Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n
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A36600
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The assignation, or, Love in a nunnery as it is acted, at the Theatre-Royal / written by John Dryden.
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Dryden, John, 1631-1700.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing D2241; ESTC R19769
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52,084
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89
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woman as her own wit is Cam. I look upon the Assignation as certain Will you promise me to go You and Benito shall walk in the Garden while I search the Nymph within the shade one thing I had forgot to tell you that our General of the Church the Duke of Mantoua and the Prince his Son are just approaching the Gates of Rome Will you go see the Ceremony of their Entrance Aur. With all my heart They say he has behav'd himself gallantly against the French at their return from Naples besides I have a particular knowledge of young Prince Frederick ever since he was last at our Venetian Carnival Cam. Away then quickly least we miss the Solemnity Exeunt Enter Laura and Violetta striving about a Letter which Laura holds Vio. Let it go I say Lau. I say let you go Vio. Nay sweet Sister Laura Lau. Nay dear Violetta 't is in vain to contend I am resolv'd I 'll see it Plucks the Paper from Violetta Vio. But I am resolv'd you shall not read it I know not what authority this is which you assume or what priviledge a year or two can give you to use this Soveraignty over me Lau. Do you rebell young Gentlewoman I 'll make you know I have a double right over you one as I have more years and the other as I have more wit Vio. Though I am not all Ayr and Fire as you are yet that little wit I have will serve to conduct my Affairs without a Governess Lau. No Gentlewoman but it shall not are you fit at Fifteen to be trusted with a Maidenhead 'T is as much your betters can manage at full twenty For 't is of a nature so subtil That if 't is not Luted with care The Spirit will work through the Bottel And vanish away into Ayr. To keep it there 's nothing so hard is 'T will go betwixt waking and sleeping The Simple too weak for a guard is And no Wit would be plagu'd with the keeping Vio. For ought I see you are as little to be trusted with your Madness as I with my Simplicity and therefore pray restore my Letter Lau. reading it What 's here An humble Petition for a private Meeting Are you twittering at that sport already Mistriss Novice Vio. How I a Novice at ripe Fifteen I would have you to know that I have kill'd my Man before I was Fourteen and now am ready for another execution Lau. A very forward Rose-bud you open apace Gentlewoman I find indeed your desires are quick enough but where will you have cunning to carry on your business with decency and secrecy Secrecy I say which is a main part of chastity in our Sex Where wit to be sensible of the delicacies of Love the tenderness of a farewell-sigh for an absence the joy of a return the zeal of a pressing-hand the sweetness of little quarrels caus'd and cur'd by the excess of Love and in short the pleasing disquiets of the Soul alwayes restless and wandring up and down in a paradise of thought of its own making Vio. If I understood not thus much before I find you are an excellent instructer and that argues you have had a feeling of the cause in your time too Sister Lau. What have I confess'd before I was aware She 'll find out my inclination to that stranger whom I have only seen and to whom I have never spoken Aside No good Violetta I never was in Love all my experience is from Playes and Romances But who is this man to whom you have promis'd an Assignation Vio. You 'll tell my Uncle Lau. I hate my Uncle more than you do Vio. You know the man 't is Signior Camillo his Birth and Fortunes are equal to what I can expect and he tells me his intentions are Honourable Lau. Have I not seen him lately in his Balcone which looks into our Garden with another handsome Gentleman in his Company who seems a stranger Vio. They are the same Do you think it a reasonable thing dear Laura that my Uncle should keep us up so strictly that we must be beholden to heresay to know a young Gallant is in the next house to us Lau. 'T is hard indeed to be mew'd like Hawks and never Man'd to be lock'd in like Nuns here Vio. They that look for Nuns flesh in me shall be mistaken Lau. Well What answer have you return'd to this Letter Vio. That I would meet him at eight this evening in the close walk in the Garden attended onely by Beatrix my Woman Lau. Who comes with him Vio. Only his friend's Man Benito the same who brought me the Letter which you took from me Lau. Stay let me think a little Do Camillo or this Benito know your Maid Beatrix Vio. They have never talk'd with her but only seen her Lau. 'T is concluded then you shall meet your Servant but I 'll be your Beatrix I 'll go in stead of her and counterfeit your waiting-woman in the dark I may easily pass for her By this means I shall be present to instruct you for you are yet a Callow Maid I must teach you to Peck a little you may come to Prey for your self in time Vio. A little teaching will serve my turn if the old one left me to my self I could go near to get my Living Lau. I find you are eager and Baiting to be gone already and I 'll not hinder you when your hour approaches In the mean time go in and sigh and think fondly and ignorantly of your approaching pleasures Love in young hearts is like the must of Wine 'T is sweetest then but elder 't is more fine Exeunt ACT. II. SCENE I. The Front of a Nunnery Prince Frederick Aurelian Camillo and Ascanio the Princes Page Fred. MY Fathers ' antient and may repose himself if he pleases after the Ceremony of his Entrance but we who are younger should think it a sin to spend any part of day-light in a Chamber What are your wayes of living here Cam. Why Sir we pass our time either in conversation alone or in Love alone or in Love and Conversation together Fred. Come explain explain my Counsel learned in the Laws of Living Cam. For conversation alone that 's either in going to Court with a Face of Business and there discoursing of the affairs of Europe of which Rome you know is the publick Mart or at best meeting the Vertuosi and there wearying one another with rehearsing our own works in Prose and Poetry Fred. Away with that dry method I will have none on 't To the next Cam. Love alone is either plain wenching where every Curtizan is your Mistriss and every Man your Rival or else what 's worse plain whining after one Woman that is walking before her door by day and haunting her street by night with Guittars dark Lanthorns and Rondaches Aur. Which I take it is or will be our case Camillo Fred. Neither of these will fit my humour if your third
take a loose and weaker Would you not judge him mad who held a Lion In chains of Steel and chang'd e'm for a twine Luc. But love is soft Not of the Lion's nature but the Dove 's An Iron chain would hang too heavy on a tender neck Duke Since on one side there must be confidence Why may not I expect as well as you To have it plac'd in me Repose your trust Upon my Royal word Luc. As 't is the priviledge of womankind That men should court our Love And make the first advances so it follows That you should first oblige for 't is our weakness Gives us more cause of fear and therefore you Who are the stronger Sex should first secure it Duke But Madam as you talk of fear from me I may as well suspect design from you Luc. Design of giving you my Love more freely Of making you a Title to my heart Where you by force would reign Duke O that I could believe you but your words Are not enough disorder'd for true love They are not plain and hearty as are mine But full of art and close insinuation You promise all but give me not one proof Of love before not the least earnest of it Luc. And What is then this midnight conversation These silent hours divided from my sleep Nay more stoln from my Prayers with Sacriledge And here transfer'd to you This guilty hand Which should be us'd in dropping holy Beads But now bequeath'd to yours This heaving heart Which only should be throbing for my sins But which now beats uneven time for you These are my arts and these are my designs Duke I love you more Lucretia than my Soul Nay than yours too for I would venture both That I might now enjoy you and if what You ask me did not make me fear to lose you Though it were even my life you should not be deny'd it Luc. Then I will ask no more Keep my Letter to upbraid me with it To Say when I am sully'd with your Lust And fit to be forsaken Go Lucretia To your first love for this for this I leave you Duke Oh Madam never think that day can come Luc. It must it will I read it in your looks You will betray me when I 'm once engag'd Duke If not my Faith your Beauty will secure you Luc. My Beauty is a Flower upon the stalk Goodly to see but gather'd for the scent And once with eagerness press'd to your nostrils The sweet's drawn out 't is thrown with scorn away But I am glad I find you out so soon I simply lov'd and meant with shame I own it To trust my Virgin-honour in your hands I ask'd not wealth for hire and but by chance I wonder that I thought on 't beg'd one tryal And but for form to have pretence to yield And that you have deny'd me Farewell I could Have lov'd you and yet perhaps I Duke O speak speak out and do not drown that word It seem'd as if it would have been a kind one And yours are much too precious to be lost Luc. Perhaps I cannot yet leave loving you There ' t was But I recall'd it in my mind And made it false before I gave it Ayr. Once more farewell I wonnot Now I can say I wonnot wonnot love you Going Duke You shall and this shall be the Seal of my affection Gives the Letter There take it my Lucretia I give it with more joy Than I with grief receiv'd it Luc. Good night I 'll thank you for 't some other time Duke You 'll not abuse my love Luc. No but secure my Honour Duke I 'll force it from your hands Lucretia runs Luc. Help help or I am ravish'd help for heavens sake Hippolita Laura and Violetta within in several places Within Help help Lucretia they bear away Lucretia by force Duke I think there is a Devil in every corner Enter Valerio Val. Sir the design was lay'd on purpose for you and all the women plac'd to cry Make haste away avoid the shame for heavens sake Duke going O I could fire this Monastery Enter Frederick and Ascanio Frederick entring speaks as to some behind him Fred. Pain of your lives let none of you presume to enter but my self Duke My Son O I could burst with spite and dye with shame to be thus apprehended this is the baseness and cowardise of guilt an Army now were not so dreadful to me as that Son o're whom the right of Nature gives me power Fred. Sir I am come Duke To laugh at first and then to blaze abroad The weakness and the follies of your Father Val. Sir he has Men in Armes attending him Duke I know my doom then You have taken a popular occasion I am now a ravisher of chastity fit to be made prisoner first and then depos'd Fred. You will not hear me Sir Duke No I confess I have deserv'd my fate For What had these gray haires to do with Love Or if th' unseemly folly would possess me Why should I choose to make my Son my Rival Fred. Sir you may add you banish'd me from Rome And from the light of it Lucretia's eyes Duke Nay if thou aggravat'st my crimes thou giv'st Me right to justify'em thou doubly art my slave Both Son and Subject I can do thee no wrong Nor hast thou right t'arraign or punish me But thou inquir'st into thy Fathers years Thy swift ambition could not stay my death But must ride post to Empire Lead me now Thy crimes have made me guiltless to my self And given me face to bear the publick scorn You have a guard without Fred. I have some friends Duke Speak plainly your intent I love not a sophisticated truth With an allay of lye in 't Fred. kneeling This is not Sir the posture of a Rebel But of a suppliant if the Name of Son Be too much honour to me What first I purpos'd I scarce know my self Love Anger and Revenge then rowl'd within me And yet ev'n then I was not hurry'd farther Than to preserve my own Duke Your own What mean you Fred. My Love and my Lucretia which I thought In my then boyling passion you pursu'd With some injustice and much violence This led me to repell that force by force 'T was easie to surprize you when I knew Of your intended visit Duke Thank my folly Fred. But reason now has reassum'd its place And makes me see how black a crime it is To use a force upon my Prince and Father Duke You give me hope you will resign Lucretia Fred. Ah no I never can resign her to you But Sir I can my life which on my knees I tender as th'attoning Sacrifice Or if your hand because you are a Father Be loath to take away that life you gave I will redeem your crime by making it My own So you shall still be innocent and I Dye bless'd and unindebted for my being Duke embracing him O Frederick you are too much a