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
attend The grace that God will to his handmaid send Exit Beth. Dauid in his gowne walking sadly To him Nathan The babe is sicke and sad is Dauids heart To see the guiltlesse beare the guilties paine Dauid hang vp thy Harpe hang downe thy head And dash thy yuorie Lute against the stones The dew that on the hill of Hermon fals Raines not on Syons tops and loftie towers And Dauids thoughts are spent in pensiuenesse The plaines of Gath and Askaron reioice The babe is sicke sweet babe that Bethsabe With womans paine brought forth to Israel Enter Nathan But what saith Nathan to his lord the king Nathan to Dauid Nathan Thus Nathan saith vnto his Lord the King There were two men both dwellers in one towne The one was mighty and exceeding rich In Oxen sheepe and cattell of the field The other poore hauing nor Oxe nor Calfe Nor other cattell saue one little Lambe Which he had bought and nourisht by the hand And it grew vp and fed with him and his And eat and dranke as he and his were wont And in his bosome slept and was to liue As was his daughter or his deerest child There came a stranger to this wealthy man And he refus'd and spar'd to take his owne Or of his store to dresse or make him meat But tooke the poore mans sheepe partly poore mans store And drest it for this strangar in his house What tell me shall be done to him for this Dau. Now as the lord doth liue this wicked man Is iudgd and shall become the child of death Foure fold to the poore man shall he restore That without mercy tooke his lambe away Nath. Thou art the man and thou hast iudgd thy selfe Dauid thus sayth the Lord thy God by me I thee annointed King in Israel And sau'd thee from the tyranny of Saul Thy maisters house I gaue thee to possesse His Wiues into thy bosome did I giue And Iuda aud Ierusalem withall And might thou knowest if this had ben too small Haue giuen thee more Wherefore then hast thou gone so far astray And hast done euill and sinned in my sight Vrias thou hast killed with the sword Yea with the sword of the vncircumcised Thou hast him slaine wherefore from this day forth The sword shall neuer goe from thee and thine For thou hast tane this Hethites wife to thee Wherefore behold I wil saith Iacobs God In thine owne house stir euill vp to thee Yea I before thy face will take thy Wiues And giue them to thy neighbour to possesse This shall be done to Dauid in the day That Israel openly may see thy shame Dauid Nathan I haue against the Lord I haue Sinned O sinned greeuously and loe From heauens throne doth Dauid throw himselfe And grone and grouell to the gates of hell He fals downe Nath. Dauid stand vp Thus saith the Lord by me Dauid the King shall liue for he hath seene The true repentant sorrow of thy heart But for thou hast in this misdeed of thine Stird vp the enemies of Israel To triumph and blaspheme the God of hosts And say He set a wicked man to reigne Ouer his loued people and his Tribes The child shall surely die that erst was borne His mothers sin his kingly fathers scorne Exit Nathan Da. How iust is Iacobs God in all his workes But must it die that Dauid loueth so O that the mighty one of Israel Nill change his dome and sayes the babe must die Mourne Israel and weepe in Syon gates Wither ye Caedar trees of Libanon Ye sprouting Almons with your flowring tops Droope drowne and drench in Hebrons fearefull streames The babe must die that was to Dauid borne His mothers sin his kingly fathers scorne Dauid sits sadly Enter Cusay to Dauid and his traine Seruus What tidings bringeth Cusay to the King Cusay To thee the seruant of King Dauids court This bringeth Cusay as the Prophet spake The Lord hath surely striken to the death The child new borne by that Vrias wife That by the sonnes of Ammon erst was slaine Seruus Cusay be still the King is vexed sore How shal he speed that brings this tidings first When while the child was yet aliue we spake And Dauids heart would not be comforted Da. Yea Dauids heart will not be comforted What murmure ye the seruants of the King What tidings telleth Cusay to the King Say Cusay liues the child or is he dead Cusay The child is dead that of Vrias wife Dauid begat Da. Vrias wife saiest thou The child is dead then ceaseth Dauids shame Fetch me to eat and giue me Wine to drinke Water to wash and Oyle to cleere my lookes Bring downe your Shalmes your Cymbals and your Pipes Let Dauids Harpe and Lute his hand and voice Giue laud to him that loueth Israel And sing his praise that shendeth Dauids fame That put away his sinne from out his sight And sent his shame into the streets of Gath Bring ye to me the mother of the babe That I may wipe the teares from off her face And giue her comfort with this hand of mine And decke faire Bethsabe with ornaments That she may beare to me another sonne That may be loued of the Lord of hosts For where he is of force must Dauid goe But neuer may he come where Dauid is They bring in water wine and oyle Musike and a banquet Faire Bethsabe sit thou and sigh no more And sing and play you seruants of the King Now sleepeth Dauids sorrow with the dead And Bethsabe liueth to Israel They vse all solemnities together and sing c. Dauid Now armes and warlike engins for assault Prepare at once ye men of Israel Ye men of Iuda and Ierusalem That Rabba may be taken by the King Least it be called after Ioabs name Nor Dauids glory shine in Syon streets To Rabba marcheth Dauid with his men To chastise Ammon and the wicked ones Exeunt omnes Enter Absolon with two or three Abs. Set vp your mules and giue them well to ear And let vs meet our brothers at the feast Accursed is the maister of this feast Dishonour of the house of Israel His sisters slander and his mothers shame Shame be his share that could such ill contriue To rauish Thamar and without a pause To driue her shamefully from out his house But may his wickednesse find iust reward Therefore doth Absolon conspire with you That Ammon die what time he sits to eat For in the holy Temple haue I sworne Wreake of his villany in Thamars rape And here he comes bespeake him gently all Whose death is deepely graued in my heart Enter Ammon with Adonia and Ionadab to Absolon and his companie Am. Our shearers are not far from hence I wot And Ammon to you all his brethren Giueth such welcome as our fathers erst Were wont in Iuda and Ierusalem But specially Lord Absolon to thee The honour of thy house and progenie Sit downe and dine with me King Dauids sonne Thou
faire young men whose haires shine in mine eve Like golden wyers of Dauids yuorie Lute Abs. Ammon where be thy shearers and thy men That we may powre in plenty of thy vines And eat thy goats milke and reioice with thee Am. Here commeth Ammons shearers and his men Absolon sit and reioice with me Here enter a company of sheepeheards and daunce and sing Am. Drinke Absolon in praise of Israel Welcome to Ammons fields from Dauids court Abs. Die with thy draught perish and die accurst Dishonour to the honour of vs all Die for the villany to Thamar done Vnworthy thou to be Kings Dauids sonne Exit Absa Ionad. O what hath Absolon for Thamar done Murthred his brother great king Dauids sonne Adon. Run Ionadab away and make it knowne What cruelty this Absolon hath showne Ammon thy brother Adonia shall Bury thy body among the dead mens bones And we will make complaint to Israel Of Ammons death and pride of Absolon Exeunt omnes Enter Dauid with Ioab Abyssus Cusay with drum and ensigne against Rabba This is the towne of the vncircumcised The citie of the kingdome this is it Rabba where wicked Hannon sitteth king Dispoile this King this Hannon of his crowne Vnpeople Rabba and the streets thereof For in their bloud and slaughter of the slaine Lyeth the honor of King Dauids line Ioab Abyshai and the rest of you Fight ye this day for great Ierusalem Ioab And see where Hannon showes him on the wals Why then do we forbeare to giue assault That Israel may as it is promised Subdue the daughters of the Gentils Tribes All this must be performd by Dauids hand Da. Harke to me Hannon and remember well As sure as he doth liue that kept my host What time our young men by the poole of Gibeon Went forth against the strength of Isboseth And twelue to twelue did with their weapons play So sure art thou and thy men of war To feele the sword of Israel this day Because thou hast defied Iacobs God And suffered Rabba with the Philistine To raile vpon the tribe of Beniamin Hannon Harke man as sure as Saul thy maister fell And gord his sides vpon the mountaine tops And Ionathan Abinadab and Melchisua Watred the dales and deepes of Askaron With bloudy streames that from Gilboa ran In channels through the wildernesse of Ziph What time the sword of the vncirumcised Was drunken with the bloud of Israel So sure shall Dauid perish with his men Vnder the wals of Rabba Hannons towne Ioab Hannon the God of Israel hath said Dauid the King shall weare that crowne of thine That weighs a Talent of the finest gold And triumph in the spoile of Hannons towne When Israel shall hale thy people hence And turne them to the tile-kill man and child And put them vnder harrowes made of yron And hew their bones with axes and their lims With yron swords deuide and teare in twaine Hannon this shall be done to thee and thine Because thou hast defied Israel To armes to armes that Rabba feele reuenge And Hannons towne become king Dauids spoile Alarum excursions assault Exeunt omnes Then the trumpets and Dauid with Hannons crowne Dau. Now clattering armes and wrathfull storms of war Haue thundred ouer Rabbaes raced towers The wreakefull ire of great Iehouaes arme That for his people made the gates to rend And clothed the Cherubins in fierie coats To fight against the wicked Hannons towne Pay thankes ye men of Iuda to the King The God of Syon and Ierusalem That hath exhalted Israel to this And crowned Dauid with this diademe Ioab Beauteous and bright is he among the Tribes As when the sunne attird in glist'ring robe Comes dauncing from his orientall gate And bridegroom-like hurles through the gloomy aire His radiant beames such doth King Dauid shew Crownd with the honour of his enemies towne Shining in riches like the firmament The starrie vault that ouerhangs the earth So looketh Dauid King of Israel Abyshai Ioab why doth not Dauid mount his throne Whom heauen hath beautified with Hannons crowne Sound Trumpets Shalmes and Instruments of praise To Iacobs God for Dauids victory Enter Ionadab Ionadab Why doth the King of Israel reioice Why sitteth Dauid crownd with Rabbaes rule Behold there hath great heauinesse befalne In Ammons fields by Absolons misdeed And Ammons shearers and their feast of mirth Absalon hath ouerturned with his sword Nor liueth any of King Dauids sonnes To bring this bitter tidings to the King Dauid Ay me how soone are Dauids triumphs dasht How suddenly declineth Dauids pride As doth the daylight settle in the west So dim is Dauids glory and his gite Die Dauid for to thee is left no seed That may reuiue thy name in Israel Iona. In Israel is left of Dauids seed Enter Adonia with other sonnes Comfort your lord you seruants of the King Behold thy sonnes returne in mourning weeds And only Ammon Absalon hath slaine Da. Welcome my sonnes deerer to me you are Then is this golden crowne or Hannons spoile O tell me then tell me my sonnes I say How commeth it to passe that Absolon Hath slaine his brother Ammon with the sword Ado. Thy sonnes O King went vp to Ammons fields To feast with him and eat his bread and oyle And Absalon vpon his mule doth come And to his men he sayth When Ammons heart Is merry and secure then strike him dead Because he forced Thamar shamefully And hated her and threw her forth his dores And this did he and they with him conspire And kill thy sonne in wreake of Thamars wrong Dauid How long shall Iuda and Ierusalem Complaine and water Syon with their teares How long shall Israel lament in vaine And not a man among the mighty ones Will heare the sorrowes of King Dauids heart Ammon thy life was pleasing to thy Lord As to mine eares the Musike of my Lute Or songs that Dauid tuneth to his Harpe And Absalon hath tane from me away The gladnesse of my sad distressed soule Exeunt omnes Manet Dauid Enter widdow of Thecoa Widdow God saue King Dauid King of Israel And blesse the gates of Syon for his sake Dau. Woman why mournest thou rise from the earth Tell me what sorrow hath befalne thy soule Widdow Thy seruants soule O King is troubled sore And greenous is the anguish of her heart And from Thecoa doth thy handmaid come Dauid Tell me and say thou woman of Thecoa What aileth thee or what is come to passe Widdow Thy seruant is a widdow in Thecoa Two sonnes thy handmaid had and they my lord Fought in the field where no man went betwixt And so the one did smite and slay the other And loe behold the kindred doth arise And crie on him that smote his brother That he therefore may be the child of death For we will follow and destroy the heire So will they quench that sparkle that is left And leaue nor name nor issue on the earth To me or to thy handmaids
shiuers breake thy yuorie Lute Hanging thy stringlesse harpe vpon his boughs And through the hollow saplesse sounding truncke Bellow the torments that perplexe thy soule There let the winds sit sighing till they burst Let tempest mufled with a cloud of pitch Threaten the forrests with her hellish face And mounted fiercely on her yron wings Rend vp the wretched engine by the roots That held my dearest Absalon to death Then let them tosse my broken Lute to heauen Euen to his hands that beats me with the strings To shew how sadly his poore sheepeheard sings He goes to his pauillion and sits close a while Beth. Die Bethsabe to see thy Dauid mourne To heare his tunes of anguish and of hell O helpe my Dauid helpe thy Bethsabe She kneeles downe Whose heart is pierced with thy breathie swords And bursts with burthen of tenne thousand greefes Now sits thy sorrowes sucking of my bloud O that it might be poison to their powers And that their lips might draw my bosome drie So Dauids loue might ease him though she die Nat. These violent passions come not from aboue Dauid and Bethsabe offend the highest To mourne in this immeasurable sort Dau. O Absalon Absalon O my sonne my sonne Would God that I had died for Absalon But he is dead ah dead Absalon is dead And Dauid liues to die for Absalon He lookes forth and at the end sits close againe Enter Ioab Abisay Ithay with their traine Ioab Why lies the Queene so prostrate on the ground Why is this companie so Tragicke hew'd Why is the King now absent from his men And marcheth not in triumph through the gates He vnfolds the pauillion Dauid awake if sleepe haue shut thine eies Sleepe of affection that thou canst not see The honour offerd to the victors head Ioab brings conquest pierced on his speare And ioy from all the Tribes of Israel Dauid Thou man of bloud thou sepulchre of death Whose marble breast intombe my bowels quicke Did I not charge thee nay intreat thy hand Euen for my sake to spare my Absalon And hast thou now in spight of Dauids health And skorne to doe my heart some happinesse Giuen him the sword and spilt his purple soule Ioab What irkes it Dauid that he victor breaths That Iuda and the fields of Israel Should cleanse their faces from their childrens bloud What art thou wearie of thy royall rule Is Israels throne a Serpent in thine eyes And he that set thee there so farre from thankes That thou must curse his seruant for his sake Hast thou not said that as the morning light The cloudlesse morning so should be thine house And not as flowers by the brightest raine Which growes vp quickly and as quickly fades Hast thou not said the wicked are as thornes That cannot be preserued with the hand And that the man shall touch them must be armd With coats of yron and garments made of steele Or with the shaft of a defenced speare And art thou angrie he is now cut off That lead the guiltlesse swarming to their deaths And was more wicked then an host of men Aduance thee from thy melancholy denne And decke thy bodie with thy blisfull robes Or by the Lord that swaies the heauen I sweare I le lead thine armies to another King Shall cheere them for their princely chiualrie And not sit daunted frowning in the darke When his faire lookes with Oyle and Wine refresht Should dart into their bosomes gladsome beames And fill their stomackes with triumphant feasts That when elsewhere sterne warre shall sound his trumpe And call another battaile to the field Fame still may bring thy valiant souldiers home And for their seruice happily confesse She wanted worthy trumpes to sound their prowesse Take thou this course and liue refuse and die Abisay Come brother let him sit there till he sincke Some other shall aduance the name of Ioab Offers to goe out Beth. O stay my lords stay Dauid mournes no more But riseth to giue honour to your acts Stay He riseth vp Dauid Then happie art thou Dauids fairest sonne That freed from the yoke of earthly toiles And sequestred from sence of humane sinnes Thy soule shall ioy the sacred cabinet Of those deuine Ideas that present Thy changed spirit with a heauen of blisse Then thou art gone ah thou art gone my sonne To heauen I hope my Absalon is gone Thy soule there plac'd in honour of the Saints Or angels clad with immortalitie Shall reape a seuenfold grace for all thy greefes Thy eyes now no more eyes but shining stars Shall decke the flaming heauens with nouell lampes There shalt thou tast the drinke of Seraphins And cheere thy feelings with archangels food Thy day of rest thy holy Sabboth day Shall be eternall and the curtaine drawne Thou shalt behold thy soueraigne face to face With wonder knit in triple vnitie Vnitie infinite and innumerable Courage braue captaines Ioab tale hath stird And made the suit of Israel preferd Ioab Brauely resolud and spoken like a King Now may old Israel and his daughters sing Exeunt FINIS