Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A06621
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Midas Plaied before the Queenes Maiestie vpon Tvvelfe day at night, by the Children of Paules.
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Lyly, John, 1554?-1606.
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1592
(1592)
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STC 17083; ESTC S109733
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32,307
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62
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MIDAS PLAIED BEFORE THE QVEENES MAIESTIE VPON TVVELFE DAY AT night By the Children of Paules LONDON Printed by Thomas Scarlet for I. B. and are to be sold in Paules Churchyard at the signe of the Bible 1592 THE PROLOGVE IN PAVLES GEntlemen so nice is the world that for apparrel there is no fashion for Musick no instrument for diet no delicate for playes no inuention but breedeth sacietie before noone and contempt before night Come to the Tayler hee is gone to the Paynters to learne howe more cunning may lurke in the fashion then can bee expressed in the making Aske the Musicions they will say their heads ake with deuising notes beyonde Ela Enquire at Ordinaries there must be sallets for the Italian picktooths for the Spaniard pots for the German porridge for the Englishman At our exercises Souldiers call for Tragedies their obiect is bloud Courtiers for Commedies their subiect is loue Countriemen for Pastoralles Shepheards are their Saintes Trafficke and trauell hath wouen the nature of all Nations into ours and made this land like Arras full of deuise which was Broade-cloth full of workemanshippe Time hath confounded our mindes our mindes the matter but all commeth to this passe that what heretofore hath beene serued in seuerall dishes for a feaste is now minced in a charger for a Gallimaufrey If wee present a mingle-mangle our fault is to be excused because the whole worlde is become an Hodge-podge Wee are ielous of your iudgementes because you are wise of our owne performance because we are vnperfect of our Authors deuice because he is idle Onelie this doeth encourage vs that presenting our studies before Gentlemen thogh they receiue an inward mislike wee shall not be hist with an open disgrace Stirps rudis vrtica est stirps generosa rosa. Actus primus Scaena prima Bacchus Mydas Eristus Martius Bacchus MIdas where the Gods bestowe benefits they aske thankes but where they receiue good turns they giue rewards Thou hast filled my belly with meate mine eares with musicke mine eies with wonders Bacchus of all the Gods is the best fellow and Midas amongst men a king of fellows All thy grounds are vineyards thy corne grapes thy chambers sellers thy houshold stuffe standing cuppes and therfore aske any thing it shal be graunted Wouldest thou haue the pipes of thy conducts to run wine the vdders of thy beasts to drop nectar or thy trees to bud ambrosia Desirest thou to be fortunate in thy loue or in thy victories famous or to haue the yeres of thy life as many as the haires on thy head Nothing shal be denied so great is Bacchus so happie is Midas Myd. Bacchus for a king to begge of a God it is no shame but to aske with aduise wisdom geue me leaue to consult least desiring things aboue my reach I bee fiered with Phaeton or against nature be drowned with Icarus so perishing the world shal both laugh and wonder crying Magnis tamen excidit ausis Bac. Consult Bacchus will consent Mid. Now my Lords let me heare your opinions what wish may make Mydas most happie and his Subiects best content Erist. Were I a king I would wish to possesse my mistresse for what sweetnes can there be found in life but loue whose wounds the more mortall they are to the heart the more immortal they make the possessors and who knoweth not that the possessing of that must bee most pretious the pursuing whereof is so pleasing Mar. Loue is a pastime for children breeding nothing but follie and nourishing nothing but idlenes I would wish to be monarch of the world conquering kingdomes like villages and being greatest on the earth be commaunder of the whole earth for what is there that more tickles the mind of a king then a hope to bee the only king wringing out of euery countrie tribute and in his owne to sit in triumph Those that call conquerors ambitious are like those that teache thrift couetousnes clenlines pride honestie precisenes Commaund the world Midas a greater thing you cannot desire a lesse you should not Myd. What say you Mellacrites Mel. Nothing but that these two haue said nothing I would wish that eueriething I touched might turne to gold this is the sinewes of warre and the sweetnesse of peace Is it not gold that maketh the chastest to yeeld to lust the honestest to lewdnes the wisest to follie the faithfullest to deceit and the most holy in heart to be most hollow of hart In this word Gold are all the powers of the gods the desires of men the woonders of the worlde the miracles of nature the losenes of fortune and triumphs of time By gold may you shake the courts of other Princes and haue your own setled one spade of gold vndermines faster then an hundred mattocks of steele Would one be thought religious deuout Quantum quisque sua nummorum seruat in arca tantum habet fidei Religions ballance are golden bags Desire you vertue querenda pecunia primum est virtus post nummos the first staire of vertue is money Doeth anie thirst after gentrie and wish to be esteemed beautiful genus formam regina pecunia donat king Coin hath a mint to stamp gentlemen and art to make amiablenes I denie not but loue is sweet and the marrowe of a mans minde that to conquere kings is the quintessence of the thoughts of kings why ţhen follow both Aurea sunt vera nunc saecula plurimus auro venit honos auro conciliatur amor it is a world for gold honor and loue are both taken vp on interest Doth Midas determine to tempt the mindes of true Subiectes to drawe them from obedience to trecherie from their allegiance and othes to treason and periurie quid non mortalia pectora cogit aurisacra fames what holes doth not gold bore in mens hearts Such vertue is there in golde that being bred in the barrennest ground and troden vnder foote it mounteth to sit on Princes heads Wish gold Midas or wish not to be Midas In the councel of the gods was not Anubis with his long nose of gold preferred before Neptunes whose stature was but brasse And Aesculapius more honored for his golden beard then Apollo for his sweet harmonie Erist. To haue gold and not loue which cannot be purchast by gold is to be a slaue to gold Mar. To possesse mountains of gold and a mistresse more precious then gold and not to commaunde the world is to make Mydas new prentise to a mint and Iorneiman to a woman Mel. To enioy a faire Ladie in loue and wante faire gold to geue to haue thousands of people to fight and no peny to paye wil make ones mistresse wilde and his soldiers tame Iupiter was a god but he knew gold was a greater and flewe into those grates with his golden winges where he coulde not enter with his Swannes wings What staide Atlantas course with Hippomanes an apple of gold what made the three
sword that were thy heart neuer so valeant thine arme neuer so strong yet thy blade shoulde neuer draw bloud wouldest not thou wish to haue a weaker hand and a sharper edge Mar. Yes Mel. If Mars should answere thee thus go bath thy sword in water and wash thy hands in milke and thy sword shal cleaue adamant and thy heart answere the sharpnes of thy sword wouldst not thou trie the conclusion Mar. What els Mel. Then let Mydas beleeue til he haue tried and thinke that the Gods rule as wel by geuing remedies as graunting wishes But Eristus is mum Mar. Caelia hath sealed his mouth Erist. Caelia hath sealed her face in my heart which I am no more ashamed to confesse than thou that Mars hath made a scarre in thy face Martius But let vs in to the king Sir boies you wait wel Pet. We durst not go to Bacchus for if I see a grape my head akes Erist. And if I finde a cudgell I le make your shoulders ake Mel. And you Licio wait on your selfe Li. I cannot chuse sir I am alwaies so neer my selfe Mel. I le be as neere you as your skin presently Exeunt Actus 3. Scae. 1. Mydas Mellacrites Martius Eristus My. IN Pactolus go bathe thy wish and thee Thy wish the waues shal haue and thou be free Miserable Mydas as vnaduised in thy wish as in thy successe vnfortunat O vnquenchable thirst of gold which turneth mens heads to lead and makest them blockish their hearts to iron and makest them couetous their eyes to delight in the view and makest them blinde in the vse I that did possesse mynes of golde could not bee contented till my minde were also a myne Could not the treasure of Phrygia nor the tributes of Greece nor mountaines in the East whose guts are gold satisfie thy minde with gold Ambition eateth gold drinketh blood climeth so high by other mens heads that she breaketh her owne necke What should I doo with a world of ground whose bodie must be content with seauen foote of earth or why did I couet to get so manie crownes hauing my self but one head Those that tooke small vessells at the sea I accompted Pyrates and my selfe that suppressed whole Fleetes a Conquerour as though robberies of Mydas might masque vnder the names of triumphs and the traffique of other Nations bee called treacherie Thou hast pampred vp thy selfe with slaughter as Diomedes did his horse with blood so vnsatiable thy thirst so heauie thy sword Two bookes haue I alwaies carried in my bosome calling them the dagger and the sword in which the names of all Princes Noblemen and Gentlemen were dedicated to slaughter or if not which worse is to slauerie O my Lords when I call to minde my cruelties in Lycaonia my vsurping in Getulia my oppression in Sola then do I finde neither mercies in my conquests nor colour for my warres nor measure in my taxes I haue written my lawes in blood and made my Gods of golde I haue caused the mothers wombes to bee their childrens tombes cradles to swimme in blood like boates and the temples of the Gods a stewes for strumpets Haue not I made the sea to groane vnder the number of my ships and haue they not perished that there was not two left to make a number Haue I not thrust my subiects into a Camp like oxen into a Cart whom hauing made slaues by vniust warres I vse now as slaues for all warres Haue not I entised the subiects of my neighbor Princes to destroy their natural Kings like moaths that eate the cloth in which they were bred like vipers that gnawe the bowels of which they were borne and like woormes that consume the wood in which they were ingendred To what kingdome haue not I pretended clayme as though I had been by the Gods created heire apparant to the world making euerie trifle a title and all the territories about me traitours to me Why did I wish that all might bee gold I toucht but that I thought all mens hearts would bee touched with gold that what pollicie could not compasse nor prowes gold might haue commaunded and conquered A bridge of gold did I mean to make in that Iland where all my nauie could not make a breach Those Ilandes did I long to touch that I might turne them to gold and my selfe to glorie But vnhappie Mydas who by the same meanes perisheth himself that he thought to conquere others being now become a shame to the world a scorne to that petie Prince and to thy self a consumption A petie Prince Mydas no a Prince protected by the Gods by Nature by his own vertue and his Subiects obedience Haue not all treasons beene discouered by miracle not counsell that doo the Gods chalenge Is not the Countrie walled with huge waues that dooth Nature claime Is hee not through the whole world a wonder for wisdome and temperance that is his owne strength Doe not all his Subiects like Bees swarme to preserue the King of Bees that their loyaltie mainteineth My Lords I faint both for lack of food want of grace I will to the riuer where if I be rid of this intollerable disease of gold I will next shake off that vntemperat desire of gouernment and measure my Territories not by the greatnesse of my minde but the right of my Succession Mar. I am not a little sorrie that because all that your Highnesse toucheth turneth to pure golde and therefore all your Princely affections should be conuerted to drosse Doeth your Maiestie begin to melt your owne Crowne that should make it with other Monarchies massie Begin you to make incloasure of of your minde and to debate of inheritance when the sworde proclaimes you conqueror If your Highnes heart be not of kingdome proofe euery pelting Prince will batter it Though you lose this garish golde let your minde be still of steele and let the sharpest sword decide the right of Scepters Myd. Euerie little king is a king and the title consisteth not in the compasse of grounde but in the right of inheritance Mar. Are not conquests good titles Myd. Conquests are great thefts Mar. If your Highnesse would be aduised by mee then would I rob for kingdomes and if I obteyned fain woulde I see him that durste call the Conquerour a theefe Myd. Martius thy councell hath shed as much bloud as would make another sea Valor I cannot call it and barbarousnesse is a worde too milde Come Mellaorites let vs goe and come you Eristus that if I obteine mercie of Bacchus wee may offer Sacrifice to Bacchus Martius if you be not disposed to goe dispose as you will of your selfe Martius I will humbly attend on your Highnesse as still hoping to haue my hearts desire and you your height of honor Exeunt Actus 3. Scae. 2. Licto Petulus Dello Motto Pet. AH Licio a bots on the Barbar euer since I consened him of the golden beard I haue had the toothach Li. I