perhaps when she explains her minde Pol. Pray heaven she may mean time let us go see This stranger who shall ever honour'd be Alive and dead and be all Lovers boast and honour to Love's Kingdom Am. And that most deservedly for never any yet For truly loving did more honour get Nor ever any whilst the world lasts or There 's Lovers in the world shall e're get more Exeunt Enter Theotimus Chorus of Musicians Philander led to Sacrifice crown'd Victim-wise Youths and Virgins with baskets of flowers strewing the way c. Evander The. Go noble youth who does in dying prove Death who has power o're all has none o're Love And shews to th' world that who refuse to give Their lives for honour ne're deserv'd to live Go take with thee this consolation You lose a life that easily wo'd be gone But gain one by 't when thousand years are past And thousand other lives shall alwayes last And though you might have longer liv'd yet know You ne're could dye more gloriously then now To have all our Youths and Virgins strew With flowers all the way you go With Roses and with Mirtle Boughs Adorning your victorious browes And singing with triumphant Song Your praises as you go along Chorus sings Thus shall he ever honour'd be Who dyes for Love and Constancy And thus be ever prais'd who dyes Love's Martyr and his Sacrifice The. And if alive you thus are honoured Much more you shall be after you are dead If such as you can e're be said to dye By whose noble example and memory A thousand Lovers when y' are dead and gone Shall spring up in the world instead of one Who every year on pilgrimage shall come To honour your dead ashes in their tomb Seeing whose votive gifts and offerings The greatest and the mightiest of Kings In envying you and wishing them their own Shall for your tomb gladly exchange their throne Chorus sings Thus shall he ever honour'd be Who dyes for Love and Constancy And thus be ever prais'd who dyes Love's Martyr and his Sacrifice Enter Palemon Diophantes Polydor Amaranthe c. following Pal. Justice Justice Sir The. For what or against whom Pal. Against that stranger there who 'd rob me of the honour and happiness of dying for Bellinda Phi. He 's more unjust then I who ' as rob'd me of the honour and happiness of living for her and now won't let me dye Pal. As if no rocks nor seas nor flames there were Nor other wayes of dying but for her Chuse any of them you please your choice is free Onely dying for her belongs to me Phi. You may live for her what wo'd you more were I So happy as you who 's list for me shu'd dye Pal. You talk as if there were no life to come No blessed Shades nor no Elizium Where those who have been Lovers here possess Eternity of joyes and happiness Phi. Heaven is my witness I ne're think upon The joyes and pleasures of Elizium Nor any joyes or pleasures whatsoe're But that of dying and suffering for her Ev. How like two towering Hawks they mount and soar Love never flew so high a flight before Dio. There'l be no end of this Pol. Peace let them alone Greater example of Love was never shown The. Then let Bellinda come and sentence give Whether of them shu'd dye and whether live Are you content Pal. I am Phi. And so am I ready for her either to live or dye The. Bring her forth thên with all the ceremonies requisite in so dire a Sacrifice All the Nymphs in mourning accompaning her The fatal Axe and Executioner Before her and the whilst they go along The Chorus singing of her Funeral Song The Song sung whilst the Nymphs put on their mourning Veils Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Never was there greater woe Let us all the habits borrow And the face of grief and sorrow who 'd not spare a sigh nor tear From all mishaps to spend it here Enter Bellinda veil'd brought in by Polydor the Popa or sacred Executioner before her all the Nymphs weeping c. Ev. Wherefore this ceremony since she 's not to dye Di. Onely for terrour and formality Th. Come thus I unveil thy eyes that thou mayest see Unto what misery and calamity T' hast brought thy self and us and thus uncharm Thy tongue the fatal cause of all this harm Bel. What means these sable weeds and mourning chear Whilst not a face but wears death's Livery here Th. 'T is all for thee unhappy Nymph put on That thou shud'st dye so untimely and so young Bel. I understand you not nor can I fear Death whilst my dearest life Philander's here Pal. How 's this She goes to embrace Philander and he turns away Ev. This is more strange then t'other Bel. Ha! Philander prove unkinde nay then away With the fatal Axe and Executioner And all these deadly preparations here They need not now one unkinde look or two Of his can kill me sooner then they can do The. It is thy falshood and perfidity Unfortunate Nymph that kills thee and not he Whilst falsly and perfidiously you swore You lov'd one here being betroath'd before unto another Bel. How I ne're did swear That I lov'd any but Philander here Pal. Oh killing declaration The. That cant't be For as for him all Cyprus knows that he Arriv'd not here till after you were inclos'd i th' facred Cell and separated from All conversation i th' mean time your tongue Charm'd silent and Eyes blinded as they were How could you see or know that he was here Bel. Love is a fire and there needs no eye But onely heat to tell when fire is nigh And Lovers by their glowing bosoms know When those are near they love but lest this now Might seem too mystical to make 't more clear As in the Temple I came forth to swear I heard his voice and swounding instantly For joy to hear it whilst officiously They lifted up my Veil to give me air I glanc'd my eyes aside and saw him there The. Can any thing be more clear Pol. Or any more Deceiv'd in judgement then we were before Am. Did I not tell you she was innocent I Bel. Yet can you doubt my faith and constancy Phi. No but I doubt whet'r yet I wake or dream My extasie and joy is so extream They embrace Ev. See how they stand so ravisht with delight And so transported each in t'others sight 'T can scarcely be conceiv'd by humane breast Much less by humane tongue can be exprest Th. Disturb them not now a word with you Palemon Fi. Now Love grant my hopes be true Bel. Co'd you be jealous of me Phi. Dearest know I shu'd not love so dearly as I do Were I not jealous for jealousie 'S but scorching of Loves fire and he shu'd be But a cold Lover who sometimes at least Felt not a little of it in his breast The. Come come I here command you to restore That heart unto
Love's Kingdom A Pastoral Trage-Comedy Not as it was Acted at the Theatre near Lincolns-Inn but as it was written and since corrected BY Richard Flecknoe With a short Treatise of the English Stage c by the same Author LONDON Printed by R. Wood for the Author 1664. Licensed April 22 1664. Roger L' Estrange To his Excellence William Lord Marquess of Newcastle My Noble Lord THe People who as one sayes well are Iudges without Iudgement and Authors without Authority had condemn'd this Play on the Stage for want of being rightly represented unto them at which many noble Persons were so much offended as I could not in any one Act do it more right or give them more satisfaction then by Printing it to shew its Innocence As it is it has had the honour to have been approv'd by most of the better and wiser Sort and if your Excellence but adde unto it your Approbation I desire no more It wants much of the Ornament of the Stage but thât by a lively imagination may easily be supplyed For my part unless it may be presented as I writ it and as I intended it I had rather it shu'd be read then acted and have the World for Theatre rather then the Stage Having said thus much by way of Prologue I leave you to the Play remaining alwayes Your Excellencies Most humble and most devoted Servant Richard Flecknoe To the noble Readers TO think to write without faults is to think to peel a Bulbus Root to the last Rinde or sweep an earthen Floor to the last grain of dust and 't is hêre as in the Mint where if the Dross exceed not the pure Or it passes for currant Coin The greatest fault in this kinde of writing is to erre agâinst Art and Decorum of which I hope this Play is free who findes fault with the mirth in it never consider how here with us mirth in Playes of this kinde is like Alloy in Coin which though it abases it yet makes it more passible For the Rhyme 't is more excusable in Pastorals then in other Playes and where I leave the Rhyme or numbers I imagin'd that as a good Actor was like a good Singer so a good Play was like a good Song where 't is not necessary all notes shu'd be of an equal length For the Plot 't is neat and handsome and the Language soft and gentle suitable to the persons who speak neither on the Ground nor in the Clouds but just like the Stage somewhat elevated above the common In neither no stifness and I hope no impertinence nor extravagance into which your young writers are apt to run who whilst they know not well what to do and are anxious to do enough most commonly overdo Those who think it so easie now to make a good Play will tell me some twenty years hence how hard it is when they will finde that 't is not a good Humor or two in a Comedy will do it which are good supports 't is true but to think they will make a Play is to think a Pillar or two sufficient to make a House nor the writing a fine Copy of Verses or two sufficient to make a Tragedy or Trage-Comedy but there must go a Genius as well as Ingenium to 't with long exercise and experience But to leave their Playes and return to ours if you like it for whom I writ it I have my end which was onely in an innocent and harmless way to divert my self and you The Persons represented THe Prologue spoken by Venus from the Clouds Theotimus Loves Arch-Flamin and Governour of Cyprus Polydor Loves Inquisitor Diophantes one of the Advocates of Loves Court Palemon A noble Cypriot in Love with Bellinda and lov'd by Filena Evander A stranger come to Loves Kingdom on devotion Pamphilus A vicious young fellow stranger to Love's Kingdom and imagining all as vicious as himself Philander a noble Cretian Bellinda's betroth'd Bellinda a noble Cretian Nymph stranger in Love's Kingdom Filena a noble Cyprian Nymph Amaranthe Governess of the Nymphs Cloria Mellissa Lydia with others Nymphs of Cyprus Chorus of Musicians and young Virgins 2 Aruspices Love's Sacrificators The Popa or sacred Executioner Guards c. The Scene Cyprus with all the Rules of Time and Place so exactly observ'd as whilst for Time 't is all compriz'd in as few hours as there are Acts for Place it never goes out of the view or prospect of Loves Temple The Prologue Spoken by Venus from the Clouds IF ever you have heard of Venus name Goddess of Beauty I that Venus am Who have to day descended from my sphere To welcome you unto Love's Kingdom here Or rather to my Sphere am come since I Am present no where more nor in the Sky Nor any Island in the world then this That wholly from the world divided is For Cupid you behold him here in me For there where Beauty is Love needs must be Or you may yet more easily descry Him 'mong the Ladies in each beauteous eye And 'mongst the Gallants may as easily trace Him to their bosoms from each beauteous face May then fair Ladies you Finde all your Servants true And Gallants may you finde The Ladies all as kinde As by your noble favours you declare How much you friends unto Love's Kingdom are Of which your selves compose so great a part In your fair Eyes and in your loving heart Love's Kingdom Actus primus Enter Evander and Pamphilus The Scene a delightful Landskip or Paisage Evander IS 't not a pleasant place Pamph. As e're I saw but I can see no Wenches yet and that I long for Ev. Why Pam. What a question 's that why do the hungry long for meat I pray Ev. Then I perceive you are an Epicure in Love and onely wo'd feed your body Pam. I am no Platonick Philosopher who while they feed their mindes do starve themselves give me a Love that ha's some substance in it Ev. Well this is no time for to convert you behold some coming here Enter a Troop of Nymphs and Shepherds singing and dancing hand in hand The Song Come and in this pleasant Grove Sacred to the Queen of Love Let our Voices and our Feet In harmonious number meet Thus we sing the year throughout And merrily merrily dance about â—xeunt Ev. O happy Land of all the sun surveys where thus perpetually they pass their dayes and if onely a living death it be or dying life to live in misery seeing their joyful lives we well may say in all the world there are none live but they Pa. They 're dainty wenches I le say that for them and I must needs follow them Ev. Nay prethee Pam. Never talk of it I can hold no more then a good Greyhound when he sees the Hare or Hawk the Quarry it is all my sport and inclination and by their mirth and jollity I know they 're right and of the Game Ev. There 's your errour and ignorance now
has Forbid me speaking to her on pain of her Displeasure I may see her howsoe're And as she goes to th' Temple feast mine eyes Which happiness she to my tongue denyes Enter Bellinda Filena Polydor. See where she comes and now it fares with me As with those sick who whilst they long to see The cup they may not taste become but more Thirsty with sight of 't then they were before Fi. Behold Palemon as I 've appointed him i th way can we invent no stratagem to make her now with favourable eye regard him think I 'le second you Pol. I 'le try whose that Palemon Fi. Think it be but let 's go on and think not on him Exeunt Bellinda and Polyder Pal. She my enemy Pol. Ben't deceiv'd Palemon for 't was said to make her think of you the more For just as winde or fanning does the fire So prohibition more inflames desire Exit Pal. I fain wo'd follow her but I know that she Wo'd be offended with it and for me To offend her now were to undo my self And in the Haven shipwrack all my wealth Exit Finis Actus Secundi ACTUS 3. Enter Diophantes and Evander The Scene Loves Temple surrounded with Pillars of the Dorick Order with a Dome or Cupilo o' th' top and the Statues or Simulachrums of Venus and Cupid on an Altar in the midst of the Temple all transparent Diophantes THis is Loves Temple here who e're repairs Findes Love propitious to their vows and Prayers Regard not then the proud materials Or outward structure of the Vaults and Walls But mark the Altar and the sacred Shrine Then which the world has nothing more divine Ev. Methinks there 's somewhat more then humane here Fills me with reverence and holy fear Dio. Peace the Ceremony begins Ev. And do the Nymphs begin it Enter all the Nymphs in solemn manner addressing themselves unto the Altar Dio. Yes For of that Sex Vertues and Graces are Of thât all that is beautiful and fair And as the care of Cupids is to men So that of Venus's rites is due to them Ev. I understand and every thing I see Is ordered here with rare oeconomy Fi. Thou fairest brightest Star in heaven And most benigne of all the seven If on this day when every year We celebrate thy coming here Thou dost not hear our prayers 't is we Are rather wanting unto thee Then thou to us for thou wod'st grant We know what ever we do want If we on our parts did but crave What e're is fit for us to have Grant then to celebrate thy feast A holy and religious Breast Vertue high honour beauty health And minde above all other wealth Let others ask what boon they please All that we crave of thee are these All. Oh hear our vows and prayers as we do purely love and honour thee Soft Musick Fi. Thou doest confirm us by this Harmony O Love our Vows are pleasing unto thee Ev. Now I perceive it is our faults not theirs If when we pray the gods don't hear our prayers Dio. Peace now the other Ceremony begins Fi. Let us retire then and give place to them Enter Theotimus Chorus of Musicians one way Bellinda the other brought in by Polydor Pamphilus c. Chorus sings Divinest Love does all command In fire and water air and land And all with his commands inspire In land and water air and fire The. Where is the Nymph Pol. Great Sir behold her here bear back bear back room for the Nymph there Pam. Now will he break my head onely to shew his authority you 'l see ' less I get me out of the way the sooner The. Then fair and gentle Nymph draw near And all our Ceremonies hear Which to Religion do dispence Both Mystery and Reverence We first must charm you silent then Must vail and blinde your eyes agen That you may see and speak with none Untill the Ceremony's done Then y' are to go to th' sacred Cell Where a full hour you are to dwell Before you are produc't to swear You love some one in Cyprus here Or else refusing it be sent Into perpetual banishment If then y 'ave any thing to say Now speak it freely whilst you may Bel. Prudence assist me thou that best canst tell Aside What I shu'd say and what I shu'd conceal Knowing great sir how w'ar the gods chief care More dear to them then to our selves we are Behold Bellinda here resigned stands To obey your Laws and their divine commands The. A wise and pious Resignation Most pleasing unto Heaven and such an one As even necessitates the Gods to grant All that we mortals crave and all we want Reach us the sacred Wand to charm her silent then The Charm Still-born Silence thou that art Flood-gate of the deeper heart Off-spring of a heavenly kinde Frost o' th' mouth and thaw o th' minde Admirations chiefest tongue Leave thy desart Shades among Ancient Hermits hallowed Cells Where retyr'd Devotion dwells With thy Enthusiasmes come Ceize this Maid and strike her dumb Pam. If every man that 's troubled with a shrew'd wife had but this Charm how happy shud he be The. Now reach us the sacred veil Where such a cloud of mysteries lyes As whilst we with it blinde your eyes If onely you convert your sight From th' outward to the inward light Illuminates your soul and minde Sent from above you soon will finde The Sun here in its brightest Sphere Will darker then a shade appear he vails her Pam. Now were she and I to play at blinde-man-buff together ah what dainty sport shu'd we two make she shu'd catch me or I 'de catch her ' tshu'd cost one of us a fall else The. Now to the sacred Cell set on Where w 're to leave her all alone Until the hour 's expir'd and then To th' Temple all repair agen Exeunt Manet Pamphilus Pam. Wo'd I were in the sacred Cell with her now what holy work shu'd she and I make together if these holy whorsons did not hinder us as most commonly they hinder all good sport Well here will I spread my nets to catch some of the Nymphs in their return 't is hard if they all 'scape me Enter 1 Nymph And see here 's one already Fair Nymph might I desire the honor to wait upon you home 1 No indeed Sir Pam. And why so 1 Because 't is not the custom for Nimphs in this Country to go alone with men Pam. But 't is the custom for men in our Country when they 're alone with women to offer them the courtesie of you know what 1 I know not what you mean Pam. The more 's the pitty you shu'd live to these years and be so ignorant the Nymphs in our Countrey wo'd have understood me presently 1 They better understand what belongs to men perhaps but we Sir better what belongs to women Exit Pam. Goodly goodly how say ye by that I was deceiv'd in her but here