Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A37158
|
Circe a tragedy as it is acted at His Royal Highness the Duke of York's Theatre / by Charles D'Avenant ...
|
Davenant, Charles, 1656-1714.
|
1677
(1677)
|
Wing D302; ESTC R8025
|
34,614
|
66
|
CIRCE A TRAGEDY As it is Acted AT HIS Royal Highness the Duke of YORK's THEATRE By CHARLES D'AVENANT L.L.D. Hor. Velut Aegri somnia vana Licensed June 18 1677 Roger L'Estrange LONDON Printed for Richard Tonson at his Shop under Grays-Inn-gate next Grays-Inn-lane MDCLXXVII THE PROLOGUE Written by Mr. Dryden WEre you but half so wise as you 're severe Our youthful Poet shou'd not need to fear To his green years your Censures you wou'd suit Not blast the Blossom but expect the Fruit. The Sex that best does pleasure understand Will always chuse to err on t'other hand They check not him that 's Aukward in delight But clap the young Rogues Cheek and set him right Thus heartn'd well and flesh't upon his Prey The youth may prove a man another day For your own sakes instruct him when he 's out You 'l find him mend his work at every bout When some young lusty Thief is passing by How many of your tender Kind will cry A proper Fellow pity he shou'd dye He might be sav'd and thank us for our pains There 's such a stock of Love within his Veins These Arguments the Women may perswade But move not you the Brothers of the Trade Who scattering your Infection through the Pit With aking hearts and empty Purses sit To take your dear Five Shillings worth of Wit The praise you give him in your kindest mood Comes dribling from you just like drops of blood And then you clap so civilly for fear The loudness might offend your Neighbours ear That we suspect your Gloves are lin'd within For silence sake and Cotten'd next the skin From these Vsurpers we appeal to you The only knowing only judging few You who in private have this Play allow'd Ought to maintain your Suffrage to the Crowd The Captive once submitted to your Bands You shou'd protect from Death by Vulgar hands The Persons Thoas King of Scythia Ithacus Circe's Son by Ulysses Orestes A Prince of Argos Pylades His Friend Pluto Priests Spirits Circe Queen of Scythia Osmida Daughter to Thoas by a former Queen Iphigenia Priestess to Diana Taurica Clytemnestra's Ghost Four Nymphs used by Circe in her Charms SCENE Taurica Chersonesus CIRCE ACT I. Scene Circe's Cave Thoas Iphigenia Guards and Attendants Iph. THIS sure is the sad region of dispair Where after Death the guilty Souls repair Here is no promise of a blooming Spring No chearful light awakes the Birds to Sing The blasted Trees no leaves or blossoms yield On their bare tops Owles pearch and Ravens build Tho. Those Spirits gladly in these shades obey Who sicken at the view of brighter day In this dark place shut up from mortal sight My Queen converses with the God of Night Prepares her Poysons mutters holy Words Herbs for her Charms th' unwholsome soile affords Here she has promised from their dark abodes By her strong Art to raise th' infernal Gods And to inquire our fate Iph. Can Heaven decree That any lucky Star should smile on me How long a Captive must I here remain How long my hands with horrid murders stain A Goddess who in humane blood delights Ordains me to perform her impious rights Ye Pow'rs that rule the World shall I no more My Country see nor houshold Gods adore Tho. Oh Iphigenia when those Prayers you make When you beg leave this Region to forsake So softly speak that none but Heaven may hear With the harsh Words wound not a Lovers ear For freedom cruel Maid in vain you sue The Pow'rs above will be as deaf as you Alas what pity can you hope to meet Who let poor Lovers languish at your feet Who can behold with unrelenting Eyes A wretched King who for your Beauty dies Iph. Where are your Oaths how often have you sworn Your guilty passion should in secret burn Angerly Must I by death your persecutions fly I am not so confin'd but I can die Scene Second Enter Ithacus Ith. E're we invoke the Gods I hither come From Iphigenia's mouth to know my doom From you my life or death I humbly wait 'T is you and not the Gods that rule my fate The chase of Glory I no more pursue Forgetting Armes I languish here for you Love may incite the Young to hunt for fame But Beauty then must the reward prolame I ask but Hope it is a slender fare But the Camelion-Love can live on Air. Iph. Like some mistaken Zealot you apply True Worship to the wrong Divinity Adore the fair Osmida far more bright And beautiful than first created light More Innocent than Beauty was before It studied Wit or costly Dresses wore Her Mind is Noble and her Greatness free Her Soul like Heaven full of blest Harmony Unless unquiet Love some discord moves Which you must pardon since 't is you she loves Of all those Graces prodigal to you For which in vain the rest of Mankind sue Tho. If we by Policy could govern Love My Daughter's Sighs this Noble Prince might move Since he for suddain exile must prepare Or marrying her be made the Empires Heir Loudly the People for this Union call And their Rebellious fury threatens all But I the Magick of your Beauty know Too well to blame what Love compel's him to Ith. Before I saw your Daughter I had paid My Loves first Tribute to this charming Maid And then the Empire vainly did enjoine That I should give a Heart which was not mine Iph. I 'le hear no more it is too great a fault But to endure your Criminals assault In Vertu 's Combats they that keep the Field Almost as guilty are as they that yield Vertue by flight secures it self Is going Ith. O stay To my dark Hopes will you afford no day Promise at least you will bestow your Love As you 'r directed by the Pow'rs above Iph. What they command I never shall decline To Heav'n my will and person I resign Scene Third To them Osmida Osm I have my Sexes Passions want their Art For by my Eyes still I betray my Heart Thither to gaze on him my Soul does haste And in kind looks I all my Spirits waste Iph. Behold the fair Osmida now appears Her beauteous Eyes are full of Love and Tears Tho. Poor Virgin my commands at first did make To Osm Those Wounds thou didst but in obedience take Osm You bade me all those modest fears remove Which guard at first a Virgins Heart from Love Admire not if I yielded to his Charmes When you had taken from me all my Arms But Ithacus since you my Love despise I with a just disdain will arm my Eyes And in my Breast I shall retain no fire But what my Anger and Revenge inspire Ith. Madam oppress not thus my sinking Fate I bear already a too heavy weight Ah rather an unhappy wretch deplore Who dies because he cannot love you more My Heart 's a Prisoner if it Freedom gains It shall but be to wear Osmida's Chains Osm That Iphigenia's Empire would but be
humane life forsake Where Love and Bus'ness keep the World awake Some quiet Mansion seek Where Fame's loud call shall not our slumbers break But happy Ignorance upon thy careless breast Methinks we take the gentlest rest Chorus Sleep sleep within a drousie Cave Dark dark and silent as the Grave Dance Phansy enters with the pleasant Dreams Phansy Dances the pleasant Dreames sing and dance an Entry to the Song to which Musick there is an Eccho in the Clouds Three Spirits reply to the Dancers below Song for the Dreames MAids in Wishes stretch and pant Wives the Nightly blessing want Chorus Careful Love their torment sees Sends e'm Dreams and they have ease Women can be chaste in spite Gallants must retire to Night Chor. Careful Love c. As Morpheus sings the Two first lines the Scene changes into a place of Horror Phobetor Sings BEgone fair Visions to the Court remove Whose bus'ness is to dream of Love And you black terrors of the Night appear You wilde Creations of our Wilder fear You dismal Visions that on guilt attend Furies and Fiends from Hell ascend Religion finds you better far than Law To rule Mankind and keep the World in awe Oh horror horror from Death's gloomy shade Arise arise the frighted World invade An Entry of the frightful Dreames Clytimnestra's Ghost ascends Gho. Awake awake thy Mother's Ghost is come From Death's abode her Urn and quiet Tomb To visit Nature holy things I shun And haunt the Dreames of my inhuman Son Thy Sword did send me to Eternal Night My angry Ghost shall still thy slumbers fright Now humane kind in sleep their cares forsake Even Guilt it self some little rest does take And none but the revengeful are awake A mighty Vengeance Circe does prepare In this deep silence her wing'd Charriots bear The dire Inchantress through th'unwholsome aire Brooding ill Fate she sits upon a Cloud Thrice the bad Genius of the World has bow'd And thrice has own'd her Pow'r the Charm is done And now the dismal bus'ness is begun It Thunders You flying Plagues seise seise this impious Son 1 Maid Her beauty scorn'd Circe resolves to prove Cruel as the first thoughts of injur'd Love Oh tremble tremble and resist no more Beauty 's a Tirant jealous of its Pow'r 2 Maid A black revenge her fury has design'd But sighing at her feet your pardon seek And the relenting Beauty will be kind As the last words which dying Lovers speak Orestes wakes the Scene vanishes the Dreams and Ghost sink down by degrees the Bowr vanishes Ores Descend to burning Lakes hot as thy Lust Ill boding Vision my Revenge was just Night through the World does solid darkness spread The gaping Monuments restore their dead Who range about 't is the last dreadful day The Earth and Heav'ns begin to melt away Darts of Lightning Thunder On Clouds of Fire destroying Angels fly Must this great Frame dissolve and Nature dye SCENE Seventh Enter Pylades and Iphigenia with the Grecian Train Thunder and Lightning here Pyl. Sure all the Elements our fall conspire Loud Storms at Sea at Land consuming Fire Pursues us still Iph. But why should Virtue fear When with their murdring shafts the Gods appear Guilt tremble thou when Heav'ns wing'd Vengeance flies Through frighted Cities or when Storms arise Ores From Earths deep hollow dreadful groans are sent Groans under the Earth And Nature labours with some great event Approach approach dire things shall be disclos'd Drawing Pyl. and Iph. near him My Mind is wilder now than Lust oppos'd Come we 'l out-think young Prophets and out-dream Religion let Ambition be our Theam Come the tumultuous World we 'l visit now There to successful Vice the virtuous bow The Pious quarrel Ignorance is loud All is amiss in Schools the Wise are proud At Court they patient Modesty despise Only the impudent are sure to rise I l sound a Trumpet and the dead shall wake The frighted Planets shall their Orbs forsake And all with me to better Worlds retire SCENE Eight Enter Thoas with the Scythians Tho. If Glory e're thy youthful blood did fire If thy great race has taught thee to aspire Follow where I and my revenge shall lead That undisturb'd we may together bleed Grecian this day thou art decreed to dye If thou dar'st fight and Heav'n stand neuter by Ores Ha! art not thou that hungry Monster Pow'r That feeds on all then does it self devour Tho. All things to Universal Ruin haste Afflicted Nature seems to breath her last My Throne must fall by your Eternal doom To sink with Empire Oh you Gods I come If I have ought deserv'd for ev'ry how'r In which I have groan'd beneath the weight of Pow'r Let me expire reveng'd Makes at Orestes who draws Ores I 'l not ingage Thy clamours shall not rouze my sleeping rage Pyl. draws Pyl. Awake awake the glorious Youth does stand With Wars swift Lightning useless in his hand Tho. Fall on revenge come quicken and inspire Be thou instead of all my youthful fire Fight Ores kills Tho. they drive off the Scythian Soldiers Ores Bold Wretch lie there my Courage now is warm Bloody as Womens Lust deaf as a Storm SCENE Ninth and last Enter Circe with her Maids Spirits Guards and Attendants Circe Unfit for Empire I must Rule no more Firmness I want that strong support of Pow'r 'T is Resolution makes Heav'ns Empire great Like a weak States-man in some turn of State Wild unresolv'd I stand eternal pains High fierce desires are boiling in my Veins I must enjoy him and the fire allay The raging flames that on my Vitals prey But witness Hell I would like Lightning blast Burn and consume whatever I embrac'd Ore Ha Beauty here thy wicked Arts I know What pains and discord doest thou breed below There Wisdom and there Pow'r thou lead'st astray I 'l from thy Poison flie Cir. Orestes stay Oh stay with thy inchanting presence keep These Hells and this tormenting Rage asleep Once you were kind on floury Beds you lay In Bow'rs like infant Nature fresh and gay Wreathing the Mirtle Garlands for your Brows Fixt on your looks and listning to your Vows All day I sate Ores Away bewitching fair Fatal expensive ruinous as War Shall I sit idle by my Senate aw'd While Neighbouring Princes get renown abroad No let me loose I should the World o'recome Did not ill Subjects keep me poor at home I would be one of those the Gods did make With restless Minds to keep the World awake A fam'd Destroyer Cir. Then come joyn with me I hate the World and would destructive be At our command Plagues through the Earth shall range Warr new Religion universal change Hot fighting zeal ambition all that can Bring swift destruction on Ungrateful Man Wing'd with our fury through the World shall flie The World even lov'd by misery but I Would see it lost Nature and Order die See all consume in Universal fire Injoy but him and then my self expire