Doe you heare Captaine I 'le write nothing in it but Innocence because I may sweare I am Innocent Exeunt Horace Nay why pursue you not the Emperour for your reward now Lupus Mecoenas Stay Asinius you and your Stager and your band of Lictors I hope your seruice merits more respect Then thus without a thankes to be sent hence Histrio Well well ieast on ieast on Horace Thou base vnworthy Groome Lupus I 't is good Was this the Treason this the dangerous plot Thy clamorous tongue so bellowed through the Court Hadst thou no other Proiect to encrease Thy Grace with Caesar but this Wooluish traine To pray vpon the life of innocent Mirth And harmelesse pleasures bred of noble wit Away I loath thy presence Such as thou They are the Moathes and Scarabbes of a State The Bane of Kingdomes and the dregges of Courts Who to endeer themselues to any ' mploiement Care not whose fame they blast whose life they endanger And vnder a disguis'd and cobweb Masque Of loue vnto their Soueraigne vomit foorth Their owne prodigious malice and pretending To be the Props and Columnes of his safety The Guardes vnto his Person and his Peace Disturbe it most with their false Lapwing cries Lupus Good Caesar shall know of this beleeue it Exeunt Mecoenas Caesar doth know it Wolfe and to his knowledge He will I hope reward your base Endeuours Princes that will but heare or giue accesse To such officious Spies can nere be safe They take in poyson with an open Eare And free from Danger become slaues to Feare Exeunt SCENA OCTAVA Ouid. Ouid. Banisht the Court Let me be banisht life Since the chiefe end of Life is there concluded Within the Court is all the Kingdome bounded And as her sacred Spheare doth comprehend Ten thousand times so much as so much Place In any part of all the Empire else So euery Body moouing in her Spheare Containes ten thousand times asmuch in him As any other her choice Orbe excludes As in a circle a Magitian then Is safe against the Spirit he excites But out of it is subiect to his rage And looseth all the vertue of his Art So I exil'd the circle of the Court Loose all the good gifts that in it I ioy'd No Vertue currant is but with her stamp Nor no Vice vitious blaunch't with her white hand The Court 's the Abstract of all Romes desert And my deare Inlia the Abstract of the Court. Mee thinkes now I come neare her I respire Some aire of that late comfort I receau'd And while the Euening with her modest vaile Giues leaue to such poore Shadowes as my selfe To steale abroad I like a hart-lesse Ghost Without the liuing Bodie of my Loue Will here walke and attend her For I knowe Not farre from hence she is imprisoned And hopes of her strict Guardian to bribe So much admittance as to speake to mee And cheere my fainting spirits with her breath SCENA NONA Iulia Ouid. Iul. Ouid my Loue Ouid. Here heauenly Iulia. Iul. Here and not here O how that worde doth play VVith both our Fortunes differing like our selues Both one and yet diuided as oppos'd I High thou Lowe ô this our plight of Place Doubly presents the two lets of our Loue Locall and ceremoniall Height and Lownesse Both waies I am too high and thou too lowe Our Mindes are euen yet ô why should our Bodies That are their slaues be so without their rule I 'le cast my selfe downe to thee If I die I 'le euer liue with thee no height of Birth Of Place of Dutie or of cruell Power Shall keepe mee from thee should my Father locke This bodie vp within a Tombe of Brasse Yet I 'le be with thee If the Formes I holde Now in my Soule be made one substance with it That Soule immortall and the same 't is now Death cannot raze th'affectes she now retaineth And then may shee be any where she will The soules of Parents rule not Childrens soules VVhen Death sets both in their dissolu'd estates Then is no Childe nor Father then Eternitie Frees all from any temporall respect I come my Ouid take me in thine armes And let me breath my soule into thy breast Ouid. O stay my Loue the hopes thou do'st conceiue Of thy quicke Death and of thy future Life Are not autenticall Thou choosest Death So thou might'st ioy thy Loue in th' other Life But knowe my princely Loue when thou art dead Thou onely must suruiue in perfect soule And in the soule are no Affections We poure out our Affections with our Bloode And with our Bloods affections fade our Loues No life hath Loue in such sweete state as this No Essence is so deare to moodie Sense As Flesh and Bloode whose Quintessence is Sense Beautie composd of Blood and Flesh moues more And is more plausible to Blood and Flesh Then Spirituall Beautie can be to the Spirit Such Apprehension as wee haue in Dreames VVhen Sleepe the bond of Senses locks them vp Such shall we haue when Death destroyes them quite If Loue be then thy Obiect change not life Liue high and happie still I still belowe Close with my Fortunes in thy height shall ioy Iul. Ay me that Vertue whose braue Eagles winges VVith euery stroake blowe Starres in burning Heauen Should like a Swallowe praying toward stormes Fly close to earth and with an eager plume Pursue those Obiectes which none els can see But seeme to all the world the emptie Aire Thus thou poore Ouid and all vertuous men Must pray like Swallowes on inuisible foode Pursuing Flies or nothing and thus Loue And euery worldly Fancie is transpos'd By worldly Tyranny to what plight it list O Father since thou gau'st me not my Minde Striue not to rule it Take but what thou gau'st To thy disposure thy Affections Rule not in me I must beare all my griefes Let me vse all my pleasures Vertuous Loue Was neuer scandall to a Goddesse state But hee 's inflexible and my deare Loue Thy life may chance be shortned by the length Of my vnwilling speaches to depart Farewell sweete Life though thou be yet exil'd Th' officious Court enioy mee amply still My Soule in this my breath enters thine Eares And on this Turrets Floore will I lye deade Till wee may meete againe in this proud Height I kneele beneath thee in my prostrate Loue And kisse the happie sands that kisse thy feete Great Ioue submits a Scepter to a Cell And Louers ere they part will meete in Hell Ouid. Farewell all companie and if I could All light with thee Helles shade should hide my browes Till thy deare Beauties beames redeem'd my vowes Iul. Ouid my Loue alas may we not stay A little longer think'st thou vndescern'd Ouid. For thine owne good faire Goddesse doe not stay VVho would ingage a Firmament of fires Shining in thee for me a falling Starre Be gon sweete Life-bloode if I should descerne Thy selfe but toucht for my sake
your Melancholy Ouid. How subscrib'd Iulia O my life my Heauen Tibull Is the Mood chang'd Ouid. Musique of wit Note for th'harmonious Spheares Celestiall Accents how you rauish me Tibull What is it Ouid Ouid. That I must meete my Iulia the Princesse Iulia. Tibullus Where Ouid. Why at Hart I haue forgot my passion so transports me Tibull I le saue your paines it is at Albius house The Iewellers where the faire Eycoris lies Ouid. Who Cytheris Cornelius Gallus Loue Tibull I hee le be there too and my Plautia Ouid. And why not your Delia Tibull Yes and your Corinna Ouid. True but my sweete Tibullus keepe that secret I would not for all Rome it should be thought I vaile bright Iulia vnderneath that name Iulia the Gem and Iewell of my soule That takes her honours from the goulden Sky As beauty doth all Lustre from her Eye The Ayre respires the pure Elyzium sweetes In which she breathes and from her lookes descend The glories of the Summer Heauen she is Prais'd in her selfe aboue all praise and he Which heares her speake would sweare the Tune-full Orbes Turnd in his Zenith onely Tibull Publius thou 'lt loose thy selfe Ouid. O in no Labyrinth can I safelier erre Then when I loose my selfe in praysing her Hence Law and welcome Muses though not rich Yet are you pleasing let 's be reconcilde And new made one Hence foorth I promise faith And all my serious howres to spend with you With you whose Musicke striketh on my hart And with bewitching Tones steals foorth my spirit In Iulias name Faire Iulia Iulias Loue Shall be a Law and that sweete Law I 'le study The Law and Arte of sacred Iulias Loue All other obiects will but Abiects proue Tibull Come we shall haue thee as passionate as Propertius anon Ouid. O how does my Sextus Tibull Faith full of sorrow for his Cynthias death Ouid. What still Tibull Still and still more his grieues doe grow vpon him As doe his howres Neuer did I know An vnderstanding spirit so take to hart The common worke of Fate Ouid. O my Tibullus Let vs not blame him for against such chaunces The hartiest strife of vertue is not proofe We may read Constancy and Fortitude To other soules but had our selues beene strooke With the like Planet had our Loues like his Beene rauisht from vs by iniurious death And in the height and heat of our best daies It would haue crackt our sinnewes shrunke our vaines And made our very hart strings iarre like his Come let 's goe take him foorth and prooue if Mirth Or Company will but abate his passion Tibullus Content and I implore the Gods it may Exeunt Finis Actus Primi ACTVS SECVNDVS SCENA PRIMA Albius Crispinus Chloë Maydes Cytheris Albius MAster Crispinus you are welcome Pray' vse a stoole Sir Your Cosen Cytheris will come downe presently We are so busie for the receceauing of these Courtiers here that I can scarce be a minute with my selfe for thinking of them Pray you sit Sir Pray you sit Sir Crispinus I am very well Sir Nere trust me but you are most delicatly seated here full of sweete delight and blandishment An excellent ayre An excellent Ayre Albius I Sir t is a pretty ayre These Courtiers runne in my minde still I must looke out for Iupiters sake sit Sir or please you walke into the Garden Ther 's a Garden on the backside Crispinus I am most strenuously well I thanke you Sir Albius Much good doe you Sir Exit Chloë Come bring those Perfumes forward a little and strew some Roses and Violets here Fie here be roomes sauor the most pittifully ranke that euer I felt I cry the Gods mercy my Husband 's in the winde of vs. Albius Why this is good Excellent Excellent well said my sweete Chloë Trim vp your house most obsequiously Chloë For Vulcanes sake breath some where else in troth you ouercome our Perfumes exceedingly you are to predominant Albius Heare but my Opinion sweete Wife Chloë A pinne for your Pinnion In sinceritie if you be thus fulsome to me in euery thing I 'le be diuorc't Gods my body you know what you were before I married you I was a Gentlewoman borne I I lost all my friends to be a Citizens wife because I heard indeed they kept their wiues as fine as Ladies and that we might rule our husbands like Ladies and doe what we listed doe you thinke I would haue married you else Albius I acknowledge sweete wife she speakes the best of any woman in Italy and moues as mightily which makes me I had rather she should make Bumpes on my head as big as my two fingers then I would offend her But sweete wife Chloë Yet againe I' st not grace inough for you that I call you Husband and you call me wife but you must still be poking me against my will to things Albius But you know wife here are the greatest Ladies and Gallantst Gentlemen of Rome to be enterteyn'd in our house now and I would faine aduise thee to entertaine them in the best sort yfaith wife Chloë In sinceritie did you euer heare a man talke so Idly You would seeme to be Master You would haue your spoke in my cart you would aduise me to Entertaine Ladies and Gentlemen bicause you canne marshall your Packneedles Horsecombes Hobby-horses and Wall-Candlesticks in your ware house better then I therefore you can tell how to Entertaine Ladies and Gentlefolkes better then I Albius O my sweete wife vpbraid me not with that Gaine sauours sweetely from any thing He that respects to get must relish all commodities alike and admit no difference betwixt Oade and Frankincense or the most pretious Balsamum and a Tarre-barrell Chloë Mary fough You sell snuffers to if you be remembred but I pray you let me buy them out of your hand for I tell you true I take it highly in snuffe to learne how to Entertaine Gentlefolkes of you at these yeeres I faith Alas man there was not a Gentleman came to your house i' your tother Wiues time I hope nor a Lady nor Musique nor Masques Nor you nor your house were so much as spoken of before I disbast my selfe from my Hood and my Fartingall to these Bumrowles and your Whale-bone Bodies Albius Looke here my sweete Wife I am Mum my deare Mumma my Balsamum my Sperma Cete my verry Citty of she has the most best true faeminine wit in Rome Crisp I haue heard so Sir and doe most vehemently desire to participate the knowledge of her faire Features Albius Ah peace you shall heare more anon be not seene yet I pray you not yet obserue Exit Chloë S'body giue Husbands the head a little more and they 'll be nothing but Head shortly what 's he there Mayde 1. I know not forsooth Mayde 2. Who would you speake with Sir Crisp I would speake with my Cosen Cytheris Mayde Hee is one forsooth would speake with his Cosen Cytheris Chloë Is
good Musitian Gallus What saies Iupiter Ouid. Ha ha Gallus A Song Ouid. Why doe doe sing Plautia Bacchus what say you Tibullus Ceres Plautia But to this song Tibullus Sing for my part Iulia. Your belly weighes downe your head Bacehus here 's a song toward Tibullus Begin Vulcan Albius What else what else Tucca. Say Iupiter Ouid. Mercury Crispinus I say say CANTVS VVAKE our mirth beginnes to die Quicken it with tunes and wine Raise your notes you 're out fie fie This Drouzinesse is an ill signe We banish him the Queere of Gods That droopes agen Then all are men For here 's not one but nods Ouid. I like not this sodaine and generall heauinesse amongst our Godheads 'T is somewhat ominous Apollo Command vs lowder Musicke and let Mercury and Momus contend to please and reuiue our senses CANTVS Her THEN in a free and lofty strayne Our broken tunes we thus repaire Cris And we answere them againe Running diuision on the panting Ayre Ambo To celebrate this Feast of Sense As free from Scandall as Offense Her Here is Beauty for the Eye Cris For the Eare sweete Melody Her Ambrosiack Odours for the smell Cris Delicious Nectar for the Taste Ambo For the Touch a Ladies Waste Which doth all the rest excell Ouid. I This hath wak't vs. Mercury our Herald Goe from our selfe the great God Iupiter to the great Emperour Augustus Caesar And command him from vs of whose Bounty he hath receaued his Sir-name Augustus that for a Thanke-offring to our Beneficence he presently Sacrifice as a Dish to this Banquet his beautifull and wanton Daughter Iulia She 's a curst Queane tell him and plaies the scould behind his backe Therefore let her be Sacrific'd Commaund him this Mercury in our high name of Iupiter Altitonans Iulia. Stay Feather-footed Mercury and tell Augustus from vs the great Iuno Saturnia if he thinke it hard to doe as Iupiter hath commanded him and Sacrifice his Daughter that he had better to doe so tenne times then suffer her to loue the well-nos'd Poet Ouid whom he shall doe well to whip or cause to be whipt about the Capitoll for soothing her in her Follies SCENA SEXTA Caesar Mecoenas Horace Lupus Histrio Minos Lictors Ouid Gallus Tibullus Tucca Crispinus Albius Hermogenes Pyrgus Iulia Cytheris Plautia Chloë Caesar What sight is this Mecoenas Horace say Haue we our senses Doe we heare and see Or are these but Imaginary obiects Drawne by our Phantasie Why speake you not Let vs doe Sacrifice Are they the Gods Reuerence Amaze and Fury fight in me What Doe they kneele Nay then I see t is true I thought impossible ô impious sight Let me diuert mine eyes the very thought Euerts my Soule with Passion Looke not Man There is a Panther whose vnnaturall eyes Will strike thee dead turne then and dye on her With her owne death Mecoenas Horace What meanes imperiall Caesar Caesar What would you haue me let the Strumpet liue That for this Pageaunt earnes so many deathes Tucca. Boy slinke Boy Pyrgus 'Pray Iupiter we be not follow'd by the sent Master Exeunt Caesar Say Sir what are you Albius I play Vulcan Sir Caesar But what are you Sir Albius Your Citizen and Ieweller Sir Caesar And what are you Dame Chloë I play Venus forsooth Caesar I aske not what you play but what you are Chloë Your Citizen and Iewellers wife Sir Caesar And you good Sir Crispinus Your Geutleman parcell Poet Sir Caesar O that prophaned Name And are these seemely company for thee Degenerate Monster all the rest I know And hate all knowledge for their hatefull sakes Are you that first the Deities inspir'd With skill of their high Natures and their Powers The first Abusers of their vse-full light Prophaning thus their Dignities in their formes And making them like you but counterfeites O who shall follow Vertue and embrace her When her false bosome is found nought but Aire And yet of those embraces Centaures spring That warre with humane Peace and poyson Men. Who shall with greater comforts comprehend Her vnseene being and her excellence When you that teach and should eternize her Liue as she were no Law vnto your liues Nor liu'd her selfe but with your idle breathes If you thinke Gods but fain'd and Vertue painted Know we sustaine an actuall residence And with the Title of an Emperour Retaine his spirit and imperiall power By which in imposition too remisse Licentious Naso for thy violent wronge In soothing the declin'd Affections Of my base Daughter I exile thy feete From all approach to our imperiall Court On paine of death and thy misgotten Loue Commit to patronage of Iron doores Since her soft-harted Sire cannot containe her Mecoenas O good my Lord forgiue be like the Gods Horace Let royall Bounty Caesar mediate Caesar There is no Bounty to be shewed to such As haue no reall goodnes Bountie is A spice of Vertue and what vertuous Act Can take effect on them that haue no power Of equall habitude to apprehend it But liue in worship of that Idole Vice As if there were no Vertue but in shade Of stronge imagination meerely enforc't This shewes their Knowledge is meere Ignorance Their farre fetcht Dignity of soule a Fancy And all their square pretext of Grauity A meere vaine Glory hence away with ' hem I will preferre for knowledge none but such As rule their liues by it and can becalme All Sea of Humour with the marble trident Of their strong spirits Others fight below With Gnats and shadowes Others nothing know Exeunt SCENA SEPTIMA Tucca Crispinus Pyrgus Horace Mecoenas Lupus Histrio Tucca. What 's become of my little Punque Venus and the poult-foote Stinkard her Husband ha Crisp O they are rid home i' the Coach as fast as the wheeles can runne Tucca. God Iupiter is banisht I heare and his Cockatrice Iuno lockt vp ' Hart and and all the Poetry in Parnassus get me to be a Player againe I 'le fell 'hem my share for six pence But this is Humours Horace that Goat-footed enuious Slaue hee 's turn'd fawne now an Informer the Rogue 't is he has betraid vs all Did you not see him with the Emperour crouching Crisp Yes Tucca. Well follow me Thou shalt libell and I 'le cudgell the Rascall Boy pronide me a Trunchion Reuenge shall gratulate him Tam Marti quam Mercurio Pyrgus I but Master take heed how you giue this out Horace is a Man of the Sword Crisp 'T is true introth they say hee 's valiant Tucca. Valiant so is mine Arse Gods and Fiendes I 'le blow him into aire when I meete him next He dares not fight with a puck-fist Pyrgus Master here he comes Tucca. Where Iupiter saue thee my good Poet my Prophet my Noble Horace I scorne to beate the Rogue i' the Court and I saluted him thus faire bicause he should suspect nothing the Rascall Come wee 'll goe see how forward our Iourneyman is toward the vntrussing of him Crisp