling toung thus spake Mother you see how I am now arryued Vnto the heauen of mine vnhappie ende Now nothing doth remaine to me but this That I lament my sisters life and yours Left thus in euerlasting woe and griefe So am I sory for Eteocles Who though he were my cruell enimie He was your sonne and brother yet to me But since these ghostes of ours must néedes go downe With staggring steppes into the Stigian reigne I you besech mother and sister bothe Of pitie yet that you will me procure A royall tombe within my natiue realme And now shut vp with those your tender bandes These grieffull eyes of mine whose dazeled light Shadowes of dreadfull death be come to close Now rest in peace this sayde he yéelded vp His fainting ghost that ready was to part The mother thus beholding both hir sonnes Ydone to death and ouercome with dole Drewe out the dagger of hir Pollinice From brothers brest and gorde therewyth her throt◠Falling bet wéene hir sonnes Then with hir féebled armes she doth vnfolde Their bodies both as if for company Hir vncontented corps were yet content To passe with them in Charons ferrie boate When cruell fate had thus with force bereft The wofull mother and hir two deare sonnes All sodenly allarme allarme they crye And hote conflict began for to aryse Betwene our armie and our enemyes For either part would haue the victorye A while they did with equall force maintaine The bloudy fight at last the Gréekes do flie Of whom could hardly any one escape For in such hugie heapes our men them slew The ground was couerde all with carcases And of our souldiers some gan spoyle the dead Some other were that parted out the pray And some pursuing Antigone toke vp The Queene Iocasta and the brethren both Whom in a chariot hither they will bring Ere long and thus although we gotten haue The victory ouer our enemies Yet haue we lost much more than we haue wonne Creon exit Cho. O hard mishap we doe not onely heare The wearie newes of their vntimely death But eke we must with wayling eyes beholde Their bodies deade for loke where they be brought Scena 3. ANTIGONE CHORVS MOst bitter plaint O ladyes vs behoues Behoueth eke not onely bitter plainte But that our heares dysheuylde from our heades About our shoulders hang and that our brests With bouncing blowes be all be battered Our gastly faces with our nayles defaced Behold your Quéene twixt both hir sonnes lyes slayne The Quéene whom you did loue and honour both The Quéene that did so tenderly bring vp And nourishe you eche one like to hir owne Now hath she left you all O cruell hap With hir too cruell death in dying dreade Pyning with pensifenesse without all helpe O weary life why bydste thou in my breast And I contented be that these mine eyes Should sée hir dye that gaue to me this life And I not venge hir death by losse of life Who can me giue a fountaine made of mone That I may weepe as muche as is my will To sowsse this sorow vp in swelling teares Cho. What stony hart could leaue for to lament Anti. O Polinice now hast thou with thy bloud Bought all too deare the title to this realme That cruell he Eteocles thée refte And now also hath rest thée of thy life Alas what wicked dede can wrath not doe And out alas for mee Whyle thou yet liuedst I had a liuely hope To haue some noble wight to be my phéere By whome I might be crownde a royall Quéene But now thy hastie death hath done to dye This dying hope of mine that hope hencefoorth None other wedlocke but tormenting woe If so these trembling hands for cowarde dread Dare not presume to ende this wretched life Cho. Alas deare dame let not thy raging griefe Heape one mishap vpon anothers head Anti. O dolefull day wherein my sory sire Was borne and yet O more vnhappie houre When he was crowned king of stately Thebes The Hymenei in vnhappie bed And wicked wedlocke wittingly did ioyne The giltlesse mother with hir giltie sonne Out of which roote we be the braunches borne To beare the scourge of their so foule offence And thou O father thou that for this facte Haste torne thine eyes from thy tormented head Giue eare to this come foorth and bende thine eare To bloudie newes that canst not them beholde Happie in that for if thine eyes could sée Thy sonnes bothe slayne and euen betwéene them bothe Thy wife and mother dead bathed and imbrude All in one bloud then wouldst thou dye for dole And so might ende all our vnluckie stocke But most vnhappie nowe that lacke of sighte Shall linger life within thy lucklesse brest And still tormented in suche miserie Shall alwayes dye bicause thou canst not dye Oedipus entreth Scena 4. OEDIPVS ANTIGONE CHORVS WHy dost thou
call out of this darkesome denne The lustleste lodge of my lamenting yeres O daughter deare thy fathers blinded eyes Into the light I was not worthy of Or what suche sight O cruell destenie Without tormenting cares might I beholde That image am of deathe and not of man Anti. O father mine I bring vnluckie newes Vnto your eares your sonnes are nowe both slayne Ne doth your wife that wonted was to guyde So piteously your staylesse stumbling steppes Now sée this light alas and welaway Oed. O heape of infinite calamities And canst thou yet encrease when I thought least That any griefe more great could grow in thée But tell me yet what kinde of cruell death Had these thrée sory soules Anti. Without offence to speake deare father mine The lucklesse lotte the frowarde frowning fate That gaue you life to ende your fathers life Haue ledde your sonnes to reaue eche others life Oed. Of them I thought no lesse but tell me yet What causelesse death hath caught from me my deare What shall I call hir mother or my wife Anti. When as my mother sawe hir deare sonnes dead As pensiue pangs had prest hir tender heart With bloudlesse chéekes and gastly lookes she fell Drawing the dagger from Eteocles side She gorde hirselfe with wide recurelesse wounde And thus without mo words gaue vp the ghost Embracing both hir sonnes with both hir armes In these affrightes this frosen heart of mine By feare of death maynteines my dying life Cho. This drearie day is cause of many euils Poore Oedipus vnto thy progenie The Gods yet graunt it may become the cause Of better happe to this afflicted realme Scena 5. CREON. OEDIPVS ANTIGONE GOod Ladies leaue your bootelesse vayne complaynt Leaue to lament cut off your wofull cryes High time it is as now for to prouide The funerals for the renowmed king And thou Oedipus hearken to my wordes And know thus muche that for thy daughters dower Antigone with Hemone shall be wedde Thy sonne our king not long before his death Assigned hath the kingdome should descende To me that am his mothers brother borne And so the same might to my sonne succéede Now I that am the lorde and king of Thebes Will not permit that thou abide therein Ne maruell yet of this my heady will Ne blame thou me for why the heauens aboue Which onely rule the rolling life of man Haue so ordeynde and that my words be true Tyresias he that knoweth things to come By trustie tokens hath foretolde the towne That while thou didst within the walles remayne It should be plagned still with penurie Wherfore departe and thinke not that I speake These wofull wordes for hate I beare to thée But for the weale of this afflicted realme Oedipus O foule accursed fate that hast me bredde To beare the burthen of the miserie Of this colde death which we accompt for life Before my birth my father vnderstoode I should him slea and scarcely was I borne When he me made a pray for sauage beastes But what I slew him yet then caught the crowne And last of all defilde my mothers bedde By whom I haue this wicked ofspring got And to this heinous crime and filthy facte The heauens haue from highe enforced me Agaynst whose doome no counsell can preuayle Thus hate I now my life and last of all Lo by the newes of this so cruell death Of bothe my sonnes and deare beloued wife Mine angrie constellation me commaundes Withouten eyes to wander in mine age When these my wéery weake and crooked limme Haue greatest néede to craue their quiet rest O cruell Creon wilt thou slea me so For cruelly thou doste but murther me Out of my kingdome now to chase me thus Yet can I not with humble minde beséeche Thy curtesie ne fall before thy féete Let fortune take from me these worldly giftes She can not conquere this courageous heart That neuer yet could well be ouercome To force me yéelde for feare to villanie Do what thou canst I will be Oedipus Cre. So hast thou reason Oedipus to say And for my parte I would thée counsell eke Still to maynteine the high and hawtie minde That hath bene euer in thy noble heart For this be sure if thou wouldst kisse these knées And practise eke by prayer to preuayle No pitie coulde persuade me to consent That thou remayne one onely houre in Thebes And nowe prepare you worthie Citizens The funeralls that duely doe pertayne Vnto the Quéene and to Eteocles And eke for them prouide their stately tombes But Pollynice as common enimie Vnto his countrey carrie foorth his corps Out of the walles ne none so hardie be On peine of death his bodie to engraue But in the fieldes let him vnburied lye Without his honour and without complaynte An open praie for sauage beastes to spoyle And thou Antigone drie vp thy teares Plucke vp thy sprites and chéere thy harmelesse hearte To mariage for ere these two dayes passe Thou shalt espouse Hemone myne onely heire Antig. Father I sée vs wrapt in endlesse woe And nowe muche more doe I your state lamente Than these that nowe be dead not that I thinke Theyr greate missehappes too little to bewayle But this that you you onely doe surpasse All wretched wightes that in this worlde remayne But you my Lorde why banishe you with wrong My father thus out of his owne perforce And why will you denye these guiltlesse bones Of Polinice theyr graue in countrey soyle Creon So would not I so woulde Eteocles Anti. He cruel was you fonde to hold his hestes Creon Is then a fault to doe a kings cōmaund Anti. When his cōmaunde is cruell and vniust Creon Is it vniust that he vnburied be Anti. He not deseru'd so cruel punishment Creon He was his countreys cruell enimie Anti. Or else was he that helde him from his right Cre. Bare he not armes against his natiue land Anti. Offendeth he that sekes to winne his owne Cre. In spite of thée he shall vnburied be Anti. In spite of thée these hands shall burie him Cre. And with him eke then will I burie thée Anti. So graunt the gods I get none other graue Then with my Polinices deare to rest Cre. Go sirs lay holde on hir and take hir in Anti. I will not leaue this corps vnburied Cre. Canst thou vndoe the thing that is decréed Anti. A wicked foule decrée to wrong the dead Cre. The ground ne shall ne ought to couer him Anti. Creon yet I beseche thée for the loue Cre. Away I say thy prayers not preuaile Anti. That thou didst beare Iocasta in hir life Cre. Thou dost but waste thy words amid the wind Anti. Yet graunt me leaue to washe his wounded corps Cre. It can not be that I should graunt thée so Anti. O my deare Polinice this tirant yet With all his worongfull force can not fordoe But I will kisse these colde pale lippes of thine And washe thy wounds with my waymenting teares Cre.
now ere long in brauery The tender buddes whom colde hath long kept in Will spring and sproute as they do now begin But I alas within whose mourning minde The graffes of grief are onely giuen to growe Cannot enioy the spring which others finde But still my will must wither all in woe The cold of care so nippes my ioyes at roote No sunne doth shine that well can do them boote The lustie Ver which whilome might exchange My griefe to ioy and then my ioyes encrease Springs now else where and showes to me but strange My winters woe therefore can neuer cease In other coasts his sunne full cleare doth shine And comforts lends to eu'ry mould but mine What plant can spring that féeles no force of Ver What floure can florish where no sunne doth shine These Bales quod she within my breast I beare To breake my barke and make my pith to pine Néedes must I fall I fade both roote and rinde My braunches bowe at blast of eu'ry winde This sayed shée cast a glance and spied my face By sight whereof Lord how she chaunged hew So that for shame I turned backe a pace And to my home my selfe in hast I drew And as I could hir woofull wordes reherse I set them downe in this waymenting verse Now Ladies you that know by whom I sing And feele the winter of such frozen wills Of curtesie yet cause this noble spring To send his sunne aboue the highest hilles And so to shyne vppon hir fading sprayes Which now in woe do wyther thus alwayes Spraeta tamen viuunt An absent Dame thus complayneth MVch like the séely Byrd which close in Cage is pent So sing I now not notes of ioye but layes of déepe lament And as the hooded Hauke which heares the Partrich spring Who though she féele hir self fast tied yet beats hir bating wing So striue I now to shewe my feeble forward will Although I know my labour lost to hop against the Hill. The droppes of darke disdayne did neuer drench my hart For well I know I am belou'd if that might ease my smart Ne yet the priuy coales of glowing iellosie Could euer kindle néedlesse feare within my fantasie The rigor of repulse doth not renew my playnt Nor choyce of change doth moue my mone nor force me thus to faint Onely that pang of payne which passeth all the rest And cankerlike doth fret the hart within the giltlesse brest Which is if any bee most like the panges of death That present grief now gripeth me striues to stop my breath When friendes in mind may méete and hart in hart embrace And absent yet are faine to playne for lacke of time and place Then may I compt their loue like séede that soone is sowen Yet lacking droppes of heauēly dew with wéedes is ouergrowē The Greyhound is agréeu'd although he sée his game If stil in slippe he must be stayde when he would chase the same So fares it now by me who know my selfe belou'd Of one the best in eche respect that euer yet was prou'd But since my lucklesse lot forbids me now to taste The dulcet fruites of my delight therfore in woes I wast And Swallow like I sing as one enforced so Since others reape the gaineful crop which I with pain did sow Yet you that marke my song excuse my Swallowes voyce And beare with hir vnpleasant tunes which cannot wel reioyce Had I or lucke in loue or lease of libertie Then should you heare some swéeter notes so cléere my throte would be But take it thus in grée and marke my playnsong well No hart féeles so much hurt as that which doth in absence dwell Spraeta tamen viuunt In prayse of a Countesse DEsire of Fame would force my féeble skill To prayse a Countesse by hir dew desert But dread of blame holds backe my forward will And quencht the coales which kindled in my hart Thus am I plongd twene dread and déepe desire To pay the dew which dutie doth require And when I call the mighty Gods in ayd To further forth some fine inuention My bashefull spirits be full ill afrayd To purchase payne by my presumption Such malice reignes sometimes in heauenly minds To punish him that prayseth as he finds For Pallas first whose filed flowing skill Should guyde my pen some pleasant words to write With angry mood hath fram'd a froward will To dashe deuise as oft as I endite For why if once my Ladies gifts were knowne Pallas should loose the prayses of hir owne And bloudy Mars by chaunge of his delight Hath made Ioues daughter now mine enemie In whose conceipt my Countesse shines so bright That Venus pines for burning ielousie She may go home to Vulcane now agayne For Mars is sworne to be my Ladies swayne Of hir bright beames Dan Phoebus stands in dread And shames to shine within our Horizon Dame Cynthia holds in hir horned head For feare to loose by like comparison Lo thus shée liues and laughes them all to skorne Countesse on earth in heauen a Goddesse borne And I sometimes hir seruaunt now hir friend Whom heauen and earth for hir thus hate and blame Haue yet presume in friendly wise to spend This ragged verse in honor of hir name A simple gift compared by the skill Yet what may séeme so déere as such good will. Meritum petere graue The Louer declareth his affection togither with the cause thereof WHen first I thée beheld in colours black and white Thy face in forme wel framde with fauor blooming stil My burning brest in cares did choose his chief delight With pen to painte thy prayse contrary to my skill Whose worthinesse compar'd with this my rude deuise I blush and am abasht this worke to enterprise But when I call to mind thy sundry gifts of grace Full fraught with maners méeke in happy quiet mind My hasty hand forthwith doth scribble on apace Least willing hart might thinke it ment to come behind Thus do both hand and hart these carefull méetres vse Twixt hope and trembling feare my duetie to excuse Wherfore accept these lines and banish darke disdayne Be sure they come from one that loueth thée in chief And guerdon me thy friend in like with loue agayne So shalt thou well be sure to yéeld me such relief As onely may redresse my sorrowes and my smart For proofe whereof I pledge deare Dame to thée my hart Meritum petere graue A Lady being both wronged by false suspect and also wounded by the durance of hir husband doth thus bewray hir grief GIue me my Lute in bed now as I lie And lock the doores of mine vnluckie bower So shall my voyce in mournefull verse discrie The secrete smart which causeth me to lower Resound you walles an Eccho to my mone And thou cold bed wherein I lie alone Beare witnesse yet what rest thy Lady takes When other sléepe which may enioy their makes In prime of youth when Cupide kindled fire And warmd
a twig or twayne you will like a tractable yong scholler pluck vp your quickned spirits cast this drowsinesse apart Ferdinando with a great sigh answered Alas good Mistres quod he if any like chastisement might quickē me how much more might the presence of all you louely Dames recomfort my dulled mind whome to behold were sufficient to reuiue an eye now dazled with the dread of death that not onely for the heauenly aspects whiche you represent but also much the more for your excéeding curtesie in that you haue deigned to visit mée so vnworthie a seruaunt But good Mistresse quod he as it were shame for me to confesse that euer my hart coulde yéelde for feare so I assure you that my minde cannot be content to induce infirmitie by sluggishe conceyt But in trueth Mistresse I am sicke quod he and therewithall the trembling of his hart had sent vp suche throbbing into his throte as that his voyce now depriued of breath commaunded the tong to be still When Dame Elynor for compassion distilled into teares and drew towardes the window leauing the other Gentlewomen about his bed who being no lesse sorye for his griefe yet for that they were none of them so touched in their secrete thoughtes they had bolder sprits and fréeer speach to recomfort him amongest the rest the Lady Fraunces who in deede loued him déepely and could best coniecture the cause of his conceipts sayd vnto him Good Trust quod shée if any helpe of Phisick may cure your maladie I would not haue you hurt your selfe with these doubts whiche you séeme to retayne If choice of Diet may helpe beholde vs here your cookes ready to minister all things néedefull if company may driue away your anoye wee meane not to leaue you solitary if griefe of mind be cause of your infirmitie wée all here will offer our deuoyre to turne it into ioye if mishap haue giuen you cause to feare or dreade any thing remember Hope which neuer fayleth to recomfort an afflicted minde And good Trust quod she distreining his hand right hartely let this simple proofe of our poore good willes bee so excepted of you as that it maye work therby the effect of our desires Ferdinando as on in a traunce had marked very litle of hir curteouse talke yet gaue hir thankes and so held his peace whereat the Ladyes being all amazed there became a silence in the chamber on all sides Dame Elynor fearing thereby that she might the more easely be espyed and hauing nowe dryed vp hir teares retourned to hir seruaunt recomforting him by all possible meanes of common curtesie promising that since in hir sicknes he had not only staunched hir bleding but also by his gentle company and sundry deuices of honest pastime had driuen a waye the pensiuenes of hir mind she thought hir selfe bound with like willingnes to do hir best in any thing that might restore his health taking him by the hand said further Good seruaunte if thou beare in deed any true affection to thy poore Mistres start vpon thy féet again and let hir enioye thine accustomed seruice to hir cōfort for sure quod she I will neuer leaue to visite this chamber once in a daye vntill I may haue thée downe with mée Ferdinando hearyng the harty woordes of his Mistris and perceiuyng the earnest maner of hir pronunciation began to receyue vnspeakeable comfort in the same and sayd Mistris your excéedyng courtesie were able to reuiue a man half dead and to me it is bothe great comfort and it doeth also glad my remēbrance with a continual smart of myne owne vnworthinesse but as I woulde desire no longer life than til I might be able to deserue some part of your boūty so I wil endeuor my self to liue were it but only vnto the ende that I might merite some parte of your fauour with acceptable seruice and requight some deale the courtesie of all these other fayre Ladies who haue so farre aboue my deserts deigned to doe me good Thus sayd the Ladies taried not long before they were called to Euensong when his Mistres taking his hand kissed it saying Farewel good seruaunt and I praye thée suffer not the mallice of thy sickenesse to ouercome the gentlenesse of thy good hart Fardinando rauished with ioy suffered them all to departe and was not able to pronounce one word After their departure he gan cast in his mind the exceeding curtesie vsed towardes him by them all but aboue all other the bounty of his Mystresse and therwithall tooke a sound firme opinion that it was not possible for hir to coūterfeite so deepely as in déede I beleeue that shee then did not wherby he sodenly felt his hert greatly eased and began in himselfe thus to reason Was euer man of so wretched a heart I am the most bounden to loue quod he of all them that euer possessed his seruice I enioy one the fayrest that euer was found and I finde hir the kindest that euer was hearde of yet in mine owne wicked heart I coulde vilanously conceyue that of hir which being compared with the rest of hir vertues is not possible to harbour in so noble a mind Herby I haue brought my self without cause into this féeblenesse and good reason that for so high an offence I should be punished with great infirmitie what shall I then doe yelde to the same no but according to my late protestation I will recomfort this languishing minde of mine to the ende I may liue but onely to do penaunce for this so notable a cryme so rashly committed and thus saying he start from his bed and gan to walke towardes the window but the venimous serpent which as before I rehearsed had stong him coulde not be content that these medicines applyed by the mouth of his gentle Mistresse should so soone restorte him to guerison And although in dede they were such Nythrydate to him as that they had nowe expelled the rancour of the poyson yet that ougly hellishe monster had left behind hir in the most secret of his bosome euen betwene the minde and the man one of hir familiers named suspect whiche gan work in the weake spirites of Ferdinando efectes of no lese perill than before he had receiued his head swelling with these troublsome toyes and his hart swimming in the tempests of tossing fantasie he felt his legges so féeble that he was cōstrayned to lie down on his bed again and repeating in his own remembraunce euery woorde that his mistres had spoken vnto him he gan to dread that she had brought the willow braunche to beate hym with in token that he was of hir forsaken for so louers do most commonly expound the willow garlande and this to thinke did cut his hart in twayne A wonderfull chaunge and here a little to staye you I will discribe as I finde it in Bartello the beginning the fall the retourne and the being of this hellish byrde who in déede maye well
continually now this now that now keyes now lockes ditches newe skowred and walles newlye fortified and thus alwaies vncontented liueth this wretched helhound Suspition in this hellish dungion of habitation from whence he neuer remoueth his foote but onely in the dead silent nightes when he maye be assured that all creatures but him selfe are whelmed in sound sléepe And then with stealing steps he stalketh about the earth enfecting tormenting vexing all kindes of people with some part of his afflictions but especiallye such as eyther doe sit in chayre of greatest dignity and estimation or els such as haue atchiued some déere and rare emprise Those aboue al others he continually gauleth with fresh woūds of dread least they might lose and forgo the roomes whervnto with such long trauaile and good happes they had attained and by this meanes percase he had crept into the bosom of Ferdinando who as is before declared did earst swimme in the déepest seas of earthly delightes Nowe then I must thinke it high time to retorne vnto him who being now through féeblenesse eftsones cast downe vpon his bed gan cast in his inwarde meditations all thinges passed and as one throughly puffed vp and filled with one péeuishe conceipte coulde thinke vppon nothing else and yet accusing his own guiltie conscience to be infected with ielosie dyd compile this as followeth WHat state to man so sweete and pleasaunt weare As to be tyed in linkes of worthy loue VVhat life so blist and happie might appeare As for to serue Cupid that God aboue If that our mindes were not sometimes infect VVith dread with feare with care with cold suspect VVith deepe dispaire with furious frenesie Handmaides to her whome we call ielosie For eu'ry other sop of sower chaunce VVhich louers tast amid their sweete delight Encreaseth ioye and doth their loue aduaunce In pleasures place to haue more perfect plight The thirstie mouth thinkes water hath good taste The hungrie iawes are pleas'd with eche repaste VVho hath not prou'd what dearth by warres doth growe Cannot of peace the pleasaunt plenties knowe And though with eye we see not eu'ry ioye Yet maie the minde full well support the same And absent life long led in great annoye VVhen presence comes doth turne from griefe to game To serue without reward is thought great paine But if dispaire do not therewith remaine It may be borne for right rewardes at last Followe true seruice though they come not fast Disdaines repulses finallie eche ill Eche smart eche paine of loue eche bitter tast To thinke on them gan frame the louers will To like eche ioye the more that comes at last But this infernall plague if once it tutch Or venome once the louers mind with grutch All festes and ioyes that afterwardes befall The louer comptes them light or nought at all This is that sore this is that poisoned wound The which to heale nor salue nor ointmentes serue Nor charme of wordes nor Image can be founde Nor obseruaunce of starres can it preserue Nor all the art of Magicke can preuaile VVhich Zoroactes found for our auaile Oh cruell plague aboue all sorrowes smart VVith desperate death thou sleast the louers heart And me euen now thy gall hath so enfect As all the ioyes which euer louer found And all good haps that euer Troylus sect Atchieued yet aboue the luckles ground Can neuer sweeten once my mouth with mell Nor bring my thoughtes againe in rest to dwell Of thy mad moodes and of naught else J thinke Jn such like seas faire Bradamant did sincke Ferdinando Ieronimy THus Ferdinando continued on his bedde vntyll hys bountifull Mistresse with the companye of the other courteous dames retorned after supper to his chamber At their first entrie Why how nowe seruaunt quod dame Elinor wee hoped to haue founde you one foote Mistresse quod he I haue assayed my féete since your departure but I finde them yet vnable too suport my heauy body and therefore am constrayned as you sée to acquaint my selfe with these pillowes Seruaunt sayde she I am right sory therof but since it is of necessitie to beare sicknesse I will employ my endeuoyre to allay some parte of your paynes and to refreshe your weary limbes with some comfortable matter and therewithall calling hir hande mayde deliuered vnto hir a bounch of pretie littell keyes and whispering in hir eare dispatched hir towards hir chamber The mayde taryed not long but returned with a little Casket the which hir mistresse toke opened and drewe out of the same much fine linnen amongst the which she toke a pillowebere very fine and sweete which although it were of it selfe as swéete as might be being of long time kept in that odoriferous chest yet did she with damaske water and that of the best that might be I warrant you al to sprinkle it with hir owne handes which in my conceipt might much amende the matter Then calling for a fresh pillowe sent hir mayde to ayre the same and at hir returne put on this thus perfumed pillowebéere In meane time also shée had with hir owne hands attyred hir seruaunts head in a fayre wrought kerchife taken out of the same Casket then layde him downe vppon this freshe and pleasaunt place and pretelye as it were in sporte bedewed his temples with swéete water which she had readye in a casting bottle of Golde kissing his chéeke and saying Good seruaunt be whoale for I might not long indure thus to attend thée and yet the loue that I beare towardes thée cannot be content to sée thée languishe Mistresse sayde Ferdinando and that with a trembling voice assure your selfe that if there remain in me any sparke of life or possibillity of recouery then may this excellent bounty of yours be sufficient to reuiue me without any further trauaile or paine vnto your person for whome I am highlye to blame in that I do not spare to put you vnto this trouble better it were that suche a wretch as I had died vnknown than that by your excéeding curtesie you should fall into any malladye eyther by resorting vnto me or by these your paines taken about me Seruaunt quod shee all pleasures séeme painefull to to them that take no delight therin and lykewise all toile séemeth pleasaunt to such as set their felicitie in the same but for me bee you sure I doe it with so good a wyll that I can take no hurt thereby vnlesse I shall perceyue that it be reiected or neglected as vnprofitable or vncomfortable vnto you To me Mistresse quod Fardinando it is suche pleasure as neyther my féeble tongue can expresse nor my troubled mind conceyue Why are you troubled in mind thē seruant quod dame Elynor Ferdinando now blushing answered but euen as al sick men be Mistresse Herewith they staied their talke a while and the first that brake silence was the Ladye Fraunces who sayde and to driue away the troubles of your mind good Trust I would be glad if we
His sentence had béene shortly sayde if Faustine had bene iudge For this I dare auow without vaunt be it spoke So braue a knight as Anthony held al their necks in yoke I leaue not Lucrece out beléeue in hir who lyst I thinke she would haue lik'd his lure stooped to his fist What mou'd the chieftain then to lincke his liking thus I would some Romaine dame were here the question to discusse But that I read her life do finde therein by fame Howe cleare hir curtesie dyd shine in honour of hir name Hir bountie did excell hir trueth had neuer pere Hir louely lokes hir pleasant spéech hir lusty louing chere And all the worthy giftes that euer yet were found Within this good Egiptian Quéene dyd séeme for to abound Wherefore he worthy was to win the golden fléece Which scornd the blasing starres in Rome to conquere such a péece And shée to quite his loue in spite of dreadfull death Enshrinde with Snakes within his Tombe did yéeld hir parting breath Allegoria IF fortune fauord him then may that man reioyce And thinke himself a happy man by hap of happy choice Who loues and is belou'd of one as good as true As kind as Cleopatra was and yet more bright of hewe Hir eyes as greye as glasse hir téeth as white as mylke A ruddy lippe a dimpled chyn a skyn as smoth as silke A wight what could you more that may content mannes minde And hath supplies for eu'ry want that any man can finde And may him selfe assure when hence his life shall passe She wil be stong to death with snakes as Cleopatra was Si fortunatus infoelix ¶ The praise of Phillip Sparrowe OF all the byrdes that I doe know Phillip my Sparow hath no peare For sit she high or lye she lowe Be shée farre off or be shée neare There is no byrde so fayre so fine Nor yet so freshe as this of myne Come in a morning merely When Phillip hath bene lately fed Or in an euening soberlye When Phillip lyst to goe to bed It is a heauen to heare my Phippe Howe she can chirpe with chery lippe She neuer wanders farre abroade But is at hand when I doe call If I commaund shée layes on loade With lips with téeth with tongue and all She chants she chirpes she makes such chéere That I beléeue she hath no peere And yet besides all this good sport My Phillip can both sing and daunce With new found toyes of sundry sort My Phillip can both pricke and praunce As if you saye but fend cut phippe Lord how the peat will turne and skippe Hir fethers are so freshe of hewe And so well proyned euerye daye She lackes none oyle I warrant you To trimme hir tayle both tricke and gaye And though hir mouth be somewhat wide Hir tonge is sweet and short beside And for the rest I dare compare She is both tender swéet and soft She neuer lacketh dainty fare But is well fed and féedeth oft For if my phip haue lust to eate I warrant you phip lacks no meate And then if that hir meat be good And such as like do loue alway She will lay lips theron by the rood And sée that none be cast away For when she once hath felt a fitte Phillip will crie still yit yit yit And to tell trueth he were to blame Which had so fine a Byrde as she To make him all this goodly game Without suspect or iellousie He were a churle and knewe no good Would sée hir faynt for lacke of food Wherfore I sing and euer shall To prayse as I haue often prou'd There is no byrd amongst them all So worthy for to be belou'd Let other prayse what byrd they will Sweet Phillip shal be my byrd still Si fortunatus infoelix ¶ Farewell with a mischeife written by a louer being disdaynefullye abiected by a dame of highe calling VVho had chosen in his place a playe fellovv of baser condition therfore he determined to step a side and before his departure giueth hir this farvvell in verse THy byrth thy beautie nor thy braue attyre Disdaynfull Dame which doest me double wrong Thy hygh estate which sets thy harte on fire Or newe found choyse which cannot serue thee long Shall make me dread with pen for to reherse Thy skittish déedes in this my parting verse For why thou knowest and I my selfe can tell By many vowes how thou to me wert bound And how for ioye thy hart did seeme to swell And in delight how thy desires were drownd When of thy will the walles I did assayle Wherin fond fancie fought for mine auayle And though my mind haue small delight to vaunt Yet must I vowe my hart to thee was true My hand was alwayes able for to daunt Thy slaundrous â—â—oes and kepe theyr tongues in mew My head though dull was yet of such deuise As might haue kept thy name alwayes in price And for the rest my body was not braue But able yet of substaunce to allaye The raging lust wherein thy limbes did raue And quench the coales which kindled thée to playe Such one I was and such alwayes wyl be For worthy Dames but then I meane not thée For thou hast caught a proper paragon A theefe a cowarde and a Peacocke foole An Ase a milkesop and a minion Which hath no oyle thy furyous flames to coole Such on he is a pheare for thée most fit A wandring gest to please thy wauering wit. A theefe I counte him for he robbes vs both Thée of thy name and me of my delight A coward is he noted where he goeth Since euery child is match to him in might And for his pride no more but marke his plumes The which to princke he dayes and nights consumes The rest thy selfe in secret sorte can iudge He rides not me thou knowest his sadell best And though these tricks of thine mought make me grudg And kindle wrath in my reuenging brest Yet of my selfe and not to please thy mind I stand content my rage in rule to binde And farre from thée now must I take my flight Where tongues maye tell and I not sée thy fall Where I maye drinke these druggs of thy dispite To purge my Melancholike mind with all In secrete so my stomacke will I sterue Wishing thee better than thou doest deserue Spraeta tamen viuunt The doale of disdaine written by alouer disdainfully reiected contrary to former promise THe deadly dropes of darke disdayne Which dayly fall on my deserte The lingring sute long spent in vayne Wherof I féele no frute but smart Enforce me now this wordes to write Not all for loue but more for spite The which to the I must rehearse Whom I dyd honour serue and trust And though the musicke of my verse Be plainsong tune both true and iust Content thée yet to here my song For els thou doest me doobble wrong I must alledge and thou canst tell How faithfully I vowed to serue And