Serv. Nay nothing but tells us onely that if wee will thrive by service we must be either close Panders palpable flatterers or cozening Villaines Alast. A good Servingmans Tutor was that Poët I warrant him Exeunt Enter the Duke at one doore with Antonio Page and other Attendants At the other doore Lucilio in Altheas apparell his face covered with a Scarfe brought in by a Pursivant at Armes Frailware and others with Holbeards as a Prisoner to the Barre Damasippus Attend. Give back there and let the prisoner stand forth Duke How did wee thinke that when the stormes of warre Were with our danger care and cost expell'd From out these confines and the warmth of peace Turn'd like a Spring to shine within your bounds We should have sate secure Or after all Those toiles that spent our strength dry'd up our blood Hasten'd the hand of time to seize our haires Before his date and onely in pursuit Of your lov'd people safty and content Our owne now fainting wearinesse of age Should taste that freedome which our labours bought In plenteous fulnesse for the poorest swaine And we have clos'd the Evening of our age Within a fearlesse slumber But how weake Are all the hopes that wretched Princes faine When in the calme of peace while wee suppose Our perils banish'd and our selves ingirt With such impenetrable love as we Embrace our people with then stand our lives Expos'd to thickest dangers which conceal'd Doe strike the deeper and are warded lesse Such is the miserie that followes State That when we want abroad we finde at home Foes to besiege our lives The discontent Of some aggrieved spirits that thinke we stand 'Twixt their desires and them and which is worse The idle passions of unbridl'd youth Rather than misse those hopes enflamed lust Has fir'd within their thoughts will overturne Whole States and climbe up to their aymed ends By our heap'd slaughters Yet I least had thought Such Tragick Acts had knowne a womans breast Nor if I could Althea would your life Strong to retort suspition once permit Our least mistrust to staine your vertuous name And had we not by heavens appointment found Vnder your hand and seale the firmest proofes Of tempting our owne blood to paricide Suspitions strongest proofes had ne'r induc'd Our never lightly credulous beliefe To harbour your dislike But should we now Neglect our safety and our Countries good When all the Providence of Fate conspires To bring those treacherous practises to light Which Heaven abhorres wee should contemne the Heavens Abuse that forme of justice we sustaine And stand as guilty of those wastefull ruines Our cruell mildnesse gives your actions scope To call upon your Countrey and our selves We therefore by the Lawes denounce you guilty Of Treason 'gainst our person and the State Lucil. Were it for life my Lord I stood to speake I scarce would give the breath that I must spend To save that life But since your Grace does know A womans prejudice has doom'd our death For my names life I le speake and not for mine If infamy might die when we doe die I would be silent for know my gracious Lord I scorne to beg a life but come all arm'd In such a compleate innocence as dares Meet angry injustice in the jawes of death And without trembling stand his violence But that these Acts of blood these horrid crimes Of paricide of lust and hellish sinne Which will out-live our Tombes and make our names Come hatefull to posterities Records Should have a birth within a Virgins breast That never yet was conscious of a wish 'Gainst your desired safety I must take leave To tell your Grace that it was meerly feign'd By the bloody hand of Envy to cut off That sacred band of love the Heavens have knit 'Twixt your sonnes heart and my chaste innocence Nor doe I taxe your justice for my death But doe impute it most to his fond love That by protests of vertue and desire Drew my beleeving soule to his affects For when my feares urg'd these ensuing ils His uncontain'd affection breaking forth In signes of extreme passion so consum'd My powers that had my thoughts beene cold as Snow His zeale pour'd out in such inflaming vowes Would melt them Duke We must check your impudence That swels beyond the bounds we did expect Your modesty should have observ'd you wrong Our sonne and in our sonne our selves know you This hand and seale Lucil. I doe my honour'd Lord Yet were that Hand and Seale never found guilty Of conceiv'd wrong 'gainst or your Sonne or you Duke 'T will speake it selfe call it to witnesse then One reades the Letter MY Lord the attempt is dangerous and foule therefore desist not to enjoy the sweets our present Nuptials would being could I endure your hand stain'd with such an Action More when wee meet feare not but Heaven and Fate will second vertue Be still your selfe and I will rest Yours more than mine ALTHEA Duke Had you a priviledge to shrowd the blush Your conscious guilt casts 'gainst the eyes of Heaven As from our sight you doe conceale the Die That writes your Acts in shame upon your Cheekes You might deny these proofes and sweare them fain'd But that all-seeing power that notes the wild And secretst passages of mans conceit Detesting those foule crimes of lust and blood Reveales your Acts Stand therefore and from the Seate Of Iustice heare your doom since your ambitious hopes Soar'd up and by our Blood did meane to climbe Into that Seat which Nature and our right Had given to us be therfore from the Rock Throwne with your hopes that your example teach How low they fall that climbe above their reach And you Antonio we charge to see The execution speedily perform'd Exit cumsuis Manent Lucilio Antonio Page Damasippus Lucil. As sweet as cooling dew comes to the brest Of scorched Autumne so Deaths slumber fals On oppress'd innocence And good Antonio Since 't is your charge to see us dead let mee Entreat this favour that my body be Speedily interr'd and pray you tell the Duke That I request his Grace not grieve too much Hereafter for what I willingly now sought And he against his will made me to finde Then that I may have a litttle space in private To bid the world farewell and this is all A dying Virgin begs and for your friend Lucilio's sake you must not now deny it Anto. Wonder of womē could my attemps but yeeld Halfe what my heart conceives these limbs should die As many severall deaths as they containe Conduits of life to make your innocence live For your Lucilios sake whose woes will swell Poore Lord like to a winde-driven Ocean When he shall heare you dead and beare him downe To some disastrous end Lucil. You are deceiv'd Deare friend Lucilio's woes end with my life Nor will a thought of griefe a teare or sigh Trouble his peacefull sleeps when I am dead But I shall straine
delivery Frail. Gi' me thy warrant then and I le serve it as greedily as a beggarly Vndersherife does an Action of slander But what is 't what is 't boy Page Faith sir the common danger that haunts men of your place fils Theaters and gives many of your Landlesse Gallants their gilt Spurres and their feathers Frail. Vnshale it unshale it Page Why Sir in sober City Italian that man of little wit lesse learning and no honesty M. Damasippus the Stoick meanes this Evening with pure moralitie to Frail. What sir Page Cuckold you sir Frail Body o'mee that embleme of hypocrisie hee lookes as cold and mortifi'd as a Capon of a weekes killing Page Hang him Lobster hee 's as hot as a Cocksparrow and as irreligious as as a Low-Countrey Lombard Hee 's good for nothing but that which men keepe old Stallions for he would have done rarely well after Deucalions flood or five hundred of 'hem now for the new plantation But i'faith I would bee reveng'd on him Frail. Reveng'd I 'll give up my shop to be reveng'd on him turne Summer to plague him with Citations Page And then out-bribe him that hee shall finde no mercy i' th Bumme-Court Frail. Or else I will be sterne in my authoritie set him in the Stocks and set the Stocks at mine owne doore Page Or else I would hire some Iew to make him factious And then get him banish'd to Amsterdam to saw Brazill Frail. Or hire a Witch to take away his Instrument of lust and then he 'll hang himselfe in his owne girdle Page Or get some body to promise him some Bookes and a new Gowne to deny the plurality of the gods then informe against him and goe drunke to see him burnt Frail. Else I le get him Carted and lye with his wife the while Page I and send him word of it when he is i' th Cart Frail. Some dreadfull vengeance or other my offended Authority shall take on him I protest I never mistrusted it Page Alas no I knew you were a true Cuckold innocent Frail. A Cuckold innocent what 's that Page One of the eight Tribes into which your liverie is divided Nay nay nay sober Master Constable be not dejected let not your head sinke before it has ful lading for look you I 'll shew you the dignitie of your estate your Cuckoldhood sir is more worshipfull than the best of all the foure and twenty Companies Because in some ages you have had some of the best of all those Companies Fellowes of the Liverie Secondly you have had all states and rankes belonging to it Sylla Domitian and Claudius great Emperours of the world never car'd to be free of the Goldsmiths or Merchant-Taylors Hall yet they were huge Cuckolds Thirdly you have your wit in chusing approv'd which must of necessitie show you to have beene wise men and therefore most commonly you are in Offices Fourthly you have sometimes better men to be your followers than your selfe for they be glad to follow and come after where you have beene before Fiftly you have others to worke for the propagation of your name while you be idle and reape the fruits of their labours And lastly it makes your way to heaven Master Constable infallible for if you die quickly you die an innocent But let me be your Pilot and if I doe not learne you a course to pay this Puffin this all Priapus this Goate rampant in 's owne kinde let my wit bee for ever crack't Frail. If thou couldst doe it in some bitter manner Page Trust me not else for looke you Sir if it were a Courtier of a good perfume and rich Garter or a Gallant of the new fashion with fresh insides nay an 't were a barren Alderman that would visit his Wench secretly and were in the way to authority why 't were something tolerable But to be horn'd by a Sir that 's no Knight one that will lie as fast as an Alminack-maker a thred-bare-grogran-worsted-lack-Latin 't is insufferable Frail. O 't is I know 't is Page Your onely revenging remedie then is prevention in the same kinde which you shall most dexterously atchieve me duce id esh si ego dux fuero little Master Constable Frai. How sweet boy how Page Doe you but invite Mistris Abigail to Supper this evening who knowes nothing of her husbands being there and leave the rest to my providence Frail. I le doe it Boy i'faith I will I will indeed Boy Page About it then I le meet you at your comming backe and give directions for the rest Exeunt Enter the Duchesse disguised and Mycale a Witch Mical. Your Grace hath beene exceeding patient To undergoe these paines and come to us Duch. Good Micale I was unfortunate I had not knowne thy skill and us'd it sooner For since Heavens power denies me just revenge And meanes to worke my will I le search the depth Of hels dark'st Angels but I will dissolve That firme link'd band of love and to that end Shrowded in this disguise I came to thee That thou maist let some nimble spirit slip From out the powerfull Circle after her And with thy spels pursue her unto death Mical. Madam It shall be speedily perform'd Please you a while retire into this roome And waite the ceremonious houre while wee Prepare us for the sacrifice and provide Those powerfull ingredients which we use In the confection of our charmes Duch. I will Exit Duchesse Song Mic Sarvia Sar Mother Mic Take thy flight While the Moone affords thee light While the Dog-Starre shines downright On the powerfull Aconite And the Hearbes appeare in sight Sar Away and wash your body white In the spring and clense you quite For I le soone the Shepheard fright And bring home to mend the right A female Lamb as black as night Mic Haste then quicke returne thee home Doe not tho forget the stone In the Toade nor Serpents bone Nor the Mandrake though he groane Pull him up he is our owne Sar I le steale besides let me alone The great blacke Cat from jumping Jone And make the Nurse and Mother moane When their fatlings throat is showne Mic Haste then quicke returne thee home Enter Lucilio and Antonio Lucil. Where be we now Antonio is not this life On the farre side of death and sinkes beyond A non existens Hadst thou not made thy friend Blest in thy faith if thou hadst yeelded way To my desires and I had cleerly leapt From the maine top of mischiefe and falne short Of these calamities Oh the grosse oversight Of our mistaking nature that is so base To buy a draught of ayre with seas of ills Or thinke we benefit a friend when wee Doe turne his houre-glasse to make life runne Though every minute hailes downe mis-fortune thick As it doth Sand into the empty receptacle Anto. Nay give me leave to tell your Grace my Lord This strong desire of death that hath possest Your will thus farre does not expresse the
soone for I am wondrous ill Alth. Poore wench these newes have wounded thee Cam. Not to dissemble no but from the Wine I tasted of the Bottle went a cold Through every veine that settling at my heart Shuts up the passages of life and fils The Organs of my powers with such a frost As kils the spirits that should harbour it Alth. Does Hell conspire with envy then to persecute Our misery and sent some fiend to take That shape that ne'r till now did shrow'd so foule a sin Cam. My soule growes faint and weary of her house And Death claimes right in all my Vitall parts Help me Althea help me Mistris Or bury me at least and close mine eyes Death is the best Camilla dies Alth. Of all lifes miseries She rubs her to get life Dead starke dead It is not much I aske the Angry heavens Lend but my wits to die I crave no more Or if you have a further punishment Reserv'd be milde and hurle it quickly on mee With its full weight Poore wench I have no tooles To breake the earth nor meanes to burie thee Thou hast not kill'd a Mother nor a Prince Nor beene the ruine of thy Family Is 't such a guilt to beare me company That thou must dye and want what Homicides And Malefactors finde a grave Here take This Scarfe Lucilio was wont to weare it Tell him thou hast it for thy Shrowd and I Am gone to meet him and have onely begg'd A truce with fatall mischiefe whilst I hie That where hee dyed there I may likewise die Poore soule farewell exit Enter Damon and Arminio two Shepherds Laurinda a Shepherdesse with greene Strewings Dam. Come hands to worke it is the Festivall Of our Silvanus we must round entrench The place fittest for dancing Laur. And strew the bankes On which the Summer Lord and Lady sit To see the sports with these rich spoyls of May Arm. Our Shepherds will be frolicke then and lose No Ceremony of their ancient mirth Dam. I like 'hem well the curious precisenesse And all-pretended gravities of those That sought these ancient harmlesse sports to banish Have thrust away much ancient honesty Armin. I doe beleeve you 't is the exercise Of such only to seeme and to be thought What they are not holy They keep the feast Of our great Pan with more than needfull strictnesse And take upon 'hem to bee great oath-haters When all is but dissembling and their Devotions Like Witches charmes disguis'd with seeming good To beare out wickednesse Dam. Then they have reason for they that live by showes must paint faire Lau. Alas what 's here a Shepherdesse asleep Dam. Sweet benefit of our life to whom a Turfe gives a more secure sleep than a Palace doth a Monarch Laur. But this is death not sleep Arm. Why then shee 's absolutely blest Nature has given her an acquitance from the reckonings of fortune and miserie Laur. We must in charity bury her Dam. To your Tooles then we can doe no lesse though it bee scarce in fashion now to be charitable They digg the Grave Laur. Fashion is a Traviller and Shepheards cannot follow it Arm. I Laurinda it travels into all Nations the world o'r Laur. And therefore should goe round Dam. And therefore does goe round blindfold like a Mill-Horse who thinkes he goes forward yet keeps his course circular But now Laurinda what further Ceremony can you devise for this Funerall poore haplesse Coarse Laur. To mourne for we know not whom and when peradventure death was the beginning of her happinesse were to abuse our selves and be sorry she could be no longer miserable Shee strewes on her I le strow my flowers on her Virgin Hearse And rob another Meddow for the sports The place affords no other Ceremony Arm. Yes wee must have a Countrey Song for her farewell from the earth and welcome to the earth Laur. I le doe my best though it bee unseasonable to sing at burials Dam. Poore Wench even in the flower of her age although I knew thee not yet for thy memory I le change with thee He takes the Scarfe from her face and covers it with a cloth Your hand Arminio They take her up and bury her SONG Laur Die die ah die Wee all must die 'T is Fates decree Then aske not why When we were fram'd the Fates consultedly Did make this law That all things borne should die Yet Nature strove And did denie We should be slaves To Destinie At which they heape Such miserie That Natures selfe Did wish to die And thankt their goodnesse that they would foresee To end our cares with such a milde Decree Farewell and sleep for ever Enter Antonio disguised Ant. 'T is too late I have miss'd him and all my labour 's lost Speed you shepheards and your worke Armin. Sir you are welcome but our sad worke is sped already and so are they for whom we worke Ant. Why is it sad then if both be sure of speeding Arm. Because Sir the best speed our labour can have is the sad end of their life for whom we worke We have buried the dead Anton. 'T is well that Charity is not runne the Countrey then But whom have you buried Armin. One doubtlesse as unfortunate as unknowne a stranger sure in these parts and as shee seem'd a maid further particulars we know not but pittying shee should want a buriall as we came by and saw her dead we gave her that which earth denies to no misfortune a poore grave Dam. And tooke from off her face this Scarfe bless'd with the last kisse her dying lips could give Anton. O my apprehensive soule He catches the Scarfe Dam. What meane you Sir doe you know it Anton. I too too well Poore Lord that wont'st to weare this Relique which is now left for an Index To turne thee to thy woes Good Shepheard Grant me thus much and bestow it on me Dam. Faith Sir since I perceive you long for it you shall prevaile and if shee were of your acquaintance keepe it as a monument of her untimely death So fare you well Sir Exeunt Shepheards Anton. Too timelesse death that kill'd two hearts in one And now Lucilio where ere thou liv'st Here we may joyntly finish both our labours Since here lies bury'd all thy hopes and feares Too vertuous maid Althea could the earth Yeeld thee no better place to enshrine thee in Yet can its basenesse never dimme thy name That shall be sung into posterity By a whole race of Virgins and thy Fame Shall be a Tombe more durable to thee Then Brasse or Marble So farewell Althea I le straight returne this newes to thy sad mother That shee may give with some solemnities Thy unhappy death its latest exequies exit Enter Lucilio disguised like a Countrey man Lucil. Slave to affliction that must still pursue The shadowes of my hopes clasping the windes To feed the hunger of my discontent And set aloft by greatnesse stand expos'd To every
against your selfe That he has vow'd your death doth intend A sharp revenge to all your family And but I know Lucilio yet does live Beleeve me Madam I should hate the fact And be the first should feed my thirsty eyes With their best blood that spilt least part of his Iul. Alas Antonio what would you have me doe When I beheld my daughter murdred thus 'Twixt love and hate and I no meanes of help To take revenge or comfort to my griefe Anto. Well Madam let 's not stand to expostulate The cause the act was foule and but the hand Of Heaven turn'd it from him 'gainst whō you meant it Hatefull and worthy of the deep'st revenge Your way is now to shun the furious wrath The Duke 's enflamed with and for a while Lie close in some disguise till the lost Prince Make his returne who doubtlesse will ere long Give notice to my selfe where he remaines And for your farther assurance Lady I le take Some strange attire with you and we will both Be present at the Execution Where you shall heare perhaps the latest words The murderer will speake against your selfe And in the presence of the Duke avouch Your guiltinesse Iul. Thankes good Antonio There the gift is free When 't is bestow'd on deepest miserie Exeunt Enter Althea in her Shepherdesses apparell over her owne which she putting off layes aside Alth. Lie there thou gentle weed that hast prolong'd A weary life thou whose dissembling shape Has help'd me reach the place which drew that life As an attractive Load-stone to it's end Some friendly Passinger will for this reward Bestow perhaps a buriall on my Coarse And be my death as freely exempt from sight As is my griefe that never innocent eyes May bee infected with those fumes of guilt My latest gaspe breathes forth reserv'd till now To bee unfortunate in all save this That I shall sacrifice my dearest blood Vpon that Altar where Lucilio dyed And let one aire receive our joyned spirits And sacrifices to Faiths Deitie She goes up the Rocke quickly and standing ready And witnesse now you zealous thoughts of love Witnesse the vowes my affection held so deare Enter Lucilio in his owne habit and walkes a turne My soule comes unconstrain'd to you deare Lord And parts as freely from a gladsome heart As ere it wish'd to enjoy the lively sight Of your desired presence She spies him as below Awake my fancy doe mine eyes conspire To aggravate my griefe or does the strong Imagination of my losse present the shape Of his dead person to my troubled sense Lucil. What strange confused passions 'gin to raise A stormy combate 'twixt my minde and death Though safely now arriv'd within the Port Where for exchange of breath I shall regaine The long desired presence of her soule That hovers in expectation of my comming Alth. Methinkes I sleep that thus illusive showes Doe mock my apprehension or is 't decreed That even in death I must indure affliction And die in height of woe How like his pace His gesture shape and countenance true constant spirit That wouldst not be unlesse thou mightst be true Did not my greedy sight distract my thoughts To feed upon thy shadow and make me forget My businesse next in hand I should have flowne To be a shadow and have walk'd with dead Lucilio As hearing somewhere the voyce of his name Lucil. Lucilio was it my fond conceit or else my selfe Standing betwixt the bounds of life and death Her ghost that lookes each minute for my approach Thinkes my stay long and cals upon my name I come Althea swift as breake the windes From out the Eolian Caves give mee but space To take my flight from off that He lookes up to the Rocke and seeing her stand a while amaz'd Bright Angell Goddesse whatsoe'r thou art That hast assum'd that shape to adorne thy state And give a better lustre to thy Deity Doe not delude my woes nor make my death More miserable then my selfe have done Alth, It does invite me speak and with his silent looks Seemes to intreat a word yet my faint heart Throbbing with feare denies to second speech Lucil. Be what thou wilt I know no spirit of night Durst to attempt that forme that ne'r was made But to invest a soule more faire and pure Then are the Spheres Ghost Angel Goddesse Nimph Speake daine a word to tell me what thou art That thus appearst in such a glorious shape To intercept my death Art thou an Angel That thus wouldst shew the world what they have lost By seeing her heavenly forme Or art thou else Some spirit of Diviner excellence That hast put on that shadow thine owne nature To beautifie Or does Althea's ghost Come thus to meet and chide my slothfulnesse Or has thy worth chaste Nymph deserv'd to scape The hand of death and made thy perfect selfe All soule immortall and an unmixt spirit That those rich vertues which great nature heapt In thy creation might by envious death Ne'r be dissolv'd nor the cold senslesse earth Embrace and taint thy pure delicious beauty For which the Starres grew envious to the world What ere thou art if thou hast sense of griefe But correspondent to the shape thou bear'st Add not more torment to the depth of woe That does accompany my death and urge No more the sight and memory of her Whom I have wrong'd envy has left me nought But life to yeeld in satisfaction Which here I come to tender as thy due Or if thou doubtst the payment and didst come To take a view how willingly I dyed Then be my witnesse that the chased Stagge Flies not more swiftly to the cooling streames Then I to death He runnes up to the Rocke where both meeting shew passions of feare Alth. Stay Lucil. Speake Alth. O stay deare love Lucil. Speake speake thou heavenly spirit And tell me since thy selfe art made Divine What makes thee come in confines of the wretched And mixe thy selfe with us whose earthly loades Detaine us yet in life and misery Alth. Why I doe live Lucil. I know thou dost thou wert not fram'd to die Nor at thy birth when Heaven and Nature joyn'd To give thee those rich Dowries thou enjoy'st Did they intend to make such excellence Mortall and subject to the stroke of death But where deficient Nature could extend Her force no farther to preserve thy life Heaven would supply the want and turne thy state To immortality yet why shouldst thou When I have seene thy Funerals perform'd Come to afflict me and augment my griefe Alth. Sweet love if you doe live as feare and hope 'Twixt adverse passions make me doubtfull yet Know that I live as when we parted last Nor ere was yet interr'd Lucil. No no the earth grew feeling of her losse And grieving to be robb'd of such a jemme Refus'd to shut that treasure in her wombe Where foule corruption must have tainted it Or did my fortunes yet beyond