here For wise Achitophel hath counseld Absalon To take aduantage of your wearie armes And come this night vpon you in the fields But yet the Lord hath made his counsell skorne And Cusaies pollicie with praise preferd Which was to number euery Israelite And so assault you in their pride of strength Ionat. Abiathar besides intreats the King To send his men of warre against his sonne And hazard not his person in the field Dauid Thankes to Abiathar and to you both And to my Cusay whom the Lord requite But tenne times treble thankes to his soft hand Whose pleasant touch hath made my heart to dance And play him praises in my zealous breast That turnd the counsell of Achitophel After the praiers of his seruants lips Now will we passe the riuer all this night And in the morning sound the voice of warre The voice of bloudie and vnkindly warre Ioab Then tell vs how thou wilt deuide thy men And who shall haue the speciall charge herein Dau. Ioab thy selfe shall for thy charge conduct The first third part of all my valiant men The second shall Abisaies valour lead The third faire Ithay which I most should grace For comfort he hath done to Dauids woes And I my selfe will follow in the midst Ith. That let not Dauid for though we should flie Tenne thousand of vs were not halfe so much Esteemd with Dauids enemies as himselfe Thy people louing thee denie thee this Da. What seemes them best then that will Dauid doe But now my lords and captaines heare his voice That neuer yet pierst pittious heauen in vaine Then let it not slip lightly through your eares For my sake spare the young man Absalon Ioab thy selfe didst once vse friendly words To reconcile my heart incenst to him If then thy loue be to thy kinsman sound And thou wilt proue a perfit Israelite Friend him with deeds and touch no haire of him Not that fair haire with which the wanton winds Delight to play and loues to make in curle Wherein the Nightingales would build their nests And make sweet bowers in euery golden tresse To sing their louer euery night asleepe O spoile not Ioab Ioues faire ornaments Which he hath sent to solace Dauids soule The best ye see my lords are swift to sinne To sinne our feet are washt with milke of Roes And dried againe with coales of lightening O Lord thou seest the prowdest sinnes poore slaue And with his bridle pulst him to the graue For my sake then spare louely Absalon Ith. Wee will my lord for thy sake fauour him Exeunt Achitophel solus with a halter Achi. Now hath Achitophel orderd his house And taken leaue of euery pleasure there Hereon depends Achitophels delights And in this circle must his life be closde The wise Achitophel whose counsell prou'd Euer as sound for fortunate successe As if men askt the Oracle of God Is now vsde like the foole of Israel Then set thy angrie soule vpon her wings And let her flie into the shade of death And for my death let heauen for euer weepe Making huge flouds vpon the land I leaue To rauish them and all their fairest fruits Let all the sighs I breath'd for this disgrace Hang on my hedges like eternall mists As mourning garments for their maisters death Ope earth and take thy miserable sonne Into the bowels of thy cursed wombe Once in a surfet thou diddest spue him forth Now for fell hunger sucke him in againe And be his bodie poyson to thy vaines And now thou hellish instrument of heauen Once execute th' arrest of Ioues iust doome And stop his breast that curseth Israel Exit Absalon Amasa with all his traine Abs. Now for the crowne and throne of Israel To be confirmd with vertue of my sword And writ with Dauids bloud vpon the blade Now Ioue let forth the golden firmament And looke on him with all thy fierie eyes Which thou hast made to giue their glories light To shew thou louest the vertue of thy hand Let fall a wreath of starres vpon my head Whose influence may gouerne Israel With state exceeding all her other Kings Fight lords and captaines that your soueraignes face May shine in honour brighter then the sunne And with the vertue of my beautious raies Make this faire land as fruitfull as the fields That with sweet milke and hony ouerflow'd God in the whiffing of a pleasant wind Shall march vpon the tops of Mulberie trees To coole all breasts that burne with any greefes As whylome he was good to Moyses men By day the Lord shall sit within a cloud To guide your footsteps to the fields of ioy And in the night a piller bright as fire Shall goe before you like a second sunne Wherein the essence of his godhead is That day and night you may be brought to peace And neuer swarue from that delightsome path That leads your soules to perfect happinesse This shall he doe for ioy when I am King Then fight braue captaines that these ioies may flie Into your bosomes with sweet victorie Exeunt The battell and Absalon hangs by the haire What angrie angel sitting in these shades Hath laid his cruell hands vpon my haire And holds my body thus twixt heauen and earth Hath Absalon no souldier neere his hand That may vntwine me this vnpleasant curle Or wound this tree that rauisheth his lord O God behold the glorie of thy hand And choisest fruit of Natures workemanship Hang like a rotten branch vpon this tree Fit for the axe and ready for the fire Since thou withholdst all ordinarie helpe To lose my bodie from this bond of death O let my beautie fill these sencelesse places With sence and power to lose me from this plague And worke some wonder to preuent his death Whose life thou madst a speciall miracle Ioab with another souldier Sould. My lord I saw the young prince Absalon Hang by the haire vpon a shadie oke And could by no meanes get himselfe vnlosde Ioab Why slewst thou not the wicked Absalon That rebell to his father and to heauen That so I might haue giuen thee for thy paines Tenne siluer sickles and a golden wast Sould. Not for a thousand sickles would I slay The sonne of Dauid whom his father chargd Nor thou Abisay nor the sonne of Gath Should touch with stroke of deadly violence The charge was giuen in hearing of vs all And had I done it then I know thy selfe Before thou wouldst abide the Kings rebuke Wouldst haue accus'd me as a man of death Ioab I must not now stand trifling here with thee Abs. Helpe Ioab helpe O helpe thy Absalon Let not thy angrie thoughts be laid in bloud In bloud of him that sometimes nourisht thee And softned thy sweet heart with friendly loue O giue me once againe my fathers sight My deerest father and my princely soueraigne That shedding teares of bloud before his face The ground may witnesse and the heauens record My last submission sound and full
of ruth Ioab Rebell to nature hate to heauen and earth Shall I giue helpe to him that thirsts the soule Of his deere father and my soueraigne lord Now see the Lord hath tangled in a tree The health and glorie of thy stubborne heart And made thy pride curbd with a sencelesse plant Now Absalon how doth the Lord regard The beautie wherevpon thy hope was built And which thou thoughtst his grace did glorie in Findst thou not now with feare of instant death That God affects not any painted shape Or goodly personage when the vertuous soule Is stuft with naught but pride and stubbornnesse But preach I to thee while I should reuenge Thy cursed sinne that staineth Israel And makes her fields blush with her childrens bloud Take that as part of thy deserued plague Which worthily no torment can inflict Abs. O Ioab Ioab cruell ruthlesse Ioab Herewith thou woundst thy Kingly soueraignes heart Whose heauenly temper hates his childrens bloud And will be sicke I know for Absalon O my deere father that thy melting eyes Might pierce this thicket to behold thy sonne Thy deerest sonne gor'de with a mortall dart Yet Ioab pittie me pittie my father Ioab Pittie his soules distresse that mournes my life And will be dead I know to heare my death Ioab If he were so remorsefull of thy state Why sent he me against thee with the sword All Ioab meanes to pleasure thee withall Is to dispatch thee quickly of thy paine Hold Absalon Ioabs pittie is in this In this prowd Absalon is Ioabs loue He goes out Abs. Such loue such pittie Israels God send thee And for his loue to Dauid pittie me Ah my deere father see thy bowels bleed See death assault thy deerest Absalon See pittie pardon pray for Absalon Enter fiue or sixe souldiers See where the rebell in his glorie hangs Where is the vertue of thy beautie Absalon Will any of vs here now feare thy lookes Or be in loue with that thy golden haire Wherein was wrapt rebellion gainst thy sire And cords prepar'd to stop thy fathers breath Our captaine Ioab hath begun to vs And here 's an end to thee and all thy sinnes Come let vs take the beauteous rebell downe And in some ditch amids this darkesome wood Burie his bulke beneath a heape of stones Whose stonie heart did hunt his fathers death Enter in triumph with drum and ensigne Ioab Abyshai and souldiers to Absalon Ioab Well done tall souldiers take the Traitor downe And in this myerie ditch interre his bones Couering his hatefull breast with heapes of stones This shadie thicket of darke Ephrami Shall euer lower on his cursed graue Night Rauens and Owles shall ring his fatall knell And sit exclaiming on his damned soule There shall they heape their preyes of Carrion Till all his graue be clad with stinking bones That it may loth the sence of euery man So shall his end breed horror to his name And to his traitrous fact eternall shame Exit 5. Chorus Oh dreadfull president of his iust doome Whose holy heart is neuer toucht with ruth Of fickle beautie or of glorious shapes But with the vertue of an vpright soule Humble and zealous in his inward thoughts Though in his person loathsome and deform'd Now since this storie lends vs other store To make a third discourse of Dauids life Adding thereto his most renowmed death And all their deaths that at his death he iudgd Here end we this and what here wants to please We will supplie with treble willingnesse Absalon with three or foure of his seruants or gentlemen Abs. What boots it Absalon vnhappie Absalon Sighing I say what boots it Absalon To haue disclos'd a farre more worthy wombe Trumpets sound enter Ioab Ahimaas Cusay Amasa with all the rest Ioab Souldiers of Israel and ye sonnes of Iuda That haue contended in these irkesome broiles And ript old Israels bowels with your swords The godlesse generall of your stubborne armes Is brought by Israels helper to the graue A graue of shame and skorne of all the Tribes Now then to saue your honours from the dust And keepe your blouds in temper by your bones Let Ioabs ensigne shroud your manly heads Direct your eies your weapons and your hearts To guard the life of Dauid from his foes Error hath maskt your much too forward minds And you haue sind against the chosen state Against his life for whom your liues are blest And followed an vsurper to the field In whose iust death your deaths are threatened But Ioab pitties your disordered soules And therefore offers pardon peace and loue To all that will be friendly reconcil'de To Israels weale to Dauid and to heauen Amasa thou art leader of the host That vnder Absalon haue raisde their armes Then be a captaine wise and polliticke Carefull and louing for thy souldiers liues And lead them to this honourable league Amasa I will at least I le doe my best And for the gracious offer thou hast made I giue thee thankes as much as for my head Then you deceiu'd poore soules of Israel Since now ye see the errors you incurd With thankes and due submission be appeasde And as ye see your captaines president Here cast me then our swords at Ioabs feet Submitting with all zeale and residence Our goods and bodies to his gracious hands All stand vp Ioab Stand vp and take ye all your swords againe Dauid and Ioab shall be blest herein Iona. Now let me goe enforme my lord the King How God hath freed him from his enemies Ioab Another time Ahimaas not now But Cusay goe thy selfe and tell the King The happie message of our good successe Cus. I will my lord and thanke thee for thy grace Exit Cusay Iona. What if thy seruant should goe to my lord Ioab What newes hast thou to bring since he is gone Iona. Yet doe Ahimaas so much content That he may run about so sweet a charge Exit Ioab Run if thou wilt and peace be with thy steps Now follow that you may salute the King With humble hearts and reconciled soules Ama. We follow Ioab to our gracious King And him our swords shall honour to our deaths Exeunt Dauid Bethsabe Salomon Nathan Adonia Chileab with their traine Beth. What meanes my lord the lampe of Israel From whose bright eyes all eyes receiue their light To dim the glory of his sweet aspects And paint his countenance with his hearts distresse Why should his thoughts retaine a sad conceit When euery pleasure kneeles before his throne And sues for sweet acceptance with his grace Take but your Lute and make the mountaines dance Retriue the sunnes sphere and restraine the clouds Giue eares to trees make sauage Lyons tame Impose still silence to the loudest winds And fill the fairest day with foulest stormes Then why should passions of much meaner power Beare head against the heart of Israel Da. Faire Bethsabe thou mightst increase the strength Of these thy arguments drawne from my skill By vrging
THE LOVE OF KING DAVID AND FAIR BETHSABE With the Tragedie of Absalon As it hath ben diuers times plaied on the stage Written by George Peele LONDON Printed by Adam Islip 1599 The loue of Dauid and faire Bethsabe with the Tragedie of Absolon Prologus OF Israels sweetest singer now I sing His holy stile and happie victories Whose Muse was dipt in that inspiring deaw Arch-angels stilled from the breath of Ioue Decking her temples with the glorious flowers Heauens raind on tops of Syon and Mount Synai Vpon the bosome of his yuorie Lute The Cherubins and Angels laid their brests And when his consecrated fingers strooke The golden wiers of his rauishing harpe He gaue alarum to the host of heauen That wing'd with lightning brake the clouds and cast Their christall armor at his conquering feet Of this sweet Poet Ioues Musition And of bis beauteous sonne I prease to sing Then helpe deuine Adonay to conduct Vpon the wings of my well tempered verse The hearers minds aboue the towers of Heauen And guide them so in this thrice haughty flight Their mounting feathers scorch not with the fire That none can temper but thy holy hand To thee for succour flies my feeble muse And at thy feet her yron Pendoth vse He drawes a curtaine and discouers Bethsabe with her maid bathing ouer a spring she sings and Dauid sits aboue vewing her HOt sunne coole fire temperd with sweet aire Black shade fair nurse shadow my white haire Shine sun burne fire breath aire and ease mee Black shade fair nurse shroud me and please me Shadow my sweet nurse keep me from burning Make not my glad cause cause of mourning Let not my beauties fire Enflame vnstaied desire Nor pierce any bright eye That wandreth lightly Bethsabe Come gentle Zephire trickt with those perfumes That erst in Eden sweetned Adams loue And stroke my bosome with the silken fan This shade sun proofe is yet no proofe for thee Thy body smoother then this wauelesse spring And purer then the substance of the same Can creepe through that his launces cannot pierse Thou and thy sister soft and sacred aire Goddesse of life and gouernesse of health Keepes euery fountaine fresh and arbor sweet No brasen gate her passage can repulse Nor bushly thicket bar thy subtle breath Then decke thee with thy loose delightsome robes And on thy wings bring delicate perfumes To play the wantons with vs through the leaues Da. What tunes what words what looks what wonders pierce My soule incensed with a suddain fire What tree what shade what spring what paradise Enioyes the beautie of so faire a dame Faite Eua plac'd in perfect happinesse Lending her praise-notes to the liberall heauens Strooke with the accents of Arch-angels tunes Wrought not more pleasure to her husbands thoughts Then this faire womans words and notes to mine May that sweet plaine that beares her pleasant weight Be still enameld with discoloured flowers That precious fount beare sand of purest gold And for the Peble let the siluer streames That pierce earths bowels to mainteine the sorce Play vpon Rubies Saphires Chrisolites The brims let be imbrac'd with golden curles Of mosse that sleepes with sound the waters make For ioy to feed the fount with their recourse Let all the grasse that beautifies her bower Beare Manna euery morne in steed of dew Or let the dew be sweeter far then that That hangs like chaines of pearle on Hermon hill Or balme which trickled from old Arons beard Cusay come vp and serue thy lord the King Enter Cus. Cus. What seruice doth my lord the King command Dauid See Cusay see the flower of Israel The fairest daughter that obeies the King In all the land the lord subdued to me Fairer then Isacs louer at the well Brighter then inside barke of new hewen Caedar Sweeter then flames of fine perfumed myrrhe And comelier then the siluer clouds that dance On Zephires wings before the king of heauen Cus. Is it not Bethsabe the Hethites wife Vrias now at Rabath siege with Ioab Dau. Goe know and bring her quickly to the King Tell her her graces hath found grace with him Cusay I will my lord Exit Cusay to Bethsabe Dauid Bright Bethsabe shall wash in Dauids bower In water mix'd with purest Almond flower And bath her beautie in the milke of kids Bright Bethsabe giues earth to my desires Verdure to earth and to that verdure flowers To flowers sweet Odors and to Odors wings That carrie pleasures to the hearts of Kings Cusay to Bethsabe she starting as something afright Cusay Faire Bethsabe the King of Israell From forth his Princely tower hath seen thee bath And thy sweet graces haue found grace with him Come then and kneele vnto him where he stands The King is gracious and hath liberall hands Beth. Ah what is Bethsabe to please the King Or what is Dauid that he should desire For fickle beuties sake his seruants wife Cusay Dauid thou knowest faire dame is wise and iust Elected to the heart of Israels God Then doe not thou expostulate with him For any action that contents his soule Beth. My lord the King elect to Gods owne heart Should not his gracious ielousie incense Whose thoughts are chast I hate incontinence Cusay Woman thou wrongst the King doubtst his honour Whose truth mainteines the crowne of Israel Making him stay that bad me bring thee strait Beth. The Kings poore handmaid will obey my lord Cus. Then come and doe thy dutie to his grace And doe what seemeth fauour in his sight Exeunt Dauid Now comes my louer tripping like the Roe And brings my longings tangled in her haire To ioy her loue I le build a kingly bower Seated in hearing of a hundred streames That for their homage to her souereine ioies Shall as the serpents sold into their nests In oblique turnings wind the nimble waues About the circles of her curious walkes And with their murmure summon easefull sleepe To lay his golden scepter on her browes Open the dores and enterteine my loue Open I say and as you open sing Welcome faire Bethsabe King Dauids darling Enter Cusay with Bethsabe Dauid Welcome faire Bethsabe King Dauids darling Thy bones faire couering erst discouered faire And all mine eyes with all thy beuties pierst As heauens bright eye burnes most when most he climes The crooked Zodiake with his fierie sphere And shineth furthest from this earthly globe So since thy beautie scorcht my conquerd soule I cald thee neerer for my neerer cure Bethsa. Too neere my lord was your vnarmed heart When furthest off my haplesse beautie pierc'd And would this drerie day had turnd to night Or that some pitchie cloud had clok'd the Sun Before their lights had caus'd my lord to see His name disparag'd and my chastitie Dauid My loue if want of loue haue left thy soule A sharper sence of Honor then thy King For loue leads Princes sometimes from their seats As erst my heart was hurt displeasing thee So come
and tast thy ease with easing me Beth. One medicine cannot heale our different harmes But rather make both ranckle at the bone Then let the King be cunning in his cure Least flattering both both perish in his hand Dauid Leaue it to me my deerest Bethsabe Whose skill is conuersant in deeper cures And Cusay hast thou to my seruant Ioab Commanding him to send Vrias home With all the speed can possibly be vsed Cusay Cusay will flie about the Kings desire Exeunt Ioab Abisay Vrias and others with drum and ensigne Ioab Courage ye mightie men of Israel And charge your fatall instruments of war Vpon the bosomes of prowd Ammons sonnes That haue disguisd your Kings Embassadors Cut halfe their beards and halfe their garments off In spight of Israel and his daughters sonnes Ye fight the holy battels of Iehoua King Dauids God and ours and Iacobs God That guides your weapons to their conquering strokes Orders your footsteps and directs your thoughts To stratagems that harbor victorie He casts his sacred eiesight from on high And sees your foes run seeking for their deaths Laughing their labours and their hopes to scorne While twixt your bodies and their blunted swords He puts on armor of his honors proofe And makes their weapons wound the sencelesse winds Abis. Before this citie Rabath we will lie And shoot forth shafts as thicke and dangerous As was the haile that Moises mixt with fire And threw with furie round about the fields Deuouring Pharoes friends and Egypts fruits Vrias First mighty captaines Ioab and Abisay Let vs assault and scale this kingly Tower Where all their conduits and their fountaines are Then we may easily take the citie too Ioab Well hath Vrias counseld our attempts And as he spake vs so assault the Tower Let Hanon now the king of Ammons sonne Repulse our conquering passage if he dare Hanon with King Machaas and others vpon the wals Hanon What would the shepheards dogs of Israel Snatch from the mighty issue of King Ammon The valiant Amonnes and haughty Syrians T is not your late successiue victories Can make vs yeeld or quaile our courages But if ye dare assay to scale this Tower Our angrie swords shall smite ye to the ground And venge our losses on your hatefull liues Ioab Hanon thy father Nahas gaue releefe To holy Dauid in his haplesse exile Liued his fixed date and died in peace But thou in steed of reaping his reward Hast trod it vnderfoot and scornd our King Therefore thy daies shall end with violence And to our swords thy vitall bloud shall cleaue Mach. Hence thou that bearst poor Israels shepherds hook The prowd lieutenant of that base borne King And kep within the compasse of his fold For if ye seeke to feed on Ammons fruits And stray into the Syrians fruitfull Medes The mastiues of our land shall werry ye And pull the weesels from your greedy throtes Abis. Who can indure these Pagans blasphemies Vrias My soule repines at this disparagement Ioab Assault ye valiant men of Dauids host And beat these railing dastards from their dores Assault and they win the Tower and Ioab speakes aboue Thus haue we won the Tower which we will keepe Maugre the sonnes of Ammon and of Syria Enter Cusay beneath Cus. Where is lord Ioab leader of the host Ioab Here is lord Ioab leader of the host Cusay come vp for we haue won the hold He comes Cusay In happie hower then is Cusay come Ioab What news then brings lord Cusay from the king Cusay His maiestie commands thee out of hand To send him home Vrias from the wars For matter of some seruice he should doe Vrias T is for no choler hath surpris'd the King I hope lord Cusay gainst his seruants truth Cusay No rather to prefer Vrias truth Ioab Here take him with thee then and goe in peace And tell my lord the King that I haue fought Against the citie Rabath with successe And skaled where the royall pallace is The conduit heads and all their sweetest springs Then let him come in person to these wals With all the souldiers he can bring besides And take the city as his owne exploit Least I surprise it and the people giue The glory of the conquest to my name Cus. We will Lord Ioab and great Israels God Blesse in thy hands the battels of our King Ioab Farewell Vrias hast away the King Vrias As sure as Ioab breaths a victor here Vrias will hast him and his owne returne Exeunt Abisa. Let vs descend and ope the pallace gate Taking our souldiors in to keepe the hold Ioab Let vs Abisay and ye sonnes of Iuda Be valiant and mainteine your victory Exeunt Ammon Ionadab Iethray and Ammons page Ionad. What meanes my lord the Kings beloued son That weares vpon his right triumphant arme The power of Israel for a royall fauor That holds vpon the Tables of his hands Banquets of honor and all thoughts content To suffer pale and grisely abstinence To sit and feed vpon his fainting cheekes And sucke away the bloud that cheeres his lookes Ammo. Ah Ionadab it is my sisters lookes On whose sweet beutie I bestow my bloud That makes me looke so amorously leane Her beautie hauing seasd vpon my heart So merrily consecrate to her content Sets now such guard about his vitall bloud And viewes the passage with such piercing eyes That none can scape to cheare my pining cheekes But all is thought too little for her loue Iona. Then from her heart thy lookes shall be releeued And thou shalt ioy her as thy soule desires Ammon How can it be my sweet friend Ionadab Since Thamar is a virgine and my sister Iona. Thus it shall be lie downe vpon thy bed Faining thee feuer sicke and ill at ease And when the king shall come to visit thee Desire thy sister Thamar may be sent To dresse some deinties for thy maladie Then when thou hast her solely with thy selfe Enforce some fauour to thy manly loue See where she comes intreat her in with thee Enter Thamar Thamar What aileth Ammon with such sickly lookes To daunt the fauour of his louely face Am. Sweet Thamar sick wish some wholesome cates Drest with the cunning of thy daintie hands Tham. That hath the King commanded at my hands Then come and rest thee while I make thee readie Some dainties easefull to thy crased soule Am. I goe sweet sister eased with thy sight Exeunt Restet Ionadab Ion. Why should a Prince whose power may command Obey the rebell passions of his loue When they contend but gainst his conscience And may be gouernd or supprest by will Now Ammon lose those louing knots of bloud That sokte the courage from thy kingly heart And giue it passage to thy withered cheekes Now Thamar ripened are the holy fruits That grew on plants of thy virginitie And rotten is thy name in Israel Poore Thamar little did thy louely hands Foretell an action of such violence As to contend
in life and death Da. Then gentle Ithay be thou still with vs A ioy to Dauid and a grace to Israel Goe Sadoc now and beare the arke of God Into the great Ierusalem againe If I find fauour in his gratious eyes Then will he lay his hand vpon my heart Yet once againe before I visit death Giuing it strength and vertue to mine eies To tast the comforts and behold the forme Of his faire arke and holy tabernacle But if he say my wonted loue is worne And I haue no delight in Dauid now Here lie I armed with an humble heart T' imbrace the paines that anger shall impose And kisse the sword my lord shall kill me with Then Sadoc take Ahimaas thy sonne With Ionathan sonne to Abiathar And in these fields will I repose my selfe Till they returne from you some certaine newes Sadoc Thy seruants will with ioy obey the King And hope to cheere his heart with happy newes Exit Sadoc Ahimaas and Ionathan Ith. Now that it be no greefe vnto the King Let me for good enforme his maiestie That with vnkind and gracelesse Absalon Achitophel your auncient counsellor Directs the state of this rebellion Dauid Then doth it aime with danger at my crowne O thou that holdst his raging bloudy bound Within the circle of the siluer moone That girds earths center with his watrie scarfe Limit the counsell of Achitophel No bounds extending to my soules distresse But turne his wisdome into foolishnesse Enter Cusay with his coat turnd and head couered Cusay Happinesse and honour to my lord the King Dauid What happinesse or honor may betide His state that toiles in my extremities Cus. O let my gracious soueraine cease these greefes Vnlesse he wish his seruaut Cusayes death Whose life depends vpon my lords releefe Then let my presence with my sighs persume The pleasant closet of my soueraignes soule Da. No Cusay no thy presence vnto me Will be a burthen since I tender thee And cannot breake thy sighs for Dauids sake But if thou turne to faire Ierusalem And say to Absalon as thou hast been A trusty friend vnto his fathers seat So thou wilt be to him and call him King Achitophels counsell may be brought to naught Then hauing Sadoc and Abiathar All three may learne the secrets of my sonne Sending the message by Ahimaas And friendly Ionathan who both are there Then rise referring the successe to heauen Da. Cusay I rise though with vnweldie bones I carrie armes against my Absalon Exeunt Absalon Amasa Achitophel with the concubines of Dauid and others in great state Absalon crowned Abs. Now you that were my fathers concubines Liquor to his inchast and lustfull fire Haue seene his honour shaken in his house Which I possesse in sight of all the world I bring ye forth for soiles to my renowne And to eclipse the glorie of your King Whose life is with his honour fast inclosd Within the entrailes of a Ieatie cloud Whose dissolution shall powre downe in showers The substance of his life and swelling pride Then shall the stars light earth with rich aspects And heauen shall burne in loue with Absalon Whose beautie will suffice to chast all mists And cloth the suns spheare with a triple fire Sooner then his cleare eyes should suffer staine Or be offended with a lowring day Concub. Thy fathers honour gracelesse Absalon And ours thus beaten with thy violent armes Will crie for vengeance to the host of heauen Whose power is euer armed against the prowd And will dart plagues at thy aspiring head For doing this disgrace to Dauids throne 2. To Dauids throne to Dauids holy throne Whose scepter angels guard with swords of fire And sit as Eagles on his conquering fist Ready to prey vpon his enemies Then thinke not thou the captaine of his foes Wert thou much swifter then Azahell was That could out-pace the nimble footed Roe To scape the furie of their thumping beakes Or dreadfull scope of their commanding wings Achip. Let not my lord the King of Israel Be angrie with a sillie womans threats But with the pleasure he hath erst enioied Turne them into their cabinets againe Till Dauids conquest be their ouerthrow Abs. Into your bowers ye daughters of Disdaine Gotten by furie of vnbridled lust And wash your couches with your mourning teares For greefe that Dauids kingdome is decaied 1. No Absalon his kingdome is enchaind Fast to the finger of great Iacobs God Which will not lose it for a rebels loue Exeunt Amasa If I might giue aduise vnto the King These concubines should buy their taunts with bloud Abs. Amasa no but let thy martiall sword Empty the paines of Dauids armed men And let these foolish women scape our hands To recompence the shame they haue sustaind First Absolon was by the Trumpets sound Proclaimd through Hebron King of Israel And now is set in faire Ierusalem With complete state and glorie of a crowne Fiftie faire footmen by my chariot run And to the aire whose rupture rings my fame Where ere I ride they offer reuerence Why should not Absolon that in his face Carries the finall purpose of his God That is to worke him grace in Israel Endeuour to atchieue with all his strength The state that most may satisfie his ioy Keeping his statutes and his couenants pure His thunder is intangled in my haire And with my beautie is his lightning quencht I am the man he made to glorie in When by the errors of my fathers sinne He lost the path that led into the land Wherewith our chosen ancestors were blest Enter Cusay Cus. Long may the beautious King of Israel liue To whom the people doe by thousands swarme Abs. What meaneth Cusay so to greet his foe In this the loue thou shewdst to Dauids soule To whose assistance thou hast vowed thy life Why leauest thou him in this extremitie Cus. Because the Lord and Israel chuseth thee And as before I serud thy fathers turne With counsell acceptable in his sight So likewise will I now obey his sonne Abs. Then welcome Cusay to king Absalon And now my lords and louing counsellors I thinke it time to exercise our armes Against forsaken Dauid and his host Giue counsell first my good Achitophel What times and orders we may best obserue For prosperous manage of these high exploits Achi. Let me chuse out twelue thousand valiant men And while the night hides with her sable mists The close endeuors cunning souldiers vse I will assault thy discontented fire And while with weakenesse of their wearie armes Surchargd with toile to shun thy suddaine power The people flie in huge disordred troupes To saue their liues and leaue the King alone Then will I smite him with his latest wound And bring the people to thy feet in peace Abs. Well hath Achitophel giuen his aduise Yet let vs heare what Cusay counsels vs Whose great experience is well worth the eare Cus. Though wise Achitophel be much more meet To purchase hearing with my
thy sweet sight to my conceits Whose vertue euer serud for sacred baulme To cheere my pinings past all earthly ioies But Bethsabe the daughter of the highest Whose beautie builds the towers of Israel Shee that in chaines of pearle and vnicorne Leads at her traine the ancient golden world The world that Adam held in Paradise Whose breath refineth all infectious aires And makes the meddowes smile at her repaire Shee Shee my dearest Bethsabe Faire peace the goddesse of our graces here Is fled the streets of faire Ierusalem The fields of Israel and the heart of Dauid Leading my comforts in her golden chaines Linckt to the life and soule of Absalon Beth. Then is the pleasure of my soueraignes heart So wrapt within the bosome of that sonne That Salomon whom Israels God affects And gaue the name vnto him for his loue Should be no salue to comfort Dauids soule Dau. Salomon my loue is Dauids lord Or God hath nam'd him lord of Israel In him for that and since he is thy sonne Must Dauid needs be pleased at the heart And he shall surely sit vpon my throne But Absalon the beautie of my bones Faite Absalon the counterfeit of loue Sweet Absalon the image of content Must claime a portion in his fathers care And be in life and death King Dauids sonne Nat. Yet as my lord hath said let Salomon raigne Whom God in naming hath annointed King Now is he apt to learne th' eternall lawes Whose knowledge being rooted in his youth Will beautifie his age with glorious fruits While Absalon incenst with gracelesse pride Vsurpes and staines the kingdome with his sinne Let Salomon be made thy staffe of age Faire Israels rest and honour of thy race Da. Tell me my Salomon wilt thou imbrace Thy fathers precepts graued in thy heart And satisfie my zeale to thy renowne With practise of such sacred principles As shall concerne the state of Israel Sal. My royall father if the heauenly zeale Which for my welfare seeds vpon your soule Were not sustaind with vertue of mine owne If the sweet accents of your cheerefull voice Should not each hower beat vpon mine eares As sweetly as the breath of heauen to him That gaspeth scorched with the Summers sunne I should be guiltie of vnpardoned sinne Fearing the plague of heauen and shame of earth But since I vow my selfe to learne the skill And holy secrets of his mightie hand Whose cunning tunes the musicke of my soule It would content me father first to learne How th' eternall fram'd the firmament Which bodies lead their influence by fire And which are fild with hoarie Winters yse What signe is raignie and what starre is faire Why by the rules of true proportion The yeare is still diuided into months The months to daies the daies to certaine howers What fruitfull race shall fill the future world Or for what time shall this round building stand What Magistrates what Kings shall keepe in awe Mens minds with bridles of th' eternall law Da. Wade not too farre my boy in waues too deepe The feeble eyes of our aspiring thoughts Behold things present and record things past But things to come exceed our humane reach And are not painted yet in angels eyes For those submit thy sence and say Thou power That now art framing of the future world Knowest all to come not by the course of heauen By fraile coniectures of inferiour signes By monstrous flouds by flights and flockes of birds By bowels of a sacrificed beast Or by the figures of some hidden art But by a true and naturall presage Laying the ground and perfect architect Of all our actions now before thine eyes From Adam to the end of Adams seed O heauen protect my weakenesse with thy strength So looke on me that I may view thy face And see these secrets written in thy browes O sun come dart thy raies vpon my moone That now mine eyes eclipsed to the earth May brightly be refin'd and shine to heauen Transforme me from this flesh that I may liue Before my death regenerate with thee O thou great God rauish my earthly sprite That for the time a more then humane skill May feed the Organons of all my sence That when I thinke thy thoughts may be my guide And when I speake I may be made by choice The perfect eccho of thy heauenly voice Thus say my sonne and thou shalt learne them all Salo. A secret fury rauisheth my soule Lifting my mind aboue her humane bounds And as the Eagle roused from her stand With violent hunger cowring in the aire Seaseth her feathered prey and thinkes to feed But seeing then a cloud beneath her feet Lets fall the foule and is emboldened With eies intentiue to bedare the sun And stieth close vnto his stately sphere So Salomon mounted on the burning wings Of zeale deuine lets fall his mortall food And cheeres his sences with celestiall aire Treads in the golden starrie Labyrinth And holds his eyes fixt on Iehouaes browes Good father teach me further what to doe Nath. See Dauid how his haughtie spirit mounts Euen now of heigth to wield a diademe Then make him promise that he may succeed And rest old Israels bones from broiles of warre Dauid Nathan thou Prophet sprung from Iesses root I promise thee and louely Bethsabe My Salomon shall gouerne after me Beth. He that hath toucht thee with this righteous thought Preserue the harbour of thy thoughts in peace Enter Mess. Mess. My lord thy seruants of thy watch haue seene One running hitherward from forth the warres Dauid If hee bee come alone he bringeth newes Mess. Another hath thy seruant seene my lord Whose running much resembles Sadocs sonne Da. He is a good man and good tidings brings Enter Ahimaas Ahim. Peace and content be with my lord the King Whom Israels God hath blest with victory Da. Tell me Ahimaas liues my Absalon Ahim. I saw a troupe of souldiours gathered But know not what the tumult might import Dau. Stand by vntill some other may informe The heart of Dauid with a happie truth Enter Cusay Cusay Happinesse and honour liue with Dauids soule Whom God hath blest with conquest of his foes Dauid But Cusay liues the yong man Absalon Cus. The stubborne enemies to Dauids peace And all that cast their darts against his crowne Fare euer like the young man Absalon For as he rid the woods of Ephraim Which fought for thee as much as all thy men His haire was tangled in a shadie oake And hanging there by Ioab and his men Sustaind the stroke of well deserued death Dauid Hath Absalon sustaind the stroke of death Die Dauid for the death of Absalon And make these cursed newes the bloudy darts That through his bowels rip thy wretched breast Hence Dauid walke the solitarie woods And in some Caedars shade the thunder slew And fire from heauen hath made his branches blacke Sit mourning the decease of Absalon Against the body of that blasted plant In thousand
shiuers breake thy yuorie Lute Hanging thy stringlesse harpe vpon his boughs And through the hollow saplesse sounding truncke Bellow the torments that perplexe thy soule There let the winds sit sighing till they burst Let tempest mufled with a cloud of pitch Threaten the forrests with her hellish face And mounted fiercely on her yron wings Rend vp the wretched engine by the roots That held my dearest Absalon to death Then let them tosse my broken Lute to heauen Euen to his hands that beats me with the strings To shew how sadly his poore sheepeheard sings He goes to his pauillion and sits close a while Beth. Die Bethsabe to see thy Dauid mourne To heare his tunes of anguish and of hell O helpe my Dauid helpe thy Bethsabe She kneeles downe Whose heart is pierced with thy breathie swords And bursts with burthen of tenne thousand greefes Now sits thy sorrowes sucking of my bloud O that it might be poison to their powers And that their lips might draw my bosome drie So Dauids loue might ease him though she die Nat. These violent passions come not from aboue Dauid and Bethsabe offend the highest To mourne in this immeasurable sort Dau. O Absalon Absalon O my sonne my sonne Would God that I had died for Absalon But he is dead ah dead Absalon is dead And Dauid liues to die for Absalon He lookes forth and at the end sits close againe Enter Ioab Abisay Ithay with their traine Ioab Why lies the Queene so prostrate on the ground Why is this companie so Tragicke hew'd Why is the King now absent from his men And marcheth not in triumph through the gates He vnfolds the pauillion Dauid awake if sleepe haue shut thine eies Sleepe of affection that thou canst not see The honour offerd to the victors head Ioab brings conquest pierced on his speare And ioy from all the Tribes of Israel Dauid Thou man of bloud thou sepulchre of death Whose marble breast intombe my bowels quicke Did I not charge thee nay intreat thy hand Euen for my sake to spare my Absalon And hast thou now in spight of Dauids health And skorne to doe my heart some happinesse Giuen him the sword and spilt his purple soule Ioab What irkes it Dauid that he victor breaths That Iuda and the fields of Israel Should cleanse their faces from their childrens bloud What art thou wearie of thy royall rule Is Israels throne a Serpent in thine eyes And he that set thee there so farre from thankes That thou must curse his seruant for his sake Hast thou not said that as the morning light The cloudlesse morning so should be thine house And not as flowers by the brightest raine Which growes vp quickly and as quickly fades Hast thou not said the wicked are as thornes That cannot be preserued with the hand And that the man shall touch them must be armd With coats of yron and garments made of steele Or with the shaft of a defenced speare And art thou angrie he is now cut off That lead the guiltlesse swarming to their deaths And was more wicked then an host of men Aduance thee from thy melancholy denne And decke thy bodie with thy blisfull robes Or by the Lord that swaies the heauen I sweare I le lead thine armies to another King Shall cheere them for their princely chiualrie And not sit daunted frowning in the darke When his faire lookes with Oyle and Wine refresht Should dart into their bosomes gladsome beames And fill their stomackes with triumphant feasts That when elsewhere sterne warre shall sound his trumpe And call another battaile to the field Fame still may bring thy valiant souldiers home And for their seruice happily confesse She wanted worthy trumpes to sound their prowesse Take thou this course and liue refuse and die Abisay Come brother let him sit there till he sincke Some other shall aduance the name of Ioab Offers to goe out Beth. O stay my lords stay Dauid mournes no more But riseth to giue honour to your acts Stay He riseth vp Dauid Then happie art thou Dauids fairest sonne That freed from the yoke of earthly toiles And sequestred from sence of humane sinnes Thy soule shall ioy the sacred cabinet Of those deuine Ideas that present Thy changed spirit with a heauen of blisse Then thou art gone ah thou art gone my sonne To heauen I hope my Absalon is gone Thy soule there plac'd in honour of the Saints Or angels clad with immortalitie Shall reape a seuenfold grace for all thy greefes Thy eyes now no more eyes but shining stars Shall decke the flaming heauens with nouell lampes There shalt thou tast the drinke of Seraphins And cheere thy feelings with archangels food Thy day of rest thy holy Sabboth day Shall be eternall and the curtaine drawne Thou shalt behold thy soueraigne face to face With wonder knit in triple vnitie Vnitie infinite and innumerable Courage braue captaines Ioab tale hath stird And made the suit of Israel preferd Ioab Brauely resolud and spoken like a King Now may old Israel and his daughters sing Exeunt FINIS