Thy nimble strength I did approve and like Or if thou took'st thy Javelin in thy hand Me thought thou didst in comely posture stand For all thy actions yeilded me delight And did appear most graceful in my sight Of the woods wildness do not then partake Nor suffer me to perish for thy sake For why shouldst thou in hunting spend thy leasure And no delight on Venus sweeter pleasure There 's nothing can endure without due rest By which our wearied bodies are refresht And thou might'st imitate thy Diana's bow Which if too ofâ—en bended weak will grow Cephalus was a Woodman man of great fame And many wild beasts by his hand were slain Yet with Aurora he did fall in love Her blushing beauty did his fancy move While from her aged husbands bed she rose And wisely to young Cephalus straight goes Venus and young Adoâ—â—s oft would lie Together on the grass most wantonly And underneath some tree in the hot weather They would â—e kissing in the shade together Atalâ—nta did Oâ—â—ides fancy move And gave her wilde beasts skins to shew his love And therefore why may'st thou not fancy me â—ah without love the woods unpleasant be For I will follow thee o're the rocky cliff And never fear the boars sharp fanged teeth Two seas the narrow Illhmus do oppose The raging waves on both sides of it flows Together thee and I will goveâ—n here The Kingdom than my Country far more dear My husband Theseus hath long absent been He 's with his friend Perithous it doth seem Theseus unless we will the truth deny Doth love Perithous more then thee or I. 'T is his unkindness that he stayes so long But he hath done us both far greater wrong With his great Club he did my brother shy And left my sister to wild beasts a prey Thy mother was a warlike Amazon Deserving favour for thy sake her son Yet cruel Theseus kill'd her with his sword Who did to him so brave a son afford Nor would he marry her for he did aim That as a bastard thou shouldst never raign And many children he on me begot Whose untimely death not I but he did plot Would I had died in labour ere that I Had wrong'd thee by a second Progeny Why shouldst thou reverence thy fathers bed Which he doth shun and now away is fled If a mother be to love her son enclin'd Why should vain names fright thy couragious mind Such strict preciseness former times became When good old Saturn on the earth did raign But Saturn's dead his laws are cancell'd now Iove rules then follow what Iove doth allow For Iove all sort of pleasure doth permit Sister may marry if they think it fit With their own brothers Venus bonds doth tye The knot more close of consanguinity Besides who can our stoln joyes discover With a fair outside we our fault may colour If our embraces were discern'd by some They would say that mother surely loves her son Thou need'st not come by night no doors are bar'd And shut on me thy passage is not hard One house as it did once may us contain Thou oft hast kist me and shalt kiss again Thou shalt be safe with me nay wert thou seen Within my bed such faults have smother'd been Then come with speed to ease my troubled mind And may love alwayes prove to thee more kind Thus I most humbly do entreat and sue Pride and great words become not those that wooâ— Thus I most humbly beg of thee alone Alas my pride and my great words are gone To my desiâ—es long time I would not yeild But yet at last affection won the field And as a Captive at thy royal feet Thy mother begs Love knows not what is meet Shame hath forsook his Colours in my cheek It is confest yet grant that love I seek Though Minos be my father who keeps under His power the seas and that darteth thunder Be my Grand-father and he be a kin To me that hath his forehead circled in With many a clear beam a sharp pointed ray And drives the purple Chariot of the day Love makes a servant of Nobility Then for my Ancestors even pity me Nay Creeâ— Ioves Island shall my Dowry be And all my Court Hippolytus shall serve thee My mother softned a Buls stern breast And wilt thou be more cruel then a beast For love-sake love me who have thus complain'd So may'st thou love and never be disdain'd So may the Queen of Forests help thee still So may the Woods yeild game for thee to kill May Fawns and Satyres help thee every where So may'st thou wound the Boar with thy sharp spear So may the Nymphs give thee water to slake Thy burning thirst though thou do Maidens hate Tears with my prayers I mingle read my prayers And imagine that you do behold my tears The Argument of the first Epistle HEcuba Daughter to Cisseus and wise to Priam being with child dreamt that she was delivered of a flaming Fire-brand that let all Tâ—oy on fire Priam troubled in mind consults With the Oracle receives answer that his son should be the destruction of his Country and therefore as soon as he was born commands his death But his Mother Hecuba sends her son Paris secretly to the Kings shepherds They-keep him till being grown a Young man he fancied the Nymph Oenone and marryed her But when Juâ—o Pallas and Venus contended about the golden Apple which had this inscription DETUR PULCHRIORI Let it be given to the fairest Jupiter made Paris their Judge To whom Juno promised a Kingdom Pallas Wisdom Venus Pleasure and the fairest of Women but he gave sentence for Venus Afterward being known by his Father and received into favour he failed to Sparta whence he took â—elen wife to Menelaus and brought her to Troy Oenone hearing thereof complains in this Epistle of his unfaithfulness perswading him to feud back Helen to Greece and receive her again OENONE to PARIS UNto my Paris for though thou art not mine Thou art my Paris because I am thine A Nymph doth send from the Idaean Hill These following words which do this paper â—ill Read it if that thy new wife will permit My letter is not in a strange hand writ Oenone through the Phrygian woods well known Complains of wrong that thou to her hast done What god hath us'd his power to cross our love What fault of mine hath made thee faithless prove With deserv'd sufferings I could be content But not with undeserved punishment What I deserve most patient I could bear But undeserv'd punishments heavy are Thou wert not then of such great dignity When a young Nymph did first marry thee Though now forsooth thou Priam's son art prov'd Thou wert a servant first when first we lov'd And while our sheep did graze we both have laid Under some tree together in the shade Whose boughs like a green Canopie were spred While the soft grass did yeild us a green bed And when
with his childrens wickedness commanded the innocent infant to be cast forth unto Doggesâ— and by one of his guard sent a sword to Canace as a silent remembrance of her desert wherewith she killed her self Yet before her death she declares by this Epistle to Macareus who was fled into the Temple of Apollo her own misfortune entreating him to gather up the childes bones and lay them with hers in the same Urne or funeral Pitcher CANACE to MACAREUS IF blotted Letters may be understood Receive this Letter blotted with my blood My right hand holds a pen my left a sword My pâ—per lyes before me on the boord Thus Canace doth to her brother write This posture yields my father much delight Who I do wish would a spectator be As he is Author of my Tragedy Who fiercer then winds blowing from the East With dry cheeks would behold my wounded breast For since to rule the winds he hath commission He 's of his subjects cruel disposition Over the Northern and South winds he reignes The wings of th' East and West winds he restrains And yet although the winds he doth command His sudden anger he cannot withstand The Kingdom of the winds he can restrain But over his own vices cannot raign For what although my Ancestors have been Unto the gods and Iupiter akin Now in my fearful hand I hold a sword That fatal gift which must my death afford O Macarâ—us would that I had dy'd Before we were in close embraces ty'd More then a sister ought I did affect thee More then a brother ought thou didst respect me For I did feel how Cupid with his dart Of whom I oft had heard did wound my heart My colour straightway did wax green and pale My stomack to my meat began to fail I could not sleep the night did seem a year I often sigh'd when no body did hear Yet why I sighed I no cause could shew I lov'd and yet what love was did not know My old Nurse found out how my pulse did move And she first told me that I was in love But when I blushed with a down-cast look Which silent signes she for confession took But now the burthen of my swelling womb Grew heavy being to full ripeness come What herbs and medicines did not she and I Use to enforce abortive delivery Conceal'd from thee Yet Art could not prevail The quickned child grew strong our Art did fail And now nine Moons were fully gone and past The tenth in her bright Chariot made great hast I know not whence my sudden gripes did grow Nor what pains belong'd to childbirth did know I cry'd out but my Nurse my words did stay And stopt my mouth as I there crying lay What shall I do gripes force me to complain But my Nurse and fear of crying-out restrain So that I did suppress my groans and cryes And drunk the tears that flow'd down from my eyes While thus Lucina did deny her aid Fearing my fault in death should be betray'd Thou by my side most lovingly didst lye Tearing thy hair to see my misery And with kind words thy sister thou didst cherish Praying that two might not at one time perish And thou didst put me still in hope of life Saying dear sister thou shalt be my wife These words reviv'd me when I was half dead So that I presently was brought to bed Thou didst rejoyce but fear did me afright To hide it from my father Aeolus sight The careful Nurse the new born childe did hide In Olive boughs with swadling vine leaves ty'd And so a solemn sacrifice did fain The people and my father believ'd the same Being near the gate the child that straight did cry To his grandfather was betray'd thereby Aeolus tearing forth the child discries Their cunning and pretended sacrifice As the sea trembles when light winds do blow Or as an Aspen leaf shakes to and fro Even so my pale and trembling limbs did make The bed whereon I lay begin to shake He comes to me my fault he doth proclaim And he could scarce from striking me contain I could do nothing else but blush and weep My tongue ty'd up with fear did silent keep He commanded my sâ—n should be straightway Cast forth and made to beasts and birds a prey And then it cry'd so that you would have thought His crying had his Grandfather besought To pity him what grief it was to me Dear brother you may guess when I did see When â— saw my châ—lde caâ—ried to the Wood To feed the mountain Wolves that live by blood When thus my child unto the woods was sent My father out of my bed-chamber went Then I did beat my tender breast at last And tore my cheeks his sentence being past When straightway one of my Fathers Guard came in And with a sad look did this message bring Aeolus sends this sword and doth desire Thee use it as thy merit doth require His will quoth I be done I 'le use his sword My Fathers gift shall my sad death afford O Father shall this sword the portion be And dowry which you mean to give to me O Hymen put out thy deceived light And nimbly now betake thy self to fight Ye Furies bring your smoaky Torches all To light the wood at my sad funeral O sisters may you far more happ'ly marry Than I that by my own fault did miscarry Yet what could be my new-born babes offence Which might his Grandfather so much incense Of death alas he could not worthy be For my offence he 's punished for me O Son thou breed'st thy mother much annoy No sooner bred but beasts do thee destroy O Son the pledge of my unhappy love One day thy day of birth and death doth prove I had not time t'imbalme thee with my tears Nor in thy funeral fire to throw thy hairs To give thee one cold kiss I had no power For the wild greedy beasts did thee devoure But I sweet child will straightway die with thee I will not long a childless Parent be And thou O brother since it is in vain For me to hope to see thee once again Gather the small remainder which the wild And salvage beast have left of thy young child And with his mothers bones let them have room Within one â—â—ne or in one narrow Tomb. Weep at my funeral who can reprove thee For shewing love to her that once did love thee And here at last I do entreat thee still To perform thy unhappy sisters will For I will kill my self without delay And so my fathers hard command obey The Argument of the twelfth Epistle JAson being a lusly comely young man assoon as he arrived at Colchos Medea the Daughter of Aeta King of Colchos and Hecate fancied and entertained him and upon promise of marriage instructed him how he should obtain the beauty he desired Having gotten the golden Fleece he fled away with Medea Her father Aeta pursuing after them she tears in pieces her brother
hair and scratcht my face Yet neither precious stones could me entice Not gold for I set on my self no price She that hath wit and ingenuity Seemeth for gifts to sell virginity Apollo thought me worthy to impart To me the skill of Physick and his Art The vertue of all Herbs he did reveale To me and shew'd what Herbs have power to heal Yet wo's me that no powerful Herb is found That can recure loves inward bleeding wound Since great Apollo who did first invent The art of Physick yet for my sake went And kept Admetus Oxen for the slame Of my love turn'd him to a Shepherd Swain Though Apollo's art nor Herbs cannot relieve me Yet thou can'st help me and some comfort give me Thou can'st O then have pity on a Maid For me the Grecians shall not thee invade As from my blooming years and childish time I have been so let me still remain thine Oenone The Argument of the sixth Epistle THe Oâ—acle had told Pelias the son of Neptune that he should be near his death when as he was sacrificing to his Father one should come to him with one foot naked and bare As he was performing his yearly sacrifice Jason son to Aeson and his Nephew having left one of his shoos sticking in the mud of the River Anaurus hasting to the sacrifice meets with him on foot naked Pelias remembring the Oracle perswades Jason to go to Colchos to fetch the golden Fleece hoping his destruction by the impossibility of the attempt But couragious Jason willingly undertook the Voyage and so accompanyed with many Grecian Nobles he set forth in the ship Argo from Pegasus a Haven of Thessaly and sailed to the Isle Lemnos where when the Women consented to kill all the Men on one night Hypsiphile who had only preserved her father Thoas alive then reigned and at board and bed kindly entertained Jason But after two years the time and importunity of his company urging him to proceed in his intended attempt he leaves Hypsiphile with childe and sails to Colchos where by Medea's art having charmed the Dragon fast asleep and overcome the fierce Buls he brought away the golden Fleece and Medea Hypsiphile being grieved that Medea was preferred before her in this Epistle gratulates Jasons return rails on Medeas cruelty and witchcraft to make her contemptible and lastly curses both Jason and Medea HYPSIPHILE to JASON TO Thessaly thou art return'd again Rich in the golden Fleece which thou didst gain I am glad thou' rt well yet it were better If I had heard of thy health by thy Letter It may be that the wind did not stand fair That to my Kingdom thou couldst not repair And yet although contrary winds stood cross To venture a letter had been no loss Hypâ—â—phile had deserv'd thy salutations Sent in a Letter of kind commendations I heard not by thy letters but by fame That thou didst Mars his sacred Oxen tame And how the Dragons teeth being sow'd did bring Forth armed men which from the earth did spring In whose blood thou didst not thy hand imbrew For those sons of earth one another slew And from the watchful Dragon while he slept Thou took'st the golden Fleece which he had kept VVhat sudden joy had I conceiv'd at it If thou this joyful news to me hadst writ Of thy unkindness why do I complain I fear thou dost my former love disdain A barbarous Enchauntress thou hast brought And her more worthy of thy love hast thought Love soon believes yet I wish I may be Censur'd for rashness in accusing thee From Thessaly a stranger came of late And as soon as he was come to my gate I askt him how my Jason did and staid Looking down to the ground no answer made Straightway into a passion I did break Tearing my garments and thus I did speak Tell me if that my Iason live that I If he be dead may follow him and die He lives sayes he and yet through loving fear I scarce believ'd him though that he did swear But when my doubtful mind his words believ'd I askt what valiant deeds thou hadst atchiev'd And he related the whole story how Thou mad'st the brazen-footed Oxen plough How from the Dragons teeth on the earth sowd A harvest of brave armed souldiers growd VVhich earth-sprung men did straightway fall at jars And slew each other in their civil wars And that thou kildst the Dragon when I heard These deeds of thine again I grew affeard Again I asked him if Iason did live His wordâ— through fear I hardly could believe Yet by the carriage of his speech I found That thy unkindness had given me a wound VVhere are thy promises those marriage bands VVhich once did joyn our loving hearts and hands Or where is Hymens torch that burnt so bright Fitter to have been a sad funeral light I was no whore Iuno and Hymen too At our glad Nuptials themselves did show Not Iuno nor Hymen when we did marry But Erinnys did the fatal torches carry The Thessalians and Minyans strangers were To me and why did Typhis put in here His Ship Here is no wealthy Ram doth bear A golden fleece upon his back nor here Doth old Aeto's fair lofty Palace stand This Lemnia is a little small Island I had resolv'd but fate did it withstand To drive thee from hence with a Feminine band Though Lemnian women had their husbands kill'd I thought t was pity thy blood should be spill'd Thy first sight in me such a liking bred Then I entertained thee at boord and bed And thou two Summers with me stayd'st here And while two winters also passed were And the third year when thou didst sail away VVith weeping tears unto me thou didst say Hypsiphile though I am forc'd to go And leave thee here yet I would have thee know That till I do return again I 'le be Alwayes a faithful Husband unto thee And may that prosper which is in thy womb To make me a glad Parent when I come Then down thy face thy cunning tears did fall The â—â—st for grief thou couldst not speak at all Of all thy company thou wentst last of all Aboord the ship which thou didst Argo call Away it flies when once the hollow sail VVas driven forward with a lusty gale And while thy ship the blew waves passed o're I lookt unto the sea thou to the shore And then unto my Turret I did go VVhile tears did down my cheeks and bosome flow I looked through my tears and they did seem As if they watry perspectives had been For thorow them me thought that I could view Things farther off than I was wont to do Then I made vows and I did chastly pray For thy return which vows I now should pay But shall I pay vows for Medea's good Love mixt with anger doth enrage my blood Because I have lost Iason that doth live Shall I Sacrifices on th' Altar give I must confess I alwayes was afraid Lest thou
shouldst marry some young Grecian Maid I fear'd the Grecian Maids but thou hast brought A barbarous Harlot of whom I ne're thought She cannot please thee with her beauteous look VVith her charms and skill in herbs thou art took For from the Sphear she can call down the Moon And hide in clouds the Horses of the Sun She can make Rivers stay their hasâ—y course And make green woods and stones remove by force Unto the graves with loosen'd hair she comes And out of the warm ashes gathers bones VVhen she would bewitch another she doth â—rame In wax his pâ—cture and t' increase his pain In the heart of it small needles doth stick VVhich maketh his own heart to ake and prick And by her cursed charms she can force love VVhich beauty and fair vertue ought to move How canst thou then embrace her with delight Or sleep securely by her in the night But as she did with charms the Dragon quell And Bulls so she hath charm'd thee with a Spell Besides of glory she will have a share Out of those deeds by thee performed were And some of Pelias side will think each deed Of thine did from the force of charms proceed And that though Iason sailed unto Greece Medea brought away the golden Fleece Thy father and thy mother both are wroth That thou shouldst bring a wife out of the North. A husband for her may at home be found Or else where Tanais doth Scythia bound But Iason is more fickle than the wind And in his words no constancy I find As thou went'st forth why didst not come again Coming and going I thy wife remain If Nobility of birth can thee content King Thoas is my father by descent Bacchus my Uncle is whose wifes crown shines VVith stars enlightning all the lesser signes And faithful Lemnos shall my Dowry be VVhich thou might'st have if that thou would'st have me Iason for my delivery may be glad Of that sweet burthen which by him I had For Lucina unto me so kind hath been That I two children unto thee did bring They are most like to thee in outward show Yet they their fathers falshood do not know These young Embassadours I to thee had sâ—nt But their step mother hâ—ndered my intent I feared fierce Medea whose hands be Ready to act all kind of villany She that her brothers limbs could piece-meal tear Would she have pity on my children dear And yet her charms have madly blinded thee To prefer her before Hypsiphile She was an adultress when first she knew thee I by chast marriage was given to thee She betray'd her father I sav'd mine from death She forsook Colchos but me Lemnos hath And though her dowry be her wickedness From me she got my Husband nevertheless Iason I blame the Lemnian womens act Yet wronged sorrow thrust us on each fact Tell me suppose câ—oss winds by chance had droven Thee and thy company into my Haven If with my children I had come to meet thee With curses might not I most justly greet thee How couldst thou look upon my babes or me What death deserv'st thou for thy treachery To preserve thee it had my mercy been And sure I had though thou unworthy seem And with the harlots blood I would not fail To fill my cheeks which her charms have made pale Medea to Medea I would be And furiously revenge my injury If great Iupiter will my prayer receive Like to Hypsiphile so may she grieve And since she like a Succubus me wrongs May she know what unto my grief belongs And as I am of my husband bereft May she be a widow with two children left As to her bâ—other and her father she Was cruell may she to her husband be And may she wander o're earth sea and ayre A hatred murdress hopeless poor and bare Having lost my Husband thus I pray beside May he live accursed with his wicked Bride The Argument of the seventh Epistle AFter the destruction of Troy Aeneas the son of Anchises and Venus taking his Penates or houshold gods with him goes to sea with twenty ships Through tempestuous weather at sea he is driven to Lybia where Dido as Virgil hath fained Daughter to Belus and wife to Sichaus Hercules Priest leaving Tyre for the cruel avarice of her brother Pigmalion who had unawares kill'd her husband for his wealth and built the new City Carthage she most magnificently entertained Aeneas and his companions loved him and enjoyed him but when Mercury admonisht him to depart for Italy which country the Oracle had promised him Dido having in vain endeavoured by entreaty to divert him from his purpose and stay his journey being sick to death writes unto him accusing him as the cause of her death DIDO to AENEAS AS the Swan by Maeanders fords doth lie In the moist weeds and sings before she die So I not hoping to perswade thy stay Since one that will not hear me I do pray Having lost my credit and virginity To lose a few words a small loss will be For thy poor Dido thou mean'st to forsake And unto sea wilt a new voyage make Aeneas thou wilt needs depart from me To finde strange Kingdoms out in Italy Thou car'st not for new Carthage or my Land Whose Scepter I have given into thy hand Thou shun'st my Country which might be thy own And seek'st a Country unto thee unknown Which if thou findest out thou canst not gain For who will suffer a stranger to raign Thou seekest another Dido whom in love Thou may'st deceive and false unto her prove Or when like unto Carthage canst thou build A City that doth store of people yeild If all things happen to thee prosperously Where wilt thou find so kind a wife as I Like a wax taper I burn with desire Or like sweet incense in the funeral fire And still I wish Aeneas would but stay Aeneas I do think on night and day He careless of my love and gifts doth seem Had I been wise I had not car'd for him Yet I cannot hate Aeneas although he Doth plot some unkind dealing against me Of thy unfaithfulness I do complain Having complain'd I love thee more again Spare me O Venus since thou art his mother Help me O Cupid since thou art his brother Soften his heart that he may milder prove And be a souldier in the tents of love And since to love him I think it no shame O may he love me with a mutual flame Thou art some false Aeneas I do find Thou do'st not bear thy mothers gentle mind Stones Rocks and Oakes are hard like to thy brest More merciless than any salvage beast Or than the seas which winds do now incense Yet with contrary winds thou wouldest go hence Winter to stay thy journey hence assayes Look how the Eastern winds the waves do raise Then to the winds let me beholding be Though for thy stay I had rather owe to thee But I see rugged seas and blustring wind More just
and gentle are than thy false mind To untimely death I would not have thee come Although deserv'd while thou from meÌ„ dost run Is thy life so cheap or hatred such at most That thou wilt leave me though thy life it cost The winds and waves their fury will appease When Triâ—on drives his blew steeds o're the seas Would thy affections would change with the wind They will if thou bear'st not a cruel mind Had'st thou not known the Seas what wouldst thou do Since having try'd it thou wilt trust it too Though to weigh Anchor the smooth sea perswade thee Yet in the Ocean dangers may invade thee The sea doth favour no unfaithful men But for unfaithfulness doth punish them Specially such as do their sweet-hearts wrong Since naked Venus from the green sea sprung I take care for him that would me forsake And am afraid the sea should thee ship-wrack Live for bad fame is worse then death can be When the world shall say that thou hast kill'd me Suppose a storm at sea should thee assail Would not thy courage then begin to quail Thy false oaths then would come into my mind And Dido whom thou killd'st by being unkind My bloody shape would hideously appear Before thy eyes with loose long-spreading hair Then thou wouldst say this thundring storm is sent Justly for my deserved punishment Untill thou maist go safely do but stay It would comfort me if thou wouldst delay Thy voyage spare Ascanius thy son Though I by thee to untimely death do come What have Ascanius or those gods deserv'd Drowning which were by thee from fire preserv'd But though thou bragd'st to me yet I do fear Thy gods and father thou didst never bear Upon thy shoulders through the flaming fire But I am jealous that thou wert a lyer For I am not the first whom thou didst wrong Or first deceive with thy alluring tongue Ascanius mother too by thee was left And thy unkindness her of life bereft Thou told'st me so much which I now believe And the sad story made my heart to grieve And that the gods do hate thee it appears VVho hadst wander'd by Sea and Land seven years Droven by storms I did thee entertain And gave thee all ere I scarce knew thy name And would that I had only been content To have entertain'd thee and no further went For I should happy be if Fame would die And never tell how I with thee did lie That day was fatal when a showre us drave To meet together in a silent Cave Me thought I heard the Nymphs begin to howle The Furies at that present time did scowle Now thou dost punish me for Sichaeus sake To whom my faith I then did violate And sure my ghost will even blush for shame VVhen after death we two do meet again Sichaeus Statue in a sacred place Stands cover'd with leaves and a woollen case From whence me thought a hollow voice did say And sometimes call Elisa Come away I come and yet the fault that I have done Is the cause that I am so slow to come Pardon me since that no base fellow wrought My ruine and this may excuse my fault Since he from Venus and Anchises came I hopâ—d that he faithful would remain And though I err'd I had a good intent Of his falshood not my error I repent But as at first so now at last I find That fortune still doth prove to me unkind My brother at the sacred Altar kill'd My husband and his blood for wealth he spill'd And after like a banisht creature I From my own Country was enforc'd to fly Scaping my brother strangers here receiv'd me And bought this land which I would have giv'n thee And built this City compassing it withall Even round about with a defensive wall Then sudden wars did me straightway invade Before that I the City gates had made And many suiters did of me approve Who all did come to wooe and win my love Now to Iarbas I yeild me up at leasure Since thou hast obtain'd of me thy own pleasure My brother in my blood desires to stain His hand by whom my husband first was slain Aeneas do not thou presume to touch The Altars of those gods who would too much By thy presumptuous prayers be profan'd Lift not unto the gods an impure hand For if to worship them thou shouldst aspire They would be sorry that they scap'd the fire And that I am with Child too it may be And that the fruits of love now grow in me And as thou hast the mother first undone So to untimâ—ly death my babe shall come So that Ascanius his unborn brother Shall die like an unripe fruit in his mother But Mercury for staying here hath chid thee I would he had for coming too forbid thee And I do with the Trojans had ne're found Nor landed on the Carthaginian ground Tost with contrary winds thou hast long time Sougâ—t that land which Apollo did assign To return to Troy thou wouldst not take such pain If Hector liv'd and Troy did stand again Thou seek not Simoeis but swift Tybris River And shalt be a stranger when thou comest thither Which thou shalt not discover nor behold Untill perhaps thou art in years grown old But rather take this Kingdom and the wealth Of Pigmalion as a dowry to my self Let ancient Troy in Carthage now remain Take thou the Royal Scepter and here raign If thou or else thy young son Iulus are Desiroâ—s to get honour by the war Here thou shalt find a foe to overcome For sometimes the red colours and the drum Do banish peace therefore I intreate of thee As thou lov'st thy Countries gods and company Spare me I beg it by thy brothers darts Young Cupid that doth wound all mortal hearts So may thy Trojans still victorious be And Troys destruction end thy misery So may Ascanius in his youth be blest So may Anchises bones still softly rest Though I offer thee my self do not reject me What is my fault but that I do affect thee I am not come of the Mycenian blood By friends or father thou art not withstood Or if to call me wife thou do'st disdain Call me thy Hostess I will take that name Or with any other name thou shalt assign I am content so Dido may be thine I know the seas that beat the Affrick shoar At certain seasons may be passed o're When the wind stands fair thou wilt sail away Now thy ships in the weedy heaven stay The time of thy departure let me know I le not stay thee if thou desir'st to go But yet thy company desire some rest To rig and trim thy torn ships were best O! if I have deserved any way Of thee I beg of thee a while to stay Untill the sea grow calme and till my love By use of time more temperate do prove That I may learn by length of time to be Valiant in suffering of adversity If not to kill my self
is my intent If to be cruel to me thou art bent For I do wish thou couldst behold or see In what sad posture I do write to thee One hand to write unto thee doth afford The other hand doth hold thy Trojan sword And down my cheeks the trickling tears do slide On the sword which shal with my blood be dy'd It was thy fatal gift and it may be To send me to my grave thou gav'st it me And though this first do wound my outward part Yet cruel love long since did wound my heart O sister Anna thou that counselld'st me To yeeld to love shalt now my funeral see On th'urne to which my ashes they commit Elisa wife to Sichaeus shall be writ And these two verses shall engraven be Upon the marble that doth cover me Aeneas did to me my death afford For Dido kill'd her self with his own sword The Argument of the eighth Epistle HErmionâ— the daughter of Mâ—nelaus and Helena was by Tyndarus her Grandfather by the mothers side to whom Menelaus had committed the government of his house while he went to Troy betroathed to Oristes the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra Her fathâ—r Menelaus not knowing thereof had betroathed her to Pyrrhus the son of Achilles who at last returned from the Trojan wars stole away Hermione But she haâ—ing Pyrrhus and loving Orestes admonishes him by this Letter that she might be easily taken from Pyrrhus and she obtained her desire For Orestes being freed from his madness for murdering Aegysthus and his mother he slew Pyrrhus in Apollo's Temple and took her again HERMIONE to ORESTES HErmione writes to him that was of late Her husband now anothers wife by fate Pyrrhus Achilles stout son takes delight To keep me from thee against law and right I did strive with him but my force did fail A womans strength could not 'gainst him prevail Pyrrhus quoth I what dost thou do ere long My Lord on thee will surely revenge this wrong But of Orestes name he would not hear But drag'd me home even by my loosen'd hair Should the barbarous foe Lacedemon take He could but thus of me a captive make And conquering Greece us'd not Andromache When they set fire of Troy as he us'd me But Orestes if th' art toucht with this despight Then fetch me back again I am thy right To fetch thy stollen cattel thou wilt go Why then to fetch thy wife art thou so slow By thy father why dost not example take VVho by a just war did his wife fetch back Had he led in his Court an idle life Thy mother then had been young Paris wife If thou do come thou needst not to provide A fleet or store of Souldiers beside Yet so I might be fetched back again A husband for his wife may war maintain And Atreus was Uncle unto either So that thou art my husband and my brother O! husband then and brother help thou me For these two names implore some help of thee My grand-father Tyndarus grave in his life Deliver'd me unto thee as thy wife My father unto Pyrrhus promis'd me But my grand-father would dispose of me When I marry'd thee I did to none belong If Pyrrhus marry me he doth thee wrong My father will let us love and enjoy For he was wounded by the winged boy And will permit us to love one another In the like sort as he did love my mother As he my mothers husband was thou art My husband Pyrrhus playeth Paris part Though he boast deeds were by his father done Thy father by his actions fame hath won Achilles did for a common souldier stand But Agamemnon Captains did command Pelops and his father thy Ancestors were Thou art but five descents from Iupiter Nor didst thou courage want though thou didst kill Thy father and his precious blood didst spill Would thy valour had been happilier employ'd Though he were unwillingly by thee destroy'd For thou Aegystus kill'dst unluckily And didst fulfill thy hapless fate thereby When Achilles urgeth this one fault of thine And before me doth make it a great crime My blushing colour and my heart doth rise And my old love revives and glowing lies Within my brest if that Orestes be By any one accused to Hermione For then I have no strength in any part As if a sword were thrust into my heart I weep and then my tears my anger show Which like two Rivers down my bosome flow Plenty of tears I only have which rise Wetting my cheeks from the springs of my eyes And this sad fate which happens unto me Hath been the fortune of our family I need not tell how Iupiter became To deceive us a fair and milk-white Swan Hoâ— Hippodamia in a strangers Chariot Over the Hellespont was swiftly carried My mother Hellen in Paris took delight For whom the Grecians ten whole years did fight My Grandfather my Sister and each brother Began to weep for the loss of my mother And Leda did her earnest prayers prefer Unto the gods and to her Iupiter While I did tear my hair and to her cry'd Mother must I without you here abide And lest that I should not be thought to be Of Peleus most unhappy progeny My mother being with Paris gone away I unto Pyrrhus was soon made a prey If Achilles had escap'd Apollo's bow He would have then condemn'd his son I know He knew by Briseâ— loss which he could not brook That from their husbands wives should not be took Why are the gods thus cruel unto me What sad star rul'd at my Nativity For in my younger years I was berest Of my mother and was of my father left Who went unto the wars yet ne'retheless Although they liv'd yet I was Parentless Nor could delight my mother as you see Children will do with stammering flattery Nor round about her neck my weak armes clap While she would fondly set me on her lap Nor did she teach me how to dress my head Nor did she bring me to my marriage bed For when she did return truth I le not smother I did not know her then to be my mother I knew that she was Helen by her beauty She knew not me when as I did my duty 'Mongst all these miseries I most happy am That Orestes for my husband I did gain Yet he alas shall from me taken be Unless he do fight for himself and me Pyrrhus hath took me and doth me enjoy This is all I got by the fall of Troy Yet while the Sun with his bright rayes doth shine My sorrows are more gentle all that time But when at night with grief I go to bed And on my pillow rest my weary head The tears when I should entertain soft sleep Spring in my eyes and I begin to weep And from my husbands side as far off lye As if he were to me an enemy Sometimes through grief forgetting where I am I have toucht some part of Pyrrhus and again I have pluckt back my hand for I
thy mistress thou wert so afraid That if she chid thee thou wouldst trembling stand For fear of swadling with a Holly wand And to win favour thou wouldst often tell Of thy labours which thou ought'st to conceal Discoursing unto her how thou hadst won Much honour by those deeds which thou hadst done How in thy childhood thou didst boldly tear The Hydra's speckled jawes which hideous were How thou didst kill the Erimambean Boar Which on the ground lay weltring in his goar And then of Diomedes didst relate Who nail'd the heads of men upon his gate Fatting his pamper'd Horses with their flesh Untill thou didst his cruelty suppress And how thou hadst the monster Cacus stain That kept his flocks upon the hills of Spain And of three-headed Cerberus thou didst tell Who by his snaky hair thou drag'dst from hell And how the Hydra by thy hand was slain Whose heads being lopt off would grow forth again And of Anteus whom thou crusht to death Between thy arms and didst squeeze out his breath And how the Centaures thou subdu'st by force That were half men and half like to a Horse When thou wert in soft silken robes arrai'd To tell these stories wert not thou dismai'd Didst thou think whil'st thou didst thy labours tell That a womans habit did become thee well While Omphale hath took thy Lyons skin Away from thee and drest her self therein To boast now of thy valour it is vain For Omphale in thy stead playes the man For she in valour doth exceed thee far Since she hath conquered the conquerour And by subjecting thee she now hath won The glory which did unto thee belong O shame to think the skin which thou didst reaâ— Off the Lyons ribs thy Omphale doth wear Thou art deceiv'd 't is not the Lyons spoil Thou foil'dst the Lyon she thy self doth foil And she that only knoweth how to spin To wear thy weapons also doth begin She takes the conquering Club into her hand And afterwards before her glass will stand Viewing her self to see what she hath done If that her husbands weapons her become I could not believe when I heard it said The sad report unto my heart convei'd Much grief but now my wretched eyes beheld The Harlot Iole that thy courage quell'd Such are my wrongs that I must need reveal My grief and sorrow I cannot conceal Thou broughtst her through the City in despight Because I should behold the hated sight Not like a Captive with her hair unbound And a dejected look fixt on the ground But of rich cloth of gold her garments were Such as thy self in Phâ—ygia did wear She in her passage graciously did look On the people as if she had Hercules took As if her father liv'd and did command Oechalia which was raised by thy hand Deianira it may be thou wilt forsake And of thy former whore a wife wilt make So that Hymen shall both joyn the heart and hands Of Hercules and Iole in his bands When in my mind these passages I behold My hands and limbs with fear grow stiff and cold In me thou formerly didst take delight And for my sake two several times didst fight Plucking off Achelous horn who after Did hide his head in his own muddy water And Nessus was slain by the poison'd head Of thy arrow whose blood dy'd the River red But O alas I heard abroad by same Thou art tormented with much grief and pain By the shirt dipt in his blood which I sent thee But yet indeed no harm at all I meant thee If it be so then what am I become What is it that my furious love hath done O Deianira straight resolve to die So end at once thy grief and misery Shall this same poisonâ—d shirt tear off his skin And wilt thou live that hath the causer bin Of all his torment No though not my life My death shall shew that I was Hercules wife And Meleager I will shew thereby My self thy sister I 'm resolv'd to die O unhappy fate Oeâ—â—us royal throne My Father who is very aged grown Agriâ—is hath Tydeus in forraign land Doth wander still and in the fatal brand Meleagâ—r perish'd and my mother kill'd Her self and with her hand her own blood spill'd Then why doth Dâ—ianira doubt to die And so conclude this wicked Tragedy Yet this one suit to thee I only move And beg this of thee for our former love That thou wouldst not believe or think I meant To procure thy death by that gift I sent For when the cruel Centaure bleeding lay With thy arrow in his brest he then did say This blood if thou the vertue of it prove Will cause affection and procure true love But now his treachery I have understood For I dipt a shirt into his poison'd blood And sent it which hath caus'd thy misery O Deianira straight resolve to die Farewell my Father George too farewell Farewell my brother and Country where I dwell And I do bid farewell to the day-light Of which my eyes shall never more have sight Farewell to Hyllus my young little son Farewell my husband Death I come I come The Argument of the tenth Epistle MInos the son of Jupiter and Europa because the Athenians haâ— treacherously slain his son Androgâ—us enforced them by a sharp warr to send him every year as a tribute seven young Men and as many young Virgins to be devoured by the Minataure which by Dadalus Art Pasiphas had by a Bull while her husband Minos was at the Athenian wars The lot falling on Thesâ—us he was sent amongst the rest but Ariadne instructed him how to kill the Minataure and return again out of the Labyrinth as Catullus saith Errabunda râ—gens tenui vestigia filo Guiding his steps which she led By a Clew of slender thred Afterward Theseus departing from Creete with Ariadne and Phadra he arriv'd at the Isle Nanos where Bacchus admonished him to leave Ariadne and he accordingly lefâ— her when she was fast asleep Assoon as she awaked she writ this Letter complaining of Theseus cruelty and ingratitude and in a pitiful manner intreats him to come back again and take her into his ship ARIADNE to THESEUS I Have found all kindes of beasts much more milde And gentle than thy self who hast beguil'd My trust for it had been more safe for me To have believ'd a salvage beast than thee This letter Theseus from thence doth come Where thou didst leave me and away didst run When I was fast asleep then thou didst leave me Watching that opportunity to deceive me It was at that time when the heavens strew Upon the earth their sweet and pearly dew And the first waking birds did now begin In the cool boughs to tune their notes and sing I being half asleep and half awake Yet so much knowledge had that for thy sake With my hand I felt about thy warm place Thinking indeed my Theseus to embrace I felt about the bed but he was gone I felt about
sacrisice VVith Frankincense which I with tears bâ—dew So that in burning it doth brighter shâ—w As when we pour oyle to a dying flame It doth begin to rise and blaze again O when will that most happy season come That I shall embrace thee at coming home VVith such a sweet excesse of joy till I Languish with pleasure and embracing dye VVhen wilt thou tell me when we are a bed How maâ—y thou in war hast conquered And in the midd'st of thy sweet story leave To kisse me and a kisse from me receive VVhile that a kisse is the full point to stay Thy speech refreshed by this sweet delay But when I think of Troy the seas and wind Then fear doth drive all hope out of my mind And I do fear because thy ships are sâ—ag'd By winds as if to slay thee they assay'd VVho will sayl with crosse wind to his own land Thoâ— from thy Country sail'st when winds withstand Nâ—ptune will not permit you â—or to come Unto his â—ity and therefore come home Spare going Grecians the winds do â—orbid And some divine power in the wind is hid By these warres you seek only to regain An adulteresse O tuâ—n your ships again But why should I recall thee back thus now Let calm winds smooth again the Seas rough brow I envy now the Trojan Dames who shall VVith grief behold their husbands funeral On her husbands head the new married Bride Shall put a Helmet and when she hath ty'd His arn our close unto him and doth makâ— Him ready she a kisse from him shall take Such dutiâ—ul imployment is a blisse Her service is rewarded with a kisse And being arm'd compâ—eatly then at large She may give to him a most loving charge Charging him as he tendreth her love To return and offer his arms to Iove And he obeying her command will be Careâ—ull to figâ—t abroad more warily And when he cometh home she will unlace His â—elmet and him in her arms imbrace To me in absence fear doth sorrow bring And I conceive tâ—e worst of every thing yet while that thou unto the wars art gone I have thy Pâ—cture made in wax at home And fondly unto it I often talk And do embâ—ace it as by it I walk Thy shape in it so lively doth appear Could it speak it Protâ—silaus were On it I look and oftâ—n it behold And for thy sake do in my arms enfold And to â—hy Picture often I complain As if thy Picture could reply again By â—hee in whom my Soul alone delights By our trâ—e love and equal marriage rites And by thy life which I do wish you may Bâ—ing back although tâ—y â—air be turned gray I vow if thou pleasest to send to me I will obey and straigâ—t way come to thee For whether thou doâ—â— chance to live or die In life or death jâ—le bear thee company Of my Letter this shall the conclusion be Take care oâ— thy seâ—f if tâ—ou car'st for me The Argument of the fourteenth Epistle DAnaus the Sonne of Belus had by severall Wives fifty Daughters unto whom his brother Aegyptus desired to marry his fifty Sonnes but Danus having been informed by the Oraclé that he should dye by the hands of a Sonne in Law to avoid that ' danger he takes ship and sayles to Argos Aegyptus being angry because he had despised his offer sent his Sonnes with an Army to besiege him charging them not to return until they had slain Danaus or matryed his Daughters He enforced by siege yeeldeth up his Daughters where with the Sword which their father had given them according tr his command at night when the young men warm'd with wine and jollity were fallen fast asleep every one killed her husband except Hyperâ—â—éstra onely who out of Compassion spred and preserved her husband Linus whom Eusebius call'd Linceus advising him to return to his father Aegyptus and discovered the conspiracy â—ut her Father Danaus perceiving that all his Daughters had executed his will with bloody obedience excepting Hyperâ—nestra he commanded her to be kept in Prison Whereupon in this Epistle shee entreats her Vncle and Husband Linus whom she had preferâ—ed either to help her and free her from her Captivity or 〈◊〉 she dye to see her honourably buried But at last Linus killed Dâ—nus and set her at liberty HYPERMNESTRA to LINUS Hypermnestra sends to thee who dost remain Of many brothers by their own Wives slain I foâ— thy sake am in close prison pent And for saving thee do endure punishment I am guilty because I did spare thy bloud A prosâ—erous wickednesse is counted good yet I repent not since that I had rather Keep my father from bloud than please my father Though my father in that sacred fire may Burn me which we toucht on our wedding day Or with tho'e Torches he may burn my face Wh'ch on our wedding-day did bâ—ightly blaze Or although he do kill me with that sword Because to kill thee I could not afford He shall not make me say that I repent Of a good work it is not my intent I am griev'd for my sisters cruel fact For sad repentance follows a bad act The sad remembrance of that bloudy night Makes my heart and hand tremble while I write My husband could not by my hand have dy'd Which shakes while I this murder would describe yet I will try it was about twilight Which endeth day and doth begin the night When as we fifty sisters were brought all With royal sâ—ate into the Castâ—e hall VVhereas Egyptus without dread or fear Received us for his Daughters who arriv'd were The flaming Tapers shin'd like starrs in Heaven And sweet incense unto the fire was given The common people did on Hymen cry But from this â—ataâ—l marriage he did flie And Iuno did from her own City run Fair Argos that she might this wedding shun And now the young mens drunken heads were bound About with flowers and with Garlands crown'd The Bridemen with great joy dreading no danger Did bring them to their fatall Bridaâ—l chamber And laid their heavy bodies on the bed On which they were like funeral hearses spread They being now with wine and sleep opprest And all the City quiet and at rest Me thought the groans of dying men I heard And so it was whereat I grew afeard So that my warm bloud and my colour fled And left my body cold upon the bed As soft and gentle western wines do make The Corn to move and Aspiâ—e leaves to shake So I trembled while thou laidst at that time Entranc'd with drinking sleep-proâ—uring wine Thinking to obey my fathers sad command I sate up and took the sword in my hand The truth I speak three times I rais'd the sword To strike and yet â—o strike my hand abhor'd My fatâ—eâ—s câ—mmand did my courage whet So that his sword unto thy throat I set But fear and love would â—ot let me proceed My chaste hand would not act that tragick deed Then ost