spirit I may touch her and not be felt Therefore thus all my soul abstracted shall fall upon her hand to do it reverence My spirit hath found a body in He kisseth her hand this touch and such a one as it cannot contain from venturing to lose it selfe to touch but this againe he kisseth her hand againe and she begins to stirr I was afraid the least mixture of a body would disquiet hers by that a version she hath to all the first spirituall touch moved her to note then severall ayres that joyne move one another Never was so much fear in any body without the will of flying it T is but just my body thus refined should be stayed here now to expect its sentence Bel. My soul's centinells kept not so ill watch as not to rise up against this attempt upon them I should be glad to find some body else here Moramente to whom to impute this insolence which is so great as it allmost justifies you to me for not having been the committer of it Was it not sombody that 's fled I can hardly think any body durst do this and stay till I did wake to punish it Mor. No Madam he is so farr from flying as he is stayd here to glory in it My spirit that was innocent that fled for feare of being suspected and I remain all body here exposed to your displeasure And if you 'le give me leave to call back my soul with suspition of it that shall begg punishment for this offender And you shall reward her innocence in parting from this guilt that was about her And you may punish this body opportunely now For life sure was never so deare to it as now it 's so affected with its crime And do it quickly Madam while your power will allow it that my soul may leave you in this world what it hath so much wished to see you continue in the quality of Queen Bel. T is a new insolence this punishment you aske that I should descend so low as but think upon your body I shall think your minde lesse worthy then I did and so much I shall not think it very sensible of its declination in my thoughts Mor. Mistake not Madam the only thing in this world impossible to you is the guiltinesse of my mind T is not in my power to be so complacent unto you as to afford iâ— you Your ill opinion of it may lie so heavy on its innocence as to bow it out of its own frame But even then It will become an arch tryumphant whose very incurvation will become a beauty as it was made so by thâ— weight you laid upon it And the more you presse iâ— you shall make it but the stronger still to beare all youâ— will Bel. Why this excuse adds still unto your fault If your mind was innocent it seemes you did it but by chance and had no minde to it when you did it And I can leâ—â— forgive this prophanation of my selfe than an intended insolence which passion doth some way excuse when it doth avow Mor O Madame you have found so refined a torture as it reacheth to my soul which I call'd innocent foâ— having been so wholly and so purely fix't upon your hand as it is there and therefore innocent that which is once there and is removed I did think worthy of such a punishment as even your displeasure Bel. Why your insolence inlargeth it self still Moramente you would have me displeased because it was no greater that it lasted not longer and would put your soul into my hands but by the delivery of your body Mor. You can put me to no greater torment then this willing mis-understanding me you would make me criminal for being but mortall because my soul is carried but by my flesh and bloud nothing but this despaire could make me so insolent as to wish my body and my soul might once meet again where the one remaines though after that they parted with mortality Bellesa Now I understand truly your crime you shall not have so much favour as my delivery of the sentence Gâ—mella shall deliver 't you till then see me no more Mor. The sentence cannot be so cruell but the having it will be a mittigation for this suspension is the execution Enter Genorio sadly Mor. What sadnesse is this Genorio that diverts even mine as to take notice of it Gen. The joyes I owe you Moramente may justifie this sorrow Is not this a strange curse Mor. So strange a one I understand it not Gen. Had I not had already the joy of all your trust it could not so afflict me the not being trusted now with such a joy of yours as all the society beleeves and I have no other reason to doubt but your not having told it me Moramente My curse is so malignant it infects thee for being my friend and it is much now Genorio for me to say that I have any sense left for thy unjust affliction I had no ease left but the beliefe that I had made thee happy and thy mistake is never come to robbe me even of that Gen. It would be as hard for me Moramente to find a cause for the least of your benefits as 't is to repeate them all they began so much before my memory as I must trust report for that and what I know may warrant my beliefe of that you saved my life when my Infant-innocence was guilt to you as it was cursed to be born your enemy The education you gave was such as might make my life worthie your owning since after having given me so much wealth and honour as an accession unto that could expect no more sense of it Then as if you did study my blessing in making you some return you have given me the disposing of your life and the treasure of your trust such a gift as but by keeping it I might make you a retribution but you take it away without a dailie addition to it I have repeated this to you which is too much for you to remember that you may see I am thus far towards the deserving this as the accounting all this is a curse if the only means of gratitude which I have left the joying in your joyes be but suspended from me Mor. Thou art too partial to me Genorio to beleeve me in my miserie which if I have not let thee know 't has been for fear thy misbielefe should adde to it but now I find even that misfortune which I only thought I could avoid thy distrust is fallen on me Genorio I shall easily MORAMENTE beleeve you as miserable as you would have me if you were capable of any loved by BELLESA as they say you are Moramente Though I had tendernesse enough Genorio to be sensible of thy distrust as thy affliction I have no sense left for this thy scorn because 't is mine Gen. Pardon my duty Sir that did believe there could not have been guessed
great enemies are reconciled to joyne against me Nay I will give thee yet more odds I will suppose thee an Angell and so conclude thou knowest my thoughts and justify them even against any reason thou canst bring By naming but Bellesa thou must needs know her if Angells know one another She is here your delegate on earth Tell me blessed spirit wert thou not sent down to visit her To fright me thou canst not come in such a shape and lesse to change me that am fixt above the power of miracles When you have seen Bellesa you will think constancy to any but her selfe so ill a miracle as you will not approve it How blessed am I in this descent of yours For if you came but to reproach me I shall have this merit to Bellesa the having brought an Angell down to see her which may describe her where she only can be praysed enough in heaven Go then faire Spirit and when you have but looked on her the impatience of the newes you carry will quicken your ascent againe to entertaine the blessed Quire with a relation may endanger your being envied there For me I doubt not but you will approve so of my adoration here as in pitty of my want of spirit and soul enough you will inspire some such transcendency as may lessen the disproportion is between the admiration of all mortalls and the divine Bellesa Ghost I am so unhappy I can think my selfe lesse so for the improbability of thy ever being so which to remove from thee I am content to impart to thee All the Angelicallnesse I will own is the prevision of thy misfortune to which thy beliefe may prescribe some remedy I know Bellesa so much better then thou as I can tell even what she shall be She a woman unto one shall be But still an Angell unto thee And to thy shame too Fidamira lives And is an Angell but as she forgives Gen. Sure the heavens have conspired this miracle of my love And by an Angell have been pleased thus to assure me of the conjuncture that must make it so Bellesa loving Moramente And what a joy hath heaven sent me to begin with The making me an Angell unto Moramente by the delivery of these newes which is such as even the relation of it overpayes all his benefits I will instantly seek him with this obligation must remaine to me For Fidamira I can wish nothing in her life but her being here for an exaltation of the wonder of my love unto Bellesa Exit Genorio The King at the other dore following Fidamira she flying from him Fida In what distresse am I as I was going out of the temple the King meets me thus Sure he hath beleeved me dead and searched out my ghost For thus he followes me rather joyed then frighted And since this habit cannot deliver me from him my tongue must needs deliver me to him King Stay Fidamira what so ere thou art Angell or Ghost I do not mis-call thee by that name O do not soul that pure reverence I bear thee with such a staine as violence T is thou that offerest the first violence by flying And if I shall dare to touch thee t is in my defence to stay thee here Tell me if thou beâ—st a ghost and I can quickly think my flesh away and dy instantly by thinking thou art dead and so waite on thee as a ghost But in thy looks I finde no other sign that thou hast ever died but that in Paradise thou dost reside Thou canst not be a ghost and thus out-looke all Angells Tell me faire faire spirit what is becom of Fidamiras spirit Thou knowest I am to account for it Tell me or I must follow thee till thou doest vanish And then as soon as I can open this Cage that holdes my spirit let it fly after thee Fida I must reveale my self and trust him or his willfullnesse in following me must needs discover me Besides to morrow is the day that shall unriddle all our stories I shall not advance his knowledg of me much and so prevent his finding of the Prince unopportunely I will resolve it Heaven hath been so carefull of your comfort Sir as it hath made me my selfe againe I beleeve only for that and hath employed anothers guilt to advance this ease unto your innocence King Your body Fidamira is but lent you then again for apparition unto me not life to you And it was kindly don to call my knowledge of it an ease since it will surely deliver my spirit from the cords and ligaments that hold it yet Fida You are mistaken Sir I am not dead only transfigured into this colour 's contrary Which I have put on but as a case to keepe it from fullying King If thou livest Fidamira speak on For I will beleeve thee so as well as if thou wert an Angell Fida Will you forgive me Sir if I call that which it may be you meant an honor your resuming of your grant of privacy an intermission of my peace From whence I did derive such feare as the protection of a King did most expose me to the apprehension of such an eminence intended me as I could only come neere the deserving by the avoyding And yet so possesse my selfe of a more affected happinesse your estimation of my vertue which I tendred the preservation of the more because yours must have suffered with it For the honors you had designed for me were raised to such a height as being above the capacity of the greatest part of the lookers on were likely to be misunderstood Therefore to avoyd the occasion of being but so much as an error in your unquâ—stionable worth I chose this as the lesse danger the flying into some concealed retreate and not trusting so much to my legs I made my face run away to carry me securely And in this disguise of a Moore I fled hither where I made bold to use your name to be received And here I found my flight and my disguise so much out-done by strangers as I had no wonder left for my own condition And these upon your promise of taking no knowledge of till I shall advise you to it I will impart unto you King Ask no other caution Fidamira but thy beliefe that I cannot disobey thee Shouldest thou tell me that my son were here and you two in love with one another I would ne're take notice of it till all your blessings did aske me mine for consummation of them In which guift I would aske nothing but the breathing out my soul upon it So willingly I would give it you Fidamira Your own guesse hath ingaged you Sir The Prince and Agenor are both here admitted into the order by the names of Moramente and Genorio The approbation Sir which you have promised of his choyce if it had miscarried so as to have lightt on me is a joy that over-pays me this comfort I have brought you as it assures
may yet owe you more Mar. Divinest Lovers 'bove the praise of breath So much you scorn'd to joyne by lesse than Death By which emission you so much enjoy As one another would but seem a toy Accept this tribute and our souls inspire So farre tow'rds your example as desire Gem. Illustrious Lights of honour and of Love We but your shaddowes are that shine above Vouchsafe t' obtaine that we as shaddowes do May be admitted too to follow you Gen. Blessed souls that coppied Heaven here so Together as each other not to know I find these marks which Paradise imply As gain of sight and losse of memory This scruple onely now doth here remaine That I cannot from wishing yet refraine If it were ment this Heavenly residence Should but refine and not extinguish sence Let it my grosser spirits so refine As my undarken'd soul may through them shine The Fifth Act. After the Ceremony of the Toomb Genorio stayes alone Gen. ME-thinks I find my mind on wing loose from my senses which like limed twigs held it till now It is so light and so ascensive now it meanes to work it selfe above Martiroes I am already so farre towards it as the beliefe that I did never love till now O how I was deceived while I conceived that Love was so Materiall it could be touched and grasp't I find it an undepending ayrinesse that both supports and fills it selfe and is to be felt by what it nourisheth no more then aire whose virtue onely we discerne I knew before all I could have I am so farre above that now I cannot suppose what I can hope and yet am better pleased with this this inoffensive purity of my love emboldens me to shew it to Bellesa and in humility to her it shall ask somewhat of her as begging is the onely Present impotency hath to make to power and it shall be so far from being sensuall it shall be nothing but beliefe Enter Bellesa Bel. Your sadnesse seemes so welcome to you as I may excuse the interruption of it Gen. You are so farre from interruption of it Madam as you bring the cause along with you Bel. Have you not yet forgiven my curiousity to see the Picture are you of Martiroes mind Gen. Why she 's an Angell even in the knowledge of mens thoughts I what Madam do you think I am of Martiâ—oes mind Bel. In keeping your love invisible and therefore are displeased that we saw so much as the shaddow of it Gen. I am not of his mind in that I would shew mine because 't is such a wonder 't will not else be believed and as wonders Madam hardlyobtaine that so mine shall pretend to no more Bel. Do you pretend Genorio to be a friend unto the Prince and will make the Loving Fidamira a wonder in any body Gen. Yes Madam that were a greater after having seen you then that which I shall tell you Bel. I have onely leisure now to tell you Genorio that in revenge of this flattery I will accuse you of it to your friend Moramente who loves the Prince so much aâ— he will chide you for it I am now going into a privacy I must desire to leave you Gen. I am so cursed Madam as truth seemes dis-lustred by my bringing it I never committed sinne enough against another to be equall to this punishment As He goes out He sayes of leaving you To what am I transform'd when the name Fidamira is a torture to me Bellesa alone Bel. Sure Mâ—ramente hath imploy'd his friend Genorio to save him the shame of speaking for himselfe Genorio speaks so boldly it must needs be for another I need not be so shie of this my thoughâ—fullnesse since all the virtues they should fix upon are here objected to them in Moramants carriage Love and honour bent by humility into a lovely Arch on which my thoughts may safely passe on towards his person which when I consider I find it such as scarce needs humility to recommend it His Fate hath so directed him to me as he hath had a reall sence of my misfortune and his destiny hath been so kind to him in that as to indebt me some pitty to him as my selfe and the reviving of Saphira though it be by Bellâ—sa's death t' will not be welcome to him Me-thinks my thoâ—ghts would take aire a little to refresh themselves That Infant love that 's come to visit them would carry them abroad with him they shall go with him and be so civill as to entertaine him with musick Presse me no more kind love I will confesse And tell you all nay rather more than lesse So you will promise me when I have told you then Not to bring mâ— to witnesse it to men Though thusy ' are strong enough to make me speak Help't out by virgin-shame you 'le be too weak If I find thus I may be safely free Best by this freedom I engag'd may be I find a glowing heat that turnes red hot My heart but yet it doth not flame a jot It doth but yet to such a colour turne It seemes to me rather to blush than burne You would perswade me that that flaming light Rising will change this colour into white I would fain know if this whites inference Pretend pale guilt or candid innocence If you you will tell me which without deceit I will allow you light as well as heat Then take you care of me a meanâ— so rare Bâ—twixt mens vanity and their dispaire I finde so gentle drowsinesse flow o're my senses as if my thoughts had wearied them in carrying them thus farr and my thoughts are so innocent they do not oppose the rest my senses ask She falls a sleep And Moramente enters to her Mor. Was it the rapture my soule was allwayes in when she contemplates the divine Bellesa that did present her voyce unto me here in heaven Sure it was her soul uselesse now unto her body is gon to He sees her here lie sleeping and stands wondering visit heaven and did salute the Angels with a song Let sleep no more be called death's Image here is an animation of it Sure all the life that sleep takes from the rest of the world he hath brought hither and lives here Methinks I should be innocent too now Sure had I but even an ill coloured thought her soul that is in heaven would know it and come back to awake her with the alarum I will stay at this distance still and only take this advantage now to wonder Neerer her thus parted from her soule then I can do united he goes to step toward her Doth the ground move to carry me neerer then my soul durst goe T is true I find it is the earthlynesse about me moves me neerer then my reverence should keep me Methinks I am so neere her now as I all soul my body by whose carriage it was brought is now recoyl'd and my spirit is now shot out upon Bellesa And thus all
love without a declination of my selfe Martiro Love Madam appropriates what it joynes unto it selfe and doe you think a partner in the soverainty of your selfe were not halfe a deposition Gem. This insensiblenesse you counsell Martiro is rather an admission to equality leaving all hearts free and Bellesa's can be no more it selfe T is an enlargement of her soveraignty to take homage from such hearts as shall bow down to offer it If you will give selfe-love Martiro the empire that women should glory in how limited will that be when they shall have no subject but themselves All I counsell the Queen is that she would know her selfe too For beauty sees it selfe best by the rereflexes that it makes on objects whereon it shines Mar. A heart that looks at first for so much from the Queen as an acknowledgment sets too high a price upon it Should every meanest subject pretend to have his name known to his Soveraign because he is what he should be It must be some eminent service must allow him that pretence for a reward And the soveraignty of love is distanced more from the approach of any subject to it No blood qualities nor no fortune rayseth neerer then the common prostituted crowde All are commons in an equall slavery and the pretention to advantage is rebellion Bel. Therefore Gemella the Queen is not obliged to look so low as even the knowledge of any of her Subjects till their services not their subjection challenge it and then the taking notice of it is all she should give Bellesa This an Empire you have found for your Mistresse Martiro and 't is a spacious one 't is all ayre your thoughts are not subject to any thing sure so low as earth Gemella I dare say Madam his Mistresse who e're she be reacheth not so neer divinity in any of his exaltations of her as you do in this humility Mar. You have exalted Madam my Mistress higher then e're my thoughts could set her the taking of her Name into your mouth I beleeve she is so much worthier than even my Imaginations of her as even the noblest of your thoughts cannot exceed her I am glad Madam to hear that miracles are not ceased it lessens much the wonder the being made for you Bellesa You are in such a transcendent height above all sense Martiro as me-thinks miracles should not amaze you Come Gemella we must prepare our selves for the funeral Ceremonies of the Foundresse and the Prince Gemella I 'le waite on you Madam But shall I carry him no comfort not so much as an ambiguous word Bellesa You see Gemella I have so little confidence in men I dare not trust Martiâ—oes counsell that ought to be the most unsuspected as my antient friend Gem. If I can make something out of this nothing Madam you cannot be offended Mar. I must flye to silence to collect an admiration great enough for this miracle I hear Enter the King Exeunt King As dying men whose spirits having run out their course are now so out of breath they can scarce carry the soul one step farther yet sometime as she is going out of them refreshed with some strong cordiall the spirits rise againe and hold her there a while Like lamps exspiring when they shut their eyes given but a drop of oyâ—e dart forth an instant flash and live a while not by that life that they had left but did receive anew This was my case My spirits had scarce so much motion left as panting when they received this Cordiall this so soveraign remedy as it hath recovered a King whose disease it was before the being so I find more then a reflection of my spirits in change of them into a youthfullnesse I am already grown better then he that ministred this cure Basilino by as much as I Love Fidamira more then he I thinke on Fidamira now onely by the sense of your afflictions for her which if He reads iâ— Basilinoe's Letter you had forgot I should once more think of her to rejoyce at your forgetting her and never more Now Fidamira I am free to think of thee which I doe fully I will forget even that which is so hard to doe my age I cannot be so old I have been all this while in wardship to my Son he hath till now disposed of my love I am to dâ—y but come of years and now my passions come into my own hands which I will all bestow on Fidamira This from Basilino must imply that some successe hath so possest his thoughts as the remembrance of his sufferings cannot get so much as one and onely my affliction now can make him think that he is capable of any he hath such superfluities of joyes as I am fed out of his waste I find my body and my soul so reconcil'd the one offers curiosity the other strength to satisfie it A visit to the Shepheards Paradise is a design worthy the newnesse of my thoughts the election of their Queen is now within three or four dayes and I have heard of such eminent beauty there that it will be the greatest right I can doe Fidamira to carry her memory thither to dislustrate even their faces I 'le aske no more of love but being thus kind He would conforme my body to my mind Exit King Enter the Society to the Ceremony and after other ceremonyes past Votario approacheth the Tomb. Votorio ADmired payr whose wonders did perplex All judgement to decide to either sex Advantage so each chose to live alone Left joyning so the one might th' other own And so you both did one another love Too well to be but one untill above Meeting you were ordain'd to be but one And now shine in a constellation Vouchsafe that by your sacred influence We may be drawn to follow you from hence Bellesa Peace wait upon your soules which seem â— ' hav ' been Such as you dyed but for reward not sin Our virtues here even in their best extent Are but erected for your monument Pantamora Fair parallels whose souls so purely met It seems that they your bodyes did forget Each being more then all the world forbore The having one another to have more So short of you our imitation stayes As we can hardly reach you with our praise Mor. Wonder of women on whose chastity Hâ—â—ven hath bestow'd such a posterity As is a self perpetuation Without the help of propagation We thus your Children in our yearly taske Come here to leave our prayers and blessing ask Cam. Rest glorious couple in that greater blisse You went to take when you did leave us this Be pleas'd your virtues back to us to send Now they have brought you to your journey's end Mel. You that were such your virtues ask't no lesse Reward from Heaven than all the world to blesse Even after you were gone so did entice The Gods to let you make a Paradise For mortalls which your virtues still implore That following you we