THE LOVERS Melancholy ACTED AT THE PRIVATE HOVSE IN THE BLACKE Friers and publikely at the Globe by the Kings Maiesties Seruants LONDON Printed for H. Seile and are to be sold at the Tygers head in Saint Pauls Church-yard 1629 The Sceane Famagosta in Cyprus The names of such as acted IOHN LOWIN IOSEPH TAYLOR ROBERT BENFIELD IOHN SHANCK EYLYARDT SWANSTON ANTHONY SMITH RICHARD SHARPE THOMAS POLLARD WILLIAM PENN CVRTEISE GRIVILL GEORGE VERNON RICHARD BAXTER IOHN TOMSON IOHN HONYMAN IAMES HORNE WILLIAM TRIGG ALEXANDER GOVGH TO MY WORTHILY RESPECTED FRIENDS NATHANIEL FINCH IOHN FORD Esquires Mt. HENRY BLVNT Mr. ROBFRT ELLICE and all the rest of the Noble Society of Grayes Inne My Honour'd Friends THe account of some leisurable houres is here summ'd vp and offered to examination Importunity of Others or Opinion of mine owne hath not vrg'd on any confidence of running the hazard of a censure As plurality hath reference to a Multitude so I care not to please Many but where there is a Parity of condition there the freedom of construction makes the best musicks This concord hath equally held betweene YOV THE PATRONES and ME THE PRESENTOR I am cleer'd of all scruple of dis-respect on your parts as I am of too slacke a Merit in my selfe My presumption of comming in Print in this kind hath hitherto been vn-reprooueable This Piece being the first that euer courted Reader and it is very possible that the like complement with Me may soone grow out of fashion A practice of which that I may auoid now I commend to the continuance of your Loues the memory of HIS who without the protestation of a seruice is readily your Friend IOHN FORD To my Honour'd Friend Master Iohn Ford on his Louers Melancholy IF that thou think'st these lines thy worth can raise Thou do'st mistake my liking is no prayse Nor can I thinke thy Iudgement is so ill To seeke for Bayes from such a barraine Quill Let your true Critick that can iudge and mend Allow thy Sceanes and Stile I as a friend That knowes thy worth doe onely sticke my Name To shew my Loue not to aduance thy Fame George Donne To his worthy Friend the Author Master Iohn Ford I Write not to thy Play I le not begin To throw a censure vpon what hath been By th' Best approu'd It can nor feare nor want The Rage or Liking of the Ignorant Nor seeke I Fame for Thee when thine owne Pen Hath forc'd a praise long since from knowing Men I speake my thoughts and wish vnto the Stage A glory from thy studies that the Age May be indebted to Thee for Reprieue Of purer language and that Spight may grieue To see It selfe out-done When Thou art read The Theater may hope Arts are not dead Though long conceal'd that Poet-Apes may feare To vent their weaknesse mend or quite forbeare This I dare promise and keepe this in store As thou hast done enough Thou canst doe more William Singleton To the Author Master Iohn Ford BLacke choler Reasons ouer-flowing Spring Where thirsty Louers drinke or any Thing Passion the restlesse current of dull plaints Affords their thoughts who deeme lost beauties Saints Here their best Lectures read collect and see Various conditions of Humanitie Highly enlighten'd by thy Muses rage Yet all so coucht that they adorn'd the Stage Shun Phocions blushes thou for sure to please It is no sinne then what is thy disease Iudgements applause effeminated smiles Studie's delight thy wit mistrust beguiles Establisht Fame will thy Physicion be Write but againe to cure thy Iealousie Hum Howorth Of the Louers Melancholy T Is not the Language nor the fore-plac'd Rimes Of Friends that shall commend to after-times The Louers Melancholy Its owne worth Without a borrowed prayse shall set it forth {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} THE PROLOGVE TO tell yee Gentlemen in what true sense The Writer Actors or the audience Should mold their Iudgemēts for a Play might draw Truth into Rules but we haue no such law Our Writer for himselfe would haue yee know That in his following Sceanes he doth not owe To others Fancies nor hath layne in wait For any stolne Inuention from whose height He might commend his owne more then the right A Scholer claimes may warrant for delight It is Arts scorne that some of late haue made The Noble vse of Poetry a Trade For your parts Gentlemen to quite his paines Yet you will please that as you meet with straines Of lighter mixtures but to cast your eye Rather vpon the maine then on the bye His hopes stand firme and we shall find it true The Louers Melancholy cur'd by you THE LOVERS MELANCHOLY Actus I. Scena I. Enter Menaphon and Pelias Menaphon DAngers How meane you dangers that so courtly You gratulate my safe returne from dangers Pel. From Trauailes noble Sir Men. These are delights If my experience hath not Trewant-like Mis-spent the time which I haue stroue to vse For bettering my mind with obseruation Pel. As I am modest I protest 't is strange But is it possible Men. What Pel. To bestride The frothy fomes of Neptunes surging waues When blustring Boreas tosseth vp the deepe And thumps a thunder bounce Men. Sweet Sir 't is nothing Straight comes a Dolphin playing neere your ship Heauing his crooked backe vp and presents A Feather-bed to waft'ee to the shoare As easily as if you slept i' th 'i th' Court Pel. Indeed is 't true I pray Men. I will not stretch Your Faith vpon the Teinters prethee Pelias Where didst thou learne this language Pel. I this language Alas Sir we that study words and formes Of complement must fashion all discourse According to the nature of the subiect But I am silent now appeares a Sunne Whose shadow I adore Enter Amethus Sophronos and Attendants Men. My honour'd Father Soph. From mine eyes son son of my care my loue The ioyes that bid thee welcome doe too much speake me a child Men. O Princely Sir your hand Amet. Performe your duties where you owe them first I dare not be so sudden in the pleasures Thy presence hath brought home Soph. Here thou still findest A Friend as noble Menaphon as when Thou left'st at thy departure Men. Yes I know it To him I owe more seruice Amet. Pray giue leaue He shall attend your intertainements soone Next day and next day for an houre or two I would engrosse him onely Soph. Noble Lord Ame. Y' are both dismist Pel. Your creature and your Seruant Exeunt all but Ameth Menap Ame. Giue me thy hand I will not say Th' art welcome That is the common roade of cōmon friends I am glad I haue thee here O I want words To let thee know my heart Men. 'T is peec'd to mine Ame. Yes 't is as firmely as that holy thing Call'd Friendship can vnite it Menaphon My Menaphon now all the goodly blessings That can create a Heauen on earth dwell with thee Twelue monthes we haue been sundred but henceforth We
Amitye Which you haue long betweene yee vow'd and kept Is sacred and inuiolable secrets Of every nature are in common t' ee I haue trespass'd and I haue been faulty Let not too rude a Censure doome me guilty Or iudge my errour wilfull without pardon Men. Gracious and vertuous Mistris Ame. T is a tricke There is no trust in female cunning friend Let her first purge her follies past and cleere The wrongs done to her honor by some sure Apparant testimony of her constancy Or wee will not beleeue these childish plots As you respect my friendship lend no eare To a reply Thinke on 't Men. Pray loue your fame Exeunt Men Amet. Tham. Gon I am sure awakt Kala I finde You haue not been so trusty as the duty You ow'd requir'd Kala Not I I doe protest I haue been Madam Tham. Bee no matter what I 'me pay'd in mine owne Coyne something I must And speedily so seeke out Cuculus Bid him attend me instantly Kala That Anticke The trim old Youth shall wait yee Tham. Wounds may be mortall which are wounds indeed But no wounds deadly till our Honors bleed Exeunt Enter Rhetias and Corax Rhet. Thar' t an excellent fellow Diabolo O this lousie close-stoole Empricks that will vndertake all Cures yet know not the causes of any disease Dog-leaches By the foure Elements I honor thee coo'd finde in my heart to turne knaue and bee thy flatterer Cora. Sirra t is pitty th' ast not been a Scholer Th' art honest blunt and rude enough O Conscience But for thy Lord now I haue put him too 't Rhet. He chafes hugely fumes like a stew-pot Is he not monstrously ouergone in frenzy Cora. Rhetias t is not a madnesse but his sorrow 's Close griping griefe and anguish of the soule That torture him he carries Hell on earth Within his bosome 't was a Princes tyranny Caus'd his distraction and a Princes sweetnes Must qualifie that tempest of his minde Rhet. Corax to prayse thy Art were to assure The misbeleeuing world that the Sunne shines When t is in th' full Meridian of his beauty No cloud of blacke detraction can eclipse The light of thy rare knowledge henceforth casting All poore disguises off that play in rudenesse Call me your seruant onely for the present I wish a happy blessing to your Labours Heauen crowne your vndertakings and beleeue me Ere many houres can passe at our next meeting The bonds my duty owes shall be full cancelled Exit Cora. Farwell a shrewd-braine Whorson there 's pith In his vntoward plainenesse Enter Trollio with a Murrion on Now the newes Troll. Worshipfull Master Doctor I haue a great deale of I cannot tell what to say t' ee My Lord thunders euery word that comes out of his mouth roares like a Cannon the house shooke once my young Lady dares not be seene Cora. We will roare with him Trollio if he roare Trol. He has got a great Poll-axe in his hand and fences it vp and downe the house as if he were to make roome for the Pageants I haue prouided me a Murrion for feare of a clap on the Coxcombe Cora. No matter for the Murrion here 's my Cap Thus I will pull it downe and thus out-stare him Trol. The Physicion is got as mad as my Lord O braue a man of Worship Cor. Let him come Trollio I will firke his Trangdido And bounce and bounce in metall honest Trollio Trol. Hee vapours like a Tinker and struts like a Iuggler Menander within So ho So ho Troll. There there there looke to your Right Worshipfull looke to your selfe Enter Meleander with a poll-axe Mel. Show me the Dog whose triple throated noyse Hath rowzd a Lyon from his vncoth den To teare the Curre in pieces Cor. Stay thy pawes Couragious beast else lo the gorgeous skull That shall transforme thee to that restlesse stone Which Sysiphus roules vp against the hill Whence tumbling downe againe it with his waight Shall crush thy bones and puffe thee into Ayre Mel. Hold hold thy conqu'ring breath t is stronger far Then Gun-powder and Garlike If the Fates Haue spun my thred and my spent-clue of life Be now vntwisted let vs part like friends Lay vp my weapon Trollio and be gone Trol. Yes Sir with all my heart Exit Trollio Mel. This friend and I will walke and gabble wisely Cor. I allow the motion On Mel. So Polititians thriue That with their crabbed faces and sly tricks Legerdemayne ducks cringes formall beards Crisp'd haires and punctuall cheats do wriggle in Their heads first like a Foxe to roomes of State Then the whole body followes Cor. Then they fill Lordships steale womens hearts with them and their 's the world runnes round yet these are square men still Mel. There are none poore but such as ingrosse offices Cor. None wise but vnthrifts bankrupts beggers Rascals Mel. The hangman is a rare Phisician Cor. That 's not so good it shal be granted Mel. All the buz of Drugs and Myneralls and Simples Bloud-lettings Vomits Purges or what else Is coniur'd vp by men of Art to gull Liege-people and reare golden piles are trash To a well-strong-wrought halter there the Goute The stone yes and the Melancholy deuill Are cur'd in lesse time then a paire of minutes Build me a Gallows in this very plot And I le dispatch your businesse Cora. Fix the knot right vnder the left eare Mel. Sirra make ready Cora. Yet doe not be too sudden grant me leaue To giue a farewell to a creature long Absented from me t is a daughter Sir Snatcht from me in her youth a handsome girle Shee comes to aske a blessing Mel. Pray where is shee I cannot see her yet Cora. Shee makes more haste In her quicke prayers then her trembling steppes Which many griefes haue weakened Mel. Cruell man How canst thou rip a heart that 's cleft already With iniuries of time whilst I am franticke Whilst throngs of rude diuisions huddle on And doe disranke my braines from peace and sleepe So long I am insensible of cares As balls of wild-fire may be safely toucht Not violently sundred and throwne vp So my distemper'd thoughts rest in their rage Not hurryed in the Ayre of repetition Or memory of my misfortunes past Then are my griefes strooke home When they are reclaym'd To their owne pitty of themselues Proceed What of your daughter now Cor. I cannot tell yee T is now out of my head againe my braines Are crazie I haue scarce slept one sound sleepe These twelue moneths Mel. 'las poore man canst thou imagine To prosper in the taske thou tak'st in hand By practising a cure vpon my weakenesse And yet be no Physician for thy selfe Goe goe turne ouer all thy bookes once more And learne to thriue in modesty for impudence Does least become a Scholer Thou art a foole A kind of learned foole Cor. I doe confesse it Mel. If thou canst wake with me forget to eate Renounce the thought of Greatnesse tread
ill from thee and must say Thou art too gentle if thou canst forget it Cleo. Alas you haue not wrong'd me for indeed Acquaintance with my sorrowes and my fortune Were growne to such familiarity That twas an impudence more then presumption To wish so great a Lady as you are Should lose affection on my Vncles Sonne But that your Brother equall in your blood Should stoope to such a lownesse as to loue A Cast-away a poore despised Maid Onely for me to hope was almost sinne Yet troth I neuer tempted him Tha. Chide not the grossenes of my trespasse louely Sweetnes In such an humble language I haue smarted Already in the wounds my pride hath made Vpon thy sufferings Henceforth t is in you To worke my happinesse Cleo. Call any seruice Of mine a debt for such it is the Letter You lately sent me in the blest contents It made me priuy to hath largely quitted Euery suspition of your Grace or goodnesse Tham. Let me imbrace thee with a Sisters loue A Sisters loue Cleophila for should My Brother henceforth study to forget The vowes that he hath made thee I would euer Sollicite thy deserts Enter Amethus and Menaphon Ame. We must haue entrance Tham. Must Who are they say must you are vnmannerly Brother is 't you and you too Sir Ame. Your Ladiship has had a time of Scolding to your humour Does the storme hold still Cleo. Neuer fell a showre More seasonably gentle on the barren Parcht thirsty earth then showres of courtesie Haue from this Princesse been distilled on me To make my growth in quiet of my mind Secure and lasting Tham. You may both beleeue that I was not vnciuill Ame. Pish I know her spirit and her enuy Cleo. Now in troth Sir Pray credit me I doe not vse to sweare The vertuous Princesse hath in words and carriage Been kind so ouer-kind that I doe blush I am not rich enough in thankes sufficient For her vnequall'd bounty My good Cousin I haue a suite to you Men. It shall be granted Cleo. That no time no perswasion no respects Of Iealousies past present or hereafter By possibilitie to be conceiued Draw you from that sincerity and purenesse Of loue which you haue oftentimes protested To this great worthy Lady she deserues A duty more then what the tyes of Marriage Can claime or warrant be for euer hers As she is yours and Heauen increase your comforts Ame. Clophila hath play'd the Church-mans part I le not forbid the Banes Men. Are you consented Tha. I haue one taske in charge first which concernes me Brother be not more cruell then this Lady She hath forgiuen my follies so may you Her youth her beauty innocence discretion Without additions of estate or birth Are dower for a Prince indeed You lou'd her For sure you swore you did else if you did not Here fixe your heart and thus resolue if now You misse this Heauen on earth you cannot find In any other choice ought but a hell Ame. The Ladies are turn'd Lawyers and pleade handsomely Their Clients cases I am an easie Iudge And so shalt thou be Menaphon I giue thee My Sister for a wife a good one friend Men. Lady will you confirme the gift Tham. The errors of my mistaken iudgement being lost To your remembrance I shall euer striue In my obedience to deserue your pity Men. My loue my care my all Amet. What rests for me I 'm still a Batchelor Sweet Maid resolue me May I yet call you mine Cleo. My Lord Amethus Blame not my plainenesse I am young and simple And haue not any power to dispose Mine owne will without warrant from my father That purchast I am yours Amet. It shall suffice me Enter Cuculus Pelias Trollio and Grilla pluckt in by 'em Cucul. Reuenge I must haue reuenge I will haue reuenge bitter and abominable reuenge I will haue reuenge This vnfashionable Mungrill this Linsey-woolsey of mortality by this hand Mistris this shee-Roague is drunke and clapper-clawd me without any reuerence to my person or good garments why d' ee not speake Gentlemen Pel. Some certaine blowes haue past and 't like your Highnesse Troll. Some few knocks of Friendship some loue-toyes some Cuffes in kindnesse or so Gril. I le turne him away he shall bee my Master no longer Men. Is this your she-Page Cuculus t is a Boy sure Cucul. A Boy an arrant Boy in long coates Troll. He has mumbled his nose that t is as big as a great Cod peece Cucul. Oh thou Cock vermine of iniquity Tha. Pelias take hence the wag and schoole him for 't For your part seruant I le intreate the Prince To grant you some fit place about his Wardrobe Cucul. Euer after a bloody nose do I dreame of good lucke I horribly thanke your Ladiship Whil'st I 'm in office the old garbe shall agen Grow in request and Taylors shall be men Come Trollio helpe to wash my face prethee Trol. Yes and to scowre it too Exit Cuculus Trollio Pelias Grill. Enter Rhetias Corax Rhet. The Prince and Princesse are at hand giue ouer your amorous Dialogues Most honor'd Lady henceforth forbeare your sadnesse are you ready to practise your instructions Cleo. I haue studied My part with care and will performe it Rhetias With all the skill I can Cor. I le passe my word for her Florish Enter Prince Sophronus Aretius and Eroclea Prince Thus Princes should be circled with a guard Of truly noble friends and watchfull subiects O Rhetias thou art iust the Youth thou told'st me That liu'd at Athens is returnd at last To her owne fortunes and contracted loue Rhet. My knowledge made me sure of my report Sir Prince Eroclea cleare thy feares when the Sun shines Clouds must not dare to muster in the skie Nor shal they here Why do they kneele Stand vp The day and place is priuiledg'd Soph. Your presence Great Sir makes euery roome a Sanctuary Prince Wherefore does this young virgin vse such circumstance In duty to vs Rise Eroc. T is I must raise her Forgiue me Sister I haue been too priuate In hiding from your knowledge any secret That should haue been in common twixt our soules But I was rul'd by councell Cleo. That I shew my selfe a Girle Sister and bewray Ioy in too soft a passion 'fore all these I hope you cannot blame me Prince We must part The sudden meeting of these two faire Riuolets With th' Iland of our armes Cleophila The custome of thy piety hath built Euen to thy younger yeeres a Monument Of memorable Fame some great reward Must wait on thy desert Soph. The Prince speakes t' ee Neece Cor. Chat low I pray let 's about our businesse The good old man awakes my Lord with-draw Rhetias let 's settle here the Coach Prince Away then Exit Soft Musicke Enter Melander in a Coach his haire and beard trimd habit and gowne chang'd Rhetias and Corax and Boy that sings The Song Fly hence shadowes that doe keep