no sin To answer for but calling me husband Plangus Iberia shall be thine But He goes to stab himself Rin. stayes him With the curses of the angry gods and a kinde Injur'd dying father Rin. Heav'n bless you Sir what a despair is this Because you hate a hangman you will be Your executioner your self Beleeve me That which presents so great danger to you I look upon with joy There is no subject That loves you or the Prince but must be glad To see the zeal Iberians bear to a true vertue When bending under an unjust oppression No doubt their love had been as great to you Had you been in like danger Besides my Lord You are not sure 't is with the Prince's consent The Souldiers do this My life for yours You will be safe let the worst come Let us go meet your fears They begin to rise when at the instant SCAENA 9. Andromana enters undrest and in a fright An. Happy am I my Lord She weeps This sudden fright hath rescued me from being made The subject of some villains lust who With his sword drawn just now was forcing me To lewd imbraces if you command to search the Court He cannot be far hence for he ran that way Rin. O impudence Plangus stirs behinde the hangings Rinatus draws and runs at him That durst attempt a sin darkness and woods Have too many eyes for in the open Court I shall be with you the Devil hath Armor on Eph. Drag him to torture They fetch him out My son why have I liv'd to see this Away with him to death the air will grow infectious Why stay you SCAENA 10 Enter Zopiro Inophilus with Souldiers Soul Unhand the Prince or else by heav'n he treads Into his grave that moves a foot to touch him Ino. Madam though Plangus noble self was blinde And could not see the deep black darkness of your Hellish actions his friends had eyes about them Was this your love this your repentance This your advice your counsel I must confess had I And these his noble friends here been rul•d by him E're this he 'd been a sacrifice to your revenge and you Why stand you mute Sir vvant you a tongue to justifie Your innocence our svvords and vve maintain And novv my Liedge vve turn to you Whom vve have serv'd as truly As ever subjects did any Prince alive And vvhilst you 're worthy vve vvill do so still But vvee 'l be no mans slaves alive Much less be his that is another's vvhile this base Witch For so she is constrains you to do actions Children vvould blush at and vvise men laugh at Which vvill after leave you both to repentance and despair This beggar vvhom to ther day you took up as some lost thing Gave your honour to and in that our safety That knew less to be good then Devils do and hath Ills lodg'd in her that would make a hell beyond that The Furies dwell in Banish her hence Send her to some place where murders rapines Or sins yet unheard of do inhabit And where she can do us no mischief Do you betake your self To your former vertue and restore the Prince To those affections you once had for him We then perhaps may live to see Iberia happy Eph Why am I forc't thus to declare his shame Which at the bound strikes me and is made my own You know not how well Plangus can dissemble He is an hypocrite I need not tell you more Those three syllables comprehend all ill My Queen just now scap't from his base attempt Wherein he would have forc't her to have damn'd Herself and him and dishonour'd me What mean't that Armour on and why so guarded Where was a danger threat'ned him Or doth he think his conscience could not Sting him through it I wish that he might live my Lords but as nature That as he is my son bids me preserve him So honour which pleads to the King stronger Then nature can tells me for that very reason I can less pardon him then something born A stranger to my blood But I deserve To dye as well as he if he be grown A burden to the earth I am so too That gave the Monster being Wherefore let me be dravvn to execution too For fathers are guilty of their childrens ills Ino. Would Plangus then have forc'•Andromana Yes so would Daphne have ravish't Phoebus I 'le undertake Goats are less salt then she But for his Armor can any man that breathes One common air with her not need an Armour Brass walls cannot be security enough Why speak you not Sir are you dumb too Pl. It is for them to speak are sure to be beleev'd And not for him that is condemn'd as guilty Words can excuse slight faults If mine are esteem'd such that all my actions A speaking duty of one and twenty years Speak not enough to clear me silence shall I have no more to say therefore But to bid you do your duty to the King And ask him pardon for the intemperate zeal Heav'n knows I wish't it not nor would I buy My safety at one of my father's angry thoughts Much less his fears For those I fall by Obey my father and if ye love me Gentlemen Shed not one tear for Plangus For I am timely taken from those plagues This womans crying sins must bring Upon Iberia and make you wish That you had dy'd as soon and innocent as I. An. That I was nothing I confess that what I am I owe to Ephorbas nay that the greatness I am now in tells me it is too high To be secure my fears bear witness I wish my life would excuse Plangus his At least my blood wash off the blackness of his guilt Heav'n knows it should not be one minute Ere he should be restord to his former vertues But since it cannot be I 'le in and weep Not for my self but him Exit Ino. Millions of plagues go with thee Sir you shall along with us we will not Trust you or to the King or her Exeunt ACT. V. SCAENA 1. Liba•er Solus Lib. WHat Politician was there ever yet Who swimming through a sea of plots treasons Sunk not at last i th' very havens mouth And shall I do so too No my thoughts prompt me I shall be told in story as the first That stood secure upon the dreadful ruines He had thrown down beneath him Yet I am nigh The precipice I strive to shun with so much care I have betray'd Plangus tis true and still Have found a growing fortune but so long As jealousie binds up Ephorbas thoughts From searching deeper deeper T is not well That Plangus lives at all though he be disgrac't H' has friends enow about the King and they will finde A time to pacifie him which will be my undoing He must not therefore live Andromana Is of that minde too but how to compass it Or when perhaps I have what will become of me Nothing more
cool It would have kill'd a Salamander Then taught both impudence and wit I singled out my foe used all the arts That love could thinke upon and in the end Found a most absolute repulse K Well Plangus youth excuses the first fault But a relapse exceeds all pardon Ex. King Pl. SCAENA VI Manet ANDROMANA An. Curst be old age and he that first number'd fourscore What Devil has betray'd us both to a doating fool Did I but now promise my selfe what hopes Ambitious thoughts could reach and shall I sink Down to my first foundation without the pleasure of A Tasted greatnesse Death and disgrace I Dare provoke the utmost of your malice After the sweetnesse of some sharp revenge Libacer Madam my Master Enter servant in haste An. You may both hang together Lib. Why this it is if a man should kill his father For you be should be thus rewarded as soon as Your turns served I may be hang'd that did it An. Since he is dead How was it done Lib. VVhy nothing onely as he was taking water at the Ryalto his foot slipt a little and he came tumbling in the Sea whence he was taken up but not alive An. Heav'n prospers not these courses I see it plainly let them be acted with as much closeness Or to what end soever they never thrive Libacer We are undone undone the King hath found His Son here and I have lost him to eternity Lib. You women are the shallowest creatures You never look beyond the present Rome was not built in one day Madam Greatness is never sweet that comes too easily Should Plangus be a Fool now and obey his Father ' Pox o' this vertue it spoyls most men living We have hopes yet Revenge is something And if my old Trade fail not Princes are mortal as well as other men Yet my soul inspires me with half a confidence That Leon hath not dy'd in vain I use to see as far into a mischief as another I 'le go to him and if I bring him not within this half hour As hot and eager on the scent as e're he was Take me and hang me at my coming home Lib. Madam here is As he is going out he meets Artesio a Messenger from Court An. If from thence I may be bold to ask How Plangus the noblest Prince alive doth Art Madam as well as Souldiers can That are sick for honour I suppose by this time H'ath left the Court and is gone in quest for glory Which he intends to ravish from young Argoe's brow The valiant Leader of the Argive's Army An. I 'me confident then Sir your business is not to me If any body else hath sent you Sir be pleas'd to spare the message And tell them I neither have learnt the trick o th' Court nor yet intend it I want no new Gowns And have heard men forswear themselves In better language and to better purpose Then gaining of a Lady's honour Art Madam My business is from the King Who doth intreat you would be pleas'd to bless the Court This afternoon with your fair presence And bring an answer I must not stay for one Exit Art An. Now we do see an end of all our mischiefs The Prince is gone from Court and the King hath sent for us Doth not the name strike terrour to thy curdling blood Lib. No by my troth not at all as far as I see You 're better then you were I le lay my life the old man Would turn Gamester Take my counsel play deep Or not at all Not an Ace under a Kingdome Your Grace I hope will remember your poor friends An. If I do finde any such thing Let me alone to melt his Ice Go get me mourning with all hast Exit Lib. Let froward Fortune do her worst I shall Create my greatness or attempting fall And when I fall I will deserve my ruine Exit ACT II. SCAENA 1. Plangus Nicetes Aramnes Ni. WHat Sir And are you Melancholy When fate hath showr'd a happiness so unexpected on us This ugly sneaking peace is the Souldiers rock He splits his fortunes on Bawdry 's a vertue to 't P o' these Beaver-hats they make ones head ake Worse then a Cap of steel and bear not off a knock The tenth part so well Pl. You 're mad for fighting Gentlemen And we shall have enough of it The Argives fifty thousand strong Have like a whirlwind born down all before 'um And I with 13000. that remain Yet undisbanded of the last expedition Have command to fight that multitude Of old tough Souldiers while ours In a month or two won't have pickt up that valour That in this idle time hath slipt from 'um They have forgot what noise a Musket makes And start if they but hear a Drum Are these fellows either enow or fit On whom a Kingdome 's safety should be built Indeed were they to encounter some Mistress Or storm a Brothel-house perhaps they 'd venture But for my part I yeeld nor will I oppose my Father If he sees good we perish I am already sacrifiz'd Yet our enemies shall dearly purchase Their Victory Pray look to your charge Nicetes and you Aramnes with all care and speed and when you come Into the field then let me see this countenance That frowning smile and I shall like it I love a man runs laughing upon death But we lose time in talk Ex. Nic. Aram. Enter Inophilus SCAENA 2. Ino. Your servant Captains Sir pray a word with you Pl. Prethee be short Inophilus thou knowst my business Ino. Sir I am mad to see your tameness A man bound up by Magick is not so still as you Nothing was ever precipitated thus And yet refus'd to see its ruine Pl Thou art tedious I shal not tarry Ino. You are made General Pl. I know it Ino. Against the Argives Pl. So. Ino. With 13000 men no more Sir Pl. I am glad on 't the honour is the greater Ino. The danger is the greater You will be kill'd sir And lose your Army Pl. Is this all I care not Ino. But so do I and so do all your friends I smell a Rat sir there 's jugling in this business I am as confident of it as I am alive The King might within this twenty four hours Have had peace on fair conditions Pl. But dishonourable In. And would not On a sudden useth the Ambassadors scurvily And provokes the Argives yet himself in no posture Of defence Pl. But Ino. Pray give me leave sir After this you are on a sudden created General And packt away with a crowd of unhewn fellows Whose courage hangs as loose about them As a sluts petticoats Sir he had other spirits In the Court created for such perils Excuse me I know you fear not to meet destruction But where men are sure to perish ' • were well the persons were of less concernment He might have let you stay'd till you had gather'd An Army fit for your Command and sent
the left wing The body to Evarness himself chose out the right Because he would be opposite to Argo And keeping a reserve as great as could be hop't for From so small a company not above five hundred men He gave the command of them to Zenon Who with his fellows took it ill they should be so long idle And had not the honour to be thought worthy To dye with the most forward and would no question have Refus'd the charge but that the smiling Prince Promis'd them they should have time to dye Words here were needless nor had he time to use them Rin. What was Inophilus idle all this while Mess I only heard the Prince wish just as He spur'd his horse against the valiant Argo He had had fewer by a thousand men So he had Inophilus Rin. O trayterous boy Mess The Prince and Argo met and like two mighty Tydes Encountred Here death put on her sable Livery And the two Gallants whose valour animated each Army Bandyed a long time with equal force 'Till at last great Argo fell and on a sudden Multitudes of men accompani'd him so that The wing went presently to rout and execution Zopiro also and Evarnes having slain Their opposite leaders breath death and destruction To their reeling Foes Thus flusht with victory and blood the Iberians Revel'd through the flying field 'till there came on The enemies reserve of twenty thousand men Who fresh and lusty grinded their teeth for anger At their fellows overthrow and powring on Our weary Souldiers turn'd the stream of victory But the Princes valour and good fortune soon Overcame this opposition and having rallied his broken Troops went to relieve his friends who had far'd worse When presently he saw Evarness who had pil'd up enemies About him as an Obelisk of his own death and victory Fall bleeding at his foot and having kiss't it With his dying lips intreated him to save Himself for a more happy day and dyed 'T was not long after the gallant Zenon Who had performed that day deeds of eternal fame And with his few spight of opposition thrice charg'd And routed some thousands of the enemy Expir'd which when the Prince beheld Weeping for anger he flew among'st his enemies Sustain'd only by the greatness of his courage For blood and strength had both forsook him He spent that spark of life was left in him In slaughter and revenge when leaning on his weapons point That dropt with blood as fast as he He then conjur'd me with all speed only to tell the King I saw him dye worthy of his father and himself A horn without Eph. O heaven what means these acclamations A shout What do the Iberians welcome their bloody A shout again Conqueror with so much joy SCAENA 7. Enter to them Plangus Inophilus Zopiro Captains Eph. Oh! Oh! He faints Rin. O cowardly boy for that base word includes All baseness doth not shame kill thee Or fear chill thy dastard blood to an ice At sight of that most noble injur'd ghost 'T is well dear Plangus if thy Divinity deserve not A more lasting name that thou art come To take revenge on that most traiterous son In 's Father's presence who detests his baseness More then thy self can do Pl. Excuse us dear Renatus That wonder froze us to such a silence If when we expected such a welcome As had that Roman son whose mother Dy'd for joy to see him we found so cold An entertainment something made us look't upon So ike an inconvenience that we could not But put on some small amazement Eph. And do I hear thee speak agen And see thee or only dream a happiness Whose reality stars and my Genius deny me Or art thou Plangus Angel come to rowse Me from despair Pl. Sir Pray beleeve it and be not backward In th' entertainment of these Souldiers if You esteem it a happiness In a word you are a Conqueror And the audacious Argive have paid their Lives as sacrifices to your offended sword Eph. A messenger of comfort to a despairing Lover Is a less acceptable thing then this thy presence If what you fellow told me were untruth Thy welcome sight hath amply made amends For those tormenting fears he put me to But if it were not let me know what chance redeem'd you Pl. If you have hear'd how things then went When I sent away that Messenger Eph. Yes I have heard it Pl. Then know when death and our own fates Had sworn our ruine and wee like some strong wall that Long resists the iron vomits of the flaming Cannon At last shakes it self into a dreadful ruine To those who throw it down so had the Iberians With valour great as the cause they fought for Strove with a noble envy who should at first Out-go his fellow in slaughtering the Argives At last oppress'd with multitude and toyl We sunk under the unequal burden Then was our emulation chang'd and who before Strove to out-do each other now eagerly contended To run the race of death first Sir there it was I and many other braver Captains fell Being one wound from head to foot O then it was Inophilus came in With about twenty other Gallants and with what speed The nimble lightning flyes from East to West Redeem'd this bleeding trunk which The insulting Argive had encompas't Blown up with victory and pride He with a gallantry like none but great Inophilus Being bravely backt by his own Souldiers Whose actions spoke them more then men Had not Inophilus been by redeem'd the honour Of a bleeding day And thus were our troops As little now as their valour great Enrich'd with victory blood and Jewels of which The opposite Army wanted no store Returnd with the renown of an atchievement As full of glory and honour to the Conquerors As ruine to the Argives Ino. My Liedge Had this action and my merit been so great As our Prince would make it I then might Own it and expect reward But it was so small so much below my duty That I must upon my knees beg pardon That I came no sooner Eph. This is a prodigy beyond what ever yet Was wrote in story Inophilus we have been too backward In cherishing thy growing vertue we will Hereafter mend it And dear Rinatus be proud of thy brave son And let the people honour the remaining Army We shall esteem it as a favour done to us We have a largess for your valours Captains You have not fought in vain This day let our Court put on its greatest jollity And let none wear a discontented brow For where a frown is writ vvee 'l think it reason To say that face hath Characters of treason Exeunt ACT. III. SCAENA 1. Enter Plangus and Inophilus talking to him Ino. BUt Sir when you consider she 's a woman Pl. O dear Inophilus Let earth and heav'n forget there are such things Or if they ever name them let it be with a curse Heavy as are the ills they act
such promis'd opportunity And magnifies my injuries Sometimes it calls me Coward and tells me Conscience in Princes who are injur'd like my self Is but an excuse they finde for that is in truth Poorness of spirit or something baser It tells me t is a sin to be good when all the world is bad It makes me look upon my self whilst wearing This garb of vertue like some old Antiquary In cloaths that are out of fashion in Iberia But I will not yeeld to it I know it is a greater glory to a mans self and he that courts opinion Is of a vulgar spirit to disobey then satisfie An appetite which I know is sinful Good heaven guard me how am I tempted Enter Androm To put on my former temper but thus I fling it from me Throws away his sword SCAENA 3. And. Why how now Prince If you part with your darling so easily There is small hopes but you have thrown all love behind you Pl. Heaven how she 's alter'd I that once swore Iove from the well-tun'd sphere Ne're heard such harmony as I did when she spake Me thinks I can now in comparison of her voice Count Scritch-owls musick or the croaking Toad And. Who is' t you speak of Sir Pl. Tempt me not Madam with another word for by heav'n You know I 'me apt being incenst Wake not those wrongs that bellow louder in my soul Then wretches in the brazen Bull or Iove Who speaks in thunder those wrongs my goodness Had half lay'd aside Or if you do I have a soul dare what you dare tempt me to And. Sir I must speak though Iove forbad me With a flash of lightning You think perhaps Sir I have forgot my Plangus But Sir I have infinitly in ur'd you And could not satisfie my conscience If I should say my love too I should not lye Till I had ask't your pardon Pl. Madam the fault 's forgiven and forgotten Without you move me to remember•t with a worse Apology Live and enjoy your sins and the angry gods Nay the severest plague I wish you is That you may dye without one cross for afflictions commonly Teach vertues to them that know them not while prosperous Secure without one thought or sense of a repentance And. Me thinks you have a steely temper on to that Which the other day you wore when you were More soft then down of Bees But Sir if you but knew the reason why I have done The action which you perhaps call treason to our loves You would forbear such language Pl. Reason no doubt the man that robs a Church Or prophanes Altars hath reason for what he doth To satisfie your lust you have that reason Madam And. That I have loved you once I call heav•n my own heart and you to witness Now by that love by all those vows have pass't Betwixt us hear me Pl. O heaven is that a conjuration things you have broke With as much ease as Politicians do Maxims of Religion But I will hear to know you and to hate you more Speak on And. You know whilst Leon liv'd whose due they were I out of love resign'd my love and honour unto you Pl. Lust Madam And. I knovv not Sir Your eloquence gave it that title then How many dangers walkt I fearless through To falsifie your pleasures your very will Nay more your word nay if I thought by sympathy A thought of yours that I imagin'd you Might blush to speak I made it straight my own And waked and studied as much to put it into act As doth a Gamester upon loss to compass mony At last we vvere betray'd Sir to your Father's spies Who deny'd us aftervvards those opportunities We stole before be friended by my husband's ignorance Novv vvas I brought to that vvhich is the vvorst of ills A seeing but not en•oying of that vvhich I held dearest To see you daily and to live vvithout you Was a death many degrees beyond my ovvn I knevv the love vvas great so great I durst not ovvn it Nay more I knevv t vvas noble too so noble I knevv my husband being dead you vvould not stick To ask your fathers leave for publick Marriage Pl. Heaven and the gods can vvitness I intended it And. Nay farther yet I knevv your fathers love which vvould not have denyd you any thing Would also have granted that Pl. Madam you riddle strangely And. When I had forecast these easie possibilities lyet foresavv one thing that crost our designs That vvas a sense of honour I had in me Me thoughts in honour I could not condescend you Should debase your self so low It pleas'd me better to be your Mistress then your Queen And stoln imbraces without the scandal Of a publick eye were sweeter then those Which might bring upon me for rising greatness Is still envy'd the rancour of the people and Consequently distasts against their Prince Sir now we may act safely what might have been Less secure Your fathers name gives a protection Or if that startle you wee 'l call him husband Pl. Are you in earnest And. As serious as love can be Pl. Then I want words to tell you how I hate you I would sooner meet Megaera 'tween a pair of sheets And can you think I should have so small piety As to be false unto my fathers bed That I lov'd you once I confess with shame and that I should Have done so still had you preserv'd those flames I think with horror but for those sins and Whatsoever else I must repent I shall no doubt Have great occasion when I shall see the Kingdome Enveloped in those swarms of plagues your sins call down And feel a share of them my self For heaven's sake Madam for my father's sake Nay for my own too if that have any interest Learn now at last a vertue that may make us As happy as much as hitherto unfortunate And render your story to posterity so burnisht With your shining goodness that their eyes may not Perceive the errour of your former years Perhaps I then shall have a reverence for you As great as any son hath for a fathers wife You wonder Lady to see me talk thus different From what you saw me half an hour ago I look't upon my self as one that had lost a blessing But heaven hath been happier to me for I am now So far from thinking you one that I look upon you As a pla••e no sin of good Ephorbas could deserve But love to you And. Sir Pl. Answer me not in words but deeds I know you alwayes talkt unhappily And if your heart dare do what 's ill I know it can well teach your tongue excuses Exit Plangus SCAENA 4. Manet Andromana And. And is my love then scornd The Chaos of that eternal night possess my breast That it may not see to startle at any Undertakings though they would make Medusa's Snakes curle into rings for fear If greatness have inspird me with thoughts Of a more