Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A11205
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The shepheards holy-day A pastorall tragi-comædie. Acted before both their Maiesties at White-Hall, by the Queenes Servants. With an elegie on the death of the most noble lady, the Lady Venetia Digby. Written by J.R.
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J. R. (Joseph Rutter), fl. 1635-1640.
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1635
(1635)
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STC 21470; ESTC S116288
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43,725
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112
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malice And wisht I had bin borne just such a one Del. Your state is better Madam as you are Syl. But I confesse the rather cause there was One amongst them of a more comely grace Though none of them did seeme uncomely to me Call'd Thyrsis and with him me thought I could Draw out my life rather then any other Such things my fancie then suggested to me So well he sung so passionate his love Shew'd in his verse thereto so well exprest As any one would judge it naturall Yet never felt he flame till this of me Often he came and oftner was desir'd Of me nor did I shame in publique there Before my father to commend his graces Which when I did the whole Court as they use Consented with me and did strive to make them Greater then I or any else could thinke them At last I was surpriz'd I could not helpe it My Fate with love consenting so would have it Then did I leave the Court I 've told thee all Del. T is strange but Madam though in that disguise How could you hope a stranger to be lov'd Of him you held so deare Syl. I fain'd my selfe Of Smyrna and from thence some Goats I had And Sheepe with them a rich commoditie Neare him I bought me land to feed them he Seem'd glad of it and thinking me a stranger Us'd me with such civilitie and friendship As one would little looke for of a shepheard And did defend me from the avarice Of the old shepheards which did thinke to make A prey of what I had At length I saw He did addresse himselfe with feare to me Still gazing on me knowing my love to him I easily beleev'd he lov'd me too For love alas is ever credulous And though I was resolv'd having my end Which was no more then to discourse with him Never to let him know what flame I felt Yet when I saw his teares and heard his vowes Perswasive speakers for affection I could not choose but open to his view My loving heart yet with this caution That he should ever beare respect unto My honor and my virgin chastitie Which then he vow'd and his ambition Never was more then to attaine a kisse Which yet he hardly got thou seest sweete Delia How willingly I dwell upon this Theame But canst thou helpe me now that I have open'd My wound unto thee Del. Alas I would I could Invent the way to cure you I should soone Apply my helpe yet stay this day it is The shepheards come to Court Syl. 'T is true they come But what is that to me if Thyrsis come not Or if he come how shall he know me his Or I injoy his companie Del. Let me alone To worke out that Syl. Thou dreamst thou canst not do it Del. I le undertake it but how shall I know him Without inquiring which must breede suspition Syl. True and beware thou aske the Majestie Which sits upon his brow will say 't is he Thyrsis my love but yet perhaps at this time If I my selfe not flatter thou shalt know him By his eies cast downe and folding of his armes And often sighs that interrupt his words For if his sorrow weares the liveries Which mine does for his absence by these signes Thou shalt descrie him Del. These are silent markes Yet will I not despaire to finde him out Syl. But when thou hast what wilt thou say to him Del. Give me but leave to use my mother wit You would be gone together would you not Syl. Thou speak'st my thoughts do this and I will crowne Thy faith thou shalt be Queene in steed of me Del. If you could crowne me with your vertues Madam I should be a Queene indeed in the meane time As I am Delia I le do this busines Sil. Do it and when th' hast don the God of love Reward thee with thine owne desires for this Del. Madam withdraw I heare your keepers comming SCENA 2. Cleander Eubulus SIr you have put a bridle on my passions And given my soule the libertie it wisht I now intreate your pardon for beginning A thing of so great consequence without Leave and advice from you Eu. T is well Cleander It will behove you then to be reserv'd And locke this secret up for 't is no jesting With Kings that may command our lives and fortunes You now perceive her whom we call the Princesse To be your sister and the love you beare her Must be a brothers freindship not a lovers Passionate heate but yet she must not know That I her father am and you her brother And trust me son had I not seene despaire Of life in you which this love brought you too I should not have reveal'd what now you know Cle. It was a comfort Sir I doe confesse That came in time to rescue me from death So great her scorne was and my love so violent Eu. Now you 're at peace I hope Cle. I am but if I be too curious in asking where The Kings son is I shall desire your pardon For sure it were injustice to deprive So great a Prince of that which he was borne too Eu. You are too far inquisitive yet because I have ingag'd you in a secret of As great importance this I will not hide The King I told you when his wife grew neere The time of her deliverie sent to know Of our great Oracle whether the childe should be Female or Male and what should be their fortune Cle. What said the Oracle have you the answere Eu. It onely was imparted unto me And this it is which I have never shewen To any but the Queene here take and reade it If ere thy issue male thou live to see The childe thou thinkst is thine thine shall not be His life shall be obscure twice shall thy hate Doome him to death Yet shall he scape that Fate And thou shalt live to see that not long after Thy onely son shall wed thy onely daughter This Oracle is full of mysterie Eu. It is and yet the King would needs interpret That should it prove a man-childe t was a Bastard And being loth that one not of his blood As he conceiv'd by this should be his heire Told me in private that if it were Male He would not have it live yet fearing most To publish his dishonor and his wives He charg'd me not reveale it unto any But take the childe and see it made away And make the world beleeve it was still borne Cle. And did you so Eu. No for indeed I durst not For any thing become a murderer Cle. How did you then Eu. I went unto the Queene Shew'd her the state she was in and besought her To be as carefull of me as I was Of her and we would worke a better end Then she expected so we both agree'd That if the Childe she then did labour with Prov'd to be Male I should with care conceale The birth of it and put a female childe Insteed
Hymen God of marriage bed Be thou ever honoured Thou whose torches purer light Deaths sad tapers did affright And insteed of funerall fires Kindled lovers chast desires May their love Ever prove True and constant let not age Know their youthfull heate t' asswage 2. Maides prepare the Genial bed Then come night and hide that red Which her cheekes his heart does burne Till the envious day returne And the lusty bridegroome say I have chac'd her feares away And insteed Of virgin head Given her a greater good Perfection and womanhood Thy. Thanks good Mirtillus this indeed was proper Unto your subject Mi. Your thrice happy match Being but now come to my knowledge made me contract my selfe into a straiter roome Then the large subject might afford Cle. The King To these Euarchus Eubulus Eu. Although I wonder yet I doe beleeve thee My faithfull Councellor Eub. Your Majesty Has found me alwaies reall but this truth The Oracles accomplishment will prove That did foretell their match Eu. Reade it Eubulus Once more and then call in my sonne and daughter Eub. If ere thy Issue Male thou liv'st to see The childe thou thinkst is thine thine shall not bee Eu. Calligone is not my childe proceed Eub. His life shall be obscure twice shall thy hate Doome him to death yet shall he scape that Fate Eu. 'T is true that twice I did command his death First thinking him a bastard then a shepheard For his offence the Gods are just Goe on Eub. And thou shalt live to see that not long after Thy onely sonne shall wed thy onely daughter Eu. This was a riddle ever till this day Their marriage has made it plaine Eubulus Call in Archigenes and call thy daughter The faire Calligone that I may powre My blessings on them And I long to see Those characters thou writst about his necke That I may call him mine Eub. See where they are Eu. Archigenes come neerer for thou art A stranger yet although thou be my sonne The Character is plaine it is the same Eubulus writ to me you heavenly powers Give me a heart that may be large enough T' expresse my joy for these and thanks to you Thy. My royall father for I am instructed To call you so If I have don amisse In hasting to this match I aske your pardon Syl. And I for daring to aspire so high Without your leave Eu. Rise both you have my blessing But who are these Thy. This is the shepheard Sir Who tooke me up first whom till now I call'd Father and he deserv'd it for his care Eu. Eubulus this is he Montanus i st not Eub. He is deliverd to me for the shepheard Of whom your Majesty may if you please Be well inform'd of all those passages I left untold Eu. Some other time we 'le heare them Let him be well rewarded Thy. Sir these shepheards Are come to entertaine your Majestie With their devices as their custome is In which sometimes untill my fortune chang'd I bore apart Eu. Let them be feasted all And studdy something new to celebrate These Nuptials which I will have proclaim'd Throughout my kingdome and Eubulus see That every thing be fitted for their honor Come let us to the Temple that we may With holy sacrifice appease the Gods Whose great decrees though we did strive to hinder Yet are they now fulfill'd It is in vaine T' oppose the Fates whose lawes do all constraine Exeunt FINIS The Epilogue to the KING and QVEENE TO you most royall paire whose lives have brought Vertue in fashion and the world have taught That chast innocuous sports become the stage No lesse then civill manners do the age We dedicate this Piece but yet with feares To have displeas'd so chast so tender eares Which if you free us from we 'le call this play No more the Shepheards but our Holy-day THYRSIS A Pastorall Elegie in the person of Sir Kenelme Digby on the Death of his Noble Lady the Lady Venetia Digby THe gentlest Swaine that Arcady ere bred Who Thyrsis hight the saddest of that name Close by a Rivers side his heavy head Laid downe as he with teares would fill the same Regarding nought that might him pleasance give Since what was his delight had left to live And whilst that other Shepheards of his ranke If any Shepheard of his ranke might be Plaid on their merry Pipes upon some banke Making the hills resound their jollity Hee in sad plight his woefull daies did spend Their joyous sports caring not to attend There as hee by that silent water lay Regardlesse of his youth and lusty head His swelling griefe in vaine he did assay To vent in grievous plaints which more it fed Whilst to the ruthlesse waves he did relate The story of his losse and heavy Fate You Nymphs if any doe inhabite here And I have heard that Nymphs in waters dwell Lend to my carefull Verse a gentle eare Whilst I the saddest wight that ere did tell His owne mishaps unfold to you my case In this your balefull place If to the Sea of which you branches are I ever honour did when list me change My Shepheards staffe to seeke adventures farre In the wide Ocean where I long did range And brought renowne home to my native soyle The glory of my toyle Doe not mistake nor offer to compare Those dayes with these wherein my griefe exceeds The joy which once I had to see my faire Welcome me home and gratulate my deeds Which to atchieve her grace as well did move As did my countries love But now with her those graces all are gone Weepe with me waters to make up my moane Gone is my Love and why then doe I see Nature the same as ere shee was before Since to her making all her forces shee Wisely imploy'd and she could give no more Though shee should frame the most caelestiall mould That ere the Earth did hold To draw from all the heads of noble blood The best and to infuse it into one To make a mixture of all faire and good Rare Symmetry and sweete proportion Was it to shew that such a thing might be Without eternitie It was and wee are taught how fraile the trust Is that wee give unto mortality How soone shee is resolved into dust Whom erst the world so beautifull did see But you were just that tooke her though unkinde In leaving me behinde Alas why was I left thus all alone Weepe with mee waters to make up my moane Shee 's gone and I am here yet doe I finde With some small joy the languishing decay Of th' other halfe which she has left behind For halfe of me with her shee bore away Unto those fields where shee immortall is Heaped with heavenly blisse I see her faire soule in that blessed place Where joy for ever dwells and now I know How in a dreame she saw an Angells face And it admiring wisht she might be so Which the celestiall powers would not deny So did shee sleeping dye So did shee breake the bonds of heavy night And when shee wak't wak't to eternall day Where shee in formes Angelicke now is dight And sees her maker and shall see for aye O happy soule I will not thee envy O let me rather flye Unto that blessed place where thou art gone Then waters weepe no more but end your moane I come yet something does retard me here The pledges of our love thou left'st with me Those whom thou living didst account so deare Who still with mee preserve thy memory For their lov'd sakes yet must I longer stay Then will I poste away Then to thy lasting name I have uprear'd A Monument which time shall ne're deface And made the world which as yet have not heard Of thy rare vertues and thy honour'd race Know who thou wert and that thou wentst from hence At Natures great expence Then world farewell you I have seene enough And know how to despise your vanity Your painted glories are of baser stuffe Made to delude those that with halfe eyes see He that 's abstracted from you stands much higher And greater things admire 'T is you I leave to goe where shee is gone Then waters weepe no more here end your moane This to the empty winds and waters hee Alas in vaine they car'd not for his teares Did thus unfold to ease his misery When loe the Messenger of night appeares For the falne Sun which warn'd him to be gone Chang'd to the light uncertaine of the Moone DE TVMVLO PER ILLVStrissimum Dominum Kenelmum Digby lectissimae conjugisuae structo ejusque memoriae dicato EPIGRAMMA HAc tua chara jacet Digbeie Venetia terrâ Quae pietate tuâ nobile marmor habet En Parios lapides atque hac in mole repertum Quod Phidiae potuit Praxitelisve manus Aspicis ut vivunt statuae caelataque doctâ Aera manu quin ut vertice ipsa micat Gloria defunctos si tangit posse videtur Credibile hoc illam velle cubare modo Quaerenti cineres respondent corde jacebo Conjugis tumulo nobiliore tegar Obijt 1. Maij 1633