tears to make me bow Cor. Ah courteous Satyr wilt thou kerve in me Such cruell vengeance Sat. Come and thou shalt see Cor. And take no Pity of me Sat. None at all Cor. But art thou firm in this Sat. As a brasse-wall Is this charm ended Cor. O thou base and not To be exampled Rogue half man half goat And all a beast thou carrion that doth stink By-blow and blush of nature If thou think Corisca loves thee not thou thinkst the truth What should she love in such a comely youth That fair Stags head that chimney-sweepers broom Goats ears that grave of rottennesse and rheume Which once had bones in 't Sat. This to me Thou wicked varlet Cor. Ev'n to thee Sat. To me thou scold Cor. To thee thou Goat Sat. And with these pincers pull I not Thy barking tongue out Cor. Would thou durst Come neer 't there 's that will scour their rust Sat. A paltry woman and in such Condition being in my clutch To injure me and dare mee too I will Cor. Base slave what wilt thou do Sat. Eat thee alive I will Cor. Where be The teeth to do 't Sat. Heav'n dost thou see And suffer this But if I doe not Chastise thee Come along Cor. I wo' not Sat. Wo' not my Mistresse Malapert Cor. Wo' not in spight of thy foul heart Sat. That shall be seen Come or I swear This arm I 'le from thy shoulder tear Cor. Tear my head off I wo' not go One foot Sat. Art thou resolved so Let 's ne're dispute then any longer But put to tryall whether's stronger And faster on thy neck-piece or My arm Thy hands to help too Nor Are these perverse one enough guard Cor. That shall be try'd Sat. It shall Cor. Pull hard Satyr adieu Get thy neck set Sat. O me How I am shatter'd O my head my knee O my back-bone my thigh what a vile fall Was here to get upon my legs is all I have the pow'r to do But can it be That she should fly and leave her head with me O marvellous ye Nymphs and Shepherds run Flock hither to behold a wonder one That runs away without her head by skill In Magick Hah how light it is how ill Peopled with brains How comes it that I see None of the blood spirt forth But stay let me Peruse it better O thou stock thou stone Thou hast no head if thou think she hath none Was ever any man so fool'd See now If she had not a trick to scape when thou Thoughtst her most sure Thou all made up of wiles Was 't not enough thy heart thy face thy smiles Thy looks and speeches falsified were But thou must likewise falsifie thy hair The glowing Amber and the flowing Gold Which you mad Poets so extoll behold Blush blush now at your errour and recant Your thred-bare theam in stead whereof go paint The arts of a deform'd and impious Witch Breaking up Sepulchres by night from which She steals the hair that upon Death's head growes To imp her own which she so neatly does That she hath made you praise what ye should more Then dire Megara's snakie locks abhor These Lovers are your gyves I take it too Look on 'em Idiots and if as you Protest your hearts are fastned to these hairs Now every one may without sighs or tears Come by his owne But why do I forbear To publish her disgrace Surely that hair Which stuck with starres adorns the azure skye Never so famous was as this and shee Much more that wore it by my tongue shall be Made infamous to all posterity CHORUS AH 'T was a grievous fault in her the Cause Of all our sorrows who the sacred Lawes Of Love offending by her breach of troth Kindled against this Land the mortall wrath Of the immortall Gods which not a Flood Of generall tears nor so much guiltlesse blood Can quench yet or abate so high a price Vnspotted Faith Expeller of all vice And most undoubted Argument to prove A mind descended nobly bears above And such a care to plant love in his creature By which we deifie our humane Nature Hath the eternall Lover O those blind Mistaken mortals who addict their mind To wealth for which affection 's basely sold Watching the carcasse of their coffin'd gold Like a pale ghost that walks about his grave Or why should beauty our free hearts enslave These are dead loves the living and divine Is where two souls by vertue do combine No outward object can with reason move The heart to love it 'cause it cannot love Onely the soul 'cause that can love again Deserves a Love deserves a Lovers pain Well may that kisse be sweet that 's giv'n t' a sleek And fragrant rose of a vermilion cheek And understanding tasters as are true And happy Lovers will commend that too 'T is a dead kisse say I and must be poor Which the place kist hath no means to restore But the sweet ecchoing and the Dove-like billing Of two encountring Mouthes when both are willing And when at once both Loves advance their bows Their shafts drawn home at once sound at the loose How sweet is such Revenge This is true kissing Where there is one for t'other without missing A minute of the time or taking more Then that which in the taking they restore Where by an interchange of amorous blisses At the same time they sow and gather kisses Kisse a red swelling lip then kisse a wrist A brest a forehead or what else thou list No part of a fair Nymph so just will be Except the lip to pay this kisse to thee Thither your souls come sallying forth and they Kisse too and by the wandring pow'rs convey Life into smacking Rubies and transfuse Into the live and sprightly kisse their use Of reason so that yee discourse together In kisses which with little noyse deliver Much matter and sweet secrets which hee spels Who is a Lover Gibbrish to all else Like life like mutuall joy they feel where Love With equall flames as with two wings doth move And as where lips kisse lips is the best Kisse So where one 's lov'd to love best loving is Actus Tertius Scena Prima MIRTILLO SPring the yeers youth fair Mother of new flowrs New leaves new loves drawn by the winged hours Thou art return'd but the felicity Thou brought'st me last is not return'd with thee Thou art return'd but nought returns with thee Save my lost joyes regretfull memory Thou art the self same thing thou wert before As fair and jocund but I am no more The thing I was so gracious in her sight Who is Heav'ns master-piece and Earth's delight O bitter-sweets of Love Far worse it is To love then never to have tasted blisse But O how sweet were Love if it could not Be lost or being lost could be forgot Though if my hopes as mine are wont to be Are not of glasse or my love make me see Them through a multiplying glasse If
Corisca will deceive What I can't hold 't is wisdome soon to quit Cor. And who forbids thee fool our life doth flit Too fast away to lose one jot of it And men so squemish and so curious grown That two of our new Lovers make not one O' th' old We are no longer for their tooth Believ 't then while w' are new Bate us our youth Bate us out beauty and like hollow trees Which had been stuff'd with honey by the bees If that by licourish hands away be ta'ne Dry and despised trunks we shall remain Therefore let them have leave to babble what They please as those who know nor reckon not What the poor woman Amarillis bears Our case alas is differing much from theirs Men in perfection as in age increase Wisdome supplies the losse of handsomnesse But when our Youth and Beauty which alone Conquers the strength and wit of men are gone All 's gone with us nor canst thou possibly Say a worse thing or to be pardon'd thee More hardly then Old woman Then before Thou split on that unevitable shore Know thine own worth and do not be so mad As when thou mayst live merry to live sad What would the lion's strength boot him or wit Avail a man unlesse he used it Our beauty is to us that which to men Wit is or strength unto the lion Then Let us use it whilst wee may Snatch those joyes that haste away Earth her winter-coat may cast And renew her beauty past But our winter come in vain We sollicite spring again And when our furrows snow shall cover Love may return but never Lover Am. Thou say'st all this only to try me sure Not that thy thoughts are such But rest secure Unlesse the way thou unto me shalt show Be a plain way and warrantable too To break this Match I am resolv'd to die A thousand deaths ' ere stain my honestie Cor. More wilfull woman I did never know But since thou art so resolved be it so Tell me good Amarillis seriously Do'st thou suppose thy Silvio sets by His faith as much as thou thy honestie Am. Thou mak'st me laugh at this wherein should he Expresse a faith who is to love a foe Cor. Love's foe O fool thou knowst not Silvio He is the still sow hee O these coy souls Believe them not the deep stream silent rowls No theft in Love so subtil so secure As to hide sin by seeming to be pure In short thy Silvio loves but 't is not thee Sister he loves Am. What Goddesse may she be For certainly she is no mortall Dame That could the heart of Silvio inflame Cor. Nor Goddesse nor yet Nymph Am. What hast thou said Cor. Do'st thou know my Lisetta Am. Who the Maid That tends thy Flocks Cor. The same Am. It cannot be She I am sure Corisca Cor. Very she I can assure thee she is all his joy Am. A proper choice for one that was so coy Cor. But wilt thou know how he doth pine away And languish for this Jewell Every day He feigns to go a hunting Am. Every morn Soon as it dawns I hear his cursed horn Cor. And just at noon when others are i' th' heat Of all the sport he doth by stealth retreat From his Companions and comes all alone Unto my garden by a way unknown Where underneath a haw-thorn hedges shade Which doth the garden fence about the Maid Hears his hot sighs and amorous pray'rs which she Comes laughing afterwards and tels to me Now hear what I to serve thee've thought upon Or rather what I have already done I think thou knowst that the same Law which hath Enjoyn'd the woman to observe her faith To her betrothed likewise doth enact That if the woman catch him in the fact Of falshood spight of friends she may deny To have him and without disloyalty Marry another Am. This I know full well And thereof some examples too could tell Of my own knowledge Egle having found Licotas false remain'd her self unbound Armilla did from false Turingo so And Phillida from Ligurino go Cor. Now list ' to me My Maid by me set on Hath bid her credulous Lover meet anon In yonder cave with her whence he remains The most contented of all living swains And waits but th' hour there thou shalt catch him where I too will be witnesse of all to bear For without this our plot would be in vain So without any hazard or least stain To thine or to thy fathers honour thou Shalt free thy self from this distastefull vow Am. I like it rarely but the way the way Corisca Cor. Marry thus observe me pray I' th' middle of the cave which narrow is And very long upon the right hand lies Another lesser Grot I know not whether By nature or by art or both together Made in the hollow stone whose slimie wall Is hid with clinging Ivie and a small Hole in the roof lets light in from above Fit receptacles for the thefts of Love Yet cheerfull too enough there thou shalt hide Thy self and hidden in that place abide Till the two Lovers come I mean to send Lisetta first and after her her friend Following his steps my self aloof And when I shall perceive him stept into the den Rush after him will I. But lest he should Escape from me when I have laid fast hold Upon him I will use Lisetta's aid And joyning both for so the plot is laid Between us two together we will make A cry at which thou too shalt come and take The penalty o' th law 'gainst Silvio Then my Lisetta and we two will go Before the Priest and so thou shalt unty The Nuptiall knot Am. Before his Father Cor. Why What matters that Think'st thou Montano's blood Will stand in balance with his Countries good Or that his sacred function hee 'l neglect For any carnall or profane respect Am. Go to then setting all disputes aside I wink and follow thee my faithfull guide Cor. Then linger not my Heart enter into The Cave Am. Unto the Temple first I 'le go T' adore the gods For unlesse Heaven give Successe no mortall enterprise can thrive Cor. To devout hearts all places Temples are It will lose too much time Am. In using pray'r To them that made time time cannot be lost Cor. Go and return then quickly So almost I 'm past the bad way onely this delay Gives me some cause of trouble yet this may Be of use too Something there would be done T' abuse my honest Lover Coridon I 'le say I 'le meet him in the Cave and so Will make him after Amarillis go This done by a back way I 'le thither send The Priest of Dian her to apprehend Guilty she will be found and sentenced To death without all doubt My Rivall dead Mirtillo is mine own His cruelty To me being caus'd by 's love to her But see The man I 'le sound him till she comes Now rise Rise all my Love into my tongue and
eyes Scena sexta MIRTILLO CORISCA. Mir. HEar ye damn'd spirits that in hell lament Hear a new sort of pain and punishment See in a Turtles look a Tigers minde She crueller then death 'cause she did find One death would not suffice her bloody will And that to live was to be dying still Enjoyns me not to make my self away That I might die a thousand times a day Cor. I 'le make as though I saw him not I hear A dolefull voice pierce my relenting ear Who should it be Mirtillo is it thou Mir. I would it were my ghost Cor. Well well but how And tell me true thy self now dost thou find Since to thy dearest Nymph thou brak'st thy mind Mir. As one who in a feaver cast Forbidden liquor long'd to taste If gotten sets it to his mouth And quenches life but cannot drouth So I with amorous feaver long Consumed from her eyes and tongue Sweet poyson suck'd which leaves me more Enflamed then I was before Cor. Love upon us no power can have But what our selves Mirtillo gave As a Bear doth with her tongue Polish her mishapen young Which had else in vain been born So an Am'rist giving form To a rude and faint desire That would otherwise expire Hatches Love which is at first Weak and raw but when 't is nurst Fierce and cruell Take 't upon My word an old affection Tyrannizes in a brest And grows a Master from a guest For when the soul shall once be brought To be fettered to one thought And that not have the pow'r to move A minute from its object Love Made for delight will turn to sadness And which is worse to death or madness Therefore my advice shall be To part thy love to two or three Mir. Let death or madness me betide Rather then my Flame divide Amarillis though she be Cruell and unkind to me Is my Life and Reason too And to her I will be true Cor. Foolish Swain that canst not tell How to make a bargain well What change love for hatred I Rather now then do 't would dye Mir. Cruelty doth faith refine As the fire the golden mine Where were the loyaltie of Love If women should not tyrants prove In my many suffrings this All my joy and comfort is Sorrows tortures exile gall Here 's a cause will sweeten all Let me languish let me burn Let me any thing but turn Cor. O brave Lover valiant brest More impetuous then a beast And yet tamer then a rock Which endures the Ocean's shock In Lovers hearts there cannot be A worse disease then Constancie O most unhappy those in whom This foolish I do I finds a room Which shackles us when we might prove The sweet variety of Love With this dull vertue Constancie Tell me simple Lover why Amarillis For her face Whom another must embrace Or do'st thou affect her mind Which to thee is not inclin'd All then thou canst doat upon Is thine own destruction And wilt thou be still so mad To covet that cannot be had Up Mirtillo know thy parts Canst thou want a thousand hearts Others I dare swear there be That would sue as much to thee Mir. To be Amarillis thrall Is more then to command them all And if she my suit deny All that 's pleasure I defie I to make another choice In another I rejoyce Neither could I if I would Neither would I if I could But if possible to me Such a will or power be Heav'n and Love before that hour Strip me of all will and pow'r Cor. Thou art enchanted otherwise Couldst thou too thy self despise Mir. I must when I 'm despis'd by her Corisca Cor. Come Mirtillo ne're Deceive thy self perhaps thou dost suppose Shee loves thee in her heart although shee showes An outward scorn If thou but knewst what shee Talks oftentimes to me concerning thee Mir. All these are trophies of my constant love With which I 'le triumph o're the Pow'rs above And men below my torments and her hate O're Fortune and the world o're Death and Fate Cor. Wonder of Constancy if this man knew How much hee 's lov'd by her what would hee do Mirtillo how it pities me to hear These frantick speeches Tell me wert thou ' ere In love before Mir. Fair Amarillis was My first and shall be my last Love Cor. Alas It should seem then that thou didst never prove Any but cruell but disdainfull Love O that 't had been thy chance but once to be In love with one that 's gentle courteous free Try that a little try it and thou 'lt finde How sweet it is to meet with one that 's kinde That loves and honours thee as much as thou Thy sowre and cruell Amarillis how Delightfull 't is to have a joy as great As is thy love a happinesse compleat As thy own wish to have thy Mistresse twine About thy neck and her sighs eccho thine And after say My Joy all that I have All that I am and thy desires can crave At thy devotion is If I am fair For thee I 'm fair for thee I deck this hair This face this bosome from this brest of mine I turn'd out my own heart to harbour thine But this is a small river to that vast Sweet sea of pleasure which love makes us taste And they alone that taste can well relate Mir. A thousand thousand times most fortunate Is he that 's born under so blest a star Cor. Hear me Mirtillo ' ere I was aware I 'd almost call'd him mine a Nymph as fair As the proud'st she that curls or spreads to th' air Her golden tresses worthy of thy love As thou of hers the honour of this Grove Love of all hearts by every worthier swain In vain sollicited ador'd in vain Doth love thee onely and thee onely prize More then her life and more then her own eyes Mirtillo scorn her not if wise thou be For as the shadow doth the body she Will follow thee through all the world she will At thy least word and beck be ready still As thy obedient hand-maid night and day With thee shee 'll passe the tedious hours away Ah! do not wave Mirtillo do not wave So rare a blisse the perfect'st joyes we have Are those which neither sighs nor tears do cost Nor danger and on which least time is lost Here thou hast passe-time at thy door a feast Upon the table alwayes ready drest To please thy taste Ay me canst thou receive A greater gift then this Mirtillo Leave Leave this cold hunting after flying feet And her that runs to thy embraces meet Nor do I feed thee with vain hopes command Her come and she that loves thee is at hand Now if thou say the word Mir. I prethee rest Content my pallat is not for a feast Cor. Try but what joy is made of once and then Return unto thy wonted grief agen That thou maist say thou hadst a taste of both Mir. Distemper'd palats all sweet things do
Of sudden joy runs races with my bloud Such a Magnetick powerfull sympathie And unaccustom'd tendernesse feel I. Thou then that my companion hast been In travels and in sorrowes shalt be in At my joyes too 't is reason thou shouldst go My half in happinesse as well as woe Vra. Companion of thy travels I have been Not of the fruit thereof for thou art in Thy native soil where thou repose maist find For thy tir'd body and more tired mind But I that am a stranger and am come So many leagues from my poor house and from My poorer and distressed Family Trailing my wearied lims along with thee For my afflicted body well may find Repose but not for my afflicted mind Thinking what pledges do behinde remain And how much rugged way I must again Tread over e're I rest Nor do I know Who else could have prevail'd with me to go From Elis in my gray unweildy age Not knowing why so long a pilgrimage Car. Thou knowst my sweet Mirtillo who was giv'n As a son to me by propitious Heav'n Some two months since came hither to be well By my advice or of the Oracle To speak more true which said Th' Arcadian air Was th' only means that could his health repair Now I that find it an exceeding pain Without so deer a pledge long to remain Consulting the same Oracle enquir'd When he 'ld return whom I so much desir'd The Answer was the same I tell thee now Vnto thy ancient Country return thou Where with thy sweet Mirtillo thou shalt be Happy for in that place by Heaven hee Is mark'd out for great things But till thou come Into Arcadia touching this be dumb Thou then my faithfullest Companion My lov'd Vranio who hast ever gone A share in all my fortunes hithertō Repose thy body and thou shalt have too Cause to repose thy minde 'twixt me and thee If Heav'n perform what it hath promis'd me All shall be common no successe can glad Carino if he see Vranio sad Vr. My deer Carino what I do for thee Rewards it self if it accepted be But what at first could make thee to forgo Thy native Country if thou lov'st it so Car. A love to Poetry and to the lowd Musick of Fame resounding in a crowd For I my self greedy of forraigne praise Disdain'd Arcadia onely should my Layes Hear and applaud as if my native Soile Were narrow limits to my growing Style I went to Elis and to Pisa then Famous themselves and giving fame to men There saw I that lov'd Egon first with Bayes With Purple then with Vertue deckt alwayes That he on earth Apollo's self did seem Therefore my heart and Harp I unto him Did consecrate devoted to his name And in his house which was the house of Fame I should have set up my perpetuall rest There to admire and imitate the best If as Heav'n made me happy here below So it had gi'n me too the grace to know And keep my happinesse How I forsook Elis and Pisa after and betook My selfe to Argos and Micene where An earthly god I worshipt with what there I sufferd in that hard captivity Would be too long for thee to hear for me Too sad to utter Onely thus much know I lost my labour and in sand did sow I writ wept sung hot and cold fits I had I rid I stood I bore now sad now glad Now high now low now in esteem now scorn'd And as the Delphick iron which is turnd Now to Heroick now Mechanick use I fear'd no danger did no pains refuse Was all things and was nothing chang'd my hair Condition custome thoughts and life but ne're Could change my fortune Then I knew at last And panted after my sweet freedome past So flying smoaky Argos and the great Storms that attend on greatnesse my retreat I made to Pisa my thoughts quiet port Where praise be giv'n to the Eternall for 't Upon my deer Mirtillo I did light Which all past sorrowes fully did requite Vra. A thousand thousand times that man is blest Can clip the wings of his aspiring brest Nor for the shadow of great happinesse Doth throw away the substance of the lesse Car. But who 'd have dreamt midst plenty to grow poor Or to be lesse by toiling to be more I thought by how much more in Princes Courts Men did excell in Titles and Supports So much the more obliging they would be The best enamell of Nobility But now the contrary by proof I 've seen Courtiers in name and Courteous in their meen They are but in their actions I could spie Not the least-spark or drachm of Courtesie People in shew smooth as the calmed waves Yet cruell as the Ocean when it raves Men in appearance onely I did finde Love in the face but malice in the minde With a streight look a squinting heart and least Fidelity where greatest was profest That which elsewhere is vertue is vice there Plain troth square dealing love unfeign'd sincere Compassion faith inviolable and An innocence both of the heart and hand They count the folly of a soul that 's vile And poor a vanity worthy their smile To cheat to lie deceit and theft to use And under shew of pity to abuse To rise upon the ruines of their Brothers And seek their own by robbing praise from others The vertues are of that perfidious race No worth no valour no respect of place Of Age or Law bridle of modestie No tie of love or blood nor memorie Of good receiv'd no thing 's so venerable Sacred or just that is inviolable By that vast thirst of Riches and desire Unquenchable of still ascending higher Now I not fearing since I meant not ill And in Court-craft not having any skill Wearing my thoughts caracterd in my brow And a glasse-window in my brest judge thou How open and how fair a mark my heart Lay to their Envie 's unsuspected dart Vra. Who now can boast of earth's felicity When Envie treads on vertues heels Car. O my Vranio If since my Muse and I From Elis past to Argos I had found Such cause to sing as I had ample ground To weep perchance in such a lofty key I 'd sung my Master's glorious Arms that hee Should have no cause for the felicity Of his Meonian trumpet to envie Achilles and my Country which doth bring Such haplesse Poets forth as Swan-like sing Their own sad fates should by my means have now A second Lawrell to impale her brow But in this age inhumane age the while The art of Poetry is made too vile Swans must have pleasant nests high feeding fair Weather to sing and with a load of care Men cannot climb Parnassus cliffe for he Who is still wrangling with his Destinie And his malignant fortune becomes hoarse And loses both his singing and discourse But now 't is time to seek Mirtillo out Although I find the places hereabout So chang'd and alter'd from their ancient wont I for Arcadia in
you that lodg'd the Monster as y' are wont Amongst the neighb'ring sheepcoats raise the Hunt Rowse eyes and hearts with your shrill voice and horn If ever in Arcadia there were born A shepherd who did follow Cynthia's Court As a true lover of her rurall sport Within whose Quarry-scorning mind had place The pleasure or the glory of the Chase Now let him show that courage and that love By following me where in a little grove To Valour a large field doth open lye That dreadfull Boar I mean that Prodigy Of Nature and the Woods that huge that fell And noted'st Tyrant that did ever dwell And reign in Erimanthus the fields mower The mowers terror Go you then before And do not only with your early horn Anticipate but wake the drowsie morn Exeunt Hunts. sounding We Linco will to prayers this perilous Chase Heav'n being our guide we may more boldly trace That work which is begun well is half done And without Prayer no work is well begun Lin. Thy worshipping the Gods I well commend But not thy troubling them who do attend The Gods The Priests as yet are all asleep To whom day springs yet later where the steep Surrounding hils a short Horizon make Sil. To thee whose heart is hardly yet awake The whole world sleeps Lin. O Silvio Silvio Why did frank Nature upon thee bestow Blossoms of Beauty in thy prime so sweet And fair for thee to trample under feet Had I thy fresh and blooming cheek Adieu I 'ld say to beasts and nobler game pursue The Summer I would spend in feasts and mirth In the cool shade the Winter by the hearth Sil. How 's this Thou art not Linco sure for he Such counsell never us'd to give to me Lin. Counsell must change as the occasion doth If I were Silvio so I 'ld do insooth Sil. And I if I were Linco would do so But as I am I 'll do like Silvio Lin. Fond youth for a wild Beast so far to roame Whom thou must hunt with danger when at home One's safely lodg'd Sil. Dost thou speak seriouslie How neer is it Lin. As thou art now to me Sil. Th' art mad Lin. Thou art Sil. In what wood doth hee rest Lin. Silvio's the wood and Cruelty the beast Sil. Mad I was sure Lin. To have a Nymph so fair Rather a Goddesse of perfections rare Fresher and sweeter then a Rose new blown Softer and whiter then an old Swans down For whom there lives not at this day a swain So proud 'mongst us but sighs and sighs in vain To have I say this matchlesse Paragon By Gods and men reserv'd for thee nay thrown Into thine arms without one sigh or tear And thou unworthy to disvalue her Art thou not then a beast a savage one Rather a senselesse clod a stock a stone Sil. If not to be in love be cruelty Then cruelty's a Vertue Nor do I Repent but boast I lodge him in my brest By whom I 've conquerd Love the greater beast Lin. How couldst thou conquer silly Idiot Whom thou nere try'dst Silv. In that I try'd him not Lin. O hadst thou try'd him Silvio and once found In mutuall Lovers what true joyes abound I know thou 'ldst say O Love the sweetest guest Why hast thou been an alien to this brest Leave leave the woods leave following beasts fond boy And follow Love Sil. Linco I take more joy In one beast caught by my Melampo far Then in the love of all the Nymphs that are Keep they those joyes unto themselves alone That finde a soul in them for I finde none Lin. No soul in LOVE the world's great Soul But fool Too soon believe 't thou 'lt finde he is all soul Perchance too late for hee 'll be sure before We die to make us all once feel his power And take my word worse torment none can prove Then in old limbs the youthfull itch of love All tampring then will but exasperate The sore If Love a young man wound he straight Balms him again hope holds up sorrows head And smiles revive him if frowns strike him dead But if an aged man those flames endure Whose own defects his own repulse procure Then then the wound is unsupportable And mortall then the anguish is a Hell Then if he pity seek it is a curse To go without it and to gain't a worse Ah! hasten not before th' appointed day The curse of dayes for if when thou art gray Thou learn to love 't will breed a double sense Of thy youth's pride and age's impotence Leave leave the woods leave following beasts fond boy And follow Love Sil. As if there were no joy But these Chimera's in a Lovers head Of strange Eliziums by his feaver bred Lin. Tell me if in this jolly month of May When earth is clad in all her best array In stead of bladed fields brooks uncontroul'd Green woods and painted meads thou shouldst behold Bald fields and meads brooks bound with Ice the Pine The Beech the Ash the Oak the Elm the Vine And Poplar like inverted Sceletones Stand desolate ratling their naked bones Wouldst thou not say Nature is out of tune The world is sick and like to dye in June Now the same horrour which thou wouldst receive From such a monstrous noveltie conceive At thine own self The all-disposing Heav'n To ev'ry age hath proper Humors giv'n And as in old men love absurdly shows So young men enemies to love oppose Nature and Heav'n Look Silvio round about Examine the whole Universe throughout All that is fair or good here or above Or is a Lover or the work of Love Th' all-seeing Heav'n the fruitfull Earth's a Lover The Sea with love is ready to boil over Seest thou yon Star of such excelling hew The Suns Postillion That 's a lover too Nor is exempted from her own son's laws But feels that passion which her beauties cause Perchance this very hour too shee did part From her stoln sweets and Him that keeps her heart Mark what a wanton eye she has In woods Rough Bears the crook-backt Dolphin loves in floods And sluggish Whales That little bird which sings So sweetly and so nimbly plyes the wings Flying from tree to tree from Grove to Grove If he could speak would say I am in love But his heart sayes it and his tongue doth say 't In language understood by his deer Mate And Silvio heark how from that wildernesse His dear Mate answers And I love no lesse The Cowes low in the valley and what 's this But an inviting unto amorous blisse The Lions roar in solitary Groves Not for their prey but for their absent Loves All things that are but Silvio are in love The burthen's that Here round us and above No soul but Silvio is a foe to joy Leave leave the woods leave following beasts fond boy And follow Love Sil. Had I my tender yeers Committed to the care of thy gray hairs That thou shouldst thus effeminate my heart With
I do Your Oracles are still obscurer farre Then we imagine and their answers are Like knives which if they warily be caught By that safe part which for the hand was wrought Are usefull but if rashly they be tane By th' edge or point one may be hurt or slain That Amarillis as thou argu'st should By Heav'n be destin'd for the gen'rall good And safety of Arcadia who should rather Desire and joy then I who am her Father But when I mark the words of th' Oracle Me thinks with those the signes agree not well If Love must joyn them and the one doth fly How can that be How can the strings which tie The true-Love's knot be hatred and disdain That cannot be oppos'd which Heav'ns ordain Since then we see such opposition here That Heav'ns did not ordain it is most cleer Had they been pleas'd that Silvio should have had My Amarillis they would him have made A Lover not a Huntsman Mont. Dost not see He 's young not yet seventeen In time ev'n he Will feel the dart of Love Tit. A dog hath got His love I know not why a Nymph should not Mont. Youths are inclined more to recreation Tit. And is not love a nat'rall inclination Mont. Before the time 't is an unnat'rall thing Tit. Love is a blossome which adorns our spring Mont. Your forward blossoms seldom come to good Tit. They seldom fail where frosts nip not the bud But came I hither to dispute with thee Montano I nor can nor fits it me Yet I 'm a Father too of a most deer And onely child and if Love do not blear My eyes a worthy one such under favour That many woo'd me and still do to have her Mont. Were not this Marriage made in heav'n by Fate 'T is made in earth by Faith to violate Which Titiro were rashly to prophane The godhead of great Cynthia in whose Fane The solemn oath was taken Now how ready She is to wrath and how incens'd already Against this Country thou art not to learn But I professe as far as I discern And a Priest's mind rapt up above the skie Into th' eternall counsels there can prie This knot by th' hand of Destiny was knit And all those signes which should accompan ' it Have thou but Faith will fall out jump and right In their due time I 'll tell thee more this night I in my dream a certain thing have view'd Which my old hopes hath more then ere renew'd Tit. Dreams are but dreams but well what didst thou view Mont. Thou dost remembâ—â— I presume for who Amongst us all is such a stupid wight As to forget that lamentable night When swelling Ladon weary of his yoke The banks with his rebellious waters broke So that where birds were wont to build their nests Usurping fishes swam and men and beasts And flocks and herds promiscuously tane Th' impartiall deluge swept into the Main That very night O bitter memory I lost my heart or rather that which I More dearly priz'd a child a tender one In swathing bands and then my onely son Both then and since though he be dead as deer To me as if my onely son he were The cruel torrent ravish'd him away Before the people of the house who lay In darknesse fear and sleep buri'd alive With any timely succour could arrive We could not find the empty cradle neither But as I ghesse that and the child together Were swallow'd by the flood Tit. What else can be Suppos'd I think I 've heard perchance from thee This losse of thine before in very truth A miserable one and full of ruth And I may say of thy two sons the Floods Have swallow'd one the other 's lost i' th' Woods Mont. Perhaps kind Heav'ns in the surviving brother Will make me rich amends yet for the other 'T is alwayes good to hope Now list me out 'T was at the dawning of the morn about That mungrell hour which gotten betwixt night And day is half an Ethiop and half white When having watcht out all the night almost With various fancies of this Marriage tost Quite overcome at length with wearinesse A gentle slumber did mine eyes oppresse Which with it such a lively vision brought That though I slept I was awake Me thought On fam'd Alfeo's bank I angling sate Under a shady Beech there came up straight A grave old man down to the middle bare His chin all dropping and his grisled hair Who with both hands and countenance beni'ne Put a nak'd weeping infant into mine Saying Lo here thy Son and take good heed Thou kill him not then div'd into the reed With that black clouds obscur'd the Heavens round And threatning me with a dire tempest frown'd I to my bosome clapt the babe for fear And cry'd Shall then one hour both give and bear Away my joy Straight all the welkin turn'd Serene and thunderbolts to ashes burn'd Fell hissing in the River with bows broken And shafts by thousands signes which did betoken Extinguisht vengeance then a shrill voice brake From the riv'd Beech which in his tongue thus spake Believe Montano and thy hope still nourish Thy fair Arcadia once again shall flourish So ever since in my eyes mind and brest The pleasing figure of this dream 's imprest Standing before me still in every place But above all the courteous meen and face Of that old man me thinks I see him wet Which made me coming now when thee I met Directly to the Temple there with pure And holy Sacrifice my Dream t' insure Tit. Truely Montano Dreams are Histories Of what is past rather then Prophecies Of what 's to come Meer fragments of some sight Or thought of the past day which prints at night A vain reflection of it self like those Which in a cloud the Sunne opposed shows Mont. Not alwayes with the senses sleeps the soul Rather when she is free from all controll Of cousening forms which do the senses blinde Whilst they 're asleep more wakefull is the minde Tit. In short how Heav'ns have destin'd to dispose Of our two children neither of us knows But this is cleer to both of us thine flyes And against Nature's law doth Love's despise And mine as 't proves is ty'd her self yet hath No benefit of her engaged faith Nor do I know whether she love or no That she makes others love full well I know And can I think it probable that shee Should others wound and go her self still free Mee thinks of late she 's alter'd in her cheer Who us'd all Mirth and Jollity t' appear But to put Maids in mind of marrying And then not marry them is an ill thing As in a curious garden a fair Rose Which cloystred up in leaves did late repose Under the sable canopie of night Upon its mother-stalk with the first light Raises its head then opes its tender eye Whence whispring Bees suck Nectar as they fly Then to the Sun which on its form doth gaze Its
melting wax Or like the tugging of a deep-fixt dart By which the wound 's made greater and the smart Most true it is I shall a tale relate Which will demonstrate the unsure estate Of Lovers hopes and that how-ere the root Of Love be sweet it bears a bitter fruit In that fair season when Day 's wheels out-run The Night's 't was just a twelvemonth since this Sun Of Beauty this fair Pilgrim came to bring With her approach as 't were a second Spring To my then only rich and happy nest Elis and Pisa with her presence blest Brought by her Mother in those solemn dayes When Sacrifices and Olympick Playes Through all the world so famous are kept there In honour of the mighty Thunderer Shows worthy sure of those fair eyes But those Fair eyes themselves were farre the worthier shows Whence I who till that instant never knew What flames of Love did mean at the first view Of those bright lamps yeelded and never fought One stroke against her for I felt me thought Two fiery balls fly whizzing through my liver And Beauty a bold thief cry'd Stand Deliver Thy heart Mirtillo Erg. O Love's piercing steel Which they alone can understand that feel Mir. But now to see what cunning Love suggests Ev'n to the youngest and the simplest brests I made a deer young Sister of mine own Who was my cruell Nymph's companion Whilst she in Elis and in Pisa staid Acquainted with my pain This silly maid Was all the councell Love allotted me For managing my amorous bus'nesse she With her own garments decks me in great order And imps my short hair with a borrow'd border Then braids it all with flowrs hanging a bow And Quiver by my side and last doth show How I should frame my words and count'nance where No footsteps of a beard did then appear The hour approached she conducted me Where my Nymph us'd to play and there found we Some Noble Megarensian Maids whom Blood And Love linkt to her as I understood 'Mongst them was she like Royall Rose 'mongst low Born Violets And when as they had so For a good space without more pastime staid A Megarensian Virgin rose and said What at a time for Pastime so renown'd Shall we without our sports be idle found And have not Sisters we our weapons then To make mock-fights withall as well as men By my advice wee 'll practice our arms now Against our selves in jest as we must do In earnest one day against men Let 's kisse And wage a kissing warre and she that gi 's The best and sav'rest one shall have for meed This curious wreath All laught and cry'd Agreed Forthwith not staying for the word or signe These eager Amazons in battell joyn No ranks they kept no colours knew nor side But all confused and each each defy'd The Megarensian this perceiving straight To the disordered Troops sounds a retrait And after saith Let her deservedly The Judge of all our kisses be Whose mouth is fairest With one voice Of peerlesse Amarillis they made choice She sweetly bending her fair eyes Her cheeks in modest blushes dyes To shew through her transparent skin That she is no lesse fair within Then shee 's without or else her countenance Envying the honour done her mouth perchance Puts on her scarlet robes as who Should say And am not I fair too Erg. Blest man to be transform'd at such a time As if this accident thou couldst divine Mirt. The fair Judge takes her seat and now renews The amorous fight according to the use Of war by lots they march up one by one To try their mouthes by hers the Paragon Of sweetnesse or as I may term it well Of orient pearls a perfum'd Indian shell And the two lips a two-leav'd Coral door With honyed lock to ope and shut with more Facility upon the pearly treasure O my Ergast ' that I could tell the pleasure Of those sweet kisses But do thou hence ghesse it That mouth which tasted it cannot expresse it Extract then all the sweetnesse which remains In Hybla-combs in Cyprian Sugar-canes It will be nothing to that world of blisses I suckt from thence Erg. O happy theft sweet kisses Mirt. Sweet but yet lame the better half was missing The soul which gives perfection to kissing For though Love gave them Love restor'd them not Erg. But hadst thou not some fear when 't was thy lot To kisse Mirt. My heart Ergasto to say true Was at my mouth and my soul shrunk into A narrow volume 't was one kisse whence all My limbs stood tott'ring like an ill propt wall And when I came under the battery And within aim of her sure killing eye I fear'd the Majesty of that bright look Lest in the very act I should be took Of theft and guile which I was then about But straight her count'nance clearing me that doubt By a serene and unsuspecting smile I ventur'd boldly on Love stood the while Ergasto like a Bee hid in the leaves Of her lips Roses and whilst she receives The kisses of my mouth with hers unmov'd And passive I the honey onely prov'd But when she active likewise growes And thrusts out this and t'other rose Whether her gayety of heart it was Or my good luck for 't was not love alas When our two mouthes snapt like a bone well set And like two tallies that are brothers met O my deer sweet and num'rous treasure Do I out live so great a pleasure Then then I felt the sharp sweet dart The amorous sting piercing my heart Which was it seems restor'd me then That I might have it hurt agen I then as soon as I had found Her lips had giv'n me my deaths wound Was ready like some desperate gasping wight The weapon which had wounded me to bite When suddenly her sweet breath like the blast Of an inspiring Deity did cast An holy damp upon my sawcy blood Which all immodest and wild heat withstood Erg. O Modesty the block and Remora Which ever lies in the true Lovers way Mirt. Now all of them had had their turns and come With thoughts suspended to attend the doom When Amarillis judging mine t' exceed All th' others kisses plac'd the Victors meed That curious wreath with her own snowy hand Upon my head But O! no Lybian sand Beneath the Syrian dog ere broyl'd so much When he both barks and bites his rage is such As my whole heart was then on fire Betwixt fruition and desire And being never conquerd half so much As when I was a Conqu'ror such My boldnesse was that from my head I reacht the wreath to her and sed This is thy due for thee 't is meet Who with thy mouth hast made my kisses sweet And she most courteously accepting it For her fair hair made it a Coronet And crown'd mine with another which before Upon her own divine temples she wore Which is the same I now do bear and shall Heav'n willing to my Funerall
Wither'd as 't is to keep in memory That happy day but most to signifie My wither'd hopes Erg. Thy case doth pity and not envie claim Mirtillo or hereafter let thy name Be Tantalus for he that jests with Love Or playes with fire shall pain in earnest prove Poor youth thou took'st up transitory treasure At too much use and of thy theft the pleasure And punishment together didst receive But did she never the deceit perceive Mirt. I know not that Ergasto this I do Whilst shee thought Elis worthy of her view She was still bounteous to me of her eye And gracious smiles But my hard destinie Snatching her thence unwares to me almost I straight came flying hither where thou knowst My Father though he sojourn'd long abroad Yet still retains his wonted poor aboad I came and saw O sight my day begun In such a fair and smiling morn now run To its long West When I appear'd in place The lightning of disdain flash'd in her face Then did she bend her eyes and turn'd away These Meteors boad my death then did I lay Mean while that I should so by stealth depart My tender Father took deeply to heart And with the grief on 't an infirmity So terrible that he was like to die This forc'd me back which prov'd alas in one Health to the Father sicknesse to the Son For half a yeer of a Love-caused feaver I languisht and I think had languisht ever If my indulgent Father had not sought In time the Tripods Counsell whence he brought This Answer That th' Arcadian air alone Could make mee well again I thereupon Return'd Ergasto to revisite her O fallacy of that grand Sophister The Oracle who made my body whole To cause eternall sicknesse in my soule Erg. Thou hast related a strange tale in truth Mirtillo a case worthy of much ruth Without all doubt But oft a desperate state Hath prov'd the cause that cures as desperate Have sav'd the sick And now 't is time I goe To tell Corisca what from thee I know Expect me at the Fountain there will I Ere long be with thee Mirt. Go on prosperously And Heav'n at need that pity shew to thee Courteous Ergasto which thou shewst to me Scena secunda DORINDA LUPINO SILVIO She bringing in Silvio's Dog Dor. FAithfull and fortunate delight and care Of my fair Silvio and as proud as fair Thrice fortunate Melampo that I were Unto thy cruell Master half so deer With that white hand with which he gripes my heart He stroaks and he feeds thee He doth not part From thee by night nor part from thee by day Whilst I that so much love him in vain pray And sigh in vain And that which worse I bear Then all the rest he gives to thee such deer And lushious kisses one of which would make Me rich and I too kisse thee for his sake Happy Melamp ' O dog sent from above To steer the erring footsteps of blind Love Lead on sure guide whither Affection mee But Nature onely and Instinct drawes thee But list a little doth not a horn blow In this neer thicket Sil. Sogh Melampo Sogh Dor. That is if Love delude me not the sound Of Silvio's voice who seems to call his hound About these woods Sil. Melampo Sogh hogh hogh Dor. It is the very voice of Silvio Happy Dorinda to whom Heav'n hath sent The self same thing in search whereof I went I 'll hide the dog with that he holds so deer I may chance buy his love Lupino Lup. Here. Dor. Go take this dog and hide thee hereabout Conceiv'st thou me Lup. I do Dor. But come not out Untill I call Lup. I wo'n't Dor. Nay quickly man Lup. And do thou quickly take some order than That if the dog should have a hungry fit He may not swallow me up at a bit Dor. A Coward Hence Sil. O whither shall I steer My wretched steps to follow thee my deer Faithfull Melampo over hill and plain Till I am tir'd and foundred I in vain Have hunted for thee Cursed be the Doe Thou follow'dst But behold a Nymph may know Some news of him O vile encounter This Is she who with her importunities Torments me still but there 's no remedy Save patience now Fair Nymph didst thou see my Faithfull Melampo whom I slipt while-ere After a Doe Dor. I Silvio fair I fair Why dost thou call me fair if that I be Not fair in thy eyes Sil. Fair or fowl didst see My dog Answer me that if not I go Dor. So harsh to her adores thee Silvio Who would beleeve in that sweet shape could nest So sowr a soul Thou follow'st a wild beast That flyes thee over rocks and for a curre Vexest thy body and thy minde but her That follows thee and thy content doth prize Above the world thou fly'st and dost despise Ah! do not follow a wild flying Doe Let not a tame one caught already goe Do not unbind her Sil. Nymph I came in search Of my Melampo not to hear thee preach Adieu Dor. O fly not cruell Silvio I 'll tell thee news of thy Melampo Sil. Goe Thou mockst Dorinda Dor. By that love I swear That makes me Silvio's servant I know where He is Thou sayst he did a Doe pursue Sil. He did and straight I lost them both from view Dor. The Dog and Doe then at this present time Are in my pow'r Sil. In thy pow'r Dor. Yes in mine 'T was that I said Dost thou think much that shee Should love thy Dog ungratefull who loves thee Sil. My deer Dorinda give 'em to me straight Dor. Out Shittle-cock I 'm come to a fine state When beasts endeer me to thee But indeed My heart thou gettst them not without some meed Sil. And reason good I 'll give thee Let me see I 'll cousen her Dor. What wilt thou give to me Sil. Two fair Queen-apples I will give to thee Which my own fairer Mother gave to me The other day Dor. For apples I want none I could give thee two fairer of my own And sweeter too but that thou carest not For what I give Sil. Then wouldst thou have a goat Or Lambkin but my Father will not let Me make so bold with what is his as yet Dor. Nor Goat nor Lambkin do I care to have Thee onely Silvio and thy love I crave Sil. My love No more Dor. No more Sil. I g'it thee so Give me my Dog deer Nymph now and my Doe Dor. Ah that thou knewst the worth of what thou art So bounteous of and spak'st now from thy heart Sil. Nymph mark my words I finde thou talkst to me Still of a thing call'd Love what this should be I know not thou wouldst have me love thee and I doe as farre as I can understand With all my heart thou call'st me cruell I Am ignorant of what is crueltie How should I please thee Dor. In whom hop'st thou poor Dorinda whence dost thou expect thy cure From
I Be not deceiv'd both by my self and by Another Here I shall that Sun behold Which I adore impart her beams of gold To my blest sight behold her flying feet Stop at my sad notes here upon the sweet Food of that lovely face I shall suffice After a tedious fast my greedy eyes Here here behold that proud one on me turn Her sparkling lamps if not to light to burn And if not fraught with amorous delight So kindly cruell as to kill outright Yet were 't but just that after so much pain As I have hitherto endur'd in vain Thou Love at length shouldst make the Sun appear To this benighted earth serene and cleer Hither Ergasto did direct me where Corisca and my Amarillis were To play at Blindman-busse but I can finde In this place nothing but my love that 's blind And so deceiv'd mis-led by a false guide To seek that light which is to me deny'd Pray Heav'n my hard and envious fate beneath This sugred Pill now have not hid my death This tedious stay afflicts me For those That go to meet their Loves each moment shows An age Perchance I have arriv'd too late And made for me too long Corisca wait Yet I made haste Now woe is me If I Have done this fault I will lie down and dye Scena secunda AMARILLIS MIRTILLO Chorus of Nymphs CORISCA. Am. BEhold the Buff Mirt. O sight Am. Come on Mirt. O voice That makes my heart both tremble and rejoyce Am. What do you do Lisetta where art thou That wert so eager of this sport but now And thou Corisca whither gone Mir. I finde Now it is true indeed that Love is blinde Am. You there that are appointed for my guides To hand and to support mee on both sides Before the rest of our Companions come Out of these trees conduct me to field-room Then leaving me alone amidst the plain Amongst our other fellows herd again So joyning all together make a ring About me round and let the sport begin Mir. But what shall I do Yet I cannot see Of what advantage this should be to me In my desires nor see I my north-starre Corisca Succour me blest Heav'n Am. O are Yee come at last yee wantons did you mean Only to bind my eyes Begin now then Chor. Love thou art not blind I know But dost onely appear so To blinde us if thy sight 's small Thou hast I 'm sure no faith at all Blinde or not thou try'st in vain Mee into thy net to train And to keep out of thy pound Off I get and traverse ground Blind as thou art thou couldst see more Then Argus hundred eyes of yore Thou couldst see blind as thou art Well enough to hit my heart But I were a fool indeed Should I trust thee now I 'm freed Sport with thee henceforth that will 'T is a sport with thee to kill Am. I but with too much warinesse you play Yee should strike first and after get away Approach me touch me and ye shall not fly Me then Mir. O ye high Gods In heav'n am I Or earth O heav'ns do your eternall rounds Move in such order warble such sweet sounds Cho. Well blind Archer since thou still Vrgest me to play I will Now I clap thy shoulder hard Now I fly unto my guard Strike and run and strike again And thou wheel'st about in vain Now I pinch thee now remove And have at thee now blind Love Yet thou canst not light on me Why because my heart is free Am. In faith Licoris I had surely thought T' ave caught thee there and 't was a tree I caught I dost thou laugh Mir. Would I had been that tree But do I not Corisca hidden see Amongst those brakes and she makes signes as who Should say that something she would have me do Cho. A free heart makes a nimble heel Ah traitour dost thou tempt me still With thy flattering false delight Thus then I renew the fight Slash and fly and turn and shove And about again blind Love Yet thou canst not light on me Why because my heart is free Am. Would thou wert puld up by the root base tree That I should ever thus be catching thee Deceived by the dancing of a bough I did suppose I 'd had Eliza now Mir. Corisca still is making signes to me And looks as shee were angry perhaps she Would have me mix with those Nymphs Am. Must I play With nothing but with trees then all this day Cor. I must come forth and speak or hee 'l not stir To her white liver and lay hold on her Why dost thou gape to have her run into Thy mouth At least if that thou dar'st not do Let her lay hold of thee Come give me here This dart and go to meet her fool Mir. How neer To impotence is strong desire O Love That thou shouldst make a man a coward prove Am. Play but once more for now I weary grow Troth y' are too blame for making me run so Chor. That triumphant God survey To whom amorous mortals pay Impious tribute See him snaffeld See him laught at See him baffeld As a hooded Hawke or Owle With light blinded when the fowle With their Armies flock about her Some to beat and some to stout her She in vain doth rowze and peck This and that way with her beak So we baffle and deride Thee blind Love on ev'ry side One doth pinch thy elbow black T'other has thee by the back And thy baiting does no good Nor thy pecking through thy hood Nor thy stretching out thy clawes But sweet meats have sowr sawce Birds are caught by playing thus So do Nymphs grow amorous Scena tertia AMARILLIS CORISCA MIRTILLO Am. I' Faith Aglaura art thou caught at last thou 'dst fain be gone but I will hold thee fast Cor. Surely unlesse at unawares by main Strength I had thrust him on her I in vain Had tyr'd my self to make him thither go Am. Thou wilt not speak now Art thou she or no Cor. I lay his Dart here by him and unto My bush return t' observe what will ensue Am. Thou art Corisca now it is most cleer I know thee by thy tallnesse and short hair 'T was thee I wish'd to catch that I might use thee Just as I list and thus and thus abuse thee And thus and thus Not yet But since 't was thou That boundst me do thou too unbinde me now Quickly my heart and thou shalt have of me The sweetest kisse that ere was given thee What dost thou stick at thy hand trembles what Art thou so weary If thy nails will not Let thy teeth do 't come fumbler let mee see I can my self untangle without thee Fye how with knots on knots it is perplext The best on 't is thou must be blinded next So now 't is loos'd Hah whom have we here Traitor avaunt I am unspirited Mir. Dear Soul do not strive to goe away Am. Unhand Forcer of Nymphs unhand
tore And murther'd Orpheus so on Hebrus shore As they had thee unlesse her clemencie Whom thou call'st cruell now had rescu'd thee But she is not so cruell as she ought To be for if when she is cruell thought Thy boldnesse is so great what would it be If she were judged pitifull by thee That honest pitie which I could I gave Other it is in vain for thee to crave Or hope for amorous pitie she can ill Bestow who gave it all to one that will Give her none back If thou my Lover be Love my good name my life my honestie Thou seek'st impossibles I am a ward To Heav'n Earth watches me and my reward If I transgresse is death but most of all Vertue defends me with a brasen wall For she that is protected by her honour Scorns there should be a safer guard upon her Look to thy safety then and do not give Battell to me Mirtillo fly and live If thou be wise For out of sense of smart T' abandon life argues but a faint heart And 't is the part of vertue to abstain From what we love if it will prove our bane Mir. He that no longer can resist must yeeld Am. Where vertue is all passions quit the field Mir. Love triumphs over vertue Am. Let that man That cannot what he will will what he can Mir. Necessitie of loving hath no law Am. Love 's wounds will heal which salves of absence draw Mir. We fly in vain what we about us carry Am. Love drives out love like following billows Marry Mir. Strange levitie in me thou dost presume Am. If all wayes fail time will thy love consume Mir. But first my love will have consumed me Am. Is there no cure then for thy malady Mir. No cure at all but that which death affords Am. Death let me speak then and be sure these words Be as a charm unto thee though I know When Lovers talk of dying it doth show An amorous custome rather of the tongue Then a resolve of minde continuing long To do 't indeed yet if thou ere shouldst take So strange a frenzie know when thou dost make Away thy self thou murtherst my fame too Live then if thou dost love me and adieu I shall esteem thee henceforth most discreet If thou take care we two may never meet Mir. Sad doom without my life how can I live Or without death end to my torments give Am. Mirtillo 'T is high time thou wentst away Thou hast already made too long a stay Be gone and take this cordiall along Of hopelesse Lovers there 's a numerous throng There is no wound but carries with it pain And there are others may of love complain Mir. I know I 'm not the only man hath lost His Love but onely wretched I am tost 'Twixt life and death of whom it may be sed That I am neither living nor yet dead Am. Be gone be gone Mir. O wofull parting O End of my dayes from thee how can I go And yet not dye The pangs of death I 'm sure I feel and all that parting souls endure For mine 't is past into my griefs Hence I Have ceas'd to live those live immortally Scena quarta AMARILLIS MIrtillo O Mirtillo couldst thou see That heart which thou condemn'st of cruelty Soul of my soul thou unto it wouldst show That pity which thou begg'st from it I know O ill starr'd Lovers what avails it me To have thy love T' have mine what boots it thee Whom Love hath joyn'd why dost thou separate Malitious Fate And two divorc'd by Fate Why joyn'st thou perverse Love How blest are you Wild beasts that are in loving ty'd unto No lawes but those of Love whilst humane lawes Inhumanely condemn us for that cause O why if this be such a naturall And powerfull passion was it capitall Nature too frail that do'st with Law contend Law too severe that Nature do'st offend But what they love but little who death fear Ah my Mirtillo would to heav'n that were The onely penaltie Vertue which art The bindingst Law to an ingenuous heart This inclination which in me I feel Lanc'd with the sharp point of thy holy steel To thee I sacrifice and pardon deer Mirtillo her that 's onely cruell where She must not pitie Pardon thy fierce foe In looks and words but in her heart not so Or if addicted to revenge thou be What greater vengeance canst thou take on me Then thine own grief for if thou be my heart As in despight of Heaven and Earth thou art Thy sighs my vitall spirits are the flood Of tears which follows is my vitall blood And all these pangs and all these groans of thine Are not thy pangs are not thy groans but mine Scena quinta CORISCA AMARILLIS Cor. SIster no more dissembling Am. Woe is me I am discovered Cor. I heard all now see Was I a Witch I did believe my Heart Thou wert in love now I am sure thou art And would'st thou keep 't from me thy closet tush This is a common evill never blush Am. Corisca I am conquer'd I confess 't Cor. No now I know 't deny it thou wert best Am. Alas I knew a womans heart would prove Too small a vessell for o're-flowing love Cor. Cruell to thy Mirtillo but unto Thy self much more Am. 'T is cruelty that grew From pitie Cor. Poyson ne're was known to grow From wholsom root What diff'rence canst thou show 'Twixt such a crueltie as doth offend And such a pitie as no help will lend Am. Ay mee Corisca Cor. 'T is a vanitie Sister to sigh an imbecillitie Of mind and tastes too much of woman Am. Wer 't Not crueller to nourish in his heart A hopelesse love To fly him is a signe I have compassion of his case and mine Cor. But why a hopelesse love Am. Do'st thou not know I am contracted unto Silvio Do'st thou not know besides what the Law saith 'T is death in any woman that breaks faith Cor. O fool and is this all stands in thy way Whether is ancienter with us I pray The Law of Dian or of Love this last Is born with us and it growes up as fast As we do Amarillis 't is not writ Nor taught by Masters Nature printed it In humane hearts with her own powerfull hand Both Gods and men are under Loves command Am. But if that Law my life away should take Can this of Love a restitution make Cor. Thou art too nice if women all were such And on these scruples should insist so much Good dayes adieu I hold them simple souls Will live obnoxious to such poor comptrolls Lawes are not for the wise if to be kind Should merit death Iove help the cruell mind But if fools fall into those snares 't is fit They be forbid to steal who have not wit To hide their theft For honestie is but An art an honest glosse on vice to put Think others as they list thus I conceive Am. These rotten grounds
love Knowst thou who I am who thou art Lin. Thou art a man or shouldst be one and I Another what I teach Humanity And if thou scorn that name which is my pride Take heed in stead of being deifi'd Thou turn not beast Sil. That monster-taming King From whom my lofty pedegree I bring Had never grown so valiant nor so fam'd If first the monster Love he had not tam'd Lin. See foolish youth how idly thou talkst now Had great Alcides been no Lover how Hadst thou been born Rather if he orecame Monsters and men to Love impute the same Knowst thou not yet that to comply with fair Omphales humour he not onely ware In stead of the fierce Lions rugged skin Womens soft robes but taught those hands to spin And hold a feeble distaffe which did bear The knotty Club His interludes these were Between his Acts And when his ribs were beat With dear-bought Counquests he would then retreat Into her lap the bay of sweet delight As in Love's port to be new built for fight His sighs from his past toils sweet breathings were And spirits strengthning him new toils to bear For as the iron of it self too rough And of a harsh unmalleable stuffe Softned with fire and gentler metall strength From weaknesse gathers and becomes at length Fit for the noblest use so hearts untam'd Which their own stifnesse often breaks enflam'd With generous Love and with his sweets allay'd Are cleerer apter for great Actions made If th' art ambitious then to imitate Great Hercules and not degenerate From thy high strain since woods thou dost affect Follow the woods but do not Love neglect I mean so lawfull and so worthy love As that of Amarillis I approve So far from blaming that as cruelty Thy shunning of Dorinda For in thee Who standst upon thy bloud 't were double shame To scorch thy brest with an unlawfull flame For injuring thy Spouse Sil. What saist thou man Shee is not yet my Spouse Lin. Was there not than A promise solemnly receiv'd and giv'n Take heed proud Boy how thou provokest Heav'n Sil. Man 's freedom is Heav'ns gift which doth not take Us at our word when forced vows we make Lin. I but unlesse our hopes and judgements fail Heav'n made this Match and promis'd to entail A thousand blessings on 't Sil. 'T is like that there Is nothing else to do a proper care To vex the calm rest of the gods above Linco I like nor this nor t'other Love I was a Huntsman not a Lover bred Thou who art all for love go back to bed Lin. Thou sprung from Heav'n harsh Boy nor of divine Can I suppose thee nor of humane Line Alecto's poyson thy cold limbs did fashion Sweet Venus had no hand in thy creation Scena secunda MIRTILLO ERGASTO Mirt. O Amarillis Authresse of my flame Within my mouth how sweet now is thy name But in my heart how bitter Amarillis Fairer and whiter then the whitest Lillies But crueller then cruell Adders far Which having stung least they should pitie bar Their ears and flie If then by speaking I Offend thee I will hold my peace and die I 'll hold my peace but what will that do good If hils and dales roar for me and this wood Which thy deer name can nere forget from me So often heard and carv'd on every tree The windes shall sigh for me the fountains shed Abundant tears grief mourn and pitie plead Or couldst thou bribe whole Nature with a fee To silence lastly Death shall speak for me Hee 'll thunder 't out and to the world proclaim I dy'd a Martyr in my true Loves flame Erg. Mirtillo Love is a great pain at best But more by how much more it is supprest For as hot Steeds run faster at the check Then if you laid the reins upon their neck So love restrain'd augments and fiercer growes In a close prison then when loose he goes Why hidst thou thy flames cause so long from me When the effect could not concealed be Mirtillo burns how often have I said But inward burns and will not call for aid Mirt. Courteous Ergasto out of my respect To her alas I did my self neglect Nor would my festring passion yet unfold But that necessity hath made me bold I hear a buzzing rumour every-where Which to my heart findes passage through my ear That Amarillis shortly weds nor dare Ask more lest so I should my love declare Or prove my fear too true Full well I know Nor hath Love strook me blind that in my low And slender fortunes it were simple pride To hope a Nymph so shap't so qualifi'd So rais'd in wealth in spirit and in blood Above all these so gentle and so good Can ere be mine no I have tane the height Of my unhappy Star my sullen fate Made me for fuell onely born to smother In fires I cannot kindle in another Yet since Fate 's pleas'd I should affect death more Then life at least I 'ld have her know before That shee 's beholding to me for my death And deigne when I sigh out my latest breath To cast her fair eyes on me and say Dye This reasonable boon obtain would I That ere she go to make another blest In having her shee 'ld hear me speak at least But once my deer Ergasto. Now if love Or pitie of me thy soft entrails move Procure me this this physick onely lend To make the passage easie to my end Erg. From one that loves a just from one that dies A small request yet a hard enterprize Woe be to her should her stern father hear That to stoln prayr's she ere had lent an ear Or if some baser pick-thank should disclose It to the Priest her father-in-law Who knows But out of these respects she may eschew Thy company and yet affect thee too For women are more prone to love then men But to conceal 't have more discretion then And if 't were true that she did love thee what Could shee do lesse then shun thee for all that She that wants power to help listens in vain And flies with pity when her stay breeds pain And I have heard 't is still the wisest course To quit that soon which one must quit perforce Mir. O were this true and could I think it so Sweet were my pain and fortunate my woe But deer Ergasto hide it not from me So help thee Pan who may this Bridegroom be So lov'd of all the Starres Erg. Dost thou not know I 'm sure thou dost that famous Silvio Silvio the rich the gallant and the fair The Priest Montano's onely Son and Heir 'T is he Mir. O happy youth whose joy appears So ripe for harvest in his spring of yeers Pardon me gentle swain I envie not Thy happinesse but mourn my own hard lot Erg. Indeed there is no reason to envy Rather to pity him Mirt. To pity Why Erg. Because he loves her not Mirt. And hath he wit Hath he a
heart Is he not blind And yet When I consider with what full aspect Her starry eyes their influence direct Into my brest she cannot have a dart Left in her quiver for another heart But why do they a gemme so precious throw To one that knows it not and scorns it so Erg. Because the Heav'ns did through this Marriage Unto Arcadia long ago presage Deliverance Hast not thou heard that here Is paid to the great Goddesse ev'ry yeer Of a Nymph's guiltlesse bloud a cruell and Unconscionable tribute by this Land Mirt. 'T is news to me nor let that strange appear Since I my self am but a stranger here And since I came by Fate 's decree and Love's Almost a constant Burgesse of the Groves But what strange crime deserv'd so sharp a doom How could such monstrous cruelty finde room In a Celestiall minde Erg. Of me then know From the first head the torrent of our wo A Story that would tears of pitie wrest From heart of oak much more from humane brest Whilest yet the Priesthood was not ty'd to age A youthfull swain of noble Parentage Then Dian's Priest Aminta was his name The Nymph Lucrina did with love enflame All creatures of her sex exceeded shee As much in beauty as unconstancie She long requited or at least to sight If looks and eyes have tongues she did requite The pure affection of the Love-sick lad And fed his hopes whilst he no Rivall had But when a rustick swain her favour sought See now a perfect woman in a thought She left the former with one sigh was shook With the faint batt'ry of one amorous look Her hearts new guest now takes up all the room Dislodg'd Aminta ere he knew for whom Haplesse Aminta who from that day forth Was so abhorr'd held of so little worth By that ungrate whom he did still adore That she would neither hear nor see him more If this unkindnesse cut the wretch to th' heart If he sigh'd wept and rav'd to thee who art Acquainted with Love's pangs I leave to ghesse Mir. O 'T was a torment no man can expresse Erg. When then his tears and prayers he had cast After his heart to Dian turn'd at last If ever with pure heart Goddesse quoth he And guiltlesse hand I kindled flame to thee Revenge my faith which a perfidious Maid Under safe conduct of her smiles betraid The Goddesse gentler then the Nymph was hears The faithfull Lover's and her servant's tears And prayr's and pity kindling her just ire By opposition did augment the fire Her pow'rfull bow into her hand she took And in ARCADIA'S wretched bosome stuck Arrows of death and catching Pestilence Invisible and therefore without fence Without remorse they execute her rage Without respect on every sex and age Nor Antidotes nor Med'cines here avail'd Nor flying now weak Art her Master fail'd And oft whilst he the remedy apply'd Before the Patient the Physitian dy'd The onely hope that 's left is from the skie So to the neerest Oracle they flie Which soon return'd an answer cleer enough But above measure terrible and rough That Cinthia was incenst but that the Land Might be reliev'd if by Aminta's hand That faithlesse Nymph Lucrina or some one For her of the Arcadian Nation Were as an offring to Diana slain So she when long sh' had prayd long wept in vain And long expected her new Lovers ayd To th' holy Altars like a Bride array'd And with what pomp Religion could devise Was led a miserable Sacrifice Where at those feet from which hers fled so fast The feet of her Idolater at last Bending her trembling knees she did attend From the offended youth a cruell end The sacred knife he boldly did unsheathe Rage and revenge his nostrils seem'd to breathe His eyes to sparkle turning then to her Said with a sigh death's hollow messenger Whom thou hast left Lucrina and whom took Learn by this blow And with that word he strook Himself and plung'd the knife in his own brest To th' haft In one both Sacrifice and Priest Fell bleeding at her feet whilst she amaz'd To see that dire unlookt for object gaz'd As one 'twixt life and death nor yet did know If grief had stab'd her or the threatned blow But when she found her tongue again and knew Distinctly what was acted there O true O brave Aminta bathing in a flood Of tears she said O Lover understood Too late who by thy death dost give to me Both life and death If in forsaking thee I sinn'd lo I redeem that sin of mine Wedding my soul eternally to thine This said that knife fresh reeking with the gore Of the now lov'd in death and purpled ore She drew from his pale brest and in her own Sheath'd it again then willingly sunk down Into Aminta's arms who yet had breath And felt perchance that lightning before death Such was this pair of Lovers tragick fall 'Cause he kept too much faith she none at all Mir. O haplesse swain yet happy in his Love Having so rich occasion to approve His spotlesse faith and dying to revive That spark in her he could not being alive But what became then of the poor diseas'd Did the plague cease was Cinthia's wrath appeas'd Erg. It did relent but was not quite put out For the same month the yeer being wheel'd about It burst out with more fury and did make A dire relapse This forc'd us to betake Our selves unto the Oracle agen Which utterd now a sadder doom That then And yeerly we to Nights offended Queen A Maid or Wife should offer past fifteen And short of twenty by which means the rage Which swallow'd thousands one death should asswage Moreover a hard law and weighing well The nature of that sex impossible To keep a law in bloudy letters writ On wretched women was impos'd by it That whatsoever Maid or Wife should prove In any sort a changeling in her love Vnlesse some friend would pay the penalty In stead of her should without mercy die This dire this nationall Calamitie The good old man hath hope to remedie By means of this desired Match because The Oracle after some little pawse Being ask'd again what end our woe should have To our demand this punctuall answer gave Your woe shall end when two of Race Divine Love shall combine And for a faithlesse Nymphs apostate state A faithfull Shepherd supererogate Now there are left in all Arcadia Of heavenly Stock no other slips this day But Silvio and Amarillis She From Pan descended from Alcides He. Nor had there ever to our much regret Of those two Lines a Male and Female met As now there do whence the believing Father Great hopes of good not without cause doth gather For though the things foretold by th' Oracle Be not fulfill'd yet in each particle This is the fundamentall point the rest Is still reserv'd in Fates own secret brest And of the Marriage one day shall ensue Mir. And all this
do Mirtillo to undoe What a long swing is fetcht what armies band Against one heart half murtherd to their hand Is 't not enough that cruell Love 's my foe Unlesse Fate too conspire my overthrow Erg. Alas Mirtillo grieving does no good Tears quench not Love but are his milk and food 'T shall scape me hard but ere the Sun descend This cruell one shall hear thee Courage friend These sighs refresh not as thou dost suppose Thy burning heart but rather are like those Impetuous winds which in a Town on fire The bellows are to blow and fan it higher Love's whirlwinds bringing to poor Lovers ever Black clouds of grief which showrs of tears deliver Scena tertia CORISCA. WHo ever saw what heart did ever prove So strange fond impotent a Passion Love And cold Disdain a miracle to me Two contraries should in one subject be Both in extremes I know not how each other Destroy and generate enflame and smother When I behold Mirtillo's every grace From his neat foot to his bewitching face His unaffected carriage sweet aspect Words actions looks and manners they eject Such flames of love that every passion Besides seems to be conquerd by this one But when I think how dotingly he prizes Another woman and for her despises My almost peerlesse face although I say 't On which a thousand eyes for alms do wait Then do I scorn abhor and loath him more Then ever I did value him before And scarce can think it possible that he Had ever any interest in me O if my sweet Mirtillo were mine own So that I had him to my self alone These are my thoughts sometimes no mortall wight More blisse could boast of then Corisca might And then I feel such kindly flames so sweet A vapour rise that I could almost meet His love half way yea follow him adore His very steps and aid from him implore Nay I do love him so I could expire His sacrifice in such a pleasing fire Then I 'm my self again And what say I A proud disdainfull boy one that doth fly From me and love another that can look Upon this face of mine and not be strook But guard himself so well as not to dye For love Shall I that should behold him lye Trembling and weeping at these feet of mine As many better men have done incline Trembling and weeping at his feet O no! And with this thought into such rage I grow Against my self and him that sounding straight Unto my eyes and fancy a retreat Mirtillo's name worser then death I seem To hate and mine own self for loving him Whom I would see the miserablest swain The most despised thing that doth remain Upon the earth and if I had my will With mine own hands I could the villain kill Thus like two seas encountring Hate and Love Desire and Scorn in me dire battell move And I the flame of thousand hearts the rack Of thousands souls languish and burn and lack That pitie I deny'd to others I Who have in Cities oft been courted by Gallants and wits to whom great Lords have bent And yet withstood vollies of complement Squadrons of Lovers jeer'd their idle fires And with false hopes deluded their desires And now enforc'd t' a rustick swain to yeild In single sight t' a fellow that 's unskill'd O thou most wretched of all womankind Corisca Where couldst thou diversion find Hadst thou no other Lover how asswage Or by what means deceive thy amorous rage Learn women all from me this housewifery Make you conserve of Lovers to keep by Had I no Sweet-heart but this sullen Boy Were I not well provided of a joy To extreme want how likely to be hurl'd Is that ill houswife who in all the world But one Love onely but one Servant hath Corisca will be no such fool What 's faith What 's constancy Tales which the jealous feign To awe fond girls names as absurd as vain Faith in a woman if at least there be Faith in a woman unreveal'd to me Is not a vertue nor a heavenly grace But the sad penance of a ruin'd face That 's pleas'd with one cause it can please no more A handsome woman sought unto by store Of gallant youths if pleas'd with one alone No woman is or is a foolish one What 's beauty tell me if not view'd or view'd If not pursu'd or if pursu'd pursu'd By one alone Where Lovers frequent are It is a signe the partie lov'd is rare Glorious and bright A womans honour is T' have many Servants Courtly Dames know this Who live in Towns and those most practise it Who have most wealth most beauty and most wit 'T is clownishnesse say they to reject any And folly too since that 's perform'd by many One cannot do One Officer to wait A second to present a third to prate A fourth for somewhat else so it doth fall Out oft that favours being generall No favours seem or jealousie thus throwne To whet them all are easier kept then one This merry life is by great Ladies led In Towns and 't was my fortune to be bred with one of them by whose example first Next by her rules I in Loves art was nurst Up from my childhood she would often say Corisca thou must use another day Thy Lovers like thy garments put on one Have many often shift and wear out none For daily conversation breeds distast Distast contempt and loathing at the last Then get the start let not the servant say H 'as turnd his Mistresse not she him away And I have kept her rules I 've choice and strive To please them all to this my hand I give And wink on him the handsom'st I admit Into my bosome but not one shall get Into my heart and yet I know not how Ay me Mirtillo's crept too neer it now He made me sigh not sigh as heretofore To give false fire but true flames to deplore Robbing my limbs of rest my eyes of sleep Ev'n I can watch till the gray morning peep The discontented Lovers truce ev'n I Strange change to melancholy walks can fly And through the gloomy horrors of this grove Trace the sweet footsteps of my hated Love What wilt thou do Corisca sue my hate Permits not this nor stands it with my State Wilt thou then fly him That would shew more brains But Love sayes no to that What then remains First I will try allurements and discover The love to him but will conceal the Lover I 'll use deceipts if that avail me not And if those sail me too my brain shall plot A brave revenge Mirtillo shall partake Hate if he spurn at Love and I will make His Amarillis rue that she was ere A Rivall unto me to him so deer Last I will teach you both what 't is to move A woman to abhor where she did love Scena quarta TITIRO MONTANO DAMETAS Tit. I Speak Montano what I know is true And speak to one who knows more then
purple and perfumed brest displayes But if it be not gatherd then and stay Till it be kist by the Meridian Ray Before the Sun to th' other world be fled Upon its mourning stalk it hangs the head So pale so shrunk so without life it showes That one can hardly say This was a Rose So a young Virgin whilst her Mothers care Shuts and preserves her from the blasting air Shuts her own bosom too against desire But if she find some amorous youth to eye her And hears him sigh she opes him straight her heart And in her tender brest receives Love's dart Then if by fear or else by maiden shame She be withheld from shewing of her flame Poor soul Concealment like a worm i' th' bud Lies in her Damask cheek sucking the bloud So all her beauty 's gone if that fire last And all her Lovers when her Beauty 's past Mont. Take courage Titiro do not embase Thy soul with mortall fears but nobly place Thy hopes above Heav'n favours a strong faith And a faint pray'r nere clomb that arduous path And if all men should pray to Heav'n at need And pray with hope much more should Heav'ns own Our childrens Pedigree it is Divine And Heav'n that shines on all will surely shine On its own Progenie Come Titiro Together to the Temple let us go Together offer thou a hee-goat there To PAN and I to HERCULES a Steer The Gods who blesse the herds will blesse no lesse Them who the Gods do with those blessings blesse Trusty Dametas go and quickly cull From my fair herd the best and gentlest Bull And bring him to me to the Temple straight Come by the hill the neerest way is that Tit. And good Dametas from my herd bring one Of the best Goats Dam. Both shall with speed be done May the high Gods pleas'd in their goodnesse be To blesse Montano this thy Dream to thee Ev'n to thy utmost wish this memory Of thy lost son is a good augury Scena quinta SATYR AS frosts to Plants to ripened Ears a storm To Flowrs the mid-day sun to Seed the worm To Stags the toyls to Birds the lime-twig so Is Love to man an everlasting Foe And he that call'd it fire pierc'd well into Its treach'rous nature for if fire thou view How bright and beautifull it is Approacht How warm and comfortable But then toucht O how it burns The monster-bearing earth Did never teem such a prodigious birth It cuts like razors like wild beasts devours And through a wood like winged lightning scowrs Where-ere it fixes its imperious foot Cottage and Pallace all must yeeld unto 't So Love if thou behold it in a pair Of starry eyes in a bright tresse of hair How temptingly it looks what kindly flames It breathes what peace what pardons it proclaims But in thy bosome if thou do it keep So that it gather strength and 'gin to creep No Tygresse in Hircanian mountains nurst No Lybian Lionesse is half so curst Nor frozen Snake fostred with humane breath His flames are hot as hell bonds strong as death He is Wrath's hangman Pitie's enemy And to conclude Love void of love But why Accuse I him Is he the Authour then Of all those pranks which mortal wights not when They are in love but out of their wits do Women perfidious women 't is to you That I impute Love's rancour all that 's naught In him from you is by infection caught He of himself is good meek as the Dove That draws the chariot of the Queen of Love But you have made him wild for though ye joy With your own hands to feed the winged Boy Yet do you shut each pore so of your brest That in your hearts He cannot build his nest And all your care pride pleasure ye do place In the meer outside of a simpring face Nor is 't your study how to pay true love And wager whether shall more constant prove To bind two souls in one and of one heart To make the other but the counter-part But how your silver hair with gold to hatch Then purse it up into a net to catch Poor souls withall and like gold valence let Some curles hang dangling ore your brows of jet How much against my stomack doth it go To see you paint your cheeks to cover so The faults of Time and Nature How ye make Pale Feulemort a pure Vermilian take Fill up the wrincles die black white a spot With a spot hide where 't is make 't where 't is not You tie a thred acrosse whereof one end Held in your teeth the other is sustein'd By your left hand whilst of the running knot Your right hand makes a noose to ope and shut Like shaving tongs This instrument you fit To your rough downy forheads and with it Shave all the down and the wild hairs which shoot Above their fellows pull up by the root And all the while such torment you are in That 't is at once a penance and a sin Nor is this all your qualities are much After your faces and your faith is such As are your works For what is there in you That is not counterfeit and painted too Do your lips ope before ye speak ye lye And if ye sigh ye lye most damnably False lights your eyes are and false weights your ears Your hearts false measures and false pearl your tears So talk or look or think or laugh or cry Seem or seem not walk stand or sit ye lye Nay there 's more yet your cousening those Most who on you do most repose Your loving most those who do least love you And chusing to die rather then be true These are the arts these are the wayes That make Love hatefull in our dayes All his faults then we may most justly lay On you or rather on our selves for they Sin that believe you Then the fault 's in me Perjur'd Corisca who did credit thee Come hither onely for my bane I think From Argos wicked streets of vice the sink Yet th' art so fly and play'st so well the Scout To keep thy deeds and thoughts from tracing out That 'mongst the chastest Dames thou jettst it now With honesty stampt on thy haughty brow What scorns have I receiv'd what discontent From this ungratefull woman I repent Yea blush I was so fond Example take By me unskilfull Lovers how ye make An Idol of a face and take 't for granted There 's no such divell as a woman sainted She thinks her wit and beauty without peer And o're thy slavish soul doth domineer Like some great Goddesse counting thou wert born As a thing mortall onely for her scorn Takes all that praise as tribute of her merit Which is the flattry of thy abject spirit Why so much serving so much admirations Such sighs such tears such humble supplications These are the woman's arms Let us expresse Ev'n in our Loves valour and manlinesse Time was when I as lusty as I am Thought tears
her Scena quinta AMARILLIS CORISCA. Am. DEar happy Groves and you ye sollitary And silent horrors where true peace doth tarry With how much joy do I review you And Had my stars pleas'd to give me the command Over my self that I might chuse my lot And my own way of life then would I not For the Elisians groves about which range The happy shades your happy shades exchange For what we foolish mortals Goods do call If rightly understood are Evils all He that hath most of them in truth hath least Nor is so much possessor as possest Not riches no but of our freedome snares What boots it in the spring-time of one's yeers To have the Attributes of Fair and Good In mortall veins to lock celestiall blood Graces of body and of mind here fair And laughing fields of corn rich meadows there In fruitfull pasture-grounds more fruitfull flocks If with all these the heart contentment lacks Happy that shepherdesse whom some course stuffe Obscurely cloaths yet clean and just enough Rich onely in her self and bravely drest With Nature's ornaments which are the best Who in sweet poverty no want doth know Nor the distractions which from riches grow Yet whatsoever may suffice the mind In that estate abundantly doth finde Poor but content with Nature's gifts retrives The gifts of Nature Milk with milk revives And with the sweet which from the Bee she gets Seasons the honey of her native sweets One fountain is her looking glasse her drink Her bath and if she 's pleas'd what others think It matters not she heeds not blazing starres That threaten mighty ones warres or no warres It is all one to her her battlement And shield is that she 's poor Poor but content One onely care 't is a sweet care doth keep Her heart awake she feeds her Masters sheep With pearled grasse and with her lovely eyes Some honest swain that for her beauty dies Not such as men or Gods chuse to her hand But such as Love did to her choice commend And in some favour'd shady Mirtle grove Desires and is desir'd Nor feels of Love One spark which unto him she doth not show Nor shows one spark with which he doth not glow Poor but content True life which till the breath Forsakes the body knowst not what is death Would Heaven had made me such a one But see Corisca Sweet Corisca. Cor. Who calls me My Amarillis dearer then mine owne Eyes or life to me whither so alone Am. No farther then thou seest nor anywhere Could I be better since I weet thee here Cor. Thou hast met her that never parts from thee Sweet Amarillis and now credit me Was thinking of thee saying in my heart If I'm her soul how can she live apart From me When straight I saw thee here but go Thou car'st not for Corisca now Am. Why so Cor. Why Dost thou ask the question thou dost wed To day Am. I wed Cor. Yes and thou keepst it hid From me Am. How can I tell thee that which I Am ignorant my self of Cor. Do deny And wear a mask to me Am. Still jest with me Corisca. Cor. I am jested with by thee Am. But speakst thou this for truth Cor. I 'le swear 't is so And knowst thou nothing of 't indeed Am. I know I 'm promis'd but that I should be a wife So soon is news to me upon my life But from whom knowst it thou Cor. From my own Brother Ormino and he sayes there is no other Discourse abroad Thou seem'st perplext is this News to perplex one Am. O Corisca 'T is A hideous gulfe I 've heard my mother say W' are then new born Cor. Most true 't is our birth day T' a better life therefore rejoyce Dost fetch A sigh leave sighing to that wretch Am. What wretch Cor. Mirtillo who was present casually At what my brother told mee and was nigh Strook dead with grief and doubtlesse he had dy'd If a good cordiall I had not apply'd By promising to break this Match Which though I said onely to comfort him I know If need were how to do 't Am. Canst thou tell How to break this Match Cor. Yes very well Am. I prethee how Cor. With ease if thou wert but Consenting likewise and assisting to 't Am. Could I suppose this possible and thou Wouldst not reveal it I would tell thee now A secret that hath long burnt in my heart Cor. Who I reveal it Let the earth first part And swallow me alive miraculously Am. Know then Corisca when I think that I Must all my life be subject to a Boy That hates and flyes me and doth take no joy But in the woods preferring hunting farre Before the love of all the Nymphs that are It makes me male content and desperate Indeed almost although I dare not say 't Because my faith I have already given Unto my Father and what 's worse to Heav'n And break with them I neither will nor may But if thy industry can finde a way Alwayes provided that my Honestie My Faith my Life and my Religion be Preserv'd t' untie this knot that galls me so To thee my life and safety I shall owe. Cor. If this were it that caus'd thy sighing thou Hadst great cause for it Amarillis How Oft have I said What pity 't is to throw So rich a thing to one that scorns it so A pearl t' a swine why speak'st not to thy Father Am. Shame stops my mouth Cor. There 's a disease I 'd rather For my part have a Fistula or Feaver But 't will be cur'd Orecome it once 't will never Return again Am. That cannot be orecome That 's naturall For if I drive it from My heart it flies into my face Cor. Alas My Amarillis oft it comes to passe She that through too much wisdom holds her tongue Roars out at last like mad being throughly stung Hadst thou before been willing to discover Thy mind to me this trouble had been over And now thou hast Corisca's power this day In all its colours shall it self display Into more skilfull hands more faithfull then Mine are thou never couldst have faln But when From an ill Husband thou art freed by mee Shall not an honest Suitor welcom be Am. Wee 'l think of that at leasure Cor. That good youth Mirtillo must not be forgot in sooth For parts for spotlesse faith for shape thou knowst Of all men living hee deserves thee most And canst thou let him dye O cruelty Nor wilt so much as hear him say I dye Hear him but once Am. 'T were better he would rest In peace and root a love out of his brest That 's vain Cor. That comfort give him ere he dye Am. 'T would rather double his perplexity Cor. If it do so the seeking is his own Am. And what must I expect should it be known Cor. How cowardly thou art Am. And let me still Be cowardly in any thing that 's ill Cor. If thou mayst fail
loath Cor. Yet do 't in pitie unto her that dyes Unlesse sh' enjoy the fun of thy fair eyes Uncharitable youth art not thou poor And canst thou beat a beggar from thy door Ah! what thou wouldst another should extend To thee do thou now to another lend Mir. What alms can beggers give In short I swore Allegeance to that Nymph whom I adore Whether she tyrant prov'd or mercifull Cor. O truly blind and most unhappy dull Mirtillo who is 't thou art constant to I am unwilling to add woe to woe But thou art too much wrong'd I' faith and I That love thee am not able to stand by And see thee so betraid If thou suppose This crueltie of Amarillis growes From zeal to vertue or Religion Th' art gull'd another doth possesse the throne And thou poor wretch whilst he doth laugh must cry What stricken dumb Mir. I 'm in an ecstasie 'Twixt life and death suspended till I know Whether I should believe thee now or no. Cor. Do'st not believe me then Mir. If I did I Had not surviv'd it sure and I will dye Yet if it be a truth Cor. Live Caitiffe live To be reveng'd Mir. But I cannot believe It is a truth Cor. Wilt thou not yet believe But force me to tell that which it will grieve Thy soul to hear Do'st thou see yonder cave That is thy Mistresse Faith's and Honour's grave There laughs sh'at thee there makes of thy anoy A poynant sawce to thy tir'd Rivals joy In short there oft a base-born shepherd warms Thy vertuous Amarillis in his arms Now go and sigh and whine and constant prove Unto a Nymph that thus rewards thy love Mir. Ay me Corisca do'st thou tell me true And is it fit I should believe thee too Cor. The more thou searchest 't will the worser be Mir. But didst thou see 't Corisca wo is me Cor. Truth is I did not see it but thou mayst And presently for she her word hath past To meet him there this very hour But hide Thy self beneath that shady hedges side And thou thy self shalt see her straight descend Into the cave and after her her friend Mir. So quickly must I dye Cor. See! I have spi'd Her coming down already by the side O' th' Temple mark how guiltily she moves Her stealing pace betraying their stoln loves To mark the sequell do thou here remain And afterwards we two will meet again Mir. Since the discovery of the truth 's so neer With my belief I will my death defer Scena septima AMARILLIS NO mortall work successfully is done Which with th' immortall gods is not begun Full of distractions and with heavie heart I did from hence unto the Temple part Whence Heaven be prais'd I come as light as air And strangely comforted for at my pray'r Pure and devout I felt from thence me thought Another soul into my body shot Which whisper'd Fear not Amarillis go Securely on I and I will do so Heav'n guiding Fair Mother of Love befriend Her that on thee for succour doth depend Thou that as Queen in the third Orb do'st shine If e're thou felt'st thy Son's flames pitie mine Bring courteous Goddesse by a secret path Quickly that youth to whom I 've pawn'd my faith And thou deer cave till I have done my work Suffer this slave of Love in thee to lurk But Amarillis all the coast is cleer None nigh to see thee and none nigh to hear Securely enter O Mirtillo O Mirtillo if thou dream'dst wherefore I go Scena octava MIRTILLO I Wake and see what I could wish t' have been Born without eyes that I might not have seen Or rather not to have been born Curst Fate Why hast thou thus prolonged my lifes date To bring me to this killing spectacle Mirtillo more tormented then in hell The blackest soul is not to doubt thy grief Not to be able to suspend beleif Thou thou hast heard and seen 't thy Mistresse is Another man's And which is worse not his Whose by the world's Laws she was bound to be But by Love's Lawes snatcht both from him and thee O cruell Amarillis to undo This wretched man and then to mock him too With that unconstant mouth which once did meet And once did call Mirtillo's kisses sweet But now his loathed name which haply rose Like bitter drink that 'gainst the stomack goes Because it should not bitternesse impart To thy delight hath spu'd out of thy heart Since therefore she who gave thee life hath ta'ne That life away and given it again 'T another why do'st thou thy life survive Wretched Mirtillo Why art thou alive Dye dye Mirtillo unto grief and smart As unto joy already dead thou art Dye dead Mirtillo since thy life is so Let thy pangs likewise be concluded Go Out of the anguish of this death which still Keeps thee alive that it may longer kill But shall I dye then unrevenged Sure I 'le slay him first that did my death procure I will dispense with my dire love of death Till I have justly ta'ne away his breath Who slew my heart unjustly Yeeld stout grief To anger death to life till in my life I have aveng'd my death Let not this steel be drunken with the flood Of its own Master's unrevenged blood Nor this right hand be Pitie's till it hath First made it self the Minister of wrath Thou that enjoy'st my spoyls what ere thou be Since I must fall I 'le pull thee after me In the same brake I 'le plant my self agen And when I spie him coming to the den Will rush upon him with this piercing dart At unawares and strike him through the heart But is 't not base to strike him out of sight It is defie him then to single fight Where valour may my justice prove But no This place is unto all so known and so Frequented that some swains may interpose Or which is worse enquire of me whence grows Our quarrell which if I deny 't is naught They 'l think if feign a cause I may be caught Then in a lie if tell 't her name will be Blasted with everlasting infamie In whom although I never can approve That which I see yet I must ever love That which I fanci'd and did hope t' have seen And that which ought I 'm sure in her t' have been Dye basely then the base Adulterer Who hath slain me and hath dishonour'd her I but the blood may if I kill him here The murther show and that the Murtherer What do I care I but the murth'rer known Bewrays the cause for which the murther's done So this ungratefull woman runs the same Hazard this way of shipwrak in her fame Enter the cave then and assault him there Good good tread softly softly lest she hear That she 's at th' other end her words imply'd Now hid with branches in the Rock's left side There is a hollow at the steep stairs foot There without any noyse I 'le wait to put In
drunk but now This cave's mouth open was I 'm sure then how Comes it now shut and with a ponderous And massie stone rowl'd down upon it thus Earth-quake I 'm sure t' unhenge it there was none Would I knew certainly that Coridon And Amarillis were within and then I car'd not how it came Hee 's in the den If as Lisetta said he parted were From home so long ago Both may be there And by Mirtillo shut together Love Prickt with disdain hath strength enough to move The world much more a stone Should it be true Mirtillo could not have deviz'd to doe Ought more according to my heart then this Though he Corisca had enthron'd in his In stead of Amarillis I will goe The back way in that I the truth may know Scena secunda DORINDA LINCO Dor. BUt Linco didst not thou know me indeed Lin. Who could have known thee in this savage weed For meek Dorinda But if I had been A ravenous hound as I am Linco then I to thy cost had known thee for a beast What do I see What do I see Dor. Thou seest A sad effect of Love a sad and strange Effect of loving Linco Lin. Wondrous change Thou a young Maid so soft so delicate That wert me thinks an infant but of late Whom in mine arms I bore as I may say A very little childe but yesterday And steering thy weak steps taught thee to name When I thy Father serv'd Daddy and Mam Who like a tim'rous Doe before thy heart Was made a prey t' insulting Love didst start At every thing that on the sudden stirr'd At every winde at every little bird That shook a bough each Lizard that but ran Out of a bush made thee look pale and wan Now all alone o're hils through woods do'st passe Fearlesse of hounds or savage beasts Dor. Alas She whom Love wounds no other wound doth fear Lin. Indeed fair Nymph Love shew'd his godhead here From woman to a man transforming thee Or rather to a wolf Dor. If thou couldst see Into my brest O Linco then thou 'dst say A living wolf upon my heart doth prey As on a harmlesse lamb Lin. Is Silvio That wolf Dor. Alas who else can be ' t Lin. And so Cause he 's a wolf thou a shee-wolf wouldst be To try since on thy humane visage he Was not enamour'd if he would at least Affect thee in the likenesse of a beast As being of his kind But prethee where Gotst thou these robes Dor. I 'le tell thee I did hear Silvio would chase to day the noble Bore At Erimanthus foot and there before The morning peept was I from wood to wood Hunting the Hunter by a crystall flood From which our flocks did climb the hils I found Melampo the most beauteous Silvio's hound Who having quench'd his thirst there as I ghesse Lay to repose him on the neighb'ring grasse I who love any thing that 's Silvio's Even the very ground on which he goes And shadow which his beauteous limbs do cast Much more the dog on which his love is plac't Stooping laid sudden hold on him who came Along with me as gently as a lamb And whilst t' was in my thoughts to lead him back Unto his Lord and mine hoping to make A friend of him with what he held so deer He came himself to seek him and stopt here Deer Linco I 'le not lose thee so much time As to tell all that 's past 'twixt me and him This onely to be brief After a long Preface of oathes on one another strung And treach'rous promises this cruell swain Flung from me full of Anger and disdain Both with his own Melampo to his Lord So true and with my deer and sweet reward Lin. O cruell Silvio ruthlesse swain But what Didst thou do then Dorinda didst thou not Hate him for this Dor. Rather as if the fire Of his disdain Loves fire had been his ire Increast my former flame His steps I trace And thus pursuing him towards the chace I met hard by with my Lupino whom Before a little I had parted from When straight it came into my head that I In his attire and in the company Of shepherds might be thought a shepherd too And undiscover'd my fair Silvio view Lin. In a wolves likenesse amongst hounds and none Bite thee 'T is much Dorinda thou hast done Dor. This Linco was no miracle for they Durst not touch her who was their Masters prey There I out of the tents amidst the crue Of neighb'ring shepherds that were met to view The famous passe-time stood admiring more To see the Huntsman then the hunted Bore At every motion of the furious beast My cold heart shiv'red in my brest At every action of the brave young man My soul with all her touch'd affections ran In to his aid But my extreme delight Again was poyson'd with the horrid sight Of the fierce Bore whose strength and vast Proportion all proportion past As an impetuous whirlwind in a great And sudden storm which all that it doth meet Houses and trees and stones before it bears All it can get within its circle tears To pieces in an instant so the Bore Wheeling about his tusks all foam and gore Pil'd in one heap dogs slain spears knapt men wounded How oft did I desire to have compounded For Silvio's life with the inraged Swine And for his blood t' have giv'n the Monster mine How oft was I about to run between And with my body his fair body screen Spare cruell Bore how often did I cry Spare my fair Silvio's brest of Ivory Thus to my self I spake and sigh'd and pray'd When his fierce dog arm'd with a brest-plate made Of hard and scaly barks of trees he slipt After the beast now prouder being dipt Throughly in blood and lifted from the ground On slaughter'd trunks The valour of that hound Linco exceeds beliefe and Silvio Not without reason surely loves him so As a chaft Lion which now meets now turns From an untamed Buls well brandish'd horns If once he come with his strong paw to seize Upon his shoulder masters him with ease So bold Melampo shunning with fine slights The Bores short turns and rapid motion lights At length upon his ear which having bit Quite through and lugg'd him twice or thrice by it He with his teeth so naild him to the ground That at his vast bulk now a mortall wound Might levell'd be with greater certainty Before but slghtly hurt then suddenly My lovely Silvio calling on the name Of Dian Goddesse do thou give me aim Quoth he the horrid head is thine This sed His golden Quiver's swiftest shaft to th' head He drew which flying to that very point Where the left shoulder knits with the neck joint There wounded the fierce Bore so down he fell Then I took breath seeing my Silvio well And out of danger Happy beast to die So sweet a death as by that hand which I Would beg my end from
little backward so The mortall steel past by leaving his brest Untoucht and in his coat of skins did rest Into the which I know not how 't was wove So intricately that Mirtillo strove In vain to pull it out and so he too Was taken Cho. And with him what did they do Erg. He to the Temple by himself was brought Cho. For what Erg. To try if he 'd discover ought Touching the fact in question Perhaps too Th' affront he in their Minister did do Unto the priestly majesty might some Penance deserve Would yet I might have come To comfort my poor friend Cho. What hindred thee Erg. The waiters at the altar may not be Admitted to delinquents therefore I Sequesterd from the other company Go by my self unto the Temple where With many a prayer and devouter tear I 'le beg of Heaven that it would chase away This sullen storm that overclouds our day Deer Shepherds rest in peace and joyn with ours Your pray'rs to batter the celestiall towers Cho. We will when we have paid to Silvio That duty first we to his goodnesse owe. O ye great Gods now now if ever prove Your anger lesse eternall then your love Scena quarta CORISCA. EMpale ye triumph-decking Lawrell boughs Empale my glorious and victorious brows Into Love's lists hedg'd round about with flame This day I came I saw I overcame This day hath Heav'n and Earth Nature and Art Fortune and Fate Friend and Foe ta'ne my part Ev'n that base Satyr who abhorres me so Hath helpt me too as if he too did go Some share with me How much more happily Did fortune bring Mirtillo in then I Contriv'd to have brought Coridon to make Her crime more show of likelihood to take And though Mirtillo's apprehended too That matters not they soon will let him go Th' Adultresse onely payes the penaltie O famous triumph Solemn victorie If lying may deserve a trophie I Deserve a trophie for my amorous lye Which from this tongue and bosome hath done more For me then Love with all his charms before But this is not a time to talk Withdraw Thy self Corisca till the doom of Law Fall on thy Rivals head for fear that she T' excuse her self should lay the blame on thee Or that the Priest himself should wish to know What thou canst say before he give the blow When a mine springs 't is good to stand aloof A lying tongue requires a flying hoof I 'le hide me in those woods and there will make Some stay till it be time to come and take Possession of my joyes O! it hath hit Beyond all thought Successe hath crown'd my wit Scena quinta NICANDRO AMARILLIS Nic. A Heart of flint or rather none had he Nor humane sense that could not pitie thee Unhappy Nymph and for thy sorrow grieve The more by how much lesse they can believe This should befall thee who have known thee best For were it but to see a Maid distrest Of venerable count'nance and that show'd So vertuous and so excellently good One that for heav'nly beauty merited Temples and Sacrifices to be led Unto the Temple as a Sacrifice Who could behold it without melting eyes But he that should consider further how And for what purpose thou wert born That thou Art Daughter unto Titiro and shoud Have married been unto Montano's bloud Two the most lov'd and honour'd shall I say Shepherds or Fathers of Arcadia And that being such so great so famous and So beautifull a Nymph and that did stand By nature so remote from thy death's brink Thou shouldst be now condemn'd He that doth think On this and weeps not wails not thy mishap Is not a man but wolf in humane shape Am. If my mishap had come through mine own fault And the effect had been of an ill thought As of a deed that seems ill it had been Lesse grievous to mee to have death pay sinne And very just it were I should have spilt My bloud to wash my impure soul from guilt To quench Heav'ns wrath and since man too had wrong Pay what to human justice did belong So might I still a crying conscience And mortifi'd with a due inward sense Of deserv'd death render my self more fit To die and through that purgatory get Perchance to Paradise But now in all My pride of youth and fortune thus to fall Thus innocent is a sad case a sad Nicandro Nic. Nymph would to Heav'n men had Sinn'd against thee rather then thou 'gainst Heav'n For satisfaction might be easier giv'n To thee for thy wrong'd Fame then unto it For its wrong'd Deities Nor know I yet Who wrong'd thee but thy self Wert thou not caught Alone with the adult'rer in a vault To Silvio precontracted wert not thou And so thy nuptiall faith hast broken How Then innocent Am. For all this have not I Transgrest the Law and innocently dye Nic. Not Natures law perchance Love where thou wilt But that of Men and Heav'n Love without guilt Am. Both men and Heav'n if all our fortune be Deriv'd from thence transgrest have against me For what but an ill destiny could bid That I should die for what another did Nic. What was that Nymph bridle thy tongue with high Flown grief transported ev'n to blasphemie The ils we suffer our own sins pull down Heav'n pardons many wrongs but it doth none Am. I blame in Heaven onely my own starre But one that hath deceiv'd me more by farre Nic. Then blame thy self thy self thou didst deceive Am. I did when I a coz'ner did believe Nic. They who desire to be deceiv'd are not Am. Dost think me naught Nic. Nay ask thy actions that Am. Actions are oft false comments on our hearts Nic. Yet those we see and not the inward parts Am. The heart may be seen too with th' eys o' th' mind Nic. Whithout the senses help those eyes are blind Am. The senses must submit to reasons sway Nic. Reason in point of fact must sense obay Am. Well I am sure an honest heart I have Nic. Prethee who brought thee then into the cave Am. My folly and too much credulity Nic. Thou trustedst with a friend thy honesty Am. I trusted a friends honestie Nic. Thy blood Was that the friend thou wouldst have understood Am. Ormino's Sister who betraid me thither Nic. 'T is sweet when Lovers are betraid together Am. Mirtillo enterd without my consent Nic. How enter'dst thou then and for what intent Am. Let this suffice 't was not for him I came Nic. It cannot if no other cause thou name Am. Examine him about my innocence Nic. Him who hath been the cause of thy offence Am. Call her to witnesse who betraid me hath Nic. Why should we hear a witnesse without faith Am. By chast Diana's dreadfull name I swear Nic. Thou by thy deeds art perjur'd unto her Nymph I am plain I cannot flatter thee Into a hope which in extremitie Will leave thee more confounded these are dreams A troubled fountain
May the good Gods pleas'd in their bounty be To make his coming prosperous to thee Mont. Father Tirenio what miracle Is this What mak'st thou from thy holy Cell Whom dost thou seek what news Tir. I come to speak With thee and news I bring and news I seek Mont. But why comes not the holy Order back With the purg'd offering and what doth lack Besides to th' interrupted Sacrifice Tir. O how much often doth the want of eyes Adde to the inward sight for then the soul â—â—â—â—-gadding forth but recollected whole Into it self is wont to recompence With the mind's eyes the blindnes of the sense It is not good to passe so slightly over Some great events unlookt for which discover In humane businesses an hand Divine Which through a cloud of seeming chance doth shine For Heav'n with Earth will not familiar be Nor face to face talk with Mortality But those great wondrous things which us amaze And on blind chance the more blind vulgar layes Are but Heav'ns voice the deathlesse Gods affect To speak to mortals in that Dialect It is their language mute unto our ears But loud to him whose understanding hears A thousand times most happy is that wight That hath an understanding pitcht so right The good Nicandro as thou gav'st command Was ready now to bring the sacred Band Whom I withheld by reason of a change That fell out in the Temple Which so strange Event comparing with what happen'd here At the same time to thee 'twixt hope and fear I know not how strook and amaz'd I stand Whereof by how much lesse I understand The cause so much the more I hope and fear Some happinesse or some great danger neer Mon. That which thou understandest not I do Too well and to my sorrow feel it too But is there ought in hidden Fate can shun Thy all divining Spirit Tir. O my Son If the Divine use of prophetick light Were arbitrary it would then be hight The gift of Nature not of Heav'n I find T is true within my undigested mind That there is something hidden in the deep Bosome of Fate which she from me doth keep And this hath mov'd me to come now to thee To be inform'd more cleerly who is he That 's found to be the Father of the youth To dye now if Nicandro told us truth Mon. Thou knowst him but too well Tirenio How wilt thou wish anon that thou didst know Or love him lesse Tir. I praise thee O my Son For taking pity and compassion On the afflicted 't is humanity How-ere let me speak with him Mon. Now I see Heav'n hath suspended in thee all that skill In Prophecie which it was wont t' instill That Father whom thou seek'st to speak withall Am I. Tir. Art thou his Father that should fall To Dian now an Immolation Mon. The wretched Father of that wretched Son Tir. Of that same Faithfull Shepherd who to give Life to another would himself not live Mon. Of him who dies his Murthresse life to save And Murthers me who unto him life gave Tir. But is this true Mo. Behold the witnesse Car. That Which he hath told thee is most true Tir. And what Art thou that speak'st Car. Carino thought to be Till now the young mans Father Tir. Was that he The Flood took from thee long agoe Mon. Yes yes Tirenio Tir. And dost thou stile for this Thy self a wretched Father O how blind Is an unhallow'd and terrestriall mind In what thick mists of errour how profound A night of Ignorance are our souls drown'd Till thou enlighten them from whom the Sun Receives his lustre as from him the Moon Vain men how can you boast of knowledge so That part of us by which we see and know Is not our vertue but deriv'd from Heav'n That gives it and can take what it hath giv'n O in thy mind Montano blinder far Then I am in mine eyes What Juggler What dazeling Divell will not let thee see That if this noble youth was born of thee Thou art the happiest Father and most deer To the immortall Deities that e're Begot Son in the world Behold the deep Secret which Fate did from my knowledge keep Behold the happy day with such a flood Expected of our tears and of our blood Behold the bessed end of all our pain Where art thou man come to thy self again How is it that thou onely dost forget That famous happy Oracle that 's writ In all Arcadian hearts How can it be That with thy deer son's lightning upon thee This day thy sense is not prepar'd and cleer The thunder of that heav'nly voice to hear Your Woe shall end when two of Race Divine Love shall Combine Tears of delight in such abundance flow Out of my heart I cannot speak Your Woe Your Woe shall end when two of Race Divine Love shall Combine And for a faithlesse Nymph's apostate state A Faithfull Shepherd supererogate Now tell me thou This Shepherd here of whom We speak and that should dye is he not come Of Divine Race Montano if hee 's thine And Amarillis too of Race Divine Then who I pray but Love hath them combin'd Silvio by parents and by force was joyn'd To Amarillis and is yet as far From loving her as Love and Hatred are Then scan the rest and 't will be evident The fatall voice none but Mirtillo meant For who indeed since slain Aminta hath Express'd such Love as he such constant Faith Who but Mirtillo for his Mistresse wou'd Since true Aminta spend his deerest bloud This is that work of Supererogation This is that faithfull Shepherds expiation For the Apostate false Lucrina's fact By this admir'd and most stupendious Act More then with humane blood the wrath of heav'n Is pacifi'ed and satisfaction giv'n Unto eternall Justice for th' offence Committed 'gainst it by a woman Hence It was that he no sooner came to pay Devotions in the Temple but streightway All monstrous omens ceas'd No longer stood Th' eternall Image in a sweat of blood The earth no longer shook the holy Cave No longer stank and shrikes no longer gave But such sweet harmony and redolence As Heav'n affords if Heav'n affect the sense O Providence eternall O ye Powers That look upon us from yon azure Towers If all my words were souls and every soule Were sacrific'd upon your Altars whole It were too poor a Hecatombe to pay So great a blessing with but as I may Behold I tender thanks and with my knee Touching the earth in all humilitie Look up on you that sit in thron'd in heav'n How much am I your debtor that have giv'n Me leave to live till now I have run o're Of my life's race a hundred yeers and more Yet never liv'd till now could never deem My life worth keeping till this instant time Now I begin my life am born to day But why in words do I consume away That time that should be spent in works Help Son To
bounteous heav'n Cor. But see Ergasto's here How opportunely doth he now appear Erg. At such a time let every living thing Heav'n Earth Air Fire the whole world laugh and sing To hell it self let our full joyes extend And there the torments of the damn'd suspend Cor. What rapture 's this Er. Blest woods whose murmuring voyce When we lamented did lament rejoyce At our joyes too and wag as many tongues As you have leaves now dancing to the songs Of the pleas'd Birds and musick of the Air Which rings with our delight Sing of a pair Of noble Lovers the felicitie Unparalell'd Cor. He doth speak certainly Of Silvio and Dorinda Every thing I see would live How soon the shallow spring Of tears dryes up with us but the swoln river Of gladnesse tarries with the longer liver Of Amarillis who is dead there 's now No more discourse the onely care is how To laugh with them that laugh and t is well done Each man hath too much sorrow of his own Whither so glad Ergasto dost thou go Unto a Wedding happily Erg. I do Indeed Hast heard Corisca then the wonder O' th' two blest Lovers was 't not strange Cor. I underStood it of Linco now with joy of heart Which my great grief doth mitigate in part For the sad death of Amarillis Erg. How Whom dost thou speak of or speak I thinkst thou Cor. Why of Dorinda and of Silvio Erg. What Silvio what Dorinda Dost not know Then what hath past My joy its linage drawes From a more high stupendious noble Cause Of Amarillis and Mirtillo I Discourse the happiest Pair that this day frye Under the torrid Zone of Love Cor. Is not Then Amarillis dead Ergasto Erg. What Death She 's alive glad beauteous and a Wife Cor. Thou mock'st me Shepherd Er. No upon my life Cor. Was she not then condemn'd Er. She was 't is true But presently she was acquitted too Cor. Do I dream this or dost thou dreams relate Erg. Stay here a little thou shalt see her straight Come with her faithful and most fortunate Mirtillo from the temple where they 're now And interchanged have their Nuptiall vow Towards Montano's of the bitter root Of their long Loves to gather the sweet fruit O hadst thou seen mens joyes spring in their eyes If thou hadst heard the musick of their cryes The temple's still as full as it can hold Of numbers numberlesse Men women old Young Prelates Laymen are confounded there Together and distracted cannot bear Their joy With wonder every one doth run To see the happy couple every one Adores them every one embraces them Their pity one extols another's theme Their constant faith is or those graces giv'n To them by Nature or infus'd from Heav'n The laund the dale the mountain and the plain Resound the faithfull Shepherd's glorious name O happy happy Lover to become From a poor Swain almost a God so soon From death to life whilst I speak this to passe And change a winding-sheet which ready was For a remote despair'd-of Nuptiall Though it be much Corisca is not all But to enjoy her whom he seem'd t' injoy In dying for her her who would destroy Her selfe not to excuse but share his Fate His Mate in life and not in death his Mate This is such joy such ravishing joy is this As doth exceed all we can fancie Blisse And dost not thou rejoyce and apprehend A joy for Amarillis that 's thy Friend As great as that which I doe for my true Mirtillo Cor. Yes dost thou not see I doe Erg. O! if thou hadst present been Amarillis to have seen As the pledge of Faith when she Gave her hand to him and he As the pledge of Love did either Give or receive I know not whether A sweet inestimable kisse Surely thou hadst dy'd of blisse There was Scarlet there were Roses All the colours all the posies Art or Nature ere did mix Were excell'd by her pure cheeks Cover'd with a waving shield By her blushing Beauty held Stain'd with blood which did provoke From the striker a new stroke And shee coy and nice in show Seem'd to shun that shee might so With more pleasure meet the blow Leaving it in doubt if that Kisses were ravish'd or not With such admirable Art 'T was in part bestow'd in part Snatch'd from her And that disdain Which she did so sweetly fain Was a willing No an Act Mixt of Conquest and Compact Such a coming in her flying As shew'd yeelding in denying Such sweet anger at th' abuse In forcing her as forc'd him use That force again such art to crave The thing she would not yet would have As drew him the faster on To snatch that which would be gone O heav'nly kisse Corisca I Can no longer hold God bu'y I 'le marry too The Powr's above Give no true joy to men but Love Cor. If he Corisca have told truth this day Quite cures thy wits or takes them quite away Scena nona Chorus of Shepherds CORISCA AMARILLIS MIRTILLO Cho. HOly Hymen hear our pray'r And our Song The Earth hath not A more happy loving pair Both of them Divinely got Pull holy Hymen pull the destin'd knot Cor. Ay me Ergasto told me true I see This is the fruits wretch of thy vanitie O thoughts O wishes as unjust as vain And fond Would I an innocent have slain To compasse my unbridled will So blind So cruell was I Who doth now unbind Mine eyes Ah wretch what do I see my sin With the mask off just as 't is here within Cho. Holy Hymen hear our pray'r And our song The Earth hath not A more happy loving Pair Both of them divinely got Pull holy Hymen pull the destin'd knot See thou Faithfull Shepherd where After many a briny tear After many a stormy blast Thou art landed now at last Is not this behold her shee Heav'n and Earth deny'd to thee And thy cruell Destinie And her Icie Chastitie And thy degree so far beneath And 〈◊〉 Contract and thy Death Yet Mirtillo loe shee 's thine That sweet face those eyes divine Brest and hands and all that thou See'st and hear'st and touchest now And so often hast in vain Sigh'd for now thou dost obtain As thy constant Love's reward Yet thy lips hath silence barr'd Mir. ' Cannot speak I do not know Whether I 'm alive or no. Or if these things reall be Which I seem to hear and see Sweetest Amarillis mine For my soul is lodg'd in thine I from thee would gladly know Tell me Love are these things so Cho. Holy Hymen hear our pray'r And our song The Earth hath not A more happy loving Pair Both of them divinely got Pull holy Hymen pull the destin'd knot Cor. But why do you you still about me stay Arts to deceive the world arts to betray The body's robes but the souls rags For one I 'm sure shee 's cousen'd by you and undone Pack hence and as from worms ye had your birth Return to
worms and strew your grandame earth Once ye were weapons of lascivious Love But now the trophies of fair Vertue prove Cho. Holy Hymen hear our pray'r And our Song The Earth hath not A more happy loving pair Both of them Divinely got Pull holy Hymen pull the destin'd knot Cor. What stick'st thou at Corisca 't is a day Of Pardons this then ask without dismay What dost thou dread no punishment what-ere Can fall so heavie as thy fault lies here Fair and happy pair the Love Of us here and those above If all earthly Pow'r this day To your conquering Fates give way Let her likewise Homage doe To your conquering Fates and you Who all earthly Pow'r imploy'd To have made their Ord'nance voyd Amarillis true it is He had mine who had thy heart But thou onely hast gain'd his 'Cause thou onely worthy art Thou enjoy'st the loyall'st Lad Living and Mirtillo thou The best Nymph the world ere had From the birth of Time till now I the touch-stone was to both Try'd her chastitie his troth But thou Courteous Nymph before Thou on me thy anger powre Look but on thy Bridegrooms Face Something thou wilt spy therein That will force thee to shew grace As it forced mee to sin For so sweet a Lovers sake Upon love no vengeance take But since thou the flames dost prove Pardon thou the fault of Love Am. I do not onely pardon but respect Thee as my friend regarding the effect And not the cause For poysons if they make Us well the name of soveraign Med'cines take And painfull lancings for that cause are dear So whether friend or foe or whatso e're Thou wert to me in purpose and intent Yet my Fate us'd thee as her instrument To work my blisse and that 's enough for me 'T was a good Treason a blest Fallacy I 'm sure And if thou please to grace our Feast And to rejoyce with us thou art my guest Cor. Thy pardon is to me a better feast A greater joy my conscience now at rest Mir. And I all faults 'gainst me can pardon wel But this long stop Cor. Joys on you both Farewell Cho. Holy Hymen hear our pray'r And our Song The Earth hath not A more happy loving Pair Both of them divinely got Pull holy Hymen pull the destin'd knot Scena decima MIRTILLO AMARILLIS Chorus of Shepherds Mir. AM I so wedded then to grief and anguish That in the midst of joy too I must languish Was not this tedious pomp enough delay But I must meet too my old Remora Corisca Am. Thou art wondrous hasty Mir. O My treasure yet I am not sure but go In fear of robbing still till as my Spouse I doe possesse thee in my Fathers house To tell thee true me thinks I fare like one Who dreams of wealth and ever and anon Fears that his golden sleep will break and he Be wak'd a beggar I would gladly be Resolv'd by some more pregnant proof that this Sweet waking now is not a dream of blisse Cho. Holy Hymen hear our pray'r And our Song The earth hath not A more happy loving pair Both of them divinely got Pull holy Hymen pull the destin'd knot CHORUS O Happy couple that hath sown in Tears And reaps in Comfort What a foil your fears Prove to your joyes Blind Mortals learn from hence Learn yee effeminate the difference Betwixt true goods and false All is not joy That tickles us Nor is all that annoy That goes down bitter True joy is a thing That springs from Vertue after suffering FINIS Presented TO HIS HIGHNESSE THE PRINCE OF WALES At his going into the West Ann. M.DC.XLV Together with CESAR'S COMMENTARIES Sir NOw that your Father with the World's applause Imployes your early Valour in his Cause Set Cesar's glorious Acts before your sight And know the man that could so doe and write View him in all his postures see him mix Terrour with love Morals with Politicks That courage which when fortune ebb'd did flow Which never trampled on a prostrate Foe Admire and emulate Before hee fought Observe how Peace by him was ever sought How bloodlesse Victories best pleas'd him still Grieving as oft as he was forc'd to kill How most religiously he kept his word And conquer'd more that way then by the sword In whom was all wee in a King could crave Except that Right which you shall one day have Yet think Sir it imports you to make good With all his worth the title of your blood Presented TO HIS HIGHNESSE In the the West Ann. Dom. 1646 GRow Royall Plant born for your Country's good The hoped cure of our great flux of blood That Vnion and that peacefull golden Age which to your Grandsire ancient Bards presage And we suppos'd fulfill'd in Him appears By Fate reserved for your riper yeers And Thou self-hurt since that half-Vnion more Then ever Britain thou hadst been before Raise thy dejected head bind up thy hair With peacefull Olive all those things repair Which fire and sword deface and call agen To their spoyl'd mansions thy fled Husbandmen They need not fear to come this Prince's Starrs Promise an end to all our Civill Warrs Never shall English Scots nor Scots again Infest the English with dire feuds and stain Their swords in brothers blood thy Towns lay waste But their hands prompt to War henceforth make haste To clasp in an eternall League And You Blest Parents of a blessed Son add to His great Birth equall Breeding Civill Arts To Arts of Warre and Pietie to Parts No Ship the Rudder so much turns and windes As Princes manners do their Peoples mindes Not Prisons penall Lawes sharp Whips severe Axes with all the instruments of fear Can so constrain as the dumb eloquence Of Vertue and the love and reverence Of a well-govern'd Scepter shall perswade Their wils by great Examples eas'ly sway'd As when th' Arabian Phoenix doth return From his perfumed cradle his Sires Urn Where e're he flyes the feather'd people throng With acclamations to salute the young Admired King not for his purple Seares And golden Pounce the Regall marks hee bears Nor that he 's rarely seen but 'cause he brings His Fathers honour'd ashes on his wings And funerall odours that it may be known He climb'd not till his death his spicie throne This Pietie a Vertue understood By brutes attracts them such a sense of good Nature that heav'nly Steward doth dispense To every living thing that hath but sense So do the People fix their eyes upon The King admire love honour Him alone In Him as in a glasse their manners view And frame and copie what they see Him doe That which the murdring Cannon cannot force Nor plumed Squadrons of steel-glittering Horse Love can In this the People strive t' out-doe The King and when they find they 're lov'd love too They serve because they need not serve and if A good Prince slack the reins they make them stiffe And of their own accords invite that yoke Which if inforc't on them they would have broke And Hee again with this more tender grown More Father of his People on his owne Shoulders assumes their burthens beats the way Which they must tread and is the first t' obey What he commands to pardon others prone Inexorable to himself alone Neither in Diet Clothes nor Train will He Exceed those banks should bound ev'n Majesty Nor rush like beasts to Venus but confine His chast desires to his own geniall Vine Who will with Silks his manly limbs un-nerve That sees domestick Wooll his Soveraign serve Who can the married bed too narrow think Which holds a King or drown himself in drink Under a sober Prince who 'l dare t' import Beyond-sea vices to infect a Court And make his body with excesse and ease A sink to choak his soul in when he sees A Monarch curb his pleasures and suppresse Those weeds which make a Man a Wildernesse Such golden Tiber saw the peacefull Throne Of holy Numa that of Solomon Palmie Euphrates 'T was not the keen blade Or the thick quilted numerous Legion made Those Thrones secure 'T was not the warlike Steed Nor the sythe-armed Chariots furious speed But Wisdome Mercy which no harm will cause And Majestie fenc'd with unarmed Lawes Whilest that great Captain who the World had quell'd And those proud Lords that Rome in bondage held By steel or poyson ended their short date Of pow'r and blood with blood did expiate Frank Nature never gave a better thing Nor ever will to men then a good King In whom his own true Image God doth place This whether Kings shall in themselves deface By ougly Vice or other men by wit Or force demolish God will punish it As a high Sacriledge and will not see Himself abused in Effigie So cruell Nero fierce Domitian so And the Sicilian Tirants whilst they throw Dirt in their Makers face with their black deeds Are from the earth cut off they and their seeds So those rebellious servants that durst joyn Against their Lords and impious Cataline That strove to wrest the sword from them to whom It was committed by the Lawes of Rome Pursu'd to fury and despair did make Hard shift by a most wretched death to shake Their loathed lives off leaving on their name The blot and brand of never-dying shame These lessons let his tender yeers receive His riper practise And let him believe 'T is not so much both Indies to command As first to rule himself and then a Land FINIS Pag. 82. lin 12. for love read lose pag. 147. l. 5. for more read worse * Buchanan in his Genethliacon to King Iames out of which this is taken