Selected quad for the lemma: woman_n
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A07329
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The tragedy of Antigone, the Theban princesse. Written by T.M.
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May, Thomas, 1595-1650.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 17716; ESTC S122116
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25,669
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72
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you the man Whose hearse I seeke was once a Thebes prince But since his natiue soile did proue to him So cruell and vnnaturall I dare Not call him Theban Gentle Argos proou'd A kinder home to him and freely gaue What Thebes though due deny'd a princely state With royall nuptialls now among the soules Of those vnbury'd Graecians wanders he And still perhapps desires to bee esteem'd One of their company hating for euer Ah woe is me the memory of Thebes His name was Polynices my vnhappy Though dearest brother Arg. Oh my heart are you That good Antigone whom I so long Haue wish'd to see Ant. I am that wofull maide Arg. Then see your brother my deare husbands hearse Your griefe is mine Ant. Pardon me royall sister Are you Argia great Adrastus daughter Let me adore the best of woman kinde Has your most faithfull vnexampled loue Brought you so farre and on so cruell hazards To my dead brother was it not enough That first so great a princesse as your selfe Aduanc'd a banish'd man and freely gaue That loue to him which happyest princes sought But that his dire misfortunes euermore Should make your vertue wretched Arg. Dearest sister Whose knowledge I am proud though thus to meete By this true knot of euerlasting loue Our sorrow tyes to night I here protest No griefe no losse that banishment could bring Did mooue so much sad Polynices heart As parting from thy dearest company No name to him was halfe so deare in Thebes No name so often as Antigone Would his sad tongue to me alone repeate Antigo. And witnesse all yee sacred deities Though Polynices from his natiue Thebes Were banish'd long yet from a sisters heart The loue of thee could neuer be exil'd Nor Thebes without thy presence pleasing to me How oft haue I vpon Cytherons mount Appeas'd my fathers anger toward thee And dost thou thus visite thy sister heere Oh my wrong'd brother Arg. Oh my dearest Lord When first at Argos I beheld thy face It was deform'd with blood and wounded then Yet then I lou'd it fortune to my loue Shew'd thee at first a pityed spectacle As now at last dearest Antigone My brother Tydeus met him then at Argos Both strangers there before affinity Had made them brothers in a mutuall rage They fought but all the blood that then was drawne Seem'd but a sacrament that did confirme Their after rare and vnexampled loue Anti. Ay me how different was it from the loue Which heere a naturall brother shew'd to him Argos how farre dost thou disgrace our Thebes In nature and in honour Menae. Royall Ladyes The night growes old and danger threatens vs Be speedy now these obsequies perform'd You may with more security enioy Each others mutuall loue and then discourse Of Thebes and Argos danger and the time Will not permit it now not farre from hence Are many fragments left of funerall fire Where Thebans haue beene burn'd those let vs vse And then retire from this vnhappy place Aephytus with the watch Aeph. VVhere didst thou see those lights 1. About the place VVhere Polynices body lyes Aeph. If any Haue there perform'd forbidden obsequies They cannot farre escape pursue with speede Spare none you know your oath and penalty Aemon and Dircus Aem. The watch is vp and with a winged speede Pursues those lights which my presaging soule Tells me attend on faire Antigone Should what I feare prooue true they must not seize her If all perswasions promise of reward Nor gold preuaile not the deare cause will lend This arme a strength aboue mortality Exeunt Creon Ianthus Cre. The watch is diligent they doe not know That I am in the field Ian. No sure my Lord For your disguise is perfect and no notice VVas giuen from me at all Cre. VVhat things are these Two haggs passe ouer the stage Ian. Witches my Lord that come to exercise On these dead bodyes that bestrew the field Their damned arts here in the depth of night With incantations and abused herbes They turne the dead's pale faces to enquire And heare the horrid oracles of death Th' infernall gods ore master'd by their power Or else perswaded by some piety Which pleases them deny these witches nothing Which they request the soules of those dead men Are forc'd t' obey their charmings and returne Backe to their ancient prisons to reueale To these dire haggs the secrecies of fate And things to come Cre. I le follow them Ianthus And know what fortunes shall attend my reigne Ian. Ah good my Lord vse not so bad away You haue at hand a nobler meanes to know The truth of all the old Tiresias Taught from the wisedome of the gods aboue Who by a magike more diuine and pure Surueyes the course and influence of the starrs And in that glorious booke reads the euent Of future things rather repaire to him Let him prepare a sacrifice and aske The pleasure of the gods Cre. Tut tut Ianthus Astrolog'i 's vncertaine and the gods In mystike riddles wrap their answers vp But he that dares with confidence to goe Enquire of deaths blacke oracles below In plainest terms the certaine truth shall know Exeunt 2. Haggs 1. We come too late nor can this field To vs a speaking prophet yeild The carcasses whose cold dead tongues From whole and yet vnperish'd lungs Twixt hell and vs should hold commerce And be the blacke interpreters Of Stygian counsells to relate The hid decrees of death and fate Those carcasses I say are growne Corrupt and rotten euery one Their marrow 's lost their moistur 's gone Their Organs parched by the sunne That there the Ghost drawne vp from hells Darke entrance nought but broken yells And dismall hizzings can afford Not one intelligible word 2. But from this field of slaughter I Haue gather'd vp a treasury As dead mens limms wet in the raine Cold gelled tongues and parched braine The slime that on blacke knuckles lyes Shrunke sinnews and congealed eyes Bitt from their fingers nailes ore growne And from young chinns pull'd springing downe Flesh bit by Wolues I tooke away And robb'd the vultur of her prey Where Thebans funerall pyles had made I did the mourning fire inuade And there blacke raggs with ashes fill'd And coales on which their fat distill'd I gather'd vp and tooke from thence Halfe-burnt bones and Frankincense And snatch'd the fatall kindling brand From out the weeping parents hand 1 Once more lett 's trott the fields about To finde a fresher carcasse out And speake a charme that may affright All pious loue from hence to night Lest we by funerall rites do loose What Creons cruelty bestowes The 3 Hagge with a carcasse 3 By Creons trembling watch I bore This new slaine carcasse but before I brought him thence I grip'd him round The filletts of his lungs are sound His vitalls all are strong and whole To entertaine the wretched soule Whom forced furies must affright Backe from hell to vs to night Enter Creon Ianthus Cre. You wise