here For wise Achitophel hath counseld Absalon To take aduantage of your wearie armes And come this night vpon you in the fields But yet the Lord hath made his counsell skorne And Cusaies pollicie with praise preferd Which was to number euery Israelite And so assault you in their pride of strength Ionat. Abiathar besides intreats the King To send his men of warre against his sonne And hazard not his person in the field Dauid Thankes to Abiathar and to you both And to my Cusay whom the Lord requite But tenne times treble thankes to his soft hand Whose pleasant touch hath made my heart to dance And play him praises in my zealous breast That turnd the counsell of Achitophel After the praiers of his seruants lips Now will we passe the riuer all this night And in the morning sound the voice of warre The voice of bloudie and vnkindly warre Ioab Then tell vs how thou wilt deuide thy men And who shall haue the speciall charge herein Dau. Ioab thy selfe shall for thy charge conduct The first third part of all my valiant men The second shall Abisaies valour lead The third faire Ithay which I most should grace For comfort he hath done to Dauids woes And I my selfe will follow in the midst Ith. That let not Dauid for though we should flie Tenne thousand of vs were not halfe so much Esteemd with Dauids enemies as himselfe Thy people louing thee denie thee this Da. What seemes them best then that will Dauid doe But now my lords and captaines heare his voice That neuer yet pierst pittious heauen in vaine Then let it not slip lightly through your eares For my sake spare the young man Absalon Ioab thy selfe didst once vse friendly words To reconcile my heart incenst to him If then thy loue be to thy kinsman sound And thou wilt proue a perfit Israelite Friend him with deeds and touch no haire of him Not that fair haire with which the wanton winds Delight to play and loues to make in curle Wherein the Nightingales would build their nests And make sweet bowers in euery golden tresse To sing their louer euery night asleepe O spoile not Ioab Ioues faire ornaments Which he hath sent to solace Dauids soule The best ye see my lords are swift to sinne To sinne our feet are washt with milke of Roes And dried againe with coales of lightening O Lord thou seest the prowdest sinnes poore slaue And with his bridle pulst him to the graue For my sake then spare louely Absalon Ith. Wee will my lord for thy sake fauour him Exeunt Achitophel solus with a halter Achi. Now hath Achitophel orderd his house And taken leaue of euery pleasure there Hereon depends Achitophels delights And in this circle must his life be closde The wise Achitophel whose counsell prou'd Euer as sound for fortunate successe As if men askt the Oracle of God Is now vsde like the foole of Israel Then set thy angrie soule vpon her wings And let her flie into the shade of death And for my death let heauen for euer weepe Making huge flouds vpon the land I leaue To rauish them and all their fairest fruits Let all the sighs I breath'd for this disgrace Hang on my hedges like eternall mists As mourning garments for their maisters death Ope earth and take thy miserable sonne Into the bowels of thy cursed wombe Once in a surfet thou diddest spue him forth Now for fell hunger sucke him in againe And be his bodie poyson to thy vaines And now thou hellish instrument of heauen Once execute th' arrest of Ioues iust doome And stop his breast that curseth Israel Exit Absalon Amasa with all his traine Abs. Now for the crowne and throne of Israel To be confirmd with vertue of my sword And writ with Dauids bloud vpon the blade Now Ioue let forth the golden firmament And looke on him with all thy fierie eyes Which thou hast made to giue their glories light To shew thou louest the vertue of thy hand Let fall a wreath of starres vpon my head Whose influence may gouerne Israel With state exceeding all her other Kings Fight lords and captaines that your soueraignes face May shine in honour brighter then the sunne And with the vertue of my beautious raies Make this faire land as fruitfull as the fields That with sweet milke and hony ouerflow'd God in the whiffing of a pleasant wind Shall march vpon the tops of Mulberie trees To coole all breasts that burne with any greefes As whylome he was good to Moyses men By day the Lord shall sit within a cloud To guide your footsteps to the fields of ioy And in the night a piller bright as fire Shall goe before you like a second sunne Wherein the essence of his godhead is That day and night you may be brought to peace And neuer swarue from that delightsome path That leads your soules to perfect happinesse This shall he doe for ioy when I am King Then fight braue captaines that these ioies may flie Into your bosomes with sweet victorie Exeunt The battell and Absalon hangs by the haire What angrie angel sitting in these shades Hath laid his cruell hands vpon my haire And holds my body thus twixt heauen and earth Hath Absalon no souldier neere his hand That may vntwine me this vnpleasant curle Or wound this tree that rauisheth his lord O God behold the glorie of thy hand And choisest fruit of Natures workemanship Hang like a rotten branch vpon this tree Fit for the axe and ready for the fire Since thou withholdst all ordinarie helpe To lose my bodie from this bond of death O let my beautie fill these sencelesse places With sence and power to lose me from this plague And worke some wonder to preuent his death Whose life thou madst a speciall miracle Ioab with another souldier Sould. My lord I saw the young prince Absalon Hang by the haire vpon a shadie oke And could by no meanes get himselfe vnlosde Ioab Why slewst thou not the wicked Absalon That rebell to his father and to heauen That so I might haue giuen thee for thy paines Tenne siluer sickles and a golden wast Sould. Not for a thousand sickles would I slay The sonne of Dauid whom his father chargd Nor thou Abisay nor the sonne of Gath Should touch with stroke of deadly violence The charge was giuen in hearing of vs all And had I done it then I know thy selfe Before thou wouldst abide the Kings rebuke Wouldst haue accus'd me as a man of death Ioab I must not now stand trifling here with thee Abs. Helpe Ioab helpe O helpe thy Absalon Let not thy angrie thoughts be laid in bloud In bloud of him that sometimes nourisht thee And softned thy sweet heart with friendly loue O giue me once againe my fathers sight My deerest father and my princely soueraigne That shedding teares of bloud before his face The ground may witnesse and the heauens record My last submission sound and full
with Ammons lusty armes Sinnewd with vigor of his landlesse loue Faire Thamar now dishonour hunts thy foot And followes thee through euery couert shade Discouering thy shame and nakednesse Euen from the valeyes of Iehosophat Vp to the loftie mounts of Libanon Where Caedars stird with anger of the winds Sounding in stormes the tale of thy disgrace Tremble with furie and with murmure shake Eearth with their feet and with their heads the heauens Beating the clouds into their swiftest racke To beare this wonder round about the world Exit Ammon thrusting out Thamar Am. Hence from my bed whose sight offends my soule As doth the parbreake of disgorged beares Thama. Vnkind vnprincely and vnmanly Ammon To force and then refuse thy sisters loue Adding vnto the fright of thy offence The banefull torment of my publisht shame O doe not this dishonor to thy loue Nor clog thy soule with such increasing sinne This second euill far exceeds the first Am. Iethray come thrust this woman from my sight And bolt the dore vpon hir if she striue Iethray Go madame goe away you must be gone My lord hath done with you I pray depart He shuts her out Tham. Whether alasse ah whether shall I flie With folded armes and all amased soule Cast as was Eua from that glorious soile Where al delights sat bating wingd with thoughts Ready to nestle in her naked breasts To bare and barraine vales with floods made wast To desart woods and hils with lightening scorcht With death with shame with hell with horrour sit There will I wander from my fathers face There Absolon my brother Absolon Sweet Absolon shall heare his sister mourne There will I liue with my windie sighs Night Rauens and Owles to rend my bloudie side Which with a rustie weapon I will wound And makee them passage to my panting heart Why talkst thou wretch and leaust the deed vndone Enter Absolon Rend haire and garments as thy heart is rent With inward furie of a thousand greefes And scatter them by these vnhallowed dores To figure Ammons resting crueltie And Tragicke spoile of Thamars chastitie Abs. What causeth Thamar to exclaime so much Tham. The cause that Thamar shameth to disclose Absa. Say I thy brother will reuenge that cause Tham. Ammon our fathers son hath forced me And thrusts me from him as the scorne of Israel Abs. Hath Ammon forced thee by Dauids hand And by the couenant God hath made with him Ammon shall beare his violence to hell Traitor to Heauen traitor to Dauids throne Traitor to Absolon and Israel This fact hath Iacobs ruler seene from heauen And through a cloud of smoake and tower of fire As he rides vaunting him vpon the greenes Shall teare his chariot wheeles with violent winds And throw his body in the bloudy sea At him the thunder shall discharge his bolt And his faire spouse with bright and fierie wings Sit euer burning on his hatefull bones My selfe as swift as thunder or his spouse Will hunt occasion with a secret hate To worke false Ammon an vngracious end Goe in my sister rest thee in my house And God in time shall take this shame from thee Tham. Nor God nor Time will doe that good for me Exit Tham. restat Absolon Enter Dauid with his traine Dauid My Absolon what makst thou here alone And beares such discontentment in thy browes Abs. Great cause hath Absolon to be displeasd And in his heart to shrowd the wounds of wrath Dauid Gainst whom should Absolon be thus displeased Abs. Gainst wicked Ammon thy vngracious sonne My brother and faire Thamars by the King My stepbrother by mother and by kind He hath dishonoured Dauids holinesse And fixt a blot of lightnesse on his throne Forcing my sister Thamar when he faind A sickenesse sprung from root of heinous lust Dauid Hath Ammon brought this euill on my house And suffered sinne to smite his fathers bones Smite Dauid deadlier then the voice of heauen And let hates fire be kindled in thy heart Frame in the arches of thy angrie browes Making thy forehead like a comet shine To force false Ammon tremble at thy lookes Sin with his seuenfold crowne and purple robe Begins his triumphs in my guiltie throne There sits he watching with his hundred eyes Our idle minuts and our wanton thoughts And with his baits made of our fraile desires Giues vs the hooke that hales our soules to hell But with the spirit of my kingdomes God I le thrust the flattering Tyran from his throne And scourge his bondslaues from my hallowed court With rods of yron and thornes of sharpened steele Then Absolon reuenge not thou this sin Leaue it to me and I will chasten him Abs. I am content then graunt my lord the king Himselfe with all his other lords would come Vp to my sheepe feast on the plaine of Hazor Da. Nay my faire sonne my selfe with all my lords Will bring thee too much charge yet some shall goe Abs. But let my lord the king himselfe take paines The time of yeare is pleasant for your grace And gladsome Summer in her shadie robes Crowned with Roses and with planted flowers With all her nimphs shall enterteine my lord That from the thicket of my verdant groues Will sprinckle hony dewes about his brest And cast sweet balme vpon his kingly head Then grant thy seruants boone and goe my lord Dau. Let it content my sweet sonne Absolon That I may stay and take my other lords Abs. But shall thy best beloued Ammon goe Dau. What needeth it that Ammon goe with thee Abs. Yet doe thy sonne and seruant so much grace Dau. Ammon shall goe and all my other lords Because I will giue grace to Absolon Enter Cusay and Vrias with others Cusay Pleaseth my lord the king his seruant Ioab Hath sent Vrias from the Syrian wars Dau. Welcome Vrias from the Syrian wars Welcome to Dauid as his deerest lord Vrias Thankes be to Israels God and Dauids grace Vrias finds such greeting with the king Dau. No other greeting shall Vrias find As long as Dauids swaies the elected seat And consecrated throne of Israel Tell me Vrias of my seruant Ioab Fights he with truth the battels of our God And for the honor of the Lords annointed Vrias Thy seruant Ioab fights the chosen wars With truth with honour and with high successe And gainst the wicked King of Ammons sonnes Hath by the finger of our souereines God Besieg'd the citie Rabath and atchieu'd The court of waters where the conduits run And all the Ammonites delight some springs Therefore he wisheth Dauids mightinesse Should number out the host of Israel And come in person to the citie Rabath That so her conquest may be made the kings And Ioab fight as his inferior Dauid This hath dot God and Ioabs prowesse done Without Vrias valours I am sure Who since his true conuersion from a Hethite To an adopted sonne of Israel Hath sought like one whose armes were lift by heauen And whose bright
in life and death Da. Then gentle Ithay be thou still with vs A ioy to Dauid and a grace to Israel Goe Sadoc now and beare the arke of God Into the great Ierusalem againe If I find fauour in his gratious eyes Then will he lay his hand vpon my heart Yet once againe before I visit death Giuing it strength and vertue to mine eies To tast the comforts and behold the forme Of his faire arke and holy tabernacle But if he say my wonted loue is worne And I haue no delight in Dauid now Here lie I armed with an humble heart T' imbrace the paines that anger shall impose And kisse the sword my lord shall kill me with Then Sadoc take Ahimaas thy sonne With Ionathan sonne to Abiathar And in these fields will I repose my selfe Till they returne from you some certaine newes Sadoc Thy seruants will with ioy obey the King And hope to cheere his heart with happy newes Exit Sadoc Ahimaas and Ionathan Ith. Now that it be no greefe vnto the King Let me for good enforme his maiestie That with vnkind and gracelesse Absalon Achitophel your auncient counsellor Directs the state of this rebellion Dauid Then doth it aime with danger at my crowne O thou that holdst his raging bloudy bound Within the circle of the siluer moone That girds earths center with his watrie scarfe Limit the counsell of Achitophel No bounds extending to my soules distresse But turne his wisdome into foolishnesse Enter Cusay with his coat turnd and head couered Cusay Happinesse and honour to my lord the King Dauid What happinesse or honor may betide His state that toiles in my extremities Cus. O let my gracious soueraine cease these greefes Vnlesse he wish his seruaut Cusayes death Whose life depends vpon my lords releefe Then let my presence with my sighs persume The pleasant closet of my soueraignes soule Da. No Cusay no thy presence vnto me Will be a burthen since I tender thee And cannot breake thy sighs for Dauids sake But if thou turne to faire Ierusalem And say to Absalon as thou hast been A trusty friend vnto his fathers seat So thou wilt be to him and call him King Achitophels counsell may be brought to naught Then hauing Sadoc and Abiathar All three may learne the secrets of my sonne Sending the message by Ahimaas And friendly Ionathan who both are there Then rise referring the successe to heauen Da. Cusay I rise though with vnweldie bones I carrie armes against my Absalon Exeunt Absalon Amasa Achitophel with the concubines of Dauid and others in great state Absalon crowned Abs. Now you that were my fathers concubines Liquor to his inchast and lustfull fire Haue seene his honour shaken in his house Which I possesse in sight of all the world I bring ye forth for soiles to my renowne And to eclipse the glorie of your King Whose life is with his honour fast inclosd Within the entrailes of a Ieatie cloud Whose dissolution shall powre downe in showers The substance of his life and swelling pride Then shall the stars light earth with rich aspects And heauen shall burne in loue with Absalon Whose beautie will suffice to chast all mists And cloth the suns spheare with a triple fire Sooner then his cleare eyes should suffer staine Or be offended with a lowring day Concub. Thy fathers honour gracelesse Absalon And ours thus beaten with thy violent armes Will crie for vengeance to the host of heauen Whose power is euer armed against the prowd And will dart plagues at thy aspiring head For doing this disgrace to Dauids throne 2. To Dauids throne to Dauids holy throne Whose scepter angels guard with swords of fire And sit as Eagles on his conquering fist Ready to prey vpon his enemies Then thinke not thou the captaine of his foes Wert thou much swifter then Azahell was That could out-pace the nimble footed Roe To scape the furie of their thumping beakes Or dreadfull scope of their commanding wings Achip. Let not my lord the King of Israel Be angrie with a sillie womans threats But with the pleasure he hath erst enioied Turne them into their cabinets againe Till Dauids conquest be their ouerthrow Abs. Into your bowers ye daughters of Disdaine Gotten by furie of vnbridled lust And wash your couches with your mourning teares For greefe that Dauids kingdome is decaied 1. No Absalon his kingdome is enchaind Fast to the finger of great Iacobs God Which will not lose it for a rebels loue Exeunt Amasa If I might giue aduise vnto the King These concubines should buy their taunts with bloud Abs. Amasa no but let thy martiall sword Empty the paines of Dauids armed men And let these foolish women scape our hands To recompence the shame they haue sustaind First Absolon was by the Trumpets sound Proclaimd through Hebron King of Israel And now is set in faire Ierusalem With complete state and glorie of a crowne Fiftie faire footmen by my chariot run And to the aire whose rupture rings my fame Where ere I ride they offer reuerence Why should not Absolon that in his face Carries the finall purpose of his God That is to worke him grace in Israel Endeuour to atchieue with all his strength The state that most may satisfie his ioy Keeping his statutes and his couenants pure His thunder is intangled in my haire And with my beautie is his lightning quencht I am the man he made to glorie in When by the errors of my fathers sinne He lost the path that led into the land Wherewith our chosen ancestors were blest Enter Cusay Cus. Long may the beautious King of Israel liue To whom the people doe by thousands swarme Abs. What meaneth Cusay so to greet his foe In this the loue thou shewdst to Dauids soule To whose assistance thou hast vowed thy life Why leauest thou him in this extremitie Cus. Because the Lord and Israel chuseth thee And as before I serud thy fathers turne With counsell acceptable in his sight So likewise will I now obey his sonne Abs. Then welcome Cusay to king Absalon And now my lords and louing counsellors I thinke it time to exercise our armes Against forsaken Dauid and his host Giue counsell first my good Achitophel What times and orders we may best obserue For prosperous manage of these high exploits Achi. Let me chuse out twelue thousand valiant men And while the night hides with her sable mists The close endeuors cunning souldiers vse I will assault thy discontented fire And while with weakenesse of their wearie armes Surchargd with toile to shun thy suddaine power The people flie in huge disordred troupes To saue their liues and leaue the King alone Then will I smite him with his latest wound And bring the people to thy feet in peace Abs. Well hath Achitophel giuen his aduise Yet let vs heare what Cusay counsels vs Whose great experience is well worth the eare Cus. Though wise Achitophel be much more meet To purchase hearing with my
lord the King For all his former counsels then my selfe Yet not offending Absolon or him This time it is not good nor worth pursute For well thou knowest thy fathers men are strong Chafing as shee beares robbed of their whelpes Besides the King himselfe a valiant man Traind vp in feats and stratagems of warre And will not for preuention of the worst Lodge with the common souldiers in the field But now I know his wonted policies Haue taught him lurke within some secret caue Guarded with all his stoutest souldiers Which if the forefront of his battell faint Will yet giue out that Absalon doth flie And so thy souldiers be discouraged Dauid himselfe withall whose angry heart Is as a Lyons letted of his walke Will fight himselfe and all his men to one Before a few shall vanquish him by feare My counsell therefore is with Trumpets sound To gather men from Dan to Bersabe That they may march in number like sea sands That nestle close in anothers necke So shall we come vpon him in our strength Like to the dew that fals in showers from heauen And leaue him not a man to march withall Besides if any citie succour him The numbers of our men shall fetch vs ropes And we will pull it downe the riuers streame That not a stone be left to keepe vs out Abs. What saies my lord to Cusaies counsell now Ama. I fancie Cusaies counsell better farre Then that is giuen vs from Achitophel And so I thinke doth euery souldier here All Cusaies counsell is better then Achitophels Abs. Then march we after Cusaies counsell all Sound trumpets through the bounds of Israel And muster all the men will serue the King That Absalon may glut his longing soule With sole fruition of his fathers crowne Exeunt Ach. Ill shall they fare that follow thy attempts That skornes the counsell of Achitophel Restat Cusay Cusay Thus hath the power of Iacobs iealous God Fulfild his seruant Dauids drifts by me And brought Achitophels aduise to scorne Enter Sadoc Abiathar Ahimaas and Ionathan Sadoc God saue lord Cusay and direct his zeale To purchase Dauids conquest gainst his sonne Abia. What secrets hast thou gleande from Absalon Cusay These sacred priests that beare the arke of God Achitophel aduisd him in the night To let him chuse twelue thousand fighting men And he would come on Dauid at vnwares While he was wearie with his violent toile But I aduisd to get a greater host And gather men from Dan to Bersabe To come vpon him strongly in the fields Then send Ahimaas and Ionathan To signifie these secrets to the King And will him not to stay this night abroad But get him ouer Iordane presently Least he and all his people kisse the sword Sadoc Then goe Ahimaas and Ionathan And straight conuey this message to the King Ahim. Father we will if Absalons cheefe spies Preuent not this deuise and stay vs here Exeunt Semei solus Semei The man of Israel that hath rul'd as King Or rather as the Tyrant of the land Bolstering his hatefull head vpon the throne That God vnworthily hath blest him with Shall now I hope lay it as low as hell And be depos'd from his detested chaire O that my bosome could by nature beare A sea of poyson to be powr'de vpon His cursed head that sacred baulme hath grac'd And consecrated King of Israel Or would my breath were made the smoke of hell Infected with the sighs of damned soules Or with the reeking of that serpents gorge That feeds on adders toads and venomous roots That as I opened my reuenging lips To curse the sheepeheard for his Tyrannie My words might cast rancke poyson to his pores And make his swolne and ranckling sinewes cracke Like to the combat blowes that breake the clouds When Ioues stout champions fight with fire See where he commeth that my soule abhors I haue prepard my pocket full of stones To cast at him mingled with earth and dust Which bursting with disdaine I greet him with Dauid Ioab Abyshai Ithay with others Semei Come forth thou murtherer and wicked man The Lord hath brought vpon thy cursed head The guiltlesse bloud of Saule and all his sonnes Whose royall throne thy basenesse hath vsurpt And to reuenge it deepely on thy soule The Lord hath giuen the kingdome to thy sonne And he shall wreake the traitrous wrongs of Saule Euen as thy sinne hath still importund heauen So shall thy murthers and adulterie Be punisht in the sight of Israel As thou deserust with bloud with death and hell Hence murtherer hence he threw at him Abis. Why doth his dead dog curse my lord the King Let me alone to take away his head Da. Why medleth thus the son of Zeruia To interrupt the action of our God Semei vseth me with this reproch Because the Lord hath sent him to reproue The sinnes of Dauid printed in his browes With bloud that blusheth for his conscience guilt Who dares then aske him why he curseth me Semei If then thy conscience tell thee thou hast sind And that thy life is odious to the world Command thy followers to shun thy face And by thy selfe here make away thy soule That I may stand and glorie in thy shame Da. I am not desperate Semei like thy selfe But trust vnto the couenant of my God Founded on mercie with repentance built And finisht with the glorie of my soule Semei A murtherer and hope for mercie in thy end Hate and destruction sit vpon thy browes To watch the issue of thy damned ghost Which with thy latest gaspe thei le take and teare Hurling in euery paine of hell a peece Hence murtherer thou shame to Israel Foule letcher drunkard plague to heauen and earth He throwes at him Ioab What is it pietie in Dauids thoughts So to abhorre from lawes of pollicie In this extremitie of his distresse To giue his subiects cause of carelesnesse Send hence the dog with sorrow to his graue Dauid Why should the sons of Zeruia seeke to checke His spirit which the Lord hath thus inspir'd Behold my sonne which issued from my flesh With equall furie seekes to take my life How much more then the sonne of Iemini Cheefely since he doth nought but Gods command It may be he will looke on me this day With gracious eyes and for his cursing blesse The heart of Dauid in his bitternesse Semei What doest thou fret my soule with sufferance O that the soules of Isboseth and Abner Which thou sentst swimming to their graues in bloud With wounds fresh bleeding gasping for reuenge Were here to execute my burning hate But I will hunt thy font with curses still Hence Monster Murtherer Mirror of Contempt He throwes dust againe Enter Ahimanas and Ionathan Ahim. Long life to Dauid to his enemies death Da. Welcome Ahimaas and Ionathan What newes sends Cusay to thy lord the King Ahim. Cusay would wish my lord the King To passe the riuer Iordane presently Least he and all his people perish