Fil'd all the Altar with a roseate dew In this amazement thus the Delphian God Spake from the Incenst Altar Lord of Creete Thus say to Saturne Sibill his faire wife Is great with a yong Prince of Noble hopes That shall his fathers vertues much excell Ceaze on his Crowne and driue him downe to Hell Sat. The Gods if there be any boue our selfe Enuy our greatnesse and of one that seekes To beare himselfe boue man makes me more wretched Then the most slauish bruit What shall my Sibill Bring me a sonne that shall depose me then He shall not I will crosse the Deities I 'le toombe th' usurper in his Infant bloud I 'le keepe my oath Prince Tytan shall succeed Maugre the enuious Gods the brat shall bleed 1. Lor. Way for the dowager Queene Enter Vesta sad Sat. How fares our mother How i' st with faire Sibilla our deere Queene Vesta Your Queene 's deliuered Sat. Of some female birth You Deities I begge make me oh Heauens No more inhumane in the tragicke slaughter Of princely Infants fill my decreed number With Virgins though in them I loose my name And kingdome either make her barren euer Or else all generatiue power and appetite Depriue me lest my purple sinne be stil'd Many degrees boue murder What 's her birth Vesta Shee 's the sad mother of a second sonne Saturn Be euer dumbe let euerlasting silence Tong-tye the world all humane voyce henceforth Turne to confus'd and vndistinguisht found Of barking Hounds hoarse beares howling wolues To stop all rumour that may fil the world With Saturnes tyranies against his sonnes Vest. Ah did but Saturne see you smiling babe Hee 'd giue it life and breake ten thousand oathes Rather then suffer the sweet infant dye His very looke would begge a quicke reprieue Euen of the tyrant Tytan saw the vnkle With what a gracefull looke the Infant smiles Hee 'd giue it life although he purchas'd it with losse of a great Kingdome Saturn Then spare the lad I did offend too much To kill the first tell Sibill he shall liue I 'le be no more so monstrous in my rigor Nor with the bloud of Princes buy my Crowne No more their Cradles shall be made their Tombes Nor their soft swathes become their winding sheetes How can my subiects thinke I l'e spare their liues That to my owne can be so tyranous Tell Sibill he shall liue Uest. Vesta will be that ioyfull messenger Saturn Stay let me first reward the Oracle It told me Sibill should produce a sonne That should his Fathers vertues much excell Cease on my Crowne and driue me downe to Hell Must I then giue an Infant-traitor life To sting me to the heart the brat shall bleed Uesta Sweet sonne 1. Lord Deere soueraigne Saturn He that next replyes Mother or friend by Saturnes fury dyes Away fetch me his heart brimme me a bowle With his warme bloud Tyran my vow I 'le keep Life newly wakend shall as newly sleep Vest. Worse then a bruit for bruits preserue their own Worse then the worst of things is Saturne growne Saturn Command the childe to death Uesta Tyrant I will Tygers would saue whom Saturn means to kill Sat. It is my sonne whom I command to death A Prince that may succed me in my Throne And to posterity reuiue my name Call Vesta backe and bid her saue the Babe 1. Lord I 'le do 't my Lord Sat. Yet stay the lad to kill I saue my oath and keep my kingdome still Post after her and charge them on their liues Send me the babes bloud in a cup of gold A present which I 'le offer to the Gods Delay not bee 't our mother nay our wife Forfeits her owne to saue the Infants life 1. Lord I shall informe them so Sat. Is this a deity To be more wretched then the worst on earth To be depriu'd that comfort of my issue Which euen the basest of my land enioy I l'e henceforth for my rigor hate my selfe Pleasures despise and ioyes abandon quite The purest bloud that runnes within my veines I 'le dull with thicke and troubled melancholy I l'e warre with comfort be at oddes with solace And league with nothing but distemprature Henceforth my vnkem'd lockes shall knot in curles Rasor nor any edge shall kisse my cheeke Vntill my chin appeare a wildernesse And make we wild in knowledge to the world Perpetuall care shall cabin in my heart My tyranny I 'le punish in my selfe And saue the Gods that labour Saturns disturbance to the world shall be That planet that infuseth melancholy Enter Sibilla lying in child-bed with her child lying by her and her Nurse c. Sibilla Is not our mother Vesta yet return'd That made herselfe th' unwilling messenger To bring the king newes of his new-borne sonne Nurs. Madam not yet Sibil. Mother of all that euer mothers were Most wretched kisse thy sweet babe ere he dye That hath life onely lent to suffer death Sweet Lad I would thy father saw thee smile Thy beauty and thy pretty Infancy Would molifie his heart wer 't hew'd from flint Or caru'd with Iron tooles from the corsicke rocke Thou laughest to thinke thou must be kild in iest Oh if thou needs must dye I 'le be thy murdresse And kill thee with my kisses pretty knaue And canst thou laugh to see thy mother weepe Or art thou in thy cheerefull smiles so free In scorne of thy rude fathers tyranny Nurs. Madam the King hath slaine his first borne son Whom had hee seene aliue hee 'd not haue giuen For ten such Kingdomes as he now enioyes The death of such a faire and hopefull child Is full as much as Tytan can demand Sib. He shall spare this sweet babe I 'le ransome thee With my owne life the knife that pierceth thee Will wound thy mothers side and I shall feele The least sharpe stroke from his offensiue steele Nurs. The mother Queen 's return'd Enter Vesta How lookes she Nurse Let her not speake but yet a little longer My hopes hold in suspence oh me most wretched I reade my Lords harsh answere in her eye Her very lookes tell me the boy must dye Say must he must he kill me with that word Which will wound deeper then King Saturnes sword Vesta The boy must dye Sib. Oh! Nurs. Looke to the Queene she faints Vest. Oh let 's not loose the mother with her infant The losse of one 's too much Sibill. Oh wher 's my childe I le hide thee in my bed my bosome brest The murderer shall not finde my little sonne Thou shalt not dye be not afraid my boy Go tell the King hee s mine as well as his And I 'le not kill my part one he hath slaine In which I had like interest this I 'le saue And euery second sonne keepe from the graue Enter the first Lord Vesta Fobeare sir for this place is priuiledg'd And onely for free women 1. Lord Yet is the Kings command boue
THE GOLDEN AGE OR The liues of Jupiter and Saturne with the defining of the Heathen Gods As it hath beene sundry times acted at the Red Bull by the Queenes Maiesties Seruants Written by THOMAS HEYVVOOD LONDON Printed for William Barrenger and are to be sold at his Shop neare the great North-doore of Pauls 1611 TO THE READER THIS Play comming accidentally to the Presse and at length hauing notice thereof I was loath finding it mine owne to see it thrust naked into the world to abide the fury of all weathers without either Title for acknowledgement or the formality of an Epistle for ornament Therefore rather to keepe custome then any necessity I haue fixt these few lines in the front of my Booke neither to approue it as tastfull to euery palat nor to disgrace it as able to relish none onely to commit it freely to the generall censure of Readers as it hath already past the approbation of Auditors This is the Golden Age the eldest brother of three Ages that haue aduentured the Stage but the onely yet that hath beene iudged to the Presse As this is receiued so you shall find the rest either fearefull further to proceede or encouraged boldly to follow Yours euer T. H. The Names of Persons presented in the Play Homer Saturne two brothers Tytan Two Lords of Creet Vesta mother of Saturne Sybilla wife to Saturne Lycaon Sonne to Tytan Calisto daughter to Lycaon Iupiter Iuno Melliseus King of Epire Archas sonne to Calisto and Iupiter Diana Atlanta Egeon sonnes to Tytan Enceladus Neptune brothers to Iupiter Pluto Acrisius King of Arges Danae daughter to Acrisius King Troos Ganimed A Lord of Arges Two Lords of Pelagia Foure Beldams Clowne Nurse Satyrs Nymphs The Golden Age With the liues of Iupiter and Saturne Actus 1. Scaena 1. Enter old HOMER THE Gods of Greece whose deitles I rais'd Out of the earth gaue them diuinity The attributes of Sacrifice and Prayer Haue giuē old Homer leaue to view the world And make his owne presentment I am he That by my pen gaue heauen to Iupiter Made Neptunes Trident calme the curled waues Gaue Aeolus Lordship ore the warring winds Created blacke hair'd Pluto King of Ghosts And regent ore the Kingdomes fixt below By me Mars warres and fluent Mercury Speakes from my tongue I plac'd diuine Apollo Within the Sunnes bright Chariot I made Venus Goddesse of Loue and to her winged sonne Gaue seuerall arrowes tipt with Gold and lead What hath not Homer done to make his name Liue to eternity I was the man That flourish'd in the worlds first infancy When it was yong and knew not how to speake I taught it speech and vnderstanding both Euen in the Cradle Oh then suffer me You that are in the worlds decrepit Age When it is neere his vniuersall graue To sing an old song and in this Iron Age Shew you the state of the first golden world I was the Muses Patron learnings spring And you shall once more heare blinde Homer sing Enter two Lords 1. Lord The old Vranus sonne of the Aire Day Is dead and left behinde him two braue sonnes Tytan and Saturne 2. Tytan is the eldest And should succeed by the true right of birth 2. Lord But Saturn hath the hearts of al the people The Kingdomes high applause his mothers loue The least of these are steppes vnto a crowne 2. Lor. But how wil Tytan beare him in these troubles Being by nature proud and insolent To see the yonger seated in his throne And he to whom the true right appertaines By birth and law of Nations quite cast off 1. Lord That either power or steele must arbitrate Causes best friended haue the best euent Here Saturne comes Enter Saturne and Vesta with other attendants Saturn Behold what nature skanted me in yeares And time below my brother your applause And general loue fully supplies me with And make me to his crowne inheritable I choose it as my right by gift of heauen The peoples suffrage the dead Kings bequest And your election our faire mother Queene Against all these what can twelue moones of time Preuaile with Tytan to dis-herite vs Vesta The Cretan people with shrill acclamations Pronounce thee soueraigne ore their lands and liues Let Tytan storme and threaten strange reuenge We are resolu'd thy honour to maintaine 1. Lord Tytan thy ruine shall attempt in vaine Our hearts ad-here with Uestaes our late Queene According to our soueraignes late bequest To kneele to Saturne Saturne We accept your loues And we will striue by merite to exceed you In iust requitall of these fauours done Vesta Arme Lords I heare the voyce A noise of tumult within Of Tytan storming at this strange election Enter Tytan Lycaon and others Tytan Descend proud vpstart trickt vp in stoln weeds Deckt in vsurped state and borowed honours Resigne them to their owner that 's to me Sat. Tytan keep off I charge thee neere me not Lest I thy bold presumption seale with bloud Tytan A Crown 's worth tugging for I wil ha 't Though in pursute I dare my ominous Fate Licaon Downe with the vsurper Vesta Saturne here shall stand Immoueable vpheld by Vestaes hand Tytan Am I not eldest Vesta Ey but yong'st in braine Saturne the crowne hath ceas'd and he shall reigne Tytan Am I a bastard that my heritage Is wrested from me by a yonger birth Hath Vesta plaid th' adulteresse with some stranger If I be eldest from Vranus loynes Your maiden Issue why am I debar'd The law of Nations am I Vestaes sonne Why doth not Vesta then appeare a mother Was yonger Saturne bedded in your wombe Neerer your heart then I that hee 's affected And I despis'd If none of these then grant me What Iustice wils my interest in the Crowne Or if you make me out-cast if my Mother For get the loue she owes I shall abandon The duty of a sonne If Saturne prooue Vnnaturall I 'le be no more a brother But maugre all that haue my right withstood Reuenge my wrongs make my way through bloud Sat. Tytan we both acknowledge thee a brother And Vestaes sonne which wee 'le expresse in loue But since for many vertues growing in me That haue no life in you the Queene the Peeres And all the people with lowd suffrages Haue shrild their Auees high aboue the clouds And stil'd me King we should forget their loues Not to maintaine their strange election Aduise you therefore since this bold aduenture Is much aboue your strength to arme your selfe In search of future honours with our loue For what can Tytan do against a people Uesta Saturne aduiseth well list to his consell Tytan If my owne land proue thus vnnaturall I 'le purchase forrraine aid 1. Lord Rather compound Sat. Let Tytan make demand of any thing Sauing our Crowne he shall enioy it freely Uesta Tytan your brother offers royally Accept his loue Tytan To loose a Crowne includes The losse of all things What should I
not from vs what you cannot giue Tro. Where hath not Saturns fame abrode bene spred For many vses he hath giuen to man As Nauigation Tillage Archery Weapons and gold yet you for all these vses Depriue him of his kingdome Plut. We but saue Our Innocent bodies from th' abortiue graue Nept. We are his sonnes let Saturne be content To let vs keepe what Heauen and Nature lent Gani. Those filiall duties you so much forget We come to teach you Royall Kings to armes Giue Ganimed the onset of this battell That being a sonne knowes how to lecture them And chastice their transgressions Sat. Ganimed It shall be so powre out your spleene and rage On our proud Issue Let the thirsty soyle Of barren Creet quaffe their degenerate blouds And surfeit in their sinnes All Saturnes hopes And fortunes are ingag'd vpon this day It is our last and all bee 't our endeuour To win 't for ay or else to loose it euer Alarme The battels ioyne the Troians are repul'st Enter Troos and Saturne Tro. Our Troians are repul'st wher 's Ganimed Sat. Amid'st the throng of weapons acting wonders Twice did I call alowd to haue him flye And twice he swore he had vow'd this day to dye Troos. Let 's make vp to his rescue Sat. Tush t is vaine To seeke to saue him we shall loose our selues The day is lost and Ganimed lost too Without diuine assistance Hye my Lord Vnto your shippes no safety liues a land Euen to the Oceans margent we are pursu'd Then saue your selfe by sea Troos. Creet thou hast wonne My thirty thousand Souldiers and my Sonne Come let 's to sea Exit Sat. To sea must Saturne too To whom all good starres are still opposite My Crowne I first bought with my infants bloud Not long enioy'd till Tytan wrested it Re-purchast and re-lost by Iupiter These horrid mischiefes that haue crown'd our brows Haue bred in vs such strange distemprature That we are growne deiected and forlorne Our bloud is chang'd to Inke our haires to quils Our eyes halfe buried in our quechy plots Consumptions and cold agues haue deuour'd And eate vp all our flesh leauing behinde Nought saue the Image of despaire and death And Saturne shall to after ages be That starre that shall infuse dull melancholy To Italy I 'le flye and there abide Till diuine powers my place aboue prouide Exit Alarme Enter Ganimed' compast in with soldiers to them Iupiter Neptune Pluto Archas Melliseus Iup. Yeeld noble Troian ther 's not in the field One of thy Nation lifts a hand saue thee Gani. Why that 's my honour when alone I stand Gainst thee and all the forces of thy land Iup. I loue thy valour and would woo thy friendship Go freely where thou wilt and ransomlesse Gan. Why that 's no gift I am no prisoner And therefore owe no ransome hauing breath Know I haue vow'd to yeeld to none saue death Iup. I wish thee nobly Troian and since fauour Cannot attaine thy love I 'le try conclusions And see if I can purchase it with blowes Gan. Now speak'st thou like the noblest of my foes Iup. Stand all a-part and Princes girt vs round Gan. I loue him best whose strokes can lowdest sound Alarme they fight and loosing their weapons embrace Iup. I haue thee and will keep thee Gan. Not as prisoner Iup. A prisoner to my loue else thou art free My bosome friend for so I honour thee Gan. I am conquer'd both by Armes and Courtesie Nept. The day is ours Troos and K. Saturn 's fled And Iupiter remaines sole conquerour Plu. Peace with her golden wings houers ore Creet Frighting hence discord and remorslesse warre Will Iupiter make vp for Arges now Mell. Winter drawes on the sea 's vn-nauigable To transport an Army There attends without A Lord of Arges Iup. Bring him to our presence Enter Arges How stands it with the beauteous Danae Arg. L. As one distrest by Fate and miserable Of K. Acrisius and his Fort of brasse Danaes inclosure and her Beldam guard Who but hath heard yet through these brasen walles Loue hath broke in and made the maide a mother Of a faire sonne which when Acrisius heard Her female guard vnto the fier hee doomes His daughter and the infant prince her sonne He puts into a mastles boat to sea To proue the rigor of the stormy waues Iup. Acrisius Arges and the world shall know Ioue hath beene wrong'd in this her further fortunes Canst thou relate Arges L. I can As farre as Naples The friendly winds her mastlesse boat transports There succourd by a curteous Fisher-man Shee 's first releeu'd and after that presented To King Pelonnus who at this time reignes Who rauisht with her beauty crownes her Queene And deckes her with th' Imperiall robes of state Iup. What we haue scanted is supply'd by fate Here then cease Armes and now court amorous peace With solemne triumphes and deere Ganimed Be henceforth cal'd The friend of Iupiter And if the Fates hereafter crowne our browes With diuine honours as we hope they shall Wee 'l style thee by the name of Cup-bearer To fill vs heauenly Nectar as faire Hebe Shall do the like to Iuno our bright Queene Here end the pride of our mortality Opinion that makes Gods must style vs higher The next you see vs we in state must shine Eternized with honours more diuine Exeunt omnes Enter Homer Homer Of Danae Perseus was that night be got Perseus that fought with the Gorgonian shield Whose fortunes to pursue Time suffers not For that we haue prepar'd an ampler field Likewise how Ioue with faire Alcmena lay Of Hercules and of his famous deeds How Pluto did faire Proserpine betray Of these my Muse now trauel'd next proceedes Yet to keepe promise ere we further wade The ground of ancient Poems you shall see And how these first borne mortall Gods were made By vertue of diuinest Poesie The Fates to whom the Heathen yeeld all power Whose doomes are writ in marble to endure Haue summon'd Saturnes three sonnes to their Tower To them the three Dominions to assure Of Heauen of Sea of Hell How these are scand Let none decide but such as vnderstand Sound a dumbe shew Enter the three fatall sisters with a rocke a threed and a paire of sheeres bringing in a Gloabe in which they put three lots Iupiter drawes heauen at which Iris descends and presents him with his Eagle Crowne and Scepter and his thunder-bolt Iupiter first ascends vpon the Eagle and after him Ganimed To Iupiter doth high Olimpus fall Who thunder and the trisulke lightning beares Dreaded of all the rest in generall He on a Princely Eagle mounts the Spheares Sound Neptune drawes the Sea is mounted vpon a sea-horse a Roabe and Trident with a crowne are giuen him by the Fates Neptune is made the Lord of all the Seas His Mace a Trident and his habite blew Hee can make Tempests or the waues appease And vnto him the Sea-men are still true Sound Thunder and Tempest Enter at 4 seuerall corners the 4 winds Neptune riseth disturb'd the Fates bring the 4 winds in a chaine present them to Aeolus as their King And for the winds these brothers that still warre Should not disturbe his Empire the three Fates Bring them to Aeolus chain'd as they are To be inclos'd in caues with brazen gates Sound Pluto drawes hell the Fates put vpon him a burning Roabe and present him with a Mace and burning crowne Pluto's made Emperour of the Ghosts below Where with his black guard he in darknes raignes Commanding hell where Styx and Lethe flow And murderers are hang'd vp in burning chaines But leauing these to your iudiciall spirits I must appeale and to your wonted grace To know from you what eyelesse Homer merits Whom you haue power to banish from this place But if you send me hence vncheckt with feare Once more I 'l dare vpon this Stage t' appeare FINIS