Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A93178
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The sisters, a comedie, as it was acted at the private house in Black Fryers written by James Shirley. Never printed before.
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Shirley, James, 1596-1666.
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1652
(1652)
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Wing S3485; ESTC R230287
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30,922
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76
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Lady I came to visit not affect I heard And had a purpose but to try how neer The wonder of her pride pardon sweet Virgin Came to a truth nor did I Court her with The language of a meaning lover but Prepared by your Vncle meant to make her see Her miserable folly I dare not Present such Mockeries to you suspect not This hasty address by your fair self I love you Ang. My Lord If I beleev'd this reall Courtship I should not entertain your honour with a A fruitless Expectation but declare Besides my want of fortune beauty birth To make me worth your love I am already Contracted by my Father to Religion Whose will I cheerfully obey and wait When my good Uncle will dispose me to A Nunnery Con. A Nunnery Ang. Where for So great an honour you pretend to me A most unworthy maid I 'l offer up My prayers that you may choose a heart more equall To your own love and greatness Enter Antonio Paulina and Servants Con. Nay you must Not leave me so we are interrupted you May trust me fair one with a neerer Conference Exeunt Pa. Alas poor old man Ant. The Old man before your borrowed Ladiship Is bold to keep his head warm and to tell you You are a Puppet take that to your title Of honour Pa. So Sir none restrain his insolence Ant. I 'l make him swallow down his staff of Office That stirs I ha'not done Canst be so impudent To think his Lordship does not laugh at thee Your eys the thrones of light a brace of Lanthorns In which two snufs of Candle close to th' socket Appear like fire-drakes and will serve to light A traveller into a Ditch You Madam Majesty And the glory of a Nation Tho' art a disease to Honour Modesty A Feaver in thy Fathers bloud a Gangren Upon his name a Pox upon thee for 't Ther 's one disease more yet I have not done Pa. My Charity may invite if these fits hold Some close provision for you 'mong mad men I do command you leave my house Ant. I wo'not I 'l fire the house dost hear thou wo't burn well Th' ast Oil enough about thy face and all Thy body Pitch very combustible But I 'l not be damn'd for thee now I think on 't And since no Counsell will prevail I 'l save My self Before I go give but a reason Why thou dost slight this gallant Lord and squint As if he were Groom or Foot man Pa. I 'l tell you You would have the truth Ant. If thou canst speak any Pa. I do esteem my self More equall for his Master Ant. Who the Prince Pa. No the blind Prince of Love you are wise Uncle But I am out of Poetry Ant. I think I were best cut off thy head and save The Laws a labour Ther 's no talking to her Pa. I am of your mind Uncle you may edifie Your charge my younger Sister she 's not proud Pray take her w' ee shee 'l become the Cloister Go and be mortified together take her I am weary of her Ant. And I of thee She shall be further oft too thou 'lt infect her Although her foolish Father yet he was My Brother I have not power to speak Well o' th' dead gave thee his whole Estate I have a fortune dost thou hear I have And to vex thee thy Sister shall have that I 'l see and I can make her proud I 'l do 't She shall have Servants Suters Fidlers Flatterers Fine Cloathes and all the food that can provoke To glorifie her sense I have bags to spare She shall not to a Nunnery to vex thee I say again she shall not wee 'l have humours The to'ther Pox upon thee and farewell Pa. I fear he 's mad indeed Let me have Musick This talk has made me Melancholy Exeunt ACT III Enter Lucio Piperollo Lu. FOr thy Mothers sake thou shalt be entertain'd Pi. An under Butler would fit me rarely Ther 's none i' th' house that shall be sooner drunk Nor oftner for my Ladies credit Sir Lu. Can you write Pi. And read in print Sir Lu. Art thou faithfull may a man trust thee Pi. For more than I 'l speak on trusted I was bound For two Gentlemen lately that could not take up Five hundred Pistols upon other security My Father and Mother knows it I shall never Endure a theef for a thing that I know alas You know I am a neighbors child my mother Was your good Ladies nurse Lu. Do not I know thy Mother Pi. Better it may be than I know my Father Lu. Till some Office fall i' th' house you shall serve me And ride with me to receive my Ladies Rents Enter Controller Giovanni Gio. Mr. Steward yonder are the rarest fellows In such phantasticall habits too they call Themselves Mathematicians Lu. What do they come for Gio. To offer their service to my Lady and tell fortunes Lu. Have they no chief Gio. Yes a quaint philosophicall fellow they call Him a Caldean a great Schollar they do Not come for money like your starch'd fac'd Egyptians but carry things for the credit of The Mathematiques honourably my Lady hath Given the Caldean her Nativity who is to consult With the Ephemerides and give account how The Stars wil dispose of her Pi. We shall know all our fortunes then Gio. The worst of his train can discipher hands Tell foreheads Pi. And Noses Gio. One at the first sight did but whisper to my Ladies Gentlewoman and she did so blush Through her Tiffany Pi. That 's no great matter I have seen one blush Through a Plaister of Paris Lu. How 's that Pi. A kind of French painting Sir Gio. Well said Piperollo I have entertain'd him but my Lady Enter Paulina Gentlewomen Pa. The Caldean Pleases me I long to hear my fortune If it be good he shall have a reward To cherish his great Art and worth my bounty What if my Stars should frown Didst bid 'em follow Ste. They are all ready Madam Pi. Musicall knaves Enter Longino Rancone Pacheco Strozzo in queint disguises A Song Beauty and the various grace That adorn the sweetest faces Here take their glorious throne may be That is the God of Archerie Never aim one angry Dart But soft and gentle as your heart Court it with flame and rich perfume To light and sweeten not consume Pa. Not the Caldean come yet my thoughts are Inflam'd with fierce desire to know my Destiny You have skill Gentlemen but I 'l expect The judgment of your Master on my Fate When the great man of art returns acquaint me Exit Ste. Come my friends le ts lose no time Sir Lo. I am for you to the extent of my Art Signiour Ra. If it please you let me peruse your hand Lu. 'T is at your service Pi. Please you to examine my Palm can you Tell me learned Sir what is past Pa. You know that already Pi. 'T will be a satisfaction to me if you
THE SISTERS A COMEDIE AS It was acted at the private House IN BLACK FRYERS WRITTEN By JAMES SHIRLEY Never Printed before LONDON Printed for Humphrey Robinson at the Three Pigeons and Humphrey Moseley at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard 1652 To the most worthily Honoured William Paulet Esquire SIR COmpositions of this nature have heretofore been graced by the acceptance and protection of the greatest Nobility I may say Princes but in this age when the Scene of Drammatick Poetry is changed into a wilderness it is hard to find a patron to a legitimate muse Many that were wont to encourage Poems are faln beneath the proverbiall want of the composers and by their ruins are only at leasure to take measure with their eye of what they have been Some extinguished with their fortune have this happiness to be out of capacity of further shipwrack while their sad remaynes peep out of the sea and may serve naked marks and caution to other Navigators Malignant stars the while In this unequall condition of the time give me leave to congratulate my own felicity that hath directed this Comedy unto you who wear your nobleness with more security than titles and a name that continues bright and impassible among the constellations in our Sphear of English honour I dare not detain you Sir with too long a Preface if you please to entertain these Papers as the modest tender of my service I shall receive it as a most kind influence upon me and you will engage to all your commands the humble heart of Sir Your faithfull Honourer JA. SHIRLEY Prologue at the Black-Fryers DOes this look like a Term I cannot tell Our Poet thinks the whole Town is not well Has took some Physick lately and for fear Of catching cold dares not salute this Ayr But ther 's another reason I hear say London is gone to York 't is a great way Pox o' the Proverb and of him say I That look'd ore Lincoln cause that was must we Be now translated North I could rail to On Gammar Shiptons Ghost but 't wo' not doe The Town will still be flecking and a Play Though ne'r so new will starve the second day Upon these very hard conditions Our Poet will not purchase many Towns And if you leave us too we cannot thrive I 'l promise neither Play nor Poet live Till ye come back think what you do you see What audience we have what Company To Shakespear comes whose mirth did once beguile Dull hours and buskind made even sorrow smile So lovely were the wounds that men would say They could endure the bleeding a whole day He has but few friends lately think o'th at Hee 'l come no more and others have his fate Fletcher the Muses darling and choice love Of Phoebus the delight of every Grove Vpon whose head the Laurel grew whose wit Was the Times wonder and example yet 'T is within memory Trees did not throng As once the Story said to Orpheus song Johnson t' whose name wise Art did bow and Wit Is only justified by honouring it To hear whose touch how would the learned Quire With silence stoop and when he took his Lyre Apollo dropt his Lute asham'd to see A Rival to the God of Harmonie You do forsake him too we must deplore This fate for we do know it by our door How must this Author fear then with his guilt Of weakness to thrive here where late was spilt The Muses own blood if being but a few You not conspire and meet more frequent too There are not now nine Muses and you may Be kind to ours if not he bad me say Though while you careless kill the rest and laugh Yet he may live to write your Epitaph Persons FArnese Prince of Parma Contarini a Noble man Antonio Uncle to the Sisters Frapolo the chief Bandit Longino Bandits Strozzo Bandits Rangino Bandits Pachequo Bandits Lucio Paulina's Steward Giovanni Servants to Paulina Stephanio Servants to Paulina Fabio Piperollo Sonne to Fabio Countrymen Citizens Petitioners A Scholar Pulcheria disguised and under the name of Vergeria Paulina Sisters Angellina Sisters Morulla Wife to Fabio Gentlewomen Scene Parma THE SISTERS ACT I. Enter Frapolo Longino Pacheco Rangone Strozzo and other Banditi Lon. I Like not this last Proclamation Ra. Nor I St. It startled me to read it Fr. Did you read t is a fault Strozzo a fault I 'l have no theef hereafter learn to read Threaten us with long winded Proclamations We are safe within our Woods and Territories And are above his Edicts Have not wee A Common-wealth among our selves ye Tripolites A Common-wealth a Kingdom and I am The Prince of Qui-Vala's your Sovereign theef And you are all my Subjects Lo. We are Fr. And is there one so base to change Complexion Because we are proscrib'd I 'l be no Prince I have a grudging on me to be honest And leave you to the fear of hemp and hunger Have I by stratagems so oft preserv'd you When you were howling out your lives and lead A way in Dog-couples by rusty Officers And are you struck dead with a Paper pellet Your bloud turn'd Whay because there is reward Promis'd to bring our heads in I renounce you Land Rats Pa. Most excellent Frapolo they recant A little humane frailty may be pardon'd Fr. Shall theeves whose predecessors have been Kings And conquer'd worlds be factious and schismaticall I speak not for my self but your own sakes Whose Impudence and art in valiant theft Hereafter may advance you to be Princes Lo. You have confirmed us Fr. You were best be rogues and one betray another To get the base reward do lose your honour Live branded and be pointed at i' th street There goes a Rascall that betrai'd his Prince Or cut the throat of his Comrade this will Shew well i' th' Chronicles Stand fair you varlets Because we cannot tell whose heart is treacherous I will examine all your Phisnomies And in whose face soever I can find A scandalous line or look that may beget Suspition of a Man that wo'not die An honourable Rebell and defie The Laws I 'le shoot him presently Lo. Hang Laws And those that make 'em Conscience is a Varlet Stand fair and shew complexions Fr. Ye are all valiant honest theeve landers And I will be your Prince agen and dy w' ee As boldly as they dare invent Ra. Hang Cowards Fr. I will not have you theeves among your selves Lo. How 's that and please thy Excellence not theeves Fr. Not theeves one to another but Religious There is a kind of a Religion We Outlaws must observe St. I never knew Religion yet and 't will be now unseasonable To learn Ra. I 'l be of no Religion Fr. Who was so bold To say he would have no Religion What man is he hopes to be drunk to whore To scape the wheels the Gallies and the gallowes And be of no Religion Lo. He says right Fr. Yee shall be of what Religion I