will be more divertisement to the King and Ladies then the Masque Val. But he has brought a whole Regiment of Footmen with him Luc. Keep them out but let him in prethee Enter Moriphanus and Graculus Lucidore goes to the King Luc. And please your Majesty here 's a suppos'd Lord will make you laugh He takes himself I believe for an Ambassador he comes from Yellow-land a Country adjacent to Green-land I am confident by his dress King I confess if his in-side be like his King smiles out he will not be wanting to us for sport I think you must attaque him Lucidore Moriphanus looks much upon himself and walks up towards Lucidore Luc. I see he 'll begin with me first and please your Majesty Mor. I hear there is to be dancing here to night so I was resolv'd to come and make one with the rest of my fellow Noble-men Luc. You wrong your self my Lord if you think here 's any one fit to be your fellow you are not to be match'd in ne're a Court in Christendome Mor. No Sir I came not with that intention my heart is dispos'd of and therefore you 'l loose your labour loose your labour in troth to speak in the behalf of any of these Ladies if they were in love to death with me for all that I can do for them after I have said Dye they must and dead they were is God have mercy of their Souls Luc. 'T is a hard case for you all Ladies you hear the doleful answer before you ask the question To Graculus Pray what 's your inexorable Lords name Grac. He 's of an antient Family I assure you Sir he 's ally'd to above three parts of the world his name Mor-if-an-ass which is by interpretation turning it backward If an Ass there 's more Luc. I am inform'd of your Pedigree my Lord by your man I am acquainted with abundance of your house I thank ' em they have made me very merry Mor. I believe your Lordship they 'l let none be sad of their acquaintance every one that comes into their companies or mine we look upon as one of us Enter Melynet and Marcelia at one door and Lotharicus at another privately The King looks earnestly on Marcelia King Melynet you are a happy man and will be no less envy'd whose interest could bring so great a wonder to the Court to night so daz'ling a Sun at mid-night Mel. She will be much more envy'd Sir and if she shine fo in your Sphear King Bring here that conquering Beauty Marc. I know the distance of a Subject Sir too well proudly to take what I have so little Title to by Birth or Nature King By one 't is lefs then you deserve and you already have gain'd that interest here Points to his heart you easily may make the other undisputed too Marc. Victories so much above belief excuse those that your Majesty gives them to for your divertisement from a Reply King But you have no cause Madam to plead that reason for your silence you know your power too well but you decline to own it from other Motives which in your answer possibly would speak you cruel Marc. I know none Sir shall ever keep me from the due sense of what your Majesty is and what I am and if I both remember well I hope my actions never shall offend my duty King But if time Marcelia gives me no more of happiness then that I shall be at as great a loss as now Love does require to be answer'd with something of the same Species of its own Marc. Who wants the one Sir in that measure as their condition and their obligations ought to have it never pays the other well The King talks to her softly she smiles and seems satisfied with what he says King Come fair Marcelia I wish it may prove worthy the honor of thy view The King leads her off all the rest of the Lords and Ladies follow Moriphanus catches one of the Ladies and says Mor. By your leave my Lady I am resolv'd to lay hold of you for my share She laughs He leads her out under the arm Lotharicus stays behind and grows into a rage at the Kings Courting Marcelia Loth. Hell and its Furies Oh I must be gone My Rage will for my Reason prove too strong Woman what art thou but mans tempting shame That did'st at first his soul with weakness stain And still that power keep and still betray Oh that some Plague had took you all away False Sex that neither truth nor love does know But what ambitious pride can overthrow Thou Storm of Jealousie thy sury lay Or else my duty will be cast away Oh Love how you those raging Billows rowl Which whirl-winds of dispair raise in my soul Hold hold Revenge if thou the Vict'ry gain I shall my Honor with some Murther stain It is my King that does my Rival grow That Name is Sacred Reason keep it so Cruel Marcelia since thou false would'st prove Why did you place so high your change in Love Had any other rob'd me of my rest My Sword should search my quiet in his brest Hence hence false woman thou' rt unworthy grown Still in this injur'd heart to keep thy Throne In vain Lotharicus thou hop'st relief Till death does give it by the force of grief Exit Scene 7. Enter Masquers c. The Masque ended King You are sad Marcelia you take no pleasure in these divertisements Marc. I must confess Sir my humor was ever dull unfit for mirth King If you continue it I shall become so too by Sympathy Exeunt Omnes The King leading out Marcelia Scene 8. Enter Lotharicus Loth. My heart affords my soul no rest But I will leave the Kingdom go and try Whether my Love will with her absence dye That is a cure in Infant Passions known But thine Lotharicus too strong is grown She in thy Soul her Empire will possess Not all thy Power can make her Power less Enter Melynet Mel. My Lord I 'm come as much oppress'd with trouble from my Friendship as I am sure you must be from your Love to see your self so wrong'd by an unconstant Woman Loth. Her injuries to me will prove advantages to you therefore you have no reason to share my grief no more then I can take contentment in those joys her change may bring you in the increasing favors of the King Mel. My Soul is not so mean to wish to build my rising Honor on my Friends misfortunes No Lotharicus whatsoe're you think my heart is generous enough to be content that they should ebb to nothing if that could bring Marcelia back to what she ought to be and make you happy Loth. No more dear Melynet you are too brave and I too base to doubt thee But I have receiv'd such wrongs from Love as something may excuse my questioning of Friendship Mel. It may and justly does you 're wrong'd indeed we both are injur'd for she
admittance Exeunt all but the King King Were Friendship half so diligent as Love's impationt Melynet had e're this crown'd my desires with some assurance of success or left me to the force of my Dispair for hopes and fears are the Gonvulsions of the mind Fantastick Fortune that madest me both at once a King and Captive fettering my heart when thou didst Crown my head By Acts like these 't is Love does make us know He in his Slaves does no distinction show When by a Sov'raigns right I Millions sway That makes me most a Womans Power obey I that my Neighb'ring Kingdoms keep in fear Can nothing bring to daunt this passion here Points to his heart It braves my Courage and my Honour too Oh Conquering Love what is 't thou canst not do Thou tumblest mighty Empires to the ground Nothing beyond thy Circulation's found Enter Melynet Mel. Welcome my dearest Friend beyond all wishes but Marcelia's Love I dare not ask thee yet I fain would know What I shall hear too soon or else too slow Mel. Sure Sir my Looks does not a Sentence wear To give your wishes reason to dispair My Face would ill interpret then the joy I have and bring you if it hopes destroy King Does my fair Mistris then my Love allow Tell me Melynet tell me quickly how I am impatient thou did'st never know What Passion was thy answer comes so slow Will she for me her lov'd Lotharicus quit Mel. Love is a Child she 'l rule it with her wit I find Sir nothing so powerful in her heart to give your Majesties hopes discouragement Something has lately hap'ned by which Lotharicus has lost some ground in her affection and that which makes me almost confident Sir of your success is she seems much more to doubt the truth I tell her of your Love then disapprove it and where that is strongly urg'd the Present never is unwelcome King 'T is true but their desires of taking in of heart proceeds not always from their Inclinations it is the general humor of that Sex to glory in the number of their Sacrifices yet hardly will allow in their whole lives to pay the interest of one Offering back Mel. Were they as cautious in their gifts of Love as you conclude them Sir their Sex had ne're bin tax'd of so much Levity King My fears are only now she will not change and if she does I then shall fear as much she 'll change again How can he happy be whose unkind Fate Gives in his grearest joy a doubting State Mel. Never give way Sir to thoughts so injurious to your quiet her Reason will soon shake off her Feverish Reliques of Affection to Lotharicus they will perhaps some little time make a weak opposition but the Antidote I have given her of your Majesties inclinations will infallibly expel that poyson King I 'l go and visit her presently Melynet that from my own experimented hopes as well as thine I may secure my heart Mel. Sir if I may without offense perswade your Maesty defer it till the solemnity of your Birth-day's past I then will bring her to the Court and there the particular honor that your Majesty may do her by a publick Address giving by that the Lawrel to her beauty from the other fair ones will infinitely conduce unto the conquest There is no surer way than baiting of their pride to catch their hearts King I will expect that seeming Age of time How I shall pass it none but those can tell That heav'n has seen and yet must stay in hell Exeunt The End of the Second Act. Act III. Scene I. Enter Lucidore Luc. I must go look my longing Lords and whet up their desires of seeing my Mistress with a day or two's expectation longer the sight will come too cheap else and lessen their obligations if I afford it at their first request Enter Valasco Almeric Peregrine Val. Oh my Lord you are well met we were coming to you for performance of your promise we could hold out no longer you have raised our hopes to such a height of expectation Alm. I' faith the fancy of her beauty does so hant our imaginations we cannot sleep nor eat quietly for conceiting of her what I dare swear shall never prove Luc. Well conceit her what you please you are not like to see her this two long days and so farewel Per. Nay we 'l go with thee and hant thy ghost till thou let'st us see the desired apparition Exeunt Scene 2. Enter Lotharicus at one door and Melinet at another Loth. I do not think but we were both of us upon one design going in pursuit of one another Mel. You have reason to believe my Lord I carry a passion in my heart sufficiently impatient till I know my doom which you ere this had found the effect of but that Marcelia has kept me some hours her Prisoner to make me promise to carry her to Court Loth. I then perceive I am discarded from that service and were you any but the person that you are I should grow jealous of you Mel. To divert you from that humor pray satisfie my wishes how do you find Arcasia's inclinations I durst not come my self and stand the Sentence Loth. I cannot give you hopes as you deserve her resolution seems at present to be fix'd still to be Mistress of her own freedom She says the service of no man living shall prevail to buy her out I hope time may change her humor Womens first resolutions seldome stand good in Law against their second thoughts This for your satisfaction you have no Rival that 's more fortunate Mel. If I must not possess her heart I 'le pleasure take at least to think no other does And hope while 't is to an Election free Fortune at last may kindly give it me Exeunt Scene 3. Enter Marcelia Marc. How shall I force my self to shew disdain Since still in spight of me he here will raign Love will not quit this place to rage or scorn Points to her heart But keeps his Int'rest as the Eldest born Reason and Honor whither are ye gone That I this Childish Passion find so strong Will you be slaves to Love resign the Field So many Odds and yet so poorly yield But 't is not much our weak Sex should submit Since Man's couragious Soul can't Master it Enter Page Page My Lord Lotharicus is come Madam Exit Page Marc. Well Enter Lotharicus at a distance He comes Grief now retire act here thy Tragick part Points to her heart But do not make my eyes betray my heart Loth. I 'm come Marcelia Goes to imbrace her Marc. Whither pray so fast Puts him back They often fall that make too much of hast Loth. Has my forc'd absence made you angry grow Marc. You do mistake your coming makes me so Loth. Ha! what 's this I hear I know it cannot be Thou art not chang'd thus to thy self nor me This coldness comes not
she is not so ungodly and loves me better then to desire I should venture my life Besides I never told her or said such a word that I would kill my self for her or kill any man for her nor go to the Devil for her and thou mayst be sure she does not look that I should do more then my bargain Grac. Why my Lord are you so ignorant I mean unknowing to set any bounds to your promise to a Mistris Why you should run full speed unto all you thought she would have or could possibly desire to make her think you were one mad and dying for her and when y' have won her and are married then you may do as most married men does pace them in the performance or quite bed-rid them or if you will keep in the rank of the best Husbands why then you must make your Wife Parson of your Courting Vows and Promises and give her the Tyths for when they have run out of their wits so far that it cannot keep 'em from going to Service 't is fit they know they have a Master Enter Perilla and Arcasia Per. Your Servant my Lord. Mor. No Madam I am not so happy to have it so yet Was not that well answer'd Graculus To his man Grac. It was answer'd like your self my Lord. Per. Do you observe Arcasia The veriest Fool that is can expect Government if he marries Arc. And well they may It is but reasonable that those Fools that can get into that Authority should govern those Fools that gave it Don't you think it fit in judgment that the least Fool should rule the greater Per. I 'le not speak my Opinion to the prejudice of my intention But my Lord pray what gives me the honor of this early visit for I had hardly din'd when you came Mor. I 'le tell you a thing but I would not have you trouble your self about it Per. Truly that high affliction that put me into this habit was so great that it must be something extraordinary can move me now to any sense of sorrow But let me know it Mor. I am very much afraid this will and for all I came on purpose to tell it you and 't is very fit you should know it yet you shall not know it unless you swear and give me your hand you will not grieve about it Per. I cannot promise you it shall not trouble my heart if it should concern you but I will not make the least sigh of it Mor. Why that 's it now it does concern me Per. Well if it does concern you never so much I will keep my word since you have ingag'd me Mor. Then to tell you the truth the short and the long is it was ten thousand to one you had never seen me again I was set upon and like to bin kill'd about you my Man can tell here I brought him on purpose to justifie it if you should not believe it Perilla and Arcasia laugh Per. In troth I cannot but be extremely merry to hear the danger is over Lord I do but think what a pickle I should have bin in if I had known it when it was by the joy I find now for the escape Grac. He was in a pickle enough for himself and you too I 'le swear for him Madam the thoughts of never seeing you again wrought strangely upon him to my knowledge in that little time that fear made him go lighter from the Gentlemen in personal weight then he met them They laugh extremely Arc. It seems there was very fowl play two against one Per. Pray my Lord who were those Cowards Mor. My Lord Lucidore and Peregrine Per. 'T is one of the humors I ever knew to forbid other Suitors and not offer to come a woing himself aside Mor. Nay I shall always be in danger of my life till we are married every one will have a fling at it thinking you love me best Per. Alas my Lord I would not marry you now you have told me this for all the world for hitherto they have only intended to kill you because as yet you have only intended to marry but if you should marry in earnest they 'l kill you so too for they 'l grow desperate when they 're out of all hopes So I see plainly I shall be a Widdow presently my Vail will be no sooner off but on again and to loose you so soon would quite break my heart Mor. Truly I believe it would for the thoughts of it almost breaks mine already Per. Nay now I think of it it was told for certain by my Nativity that my second Husband should be kill'd Mor. But are you to have no more Per. O yes yes Mor. Why then I 'le be the third I 'le tarry with all my heart for you till the danger be over that is to come upon the second Per. There 's a far worse and more un-gentleman-like death threatens my third and fourth then all the rest for the one will be hang'd and the other Mor. What will become of him Per. Why without any ceremony he is to hang himself Mor. I had rather be him then any of the others because I know mine own natural aversion against death and should have this comfort at least that I should not be forc'd to die against my mind as long as I was to be my own Executioner Arc. That 's a thing indeed my Lord would make the danger much less but if I may advise you run not the hazard you know not what a good Wife may tempt you to Per. I am resolv'd I love him so well he shall never while I live get my consent to put him into the danger of it nor my self into the possibility of so much grief Mor. Well meer love of one another I see makes us both resolve never to marry together Now there 's not one of a hundred does so I believe Exeunt Perilla and Arcasia For all that Graculus I shall never put her out of my mind Grac. No my Lord if you stay here no man can forget a dead Wife but by change of Air therefore you must needs go and travel to get you a fresh appetite to a new affection Mor. Will that do it Graculus Grac. I marry will it Sir I warrant you 't is a receipt Probatum Exeunt Scene 2. Enter Almeric and Lucidore Alm. 'T is true as I tell thee Peregrine is taken with Arcasia and has made an invitation to thy Widdow and her to the Gardens he intends to give them an entertainment there Luc. Prethee let us be his unbidden Guests for once we 'll not be in his debt I am resolv'd I will send in my dish Alm. A match a match Exeunt Scene 3. Enter King and Melynet Mel. Lotharicus death Sir gives an absolute security to your love King It does inlarge my hopes of having now the full possession of Marcelia's heart but still a gallant man must be lamented I and my Kingdome both may