thou wilt have it in plain terms was shot to death I could not name him without an Elegie but that I think my Muse is run away to seek a better Master in these hard times And indeed the Muses may well be Maids for they are commonly farthest off when most intreated Mary was once the hate and burthen of the City and the name 's but Anagrammatiz'd but they are as weary of their Physicians as they were before of their disease I cannot resemble our rich Citizens better than to some Hogs I have read of that were so fat that Mice made nests in their buttocks and they felt them not But now they have pretty well eaten through their fat and are come to the quick and now they begin to be sensible of them Here are some desperate Members that gape wide to devour their Head and there is nothing can rescue him but a miracle And now I hope the largeness of my Letter will excuse me from adding any more No wonder my Letters are so big being so old before they come to hand Let me onely add that I am still Dear Ned Thine usque ad aras T. F. To Mr. C. F. Friend or Brother chuse you whether Natures bonds are strong in either THough I never knew the happiness of a Brother I count that want infinitely supplyed if not out-gone by the adoption of some friends of which number I need not now tell you you hold a chief place You may easily imagine how welcome your last was to me the rather because it assured me of your not onely receiving but accepting mine which seriously I doubted when afterward I read Seneca's Caveat Vide non tantum an verumsit quod dicis sed an ille cui dicitur veri patiens sit But believe me it was pure friendship that praecipitated my pen and in friendship those are great faults that are not venial And now it lies in your power only to make those poor papers a true glass as you are pleased to call them in a reflection of my own face without partiality and indeed this was the chief intent of my designe at first and you cannot think how I will â—ug it nay out-dote Narcissus himself I hope though you have entertained the Graces you have not quite cashier'd the Muses For though the Times be hard yet they are no chargeable retinue But I know you expect some Newes and truly here is Nova inaâ—dita rerum facies Here they that count Stables as good as Churches have made our Churches Stables But enough of this and for this time when I have styled my self Your diligent Observer T. F. To Mr. L. C. L. Noble Sir THe last clause of your last ingenious Letter has proved a Prophesie For you are pleas'd to tell me that you long for my answer and truly I have made it a long answer though a short letter and that till it come every day 's a moneth and I am sure it will be a moneth every day e're you have it yet be confident it was not for want of love but want of leisure You know Parvus amor loquitur ingens stupet Great love like great grief must move gradatim Sir that you tell me since you saw my lines you are grown womanish and long for a view I dare not think it flatterie because from a friend yet am I not a little proud on 't Thus have we the happiness like Princes to wooe by Picture and wed by Proxie For though I have hitherto been an Atheist to female love yet have I thus often wooed and as often won a second-self for so 's a friend as well as a wife and the marriage of the minds is no less firm and honourable than that of the body And I will assure you Sir I am more ambitious of that happy visit you are pleased to promise me than some Amorettâ— would be of his Mistris In the mean-time I shall hope to see you in those lively Images of your ingenious self To those unmerited Encomiums you are pleased to bestow on my unworthy Poeme I will answer nothing save that I will make it an argument of your love to me for 't is a Symptome Quae minimè pulchra sunt eâ— Pulchra videntur Amanti If now you expect any Newes I must deceive your expectation for here is none save what you will see by the Printed Papers and truly I am afraid this cold weather will usher in a hotter Summer You 'l spell my meaning though in a mysterie because Plura literis committere nec vacat nec tutum est But that I am Your most affectionate Friend T. F. To Mr. C. F. Sir I Received your late I think last Letter fraught with Flowers and credit me with as welcome a countenance as we behold those early violets the first fruits of the Spring after a long and tedious Winter I heartily congratulate your entrance into the Bond of Wedlock for 't is a bond though a sweet one and question not but you have a fit yoke-fellow Now are you a Compleat Man which the Rabbins say no man is till he have his female Rib restor'd him which before he wanted That you have match'd one of my name I cannot account any other than an act of the Divine Providence to make our Friendship grow up into a Brotherhood So that now it shall be no longer as you say Friend and Brother chuse you whether But Friend and Brother both together Hereafter shall I be not a little proud of my name that it may be serviceable to the production of such sweet Flowers as your self Wonder not now that in stead of greeting you with an Epithalamium I grace you with an Elegie Indeed I must acknowledge that mourning is not fit for a Wedding garment yet most fit for me at this present being really sensible of the death of the general Father of our Country and fearful of the death of my own dear Father in particular And to express my self in the words of the Poet Hei mihi difficile est imitari gaudia falsa Difficile est tristi fingere mente jocum Give me leave onely to present your Wife my Sister with my as hearty as invisible salutes and so I take my leave of you both with that of the witty Catullus Boni Conjuges bone vivite munere assiduo valentem exercite juventam This is the hearty wish of him that is proud to be accounted Your glad though sorrowful Friend and Brother T. F. To Mr. E. B. Ned dear N. my N. AS I was going to write a Letter to thee came thine to me and believe me with no little welcome I thank thee for thy Letter more for thy Verses but most of all for thy constant perseverance in friendship Goe on and let us if possible draw the knot of our love yet faster I dare presume thou wilt and for me may the Muses or what 's more the Graces hate me when I cease to love
our crown what drew you hither Max. Hither I came drawn by that forcible Attractive for to offer up my self A sacrifice at th' altar of her love Tost with a sea of miseries I came To anchor in the haven of her heart And if this be treason I shall not blush To be esteem'd a traytor But if not Then pardon me if bolder innocence Doth force me tell you 't is not just in you Thus to oppose what Heavens have decreed Believe me Sir it 's neither safe nor just For you to violate the lawes of fate Kin. Let not your pride so far transport you that You tax our justice I shall scourge your haste th'wind Into a leisurely repentance when The sea shall teach you that your teares and That sighs become your headlong rash attempts Max. Great Sir lay what you will on me I scorn To crave your favour for my self but yet Let Nature prompt you to be merciful To her who is a chief part of your self Kin. No as ye have joyn'd your selves in mirth so Will I joyn ye too in mourning and because Two no good consort make my brother shall Bear a third part in your grave harmonie Seph Father let me the heavy burthen bear Of this sad song alone let all your fierce Justice center in my breast Kin. No more Our sentence is irrevocable nought Shall satisfie me else I 'll have it done 1 Lo. My Liege the barque is ready and attends Your pleasure the commands of Kings are not To be gain-said or broken for the will Of heaven is obey'd in doing them Seph We do obey it then and willingly Father for yet I can't forget that name Although these injuries would raze it out My memorie I will not now dispute But readily obey your will and know The pleasures of your Court should not entice Me shun this comming terrour which will be More welcome to me by my companie And thus I take my leave Here may you find She kneels That happiness you wish and we shall want Whilest that we prove our selves loves Confessors If not his Martyrs Kin. I will hear no more Away with them my Lord you know the place Our sentence and the time I long to see Me and my Kingdom from these monsters free Max. Arcadia adieu Thou hast before Been famous for the happiness of loves Now mischief hath usurp't the seat and may It be the object of the gods hatred Since Love 's the subject of their crueltie Come dearest let us winde our selves so close That envie may admire and so despair To enter here where love possession keeps Exeâ—nt Scaen. 5. Kin. Now shall I live secure for now there is None left whose nearness to our blood might edge Their hopes by killing us to gain our Crown Kings lives are never safe from those that wish Their ends which must initiate them into Th' enjoyment of a Kingdom this same crown Is such a bait unto ambitious spirits 'T is never safe upon the wearers head Enter Artaxia weeping Why weeps my dear Art Ask why I do not weep Poor Artaxia are my tears denied me Ask why I do not rave tear my hair thus Why such a weight of sorrow doth not rob So much of woman from me as complaints Or rather why do I not cloud the skie With sighs till at the last with one bold stab My own hand take from insulting fortune This miserable object of her sport Ask why I do not this not why I weep Kin. Or stint thy teares or mingle mine with them By a relation of their cause these eyes Trust me Artaxia are not yet drawn dry Nor hath strong sorrow e're exhausted them To make them bankrupt of a friendly tear But not a fond one Why Artaxia Why dost thou hasten those that come too fast Sorrow and age clear up thy clouded brow Art Ah Damocles how hast thou lost thy self And art become a monster not a man Thus to deprive me of my onely joy The onely stay and comfort of mine age Which now must fall Break heart and give My sorrows vent Ah! my Sephestia's gone For ever lost unto the world and me Kin. Content thy self not I but justice hath Depriv'd us of her Justice that is blind To all relations and deaf to intreats Of fond nature or fonder affection Art Ah cruel justice Justice no tyranny This is Death be my friend joyn once more My dear Sephestia and me I come Stabs her self Sephestia I come curs'd world farewel Kin. Help help Artaxia my dear help help Sephestia doth live she is not dead Art Oh 't is too late oh-oh-oh She dies Enter 2 Lords 2 Lor. Heavens what a sight is here The Queen she 's dead stark dead what shal we do This wretched land is fruitful grown of late Of nothing else but miseries and woâ—s Jove sends his darts like hail-shot no place free Kin. Ah miserable man I am a wretch Who thus have lost two jewels that the world Can't recompence I know not what to do Now could I tear my self in pieces that I have Thus parted friends left my self alone Offers to kill himself I am resolv'd I will no longer live 2 Lo. Stay good my Liege live repent of what Y'have done you have killd enough already Kin. If I should kill my self and lose my crown I were better live Call us a Council quickly But my wife my dearest Artaxia That I could breath life into thee again Or else were with thee 2 Lo. He 's not yet so mad Kin. O ye powers above what mean ye thus To wrack us mortals with such blacker deeds Than hell it self or remove them or take All senses from us Bear the bodie in And summon all our Lords with speed t' attend Upon us that we may find out from whence It is we suffer this sad influence Exit 2 Lo. Unhappy King he hath undone himself And all the Land His sublimated rage Hath sowne a crop of mischiefs which no age Can parallel great-belly'd time is big With sorrows and our next succeeding times Must reap the harvest of his bloody crimes Exit Finis Actus primi Act. 2. Scaen. 1. Enter Menaphon and Doron Men HOw mad a thing is Love It makes us lose Our senses whilest we wander in a maze Oâ— endless torments sometime with his smiles The cunning thief doth flatter us with hopes And tantalize our expectations when Strait our winged joyes are gone and we Do wrack our selves with future coming fears A mistris frowns doth cloud our clearer skie 1. Fond love no more Will I adore Thy feigned Deity Go throw thy darts At simple hearts And prove thy victory 2. Whilst I do keep My harmless sheep Love hath no power on me 'T is idle soules Which he controules The busie man is free Enter Doron Dor. Ah Menaphon my Sister Pesana a pies On her I had almost forgot her name with come Thinking on her business Men. VVhy what 's thy business Doron tell
preserve it And although me thinks I hear you tell me that my sounding on so slight a knock doth but argue me the empter vessel whilst you who are more full fraught give no answer though with much importunity I have no other excuse but to tell you that I do it to let you see I had rather seem to be a troublesome than a forgetful friend Truly sayes our English Proverb He loves not at all that knows when to make an end And the Italians are not amiss who say L'amore senza fine non ha fine Love that has no by-end will know no end For my part I profess no other end in my affections but your service for which I once gave you my Heart and now my Hand that the World may see whose servant is T. F. To Mr. C. H. Mr. Ch. AS I was going to Church to keep the Fast your Letter encounter'd me and as good reason turn'd my Fast into a Feast but such a one as my Senses were more employ'd on than my Palat It rejoyc'd me exceedingly to hear of that ingenious Fl. though I expected to have heard from him before this But I see Non factis sequimur omnia quâ— loquimur I am sure Non passibus aequis To those Poesies you tell me of I shall only answer them with expectation since the Instructer of the Art of Poetry tells me Nec verbum verbo curabis reddere And to return you something for your Newes I can only tell you this that our streets abound with Grashoppers silenc'd by our great Hercules and others that look like horses thrown into a certain River in Italy which are consumed to the bare bones For your desire to be made merry I must confess Laeta decet laetis pascere corâ—a jocis But for you to desire it of me seems to be a jest it self I doubt to be tedious and well know Seneca's rule That an Epistle should not Manum legentis implere I onely take time to subscribe my self Your true Friend T. F. To Mr. S. M. at Barbados Friend I Received your as welcome as unexpected Letter of which I will say in the words of Seneca that famous Moralist in an Epistle to his friend Lucilius Exulto quoties lego Epistolam tuam implet me bonâ spe jam non promittit de te sed spondet And God forbid that I should be so uncharitable as not to believe it Yet let me tell you that without the reality of the actions it is but a dead letter nay 't will prove a deadly for should you neglect to do what you there promise or speak there more than you do that very letter will one day rise up in judgment against you Pardon my plainness and think never the worse of the Truth for my bad language Truth may many times have bad cloaths yet has she alwayes a good face It is a good mark of the moral Philosopher that sheep do not come to their shepherd and shew him how much they eat but make it appear by the fleece that they wear on their backs and the milk which they give I will not wrong the sharpness of your judgment by applying the Moral I have read of two famous Painters who to shew their skill the one drew a bunch of grapes so lively that he cozened the Birds the other drew a veil so perfectly over his grapes that he deceiv'd the Artificer himself Could we draw the colour of our good works never so lively as to cozen every mortal eye and draw so fine a veil over our evil deeds as to conceit our selves into a conceit we had none yet is there an All-seeing eye to whom the darkest secret is most apparâ—nt Did we but truly consider this it could not chuse but hinder us from committing those things we would be ashamed to do in the sight of Man which we daily doe in the sight of an Omniscient God Therefore the advice of the Heathen Philosopher may be made good Christian practice who advised to set the conceit of Cato or like Grave man alwayes before us to keep us from doing what might mis-befit their presence It is a Character of the wicked man drawn by the Divine hand that in all his wayes he sets not God before his eyes There is also another witness within us that can neither be brib'd not blinded O te miserum si contemnis hunc testem O have a care to offend that Bird in the breast that must one day sing either your joyful Elogie or more doleful Dirge Camdâ—n our English Historiographer tells us of a place in Stafordshire call'd Wotton in so doleful a place under the barren Hill Weaver that it is a common Proverb of the neighbours Wotton under Weaver Where God came never But alas there 's no such place on Earth to be found yet can I tell a place where his pure Spirit abhors to enter namely into a person contaminated and defiled with sin and thereby made the harbour of Satan and hatred of the most High Whereas you tell me you are faln to labour let me comfort you with this that it is as universal as unavoidable a Fate laid on us by the mouth of Truth Man is born to labour as the sparks to fly upward As if Man and Labour were Termini Convertibiles But that you take more pleasure now in Labour than you did before in your Pleasure it much comforts me assuring me that you are now sensible of that which the Romans taught by placing Angina the goddess of sorrow and pain in the Temple of Volupeia the goddess of Pleasure as if that pain and sorrow were the necessary consequences of pleasure Whereas on the contrary Goodness is like the Image of Diana Pliny speaks of Intrantes tristem Euntes exhilerantem How wretched therefore is their condition that have their portion in this life Well may we be strangers in this worldly Aegypt so we may be inhabitants hereafter of the Heavenly Canaan And you and I may say in the words of Seneca Satis multam temporis sparsimus incipiamus nunc in vasa colligerâ— We have spent time enough already and 't is high time now to save the rest and to make the best of the remnant of our life because we know not how short it is It was a wise caution of Eleazer a Jew who being demanded When it would be time to repent and amend Answered One day before death And when the other replied That no man knew the day of his death Begin then said he even to day for fear of failing Hoc proprium inter caetera mala hoc quoque habet stultitia proprium semper incipit vivere quid est enim turpius quam senex vivere insipieâ—s Give me leave not to instruct you but to tell you what counsel I desire to practise for it was an envious disposition of that Musician that would play so softly on his Harp that none could hear but himself First 'T is my
in My breast nor shall it meet or be put out With any cold extinguisher but death If many shoulders make griefs burthen light Then so shall ours and may mine cease to be When they shall cease to bear their equal part And sympathize with thee as doth my heart Seph Uncle my thanks How rare it is to find A friend in misery Men run from such Like Deer from him is hunted with the dogs As if that misery infectious were Men fly with Eagles wings away But creep like snails when they should succour lend I cannot therefore chuse but prize your love Who dare be true unto your friend a name Nearer than that of kindred or of blood This is th' effect of noblest virtue which Ties firmer knots than age can e're undo Such is the knot my Maximus and I Have tied spight of my fathers anger it Shall hold when envy 's tired to invent Mischiefs in vain to cut the knot in two Which heaven hath knit too fast to loose again Alas fond man who thinks to unravel what The gods have wove together 'T is in vain Scaen. 3. 1 Lo. Lady time cals upon you not to stay Lest by a fond delay you call upon His fury to convert into some worse And sudden punishment which may deny All hopes of future safety of all ills The least is always wisely to be chosen Seph Go and prepare that floting grave which must Devour's alive I will attend you here Before when will my dearest find his grief In finding me thus lost without relief Exeunt Manet Sephestia Why doth my Love thus tarry surely he Forgotten hath the place or time or else He would not stay thus long but can I blame Him to be slow to meet his ruine I Could wish he would not come at all that so He yet might live although I perish but How fondly do I wish to be without Him without whom alas I cannot live 'T were as impossible as without air He 'tis for whom I suffer and with him All places are alike to me See where He comes who is sole keeper of my heart Enter Maximus Max. My dear Seph Ah dear indeed for whom thy life Must pay the shot of cruelty enrag'd Max. What meanes my love is 't she or do I dream Sure this cannot be she whose words were wont To be more sweet than honey soft as oil These words more sharp than daggers points nâ—'re came From her I know What sayst thou my sweet Seph The same truth will not suffer me to speak Other lest I should injure her O that 'T were possible so to dispense with truth Not to betray our selves I know not what to say Max. Heavens bless us what a sudden change is here Love who hath wrong'd thee tell me that I may Thrid their lives upon my sword make their Dead trunks float in their own blood till they blush At their own shame Tell me my heart who is 't Seph Alas poor soul thou little dreamst what sad News do's await thine ears my tongue doth fail Not daring once to name the thing must be Our loves sad end and dire Catastrophe My fathers fury Oh that that name I once delighted in should odious be To mine affrighted senses But for thee Alone it is I grieve not for my self Max. Be 't what it will so that it be but in Relation to thy love I will embrace And hug and thank that malice too that so Invented hath a means whereby I may But testifie my loyalty to thee For whose sweet sake I would encounter with Legions of armed furies sacrifice My dearest blood unto thy service which I more esteem than all the wealth the world Can boast of 'T is thee alone I value Above whatever mens ambitious thoughts Can fathom with their boundless appetites Seph This flame of love must now be quenched in Tâ—â— foaming sea we are design'd a prey Unto the fury of winds and waves The deadly Barque's providing which must be Our moving habitation the sea Must be our Kingdom and the scaly frie Our subjects This this the portion is Of fortunes frowns and fathers fiercer hate Fly fly my dearest Maximus and save My life in thine oh stay no longer here weeps Max. Why dost thou torment thy self before Thy time wilt thou anticipate the sea And drown thy self in â—ears Deny me not To share with thee in suffering as well As I have done in pleasure 't is for me This storm is rais'd were I once cast away His rage would cease I I have wrong'd thee And I 'll be just to thee and to my word draws I 'll ope the sluces of my fullest veins And set them running till they make a flood Wherein I 'll drown my self He offers to kill himself She stays his hand Seph Thine heart lies here 'T is here lock't up securely in my brest First open that and take it out for death Shall ne're divorce me from thy company I will attend thee through those shady vaults Of death or thou shalt live with me Dost think This body possible to live without A soul or without thee Have pitie on Thy tender babe whose life depends on thine And make not me widow and him orphan With unadvised rashness Sheath thy sword Max. Mine eyes will ne're endure it to behold Thee miserable no no death first shall draw A sable veil of darkness over them Pardon my rashuess I will live with thee And tire thy fathers rage with suffering So he 'l but suffer thee to live in mirth The greatest sorrow shall not make me sad Seph Here comes my father cerainly his rage Will know no bounds I fear it will Break forth into some desperate act on me Max. Although he be a King which sacred name I reverence and as a mortal god Adore he shall not dare to injure you Before my face first shall he wear my life Upon his sword if he but dare to touch Thy sacred self Sâ—â—n 4. Enter Damocles Kin. How now light-skirts have you got your Champion To shield you from our anger know I have Not yet forgot the name of father though You thus have slighted it but as a King We must be just to punish your contempt Did you so well know your beauty to be Proud of it and yet so little value it As thus to throw it all away at once Well get you gone Since that you have esteem'd A strangers love before your lovalty To me or my care to you a stranger shall Inherit what you were born to had not Your fond affections forc'd this vile exchange Max. Sir for your fury will not suffer me To call you father think not your daughter Undervalued by her love to me Her love ran not so low as to be stoâ—p'd To meet with crime who am a Prince nâ— less Than is your self Cyprus my Kingdome is Kin. What drew you hither then you must needs know It is no less than treason for to steal An heir to
me Dor. My business 't is none of my businesse I tell you 'T is my sister Pesana's business Men. VVell what 's her business then I prethee tell Dor. Ah Sir she 's sick Men. VVhat is she sick of Doron let me know Dor. VVhy truly Sir she 's sick of you Men. She sick of me why am I a disease Dor. I mean I mean she is sick for you Men. That 's kindly done of her Doron that she Will be sick for me I 'll make her amends Dor. Will you make her amend said you I am Afraid you 'l make her end first but truly Menaphon I have a suit for you Men. Hast thou a suit for me Is it a new one Dor. I say I have a suit to you Men. To me well and what is your suit made of Dor. In good sooth Sir I must intreat you will Love my sister as well as you have done Men. No Doron love and I are faln out and he Will not let me love thy sister or thee either Dor. Noâ— my sister nor me neither Out thou Caterpiller thou weasel thou hedg-hog I will make you love me and my sister too Men You are out of your suit now Doron and I fear you will catch cold now you are hot Exeunt Scaen. 2. Enter Maximus shipwrack't Max. Where am I now Sure 't is Arcadia A land happy in giving birth to my Sephestia Ah my Sephestia But now noâ— my Sephestia since the waves Have ravish'd her from me and all my hopes Are prov'd abortive why do I now live Since she is gone whose life mine were both Twisted on one thred Ye fatal Sisters Why did not your cruel knife cut my life In twain when hers was broken off by the Rude waves blustring wind who strove which should Gain her from each But both from me have robd Her â— now may the sea well boast and out-vie The begger'd earth since it hath her who was The earth's whole sum of riches O ye gods â— Why did ye once make me so happy To enjoy her and now snatch'd her again To make me thereby the more miserable Yet is she not quite drowned for her heart Is here 't is mine the sea doth prey upon Well my Sephestia oh that name doth ravish Me This body shall a monument be And my whole life a continued Elegie Both consecrated to thy memorie I 'll drown thee once more in my tears Which I will daily pay as tribute to thee Cyprus adieu greatness also farewel I see those who are lifted highest on The hill of honour are nearest to the Blasts of envious fortune whilst the low And valley fortunes are far more secure Humble valleys thrive with their bosoms full Of flowers when hills melt with lightning and rough Anger of the clouds I will retire from The front of honour to the rear of a Shepherds life where whilst I do daily tend The harmless sheep will I sing forth sad notes Of their blest happiness and my misfortune I will no longer keep this miserable name Of Maximus but clad in sorrows weeds Will I wear the name of Melecertus No more Maximus Prince of Cyprus but A poor shepherd will I be when you see Those weeds and hear Melecertus name I am that wretched he who like the snake Have cast my former coat by creeping through The hole of miserie and got a new Exit Scaen. 3. Enter Doron Dor. My Carmela is comming and I 'm provided to cast A sheeps eye at her He flings at her Enter Carmela Car. Now I see how Love came blind he flung His eyes at me in stead of a love-dart Dor. Ha my Carmela let me kiss thy hony-suckle lips Car. You kiss so hard you 'l leave your beard behind Dor. By my troth Carmela swains cannot swear But I do love thee by our great god Pan I love thee Car. You said you could not swear and yet you Swear you love me Dor. Love I have stared so long at thee that I Am now grown blind Car. Then shall you be led like blind beggars With a dog and a bell or else be beholding To the glasier for a new pair of eyes Dor. I know not what you mean eyes but I am Sure that I am off the hooks You tell me of Eyes eyes but 't is your no's that torments me This blind god that the Poets call Cupid has seen To hit me with his dart I know not how But as the blind man kil'd the crow Car. Then you are one of the wanderers in Loves Labyrinth I prethee let me lead thee Dor. Ay so we may both fall but no matter For if you fall first I 'll fall on thee Car. Fie Doron fie are you not asham'd Dor. Asham'd of what marry better falling Falling out Car. You 'r very merry Doron where 's your in than musick Dor. Let me play on thee my pretty bag-pipe And I know thou wilt sing loth to depart Car. And I 'll try that now follow me Exâ—â— Dor. Nay when you came to the snuff once I thought You would quickly go out Scaen. 4. Enter Menaphon Oh Menaphon hark I am undone as a man Should undo an oyster Men. Why Doron what 's to do with thee now Dor. Why man thy sister Carmela is grown proud And is just such another as thy self she slights And scorns poor Doron and yet because I love her As my sister doth thee she laughs at me Well I will be even with her for if she won't love Me with a good will I 'll love her against her Will and I think I shall be even with her there Men. Come Doron come count love a toy As I do who take far more joy to view My flocks here 's my content when heavens frown I think upon my faults and a clear skie Puts me in mind of the gods gracious love Envie o're-looketh me nor do I gaze So high as tall ambition and for love I feed my self with fancies such as these Venus the Poets say sprang from the sea Which notes to me th' inconstancie of love Changing each day with various ebbs tides Sometimes o're-flowing the banks of fortune With a gracious look from a lovers eyes Ebbing at other times to th' dangerous shelf Of cold despair from a Mistris frowns Your Cupid must be young to shew He is a boy his wings inconstance tell He 's blind to note his aym is without rule Or reasons guide such is the god ye serve Dor. Treason treason against the god of love Menaphon though you be my friend I will Have you articl'd against at the next meeting well Of the Shepherds Men. Lovers sorrows be like to the restless Labours of Sisyphus Dor. Like thy tongue then Men. Your Mistris favour's honey mixt with gall A bitter sweet a folly worst of all That forceth reason to be fancies thrall Then love who list for me if beauty be So sowr then give me labour still Exit Dor. How I would laugh to see
shall soon cool your courage Doron for I cannot may not will not love thee Dor. Out you gossip not love me go get You spin on Ixions wheel Car. No Lovers spin on that and so must you Exeunt Scaen. 8. Enter Menaphon Men. How fond was I when I as vainly strove To keep my heart against the god of Love I little thought his power when I resolv'd To live and not to love Nature I see Cannot subsist without loves harmonie In vain I shut the door and bolted it With resolution strait the thief Thorough the casements of mine eyes got in And stole away my heart as once of old He serv'd the merry Greek Anacreon Whose fancie fits my fortune Here it is Loves Duel Cupid all his Arts did prove To invite my heart to love But I alwayes did delay His mild summons to obey Being deaf to all his charms Strait the god assumes his Arâ—â— With his how and quiver he Takes the field to Duel me Armed like Achilles I With my shield alone defie His bold challenge as he cast His golden darts I as fast Catch'd his Arrows in my shield Till I made him leave the field Fretting and disarmed then The angry god returns agen All in flames stead of a dart Throws himself into my heart Useless I my shield require When the Fort is all on fire I in vâ—â—â— the field did win Now the Enemy's within Thus betray'd at last I cry Love thou hast the victory Alas what heart 's so fortify'd to prove The sev'ral batteries of the god of love What ear 's not charm'd with th'rethorick of a voice Whose single note would silence all the Quire Of the Aërial feather'd Choristers What eye would not be blinded to behold Those eyes which cast a cloud upon the Sun And bring his light under disparagement Enter Sephestia Witness that face whose Shrine hath made me blind How fares my fairest guest Seph The better for Your courteous entertainment may the gods Be favourable to your flocks as you Have friendly been to us Men. May I presume To crave your name and to enquire how Hard-hearted fortune could be so unjust To injure innocence Signe she is blind Seph My name is Samela my parentage But mean the wife of a poor Gentleman Of Cyprus now deceas'd How arriv'd here Pray do not now enquire time may reveal What present sorrows force me to conceal Men. I will not press your yet fresh bleeding wounds With a rude hand 't is time and patience Must work the cure the gods allow a salve For ev'ry sore but we must wait on them Their time is best for when we strive to heal Our wounds too fast they do but fester more Rest here content a Country life is safe Fortune o're-looks our humble cottages We are not pain'd with wealth nor pin'd with want Our sheep do yield us milk for food and wooll To make us cloaths hunger cold we slight Envie hath here no place we 'l friendship keep Free from all jars and harmless as our sheep Sam. O happy life would I had never known Other than this which by comparison Renders mine odious to my memorie Exit weeping Men. Sorrow sits heavy on her heart but shews More lovely in her face those tears appear Like chrystal dew upon the blushing rose Beauty thus veil'd is more inviting than Shining out in it's unclouded splendor Fortune I hate thee for thy spight to her But thank thee for thy courtesie to me In sending her for shelter to my house Kind love assist me now and I will be Her constant servant and thy votarie Exit Finis Act. 2. Act. 3. Scaen. 1. Romanio and Eurilochus with Plusidippus Rom. THis present to the King of Thessaly Will gain us both reward and pardon too For all our former Pyracies upon His seas and ships Eur. Ay he hath ne're a son For to inherit the Thessalian Crown Hereby this lad may gain a Kingdom whilst We seek but our liberties and lives For time to come and pardon for what 's past This is the place the King doth oft frequent When publick cares oppress his Royal head Here he unloads the burthen of his thoughts And changes cares for recreation See where he comes God save your Majestie Rom. Long live Agenor King of Thessaly Enter King Kin. What meanes this bold intrusion who are ye That dare presume into our private walks Eur. Pardon great Sir we come not to offend Your sacred Majestie but to present Shews Plusidippus to the King You with this living gift Kin. This is a gift Indeed where had ye him or what 's his birth Rom. Please you dread Sir grant us your pardon then We shall declare unto you what we know Kin. Take it we freely pardon ye Now speak Eur. Then be it known unto your Majestie VVe the two famous Pyrats are you have So long laid wait to take but all in vain Roving upon the coasts of Arcady VVe found this beauteous youth upon the shore VVhom we suppose the seas had wrack't but sav'd His life which we have nourish'd ever since And now bequeath unto your Majestie For which we beg no recompence but this To seal our pardons for our former faults Kin. Look that for time to come ye honest be And for what 's past we freely pardon ye Rom. Thanks Royal Sir the remnant of our lives VVill we spend in your service and so give Again our lives which you have given us VVhen they were forfeit to your laws and you Exeunt Kin. This is a welcome gift VVhat a divine Beautie doth sparkle in his countenance Surely he cannot be of mortal race Descended but Jove himself hath sent him To be the happy heir of my Kingdom Immortal Jove I thank thee for this gift Thou couldest not have sent a welcomer My pretty lad where wer 't thou born canst tell Plu. I know not Sir my name is Plusidippus Kin. Come follow me now have I found at once An husband for my daughter an heir For the Thessalian Crown Thrones are supplied forth By Jove who when the root is withered Can make more heav'nly branches to sprout Which may in time grow mighty trees to shade And shelter all their liege-subjects under Exeunt Scaen. 2. Menaphon solus Strike home great Cupid with thy flaming dart As yet thou dost but dally with my heart 'T is rather scratch'd than wounded I do hate A luke-warm love give me a love flames high As it would reach the element of fire From whence it came a low and creeping flame Befits â— chimney not a lovers breast Give me a love dare undertake a task VVould fright an Hercules into an ague A love dare tempt the boldest fate and die An honour'd captive or bold conquerour Give me a daring not a whining love A love grows great with opposition A love that scorns an easie task things great And noble always are most difficult This is the love blind Cupid I would have A love
Pes Good Doren be my friend to Menaphon And mind him of his former love to me Or I shall learn at last to slight him too Dor. Ay ay he has a sister just such another As himself I 'm zure she has e'en broken My poor heart in twain and if it be Piec'd again it will never be handsom Exeunt Scaen. 8. Enter Lamedon How happy are these shepherds here they live Content and know no other cares but how To tend their flocks and please their Mistris best They know no strife but that of love they spend Their days in mirth and when they end sweet sleeps Repay and ease the labours of the day They need no Lawyers to decide their jars Good herbs and wholsom diet is to them The onely Aesculapius their skill Is how to save not how with art to kill Pride and ambition are such strangers here They are not known so much as by their names Their sheep and they contend in innocence Which shall excell the Master or his flocks With honest mirth and merry tales they pass Their time and sweeten all their cares Whilst Courts are fill'd with waking thoughtful strife Peace and content do crown the shepherds life Finis Act. 3. Act. 4. Scaene 1. Enter King of Thessaly and his daughter Euriphila Kin. DAughter it is enough we will it see You shew your dutie in obeying us Since I have made choise of him for my Son Accept him for your husband He 's a man Ancient in virtues although young in yeares He 's one whose worth is far beyond his age Eur. Father it grieves me that the cross Fates have Forc'd me to hate the man you so much love Cupid hath struck me with his leaden dart I cannot force my own affections Kin. How 's this you hate him whom I love can he Be th' object of your hate who is alone The subject of my love and reverence He whom the gods in mercie have design'd The happy Successor unto my crown And to your love Bethink your self again Eur. Great Sir the gods themselves are subject to That little deitie of love can I Withstand his power or love against his will Force cannot work on love which must be free And uncompell'd else can it not be true Nor lasting Sir urge me no more in vain Kin. What a strange change is here Your will was wont Freely to stoop to all my just desires Is it now grown so stiff 't will not be bent By my commands I know thou dost but feign Eur. I would obey your will could I command Mine own affections or chuse my love Kin Do it or else by Jove whom I present ll punish thy neglect I cannot think Thy words and thoughts agree Surely to love Is natural why then not to love him Whom nature made to be belov'd He hath Artillery enough about him to take in The stoutest heart at the first summons Well Think on 't Euriphila when I am gone I 'll leave thee here Lovers are best alone Exit Scaen. 2. Eur. How rarely have I play'd this part hid My love under a mask of hate but now Me thinks I feel the fiâ—e of love to rage More fiercely in my breast for being kept So close it will break out too soon I must Invert the course of love and woo him first Enter Plusidippus He comes and fitly Cupid instruct me now To war and conquer in this bloodless fight That wins the field by flight and not by force Yet must I veil my love still and seem coy Till by a false retreat I make him fall Into those snares I set and wish him in What means this bold intrusion do'st befit You to intrude into my privacies Plu. Lady the fault 's not mine fortune hath led Me to this place mine ignorance I hope Will plead mine innocence As I have found Your Royal Fathers noble favours far Exceed my hopes or my requital let Not your frownes strike dead whom he hath rais'd To life crueltie cannot lodge within That tender breast was onely made for Love Eur. Dare you presume to talk of love to me Am I a mate fit for your choice Be gone And seek some shrub may fit your lowness best Plu. Madam this storm becomes you not It is Degenerate from your noble Fathers strain I cannot think this should proceed from one That is the Heir to his name and worth Eur. My fathers ears shall ring with this that he Hath warm'd a viper which would bite him now And entertain'd a guest would rob his host Plu. Lady my spirit tels me that my birth Is not so base as you conceit I mean To try my spirit and my fortunes in Mars his Camp but not in Venus Courts Since nature's so unkind as not to let Me know what honour I was born unto I 'll win some to my name by actions which Shal speak me noble I had thought t' have made You the fair goddess at whose shrine I meant T' have offer'd up and sacrific'd my self And all my services but cause you prove So rough I will not harbour here but seek The world through for an altar worthy of My labours So fair proud farewel Exit Eur. Art gone I did not well to tempt a part I knew not how to act to hide a flame I could not well conceal for hereby have I drove him quite away Euriphila Thou wer 't too blame Well I will after him And try if I can fetter him with gifts Whom love cannot entangle Mars is his god Not Venus once more will I try and shew Him plainly how I love him Juno help And thou O little deitie of Love Besiege the castle of his stubborn breast Bend all thy batteries unto his heart Make it the mark of all thy golden darts Let him no more resist but know thy power That Mars with all his armour nor his forts Castles or coats of mail can fence him from Thy little piercing shafts which wound unseen And I will try what work a womans arts Can make against these stubborn warriors hearts Exit Scaen. 3. Enter Samela I have but one heart to bestow and that Must not be Menaphon's mine eyes do fix On Melecertus the best counterfeit Of my lost Maximus I cannot yet Think on that name but it doth seem to chide My hasty choise and drown my love in tears She weeps Enter Menaphon Men. What mean these sudden passions Samela Hast thou not here all thou canst wish what dost Thou want can make one happy but content Sam. 'T is true I nothing want that a poor wretch Can wish for but this happiness doth mind Me of my fore-past happiness that 's lost Is 't possible the vein of true love can Be broken and the wound not bleed afresh At every thought Alas my heart 's so full Of tears and grief that some will over-flow Men. Had thy tears power to raise the dead again Then were they lawful and commendable But since that tears are
fruitless and your friends Like water spilt now past recoverie It is but folly to weep for the dead Pursue no more fled joyes turn and receive Those comming pleasures which do court your hand To take them If thou wilt listen to my love Sam. I like my grief much better than thy love Men. Why so nice and coy fair Lady Prethee why so coy If you deny your hand and lip Can I your heart enjoy Prethee why so coy For thy flitting joyes are past I will give thee joyes at last Joyes that shall create each other Make thee both a wife and mother Sam. Y 're merry Menaphon but I can't joyn In consort with you Seek some other mate I have no heart to give nor hand to take Your gift Another reaps what you have sown And like t' enjoy what you have hop'd in vain Men. Another reap what I have sown Is this Your gratitude you so much boasted of Have I supplied your wants with plenty and With scorn do you repay my charitie Did I relieve you in distress for this By Pan the god of shepherds or return Love for my love or be turn'd out of doors Sa. My heart ne're knew what baseness meant Of thankful thoughts for your civilities it 's full If those will satisfie I 'll employ all Th'exchequer of my breast buâ— as for love Alas that is not in my power to give Men. I saw your loose eyes at the shepherds feast Rov'd every where but Melecertus was The mark they aym'd at most Well get you gone Expect no more from me but slight and scorn Exit Sam. My grief was ominous and did presage This sad mishaps was I not cross'd enough Before when will my suff'rings have an end Well I 'll go seek my uncle Lamedon The comfort and companion of my woes Exit Scaen. 4. Enter Euriphila Love bids me go but reason bids me stay Reason thou hast no share in love I 'll on Love is a passion passions know no lawes The gods themselves cannot be wise and love Enter Plusidippus passing by Friend Plusidippus hark who would have thought You so faint-hearted that a maidens frowns Could turn the edge of your affections Plu. No madam but your scorn hath whet the edge Of my resolves to seek some other clime May prove more temperate Arcadia is The place I aym at where I 'm told there dwels A Lady of that beautie that the world Can't shew her second thither am I bound Eur. You do but jest I hope I 'm sure I did No other for I love thee with my heart Offers him gifts And may these signs confirm it that I do Plu. I must not dwell at these signs well I may Bait for a while but cannot make a stay Arcadia is the place I visit must That is the center whereunto I tend And where my labours hope to find an end Eur. What must a Lady wooe you to accept Her favours Come what need hast thou to seek Offers him her gifts again Dangers and love abroad who hast at home The onely daughter of a King who courts Thee for thy love what mean those silent looks Hear me my Plusidippus what still mute Plu. Th' attractive of that beautie I have seen But in a picture will not let me rest Until I see that creature so divine Arcadia is blest withal to be The happy casket of so rich a jewel Eur. By all the love thou ow'st my fathers care I do adjure thee to stay here with me And in mine arms I 'll lodge thee until time Shall make thee King of Thessaly mean-while Let me be happy in th' enjoyment of Thy companie and seek not toils and care When thou mayst live more happy here than Canst wish or find in any other place Plu. My Genius prompts me that I must not rest thou Here for the gods do seem to call me hence And their decrees I may not break nor will Exit Eur. This scorn tormenth me yet can I not Repay his hate with hate but I do love Him more Love this is tyrannie in thee Enter Agenor King Here comes my Father may his newes be good Kin. Now forward girle did I for this provide An husband for you do you thus reward My love to you to slight him whom I love Your scornes will force him from our Court to flie And now I hear he 'l to Arcadia Eur. Believe it Sir 't is far from me to wish Or be the cause of his departure hence Kin. Yes yes your peevishness I hear's the cause Nay I my self have heard with shame to think You so much scorn'd a man I so much lov'd Did I grace him that you should disgrace him Eur. Great Sir the greatest loss is mine none Can tell with what an heavy heart â— shall Be forc'd to part with him And therefore if You please to use your power to stay him here You may so be my father the second Time by preserving the life you gave me Which without his presence is nothing worth As you tender the life of a daughter Or the welfare of a maid endeavour His stay or I shall follow him to death Kin. I 'll find him out and try what power I have Upon him I suppose my kindnesses To him may well deserve his acceptance They have not been such as should wearie him Nor is a Crown a thing to be slighted Nor easily obteined yet his stay May purchase mine and 't is an easie rate Exeunt Scaen. 5. Enter Lamedon Samela Lam. What Neece still weeping cannot curing time Invent a plaister for thy wounds but that They still thus bleed afresh what is the cause Sam. Dearest Uncle who hitherto have been The onely Partner and Physician Of all my griefs unless your skill can fit A cure unto my present cares I must Yeild to their strength for with continued Batteries they so assault me now that I must be forc'd to sink under their weight Lam. Why what new cross hath hapned unto thee That thus renews thy grief Come tell it me And doubt not of my readiness to trie All means for thy relief but first 't is fit I know the cause the first step to the cure Unbosome then thy grief and give it vent Is Menaphon as kind as he was wont Sam. That name it is that is my sorrows spring From whence these tears do flow 't is he alone Unkind and false base-minded Menaphon Lam. Out with it all and tell me how he hath Abused thee and I will try to right Thee and requite him for his injuries Sam. When as he saw I would not satisfie His foolish fancie for which cause alone He hitherto hath entertained us And not for to relieve our wants he sees His hopes are frustrated and I despise His clownish love he turn'd me out of 's doors Where shall we lie we are expos'd unto The mercie of the kinder elements The heavens must be our canopie and th' earth Our bed the poor flocks our
Why a miracle of beautie and I think You 'l be a miracle of folly if you Don't love me now Car. What small Poet have you hired To make a miracle of my name Dor. Nay I have more yet and better That I found in the Nichodemus Of Complements that 's a sweet book 'T is a very magazine of Poetrie a Store-house of wit do but hear Them Carmila Car. Let 's hear them Doron are they Worth a laughing at Let 's hear Dor. Well well it is no laughing matter but I 'm Sure your laughing ha's made me crie Now Carmila you must imagine that 't is I and only I say this to you and none but you For the unhappy wag ha's so fitted my Fancie as if 't were made for no bodie but me Excellent Mistris brighter than the Moon Than scowred pewter or the silver spoon Fairer than Phoebus or the morning Star Dainty fine Mistris by my troth you are Thine eyes like Diamonds shine most clearly As I 'm an honest man I love thee dearly What think you now Carmila is not this Admirable if these strong lines will Not draw your love I know not what will Car. Had it been your own mother-wit Doron I could have like't it well But for you to father the brat of Another's brain is too ridiculous I like your love much better than your Hackney lines but bought wit's best Dor. If you like not my lines because they are None of mine you will not love my Heart neither for that 's not mine but yours Car. Yes Doron if you have given me your Heart I will not die in your debt but Give you mine in exchange for yours Dor. Than welcome to me my new found heart We 'l live and love and never part Exeunt Scaen. 7. Enter Melecertus Revenge shall soon o're-take this proud boy who Committed hath so bold a rape upon My Samela He had been better to Have lodged snakes in his breast than to steal This spark that shall consume him and his nest Samela Samela that name alone Infuseth spirits into me inflames My soul with vengeance till I recover My dearest love Enter Menaphon Men. Now shall I be reveng'd on Samela And on her Melecertus both at once I 'll make her know neglected love may turn To hate and vengeance take the place of scorn Well met friend Melecertus what alone Mel. I 'm solitarie since my mate is gone Men. Your mate has taken flight she 's on the wing But I can tell thee where she nests and bring Thee guickly where thou shalt retrive the game Mel. If thou wilt do this Menaphon I shall Be studious to requite thy love with mine I pay thee sterling thanks and services Men. I will not sell my favours to my friends My work is all the wages I expect Come follow me I 'll lead thee to the place Where the fresh gamesters have thy love in chase Exeunt Scaen. 8. Enter King Damocles in his Royal robes Plusidippus and Samela prisoners Kin. Now Sir you see the shepherd is become A King and though you have deserved death Yet since you have but acted our commands We here release you and not onely so But entertain you with all due respect At once belonging to our neighbour-Prince And near Allie the King of Thessaly Some secret power doth force me love him so That if I had a daughter to bestow I 'de wish no other Son-in-law but him Now my Sephestia what would I give Thou wert alive I had thee and thou him Sam. He little thinks I am so near or that It is his daughter he would make his wife Kin. Thus Gentlewoman you are once more faln Into my hands I am th' Arcadian King Be sudden therefore to give me your love Or else forseit your life for your contempt Think on 't and chuse which you 'l rather do Sam. Sir I am still the same I was before My love like to a mighty rock stands fast Disdaining the proud billows of your threats Crowns cannot tempt nor Kings command my love My love is free and cannot be compell'd True love admits no partners is content With one and Cupids statute law forbids Pluralities of loves Kin. Since y' are so stiff You will not bow I 'll make you bend or break Enter Menaphon with Melecertus Mel. I am betray'd by this base Menaphon Kin. Here comes my Rival when I have dispatch'd Him to the other world your plea is spoil'd My sword shall cut your gordian knot in two Your ghosts may wed your bodies never shall I 'll be his Executioner my self I 'll trust no other eyes to see it done Sam. Now is it time t' unmask and let him know He wounds his daughter through her Lovers sides She kneels Father your furie once expos'd me to The greedie jaws of death which yet more kind In pitie sav'd my life you sought to lose I 'm your Sephestia Father know your child Mel. And is it possible Sephestia lives Once more t' enjoy her truest Maximus Sam. My Maximus I 'm thy Sephestia Oh that our Plusidippus too were here Plu. And I am he my name is Plusidippus Seph My dearest son 't is he now were my joys Compleat indeed were but my Uncle here Mel. I am so wrapt with joy I scarce can get Breath to express my thanks unto the gods Men. What will become of me I shall be hang'd Or lose my place at least I 'll get me home Amidst their mirth they will not think on me Exit Kin. My onely daughter Dear Sephestia And you kind Maximus I ask Both of you pardon for your injuries And for requital thus I do create Thee King of Arcadie and may the gods Requite your sufferings and forgive my crimes Long may ye live and happy may your dayes Be sun-shine all and know no clouds nor night Enter Lamedon And that we may not leave one string untun'd My brother comes to make our consort full The best of brothers and the best of friends Thanks for your care of her whom you have made Your daughter by a better claim than mine Now let the whole land swim in mirth and load The altars with their thankful sacrifice Unto the kinder deities who through A sea of woes have sent us happiness Let 's in and hear the strange adventures have Befaln your heaven-protected persons griefs Grow less by telling joyes are multiplied Although against them all things seem to strive At last just men and lovers alwayes thrive FINIS Fragmenta Poetica OR Poetical Diversions WITH A PANEGYRICK UPON HIS SACRED MAJESTIE' 's Most happy Return on the 29. May 1660. By THO. FORDE Philothal LONDON Printed by R. and W. Leybourn for William Grantham and are to sold at the Signe of the Black Bear in St. Pauls Church-yard 1660. Poetical Diversions For Christmass-day 1 Shepherd WHat have we slept or doth the hastie Sun Bring back the day before the night be done 2 Shep. What melodie is this that charms our
Duke of Britanny Son to John the 5th when he was spoken unto for a marriage between him and Isabel a Daughter of Scotland and some told him she was but meanly brought up and without any instruction of learning answered He loved her the better for it and that a woman was wise enough if she could but make difference between the shirt and doublet of her husband Demosthenes companions in their Embassage to Philip praised their Prince to be fair eloquent and a good quaffer Demosthenes said They were commendations rather fitting a woman an advocate and a spunge than a King Theodorus answered Lysimachus who threatned to kill him Thou shalt do a great exploit to come to the strength of a cantharides Aristotle being upbraided by some of his friends that he had been over-merciful to a wicked man I have indeed quoth he been merciful towards the man but not towards his wickedness When an Epigramatist read his Epigrams in an Auditory one of the hearers stopt him and said Did not I hear an Epigram to this purpose from you last year Yes says he it 's like you did But is not that vice still in you this year which last years Epigram reprehended Some came and told Philopoemen the enemies are with us To whom he answered and why say you not that we are with them When Sicily did curse Dionysius by reason of his cruelty there was onely one old woman that pray'd God to lengthen his life Whereat Dionysius wondering asked her for what good turn she should do that She Answered That it was not love but fear for said she I knew your Grandfather a great tyrant and the people desired his death then succeeded your Father more cruel than he and now your self worse far than them both so that I think if you die the Devil must come next Pompey being in Sicily pressing the Mammertines to acknowledge his authority they sought to avoid it pretending that they had Priviledges and ancient Decrees of the people of Rome To whom Pompey answered in choler Will you plead Law unto us who have our swords by our sides When Lewis the 11th demanded of Brezay Senescall of Normandy the reason why he said that his horse was great and strong being but little and of a weak stature For that answered Brezay he carries you and all your counsel He said That if he had entred his Reign otherwise than with fear and severity he had serv'd for an example in the last Chapter of Boccace his book of unfortunate Noblemen Considering that Secrecy was the Soul and Spirit of all Designes He said sometimes I would burn my Hat if it knew what was in my Head He remembring to have heard King Charls his Father say that Truth was sick He added I believe that since she is dead and hath not found any Confessor Mocking at one that had many Books and little learning He said That he was like unto a crook-back't man who carries a great bunch at his back and never sees it Seeing a Gentleman which carried a goodly chain of gold He said unto him that did accompany him You must not touch it for it is Holy Shewing that it came from the spoil of Churches On a time seeing the Bishop of Chartre mounted on a Mule with a golden bridle He said unto him that in times past Bishops were contented with an Ass and a plain halter The Bishop answered him That it was at such times as Kings were shepherds and did keep sheeâ— Abdolominus a poor man rich in plenty except plenty of riches to whom Alexander of Macedon proffering the Kingdom of Sydon who before was but a gardiner was by him refused saying That he would take no care to lose that which he cared not to enjoy When one told a Reverend Bishop of a young man that Preached twice every Lords day besides some Exercising in the week-days It may be said he he doth talk so often but I doubt he doth not Preach To the like effect Queen Elizabeth said to the same Bishop when She had on the Friday heard one of those talking Preachers much commended by some-body and the Sunday after heard a well labour'd Sermon that smelâ— of the candle I pray said she let me have your bosome-Sermons rather than your lip-Sermons for when the Preacher takes paines the auditory takes profit When Dr. Day was Dean of Windsor there was a Singing-man in the Quire one Wolner a pleasant fellow famous for his eating rather than his singing Mr. Dean sent a man to him to reprove him for not singing with his fellows the messenger that thought all worshipful that wore white Surplices told him Mr. Dean would pray his worship to sing Thank Mr. Dean quoth Wolner and tell him I am as merry as they that sing A Husbandman dwelling near a Judge that was a great builder and comming one day among divers of other neighbours some of stone some of tinn the Steward as the manner of the Country was provided two tables for their dinners for those that came upon request powder'd beef and perhaps venison for those that came for hire poor-John and apple-pyes And having invited them in his Lordships name to sit down telling them one board was for them that came in love the other was for those that came for money this husbandman and his hind sate down at neither the which the Steward imputing to simplicity repeated his former words again praying them to sit down accordingly But he answered He saw no table for him for he came neither for love nor money but for very fear Scipio being made General of the Roman Army was to name his Quaestor or Treasurer for the Wars whom he thought fit being a place in those dayes as is now of great importance One that took himself to have a special interest in Scipio's favour was an earnest suitor for it but by the delay mistrusting he should have a denial he importuned him one day for an answer Think not unkindness in me said Scipio that I delay you thus for I have been as earnest with a friend of mine to take it and yet cannot prevail with him A pleasant Courtier and Servitor of King Henry the 8ths to whom the King had promised some good turn came and pray'd the King to bestow a living on him that he had found our worth 100 l. by the year more than enough Why said the King we have no such in England Yes Sir said he the Provostship of Eaton for said he he is allowed his diet his lodging his hors-meat his servants wages his riding-charge and 100 l. per annum besides Ellmar Bishop of London dealing with one Maddox about some matters concerning Puritanisme and he had answered the Bishop somewhat untowardly and thwartly the Bishop said to him Thy very name expresseth thy nature for Maddox is thy name and thou art as mad a beast as ever I talked with The other not long to seek of an answer By your favour
It were easie to be copious in this subject did I not write to one that may read to me in History And truly my last letter had the fate to be out-dated long before I could get conveyance for it wherein it much resembled the worm in Pliny called Multipoda or many feet and yet hath a very slow pace Ned I wish thee often here yet am I never absent from thee For since that friendship incorporated us it is no Paradox to affirm Hoc memorabile est ego tu sum tu es ego unanimi sumus Neither mayst thou think that distance or cold can sunder me but I shall burn in friendship by an Anteperistesis Things are now at the Height that we expect a sudden crack I will not make my paper guilty of relating any of it you will see it in Print What effects 't will produce I will not Prophesie But you know The Philosopher that looked too high fell into the ditch Farewel and continue to Love Thy constant Friend T. F. To M. C. F. My Alter Ego MY last was in answer to yours of the 18th of September since when I have been forced to recreate my fancie with thoughts of thee my second self as Dido in the Poet did her Aeneas Illum absens absentem auditque viditque Which I find well paraphrased to my hand thus Whilst absence sever'd them apart She saw and heard him in her heart If my thoughts were so satiated with a meer what would your real Letters doe which I know to be fraught with profitable pleasure the perquisites of a true Epistle And though mine be not equal to ballance yours yet I shall endeavour to recompence in number what they want in weight Yours are rich wares mine poor baggatels Yours Orient Gems mine rugged oyster-shels Yet Tokens with the true stamp may Be currant though of base allay Sir flattery is no part of friendship Non amo quemquam nisi offendam said a wise Heathen Give me therefore leave to tell you that you are too careless of your credit I hear you have thereby lost much ground in your P. affections which I could wish by Mr. E's example you would be careful of for I can assure you in these times the peoples affections are but a fickle foundation to build ones hopes on 'T is a thousand pities that the best ground should be the dirtiest and the best work-men the worst husbands especially one of your colour who ought to walk not onely castè but cauâ—è You know who sayes A Ministers Doctrine is like a candle if not guarded by the lanthorn of a cautious life will soon be blown out by the wind of detraction The Egyptians Hierogliphick God by an open eye He is totus oculus and I am perswaded there is no colour so much in his eye as black Enough of this I am not willing to run into the common errour of the Times to usurp Moses Chair If my zeal to your welfare has already committed a trespass let it be sufficient that it was out of perfect friendship It is said of Gerson that famous Frenchman that he took not content in any thing so much as in a plain and faithful reproof of his friend And it is the note of that venerable Bede that Semper optimos sapientum ut dictum majorum auscultent aliquando minorum And I will not onely suffer but thank you to deal so with me Concerning Newes I am of the Italians mind That nulla nuova is bona nuova the least newes is the best newes Take it briefly thus His Majestie doth lay aside his own Interest wholly that He may if possible comply with his Conquerors that I may truly apply to him that saying of an undaunted Captain slighting the insulting braves of him that took him thus Thou holdest thy Conquest great in overcomming me but mine is far greater in overcomming my self 2. Death is grown as insatiable a Country C. M. for he hath of late swallow'd all the living creatures men women dogs cats c. in a whole Citie in Spain not leaving one alive to relate it But I forgot your business I mention'd it to Sir Ch. who is no Orderly man nor willing to receive it I have mention'd it to others with as much earnestness as you can imagine but the great distance of place makes them not meet my desires Though I have used this as I thought perswasive argument The farther out of sight the more safe For I am confident many a mans Good Living and not his bad life has entitl'd him to a Prison Therefore count I you wise in sequestring your self to avoid a Sequestration Sir I hope you will judge of my endeavours by the success but believe me to be Yours as real as obliged Friend and Servant T. F. To Mr. E. B. Bad wicked warr Anagr. Honesty NOw must my wearied fancy undertake A tedious task to seek I know not where Whom I shall find alas I know not when Yet on I must bound by a thred of love Which happily may prove a clew to guide Me in this wide Maeandring Labyrinth So have I seen as groping in the dark An arrow shot at randome hit the mark On then my Pilgrim-pen mask'd in the weeds Of blackest sorrow and with big swoln eyes Seek him thou canst not see make hils dales Resound with thy loud voicing of that name Whose Eccho stands in competition with And far out-vies the musick of the Spheres At whose sole sound my duller senses dance A Galliard but that failing lifeless stand Like that strange Lake that whilst the musick sounds Doth flow in measures and then ebb as fast When that doth cease Or like the stones trees That danc'd attendance on Orpheus Harp Strike thou blest Lyre and with thy musick call My sorrow-fetter'd senses from the grave Of lumpish grief which Resurrection must Only be wrought by thine all-charming pen Or else as great Augustus in a kiss Surrender'd up his latest breath unto His dearest Livia thereby making her Sole Heir to that surviving part which long By transmigration lived in her breast So must my starved Hopes surrender to Those long and fierce assailants which besiege Me with their troops of fears and pale despair If not relieved by thy timely quill But fear like to a cunning enemy Doth labour to perswade my jealous thoughts That thou art not in a capacitie Now therefore quickly my Terpander come With thy Harmonious layes allay these stirs And civil broyls in my perplexed thoughts For fear they mutinie and me betray Delay not now to give my fears the lye For spinning out the thred of time will make But a sad woof to cloath my sorrows with And turn my Tragick verse to Elegies And thus my many feet have almost run My fancie out of breath Here I must rest And Tantalize with weary expectation Till mother-time that 's gravidated with A dubious issue be deliver'd of A masculine white boy of mirth or
thee For thy superlative wishes may they rebound a thousand times multiplied upon thine own head But for the particular of Trading truly I shall chuse in these times to sit down rather than set up not daring to put to Sea while this Tempest lasts Me thinks we wander still as in a night of miseries and yet see no Hesperus of any comfort appear that might be the welcome Harbinger of a more wish'd for than expected Sun We still like the Andabates fight blindfolded No sooner has two Parties conquer'd one but they oppose each other and yet as if the Tragedie were ended the Souldiers have routed the Players They have beaten them out of their Cock-pit baited them at the Bull and overthrown their Fortune For these exploits the Alderman the Anagram of whose name makes A Stink moved in the House that the Souldiers might have the Players cloaths given them H. M. stood up and told the Speaker that he liked the Gentlemans motion very well but that he feared they would fall out for the Fools Coat But you know who has Acted that part and may very well merit that among the rest of his gifts Ask me no more for Newes for now I am careless how things pass as setting down this resolution that nothing can happen well nor worse than has Being stun'd with that fatal blow I am not sensible of any thing else only that I am still Really thine T. F. To L. C. L. Sir LEaving the inclosed to speak for it self and indeed the muteness of grief is Eloquence I am sorry that our infant-friendship should finde so sudden a grave of forgetfulness but I hope it is not dead though sleeping Let this be as the Trump to awaken it to a Resurrection For assure your self it will be as welcome to me as a dead debt to an Usurer We are faln into Times like those the Father spake of In quibus non erat quandum vivere And truly these speaking pictures of my friends are the onely Scaene of mirth to me in this deep Tragoedy Pardon me Sir if I now claim a debt of you for a promise is a debt I mean an Elegie I 'll assure you I have expected it long and I know it will not come short of mine expectation I know you have delay'd it all this while but to inhance its value but there needs no art to make me prize a wel-writ Poeme and such I dare not but think yours to be Fortes creantur fortibus c. I dare not flatter my self into so high a presumption as to merit it by any thing of mine yet may this serve as a challenge and though I lose my credit I shall account my self a gainer by the bargain The last though not the least of those that honour you T. F. To Mr. C. F. Sir SO willingly could I have born the Bearer company in so pleasant a Pilgrimage that I cannot but at once complain of my hard hap and envy this papers Happiness But though my body be confin'd To time and place so 's not my mind For with my nimble fancie I out-run both this and them and salute you as the Food Nessus did Pythagoras and called him by his name as one admired for his flood of wisdome if we credit the faith of Aelian And I dare not suspect but you feed your friendship with equal flames that it may be like the Vestal fire perpetual Nor can I think your pleasant Forde will prove a Lethe of forgetfulness to drench the remembrance of our friendship I have read of a mountain so high that what was written in the ashes of one years Sacrifice was found legible in the next So hope I the Characters of our friendship indelible by ought but Death I am now changing the air but not my mind of being The admirer of your worth T. F. To Mr. J. P. Sir I Received your Letter and that with as much welcome as Penelope did her Vlysses after an Ages absence Seriously that I have not hitherto writ to you was not either for want of Love or Leisure but blind-folded by ignorance of the place you make happy with your presence I knew not how to find you out Believe me Sir you with my honest Lightfoot are so deeply fixed in the fastest of my affections that I shall sooner forget my self to be than you to be my friends or my self your servant And think not this a complement but a lively Image of my thoughts which though I want your Art to give it colours yet is as really decypher'd in this poor black and white as in the richest tincture Sir I pray let the shortness of my time at present excuse the shortness of my Letter and be confident that my next Answer shall be more answerable to your desert and my desire the height of whose ambition is but to continue Your Th. Forde To L. C. L. True Philanax NOw have I found a way to try thy yet unquestion'd friendship 't is this See here a poor Pamphlet shrowding it self under the patronizing wings of all that dare style themselves the Authors friends My absence from the Press has fill'd it with an innumerable company of unpardonable Errata's So that besides the principal of pardoning the irregularitie of the thing it self there arises an unexpected score for unlook'd for Errata's Well it cannot now be help't 'T is the Image of thine unknown friend and though much disfigur'd in the limning if thou canst but discern a Real Heart 't is all I wish for Read it over tell the errours and tell me of them so shalt thou truly approve thy self what I would be loth not to believe thee You know Caecus amor proli Parents eyes are blind to their own they read with the multiplying glass of self-self-love which sees a spark of fire through an heap of ashes Do me therefore that real part of friendship as to send thy most rigid censure of it And in so doing thou shalt if possible yet farther oblige Thy T. F. To Mr. E. B. Ned BEing now reduced to my primitive condition I have for the present shaken hands with the world and retired my self into my Cell there will I lie perdu and laugh at the madness of the Times without envying their State May they have as much as I contemn 't is riches enough for me to lose as little as I can which whatsoever it be I am able to make up with thoughts of you my real friends Excuse my present shortness and measure not my love by my lines but ascertain thy self I honour thee as an unparallel'd piece of real friendship I cannot question my farther distance will any whit turn the edge of thy quondam constancie for what need words among friends Ned This unworthy piece will adventure upon thy charitie seriously not without the shame of the Sender For besides the Errours of the thing the Printer has filled it so full of gross Errata's that I cannot give one without an Apologie
inspiration since the Apostles times 't was He when He pen'd those Meditations Henceforth his Pen shall be his Scepter His Book his Throne and the whole World his Empire There shall he live and reign and be as immortal as some of his enemies malice Take a more particular account of your Balzack thus I undertook the reading of him rather for penance than profit but having read him once that induced me to read him again and the second time drew on a third and the third a fourth and now I send it you home lest if I should keep it a little longer I should transcribe the whole Book A better Character cannot be given of him than he gives of himself take it therefore in his own words That his Writings smell more of musk and amber than of oil and sweat But to save time I have sent you a Pamphlet that may serve as a foyl to set off Balzack the better Wherein expect neither Cicero nor Seneca neither Howel nor Balzack neither Learning nor Language nor any Letters beginning with the ambitious title of My Lord or Madam they are more proud of the name of Friend and carrying that stamp they presume to be currant though they be but brass Not that I intend to make my private Letters publique but onely to advance a communitie in friendship and to fulfil a command of yours in a letter in that particular yet unanswered of seeing some pieces of mine And truly these are no other than pieces yet as in the several pieces of a broken Looking-glass you shall in every one see the perfect reflection of Sir yours in all Offices of Friendship T. F. To Mr. E. B. Honest Ned RAther had I accuse the Carrier with negligence than thee with forgetfulnesse Nor can I think the requesting of a friendly courtesie could scare thee into an unfriendly silence Sure ye are all struck dumb at London or your ink if not your affections is frozen The serious thought of which hath made me almost believe that the name of friend is but the fabulous birth of some Philosophical Poets or Poetical Philosophers and fitted for Sir Thomas Moore 's Vtopia or Plato's Common-wealth not for an Iron Age or the dregs of Time If thou art silent because thou hast no Newes to write write that thou hast none However let the world see there is one dares call himself a friend though in such an Age as this And believe it that the all-self-devouring teeth of time shall never eradicate the name of B. from out the heart of him whose onely pride is to tell the world who is Ned thine inseparable Friend T. F. Postscript You may if you please communicate this to all those that call themselves my friends and tell them that till I hear the contrary I shall suppose their practice of silence intended for my pattern Vale. To Mr. W. L. Will. NOr will I accuse your silence nor excuse my own 't is sufficient I have broken the Ice and adventured to tell thee 't is possible to be a friend and silent nor do I despair to hear the same from you In confidence of which I say no more now but tell you I expect it To your Father thus much Concerning the re-printing of my Characters and augmenting them I have had some serious thoughts and the result is this I find them upon perusal not suitable to the present State being Calculated for the Meridian of a Kingdome not a Common-wealth they are now like old Almanacks out of date And to go to them with the Arithmetick of Addition and Substraction with the Pensil and the Spunge were to make my self guilty of what I there condemn Besides they were then my resolved and not yet retracted thoughts So that I hold it not safe for you to print or me to enlarge them nor this farther than to tell thee I long to hear from thee and of our dearest Ned. I have a Letter hath been designed for him a long time did I but hope there were a crevise in his close prison that I might peep through to assure him that I am his as thine Still constant Friend T. F. To Mr. E. H. Sir YOur last Letter I met on the way as drawn thither perhaps by Sympathy like the Magnetick steel to meet her loved Loadstone I know love and friendship work miracles and act in Paradoxes It makes the enjoyers thereof flame without consuming present and distant if that word may be admitted in friendship all at once By this I see my friend when invisible and hear him though silent Like the Philosophers Stone of which the Chymists so much boast Contraria operatur sed semper in beneficium naturae This is if any thing the true Sympathetick powder that works truer and at a greater distance than weapon-salve Willingly could I lose my self in this pleasing Maeander but I will rather commend the Theory to your more active Pen and resolve to act the practick part my self For your Verses I will rather remain in your debt than pay you with bad coyn I assure you Sir I have no vein in verse but if I could Inclose each word a Mine believe 't I would I onely Court her that drops Elegies Whilst others Musessing mine onely cries Yet shall I not refuse what your injunction shall lay upon me because I am As really your Friend T. F. To Mr. T. P. Sir FOr me to attempt an Answer to your Letter were to venture at the flights of an Eagle with a Sparrows wing The Italians tell me in a Proverb The higher the Ape climbs the more he shews his nakedness And truly should I endeavour to reach the pitch you have set me for a pattern I should rather imitate Icarus in his fall than you in your flight It is enough for me to admire and applaud the happiness of your undertakings that can at once captive Apollo and the Muses and make the Triumphs of former Ages the Trophies of your Pen's victories Where you profess your self Davus I must confess my self no Oedipus Giving you therefore the libertie the Civil Law allows and I should be uncivil if I should not to interpret your own words I will guesse at your meaning and return you not onely an Answer to your Riddle but the reason of it Sir if my lesse comprehensive Genius deceive me not you like not Latine lace to an English suit and herein you have light upon an humour that I have long since retracted and esteem now as too pedantical But you may perceive they savour of the ferula and imagine my then regnant humour like young stomacks that like raw fruit better than reasted food Yet must I farther confess I have been so conscious of mine own inabilities and so confident of the Ancients worth that I have preferred to use their more refined lines than my unfiled language So that I discover in my self the fancie of the Painters boy who thinking to supply the defect of his skill by
willingly retract whatever suspition you have formerly had of any ingenuity in me However lest a continued silence should cast me in and out of your affection I am resolved to say something though it be but to confess my self guilty of that most unpardonable offence in friendship Ingratitude Yet am I not without some excuses which would be ready to plead in my behalf did I not rather wish to receive a new life of happiness by your pronouncing my pardon I am your prisoner deal with me as you please onely grant me my liberty without which I cannot make good as I desire the title of Sir your though rude yet real Friend and Servant T. F. To Mr. D. P. Sir PResuming your goodness will pardon the rudeness of the address I have sent a brace of Pamphlets to kiss your hands Being conscient to themselves of their own unworthinesse like trewant Scholars they durst not appear without an Apologie neither should they or this but that I know you daily meet with such Exercises of your patience and that I know you have indulgent charitie enough to cover the faults of those you love Please you to suspend your severer thoughts and to make a small truce with your nobler employments I shall humbly beg their pardon in a very few words That they came no sooner was out of necessity that I shall crave you will vouchsafe to indulge that they come now is out of duty and that I shall promise my self you will deign to accept Sir I hate to be officiously injurious to my friends and therefore I will not increase my fault in excusing theirs only let me impetrate one thing more which I conceive will deceive your expectation It is not that you will correct their faults that the world knows you can do nor that you will forgive them that your wonted candor flatters me you will doe but that having atteined your hands which are the bounds of their ambition they believe they have obteined their end and they desire not to out-live that happinesse but that you will condescend as I have made them an offering to make them a sacrifice be you the Priest your harth the Altar and their Urne and besides the courtesie you shall do your self in saving the reading of such nugacities you shall thereby answer their desert and my desire who am so far from craving their reprieve I would my self be the hastener of their punishment Here would I cease but I am loth to lessen the noble office of your mercie by what impulse of spirit I know not but such is the tendencie of my desires to expresse the realitie of their professions to your service that to say I love you is beneath the ardor of my affection I am ready to professe with that old Roman who proclamed he was not onely in love with Cato but inchanted with him Onely here is the defect that as the Italians say He that paints the flower cannot paint the smell So in professing my service to you I cannot discover the realitie farther than you will please to give me credit and believe that I am Sir your most real Friend and Servant T. F. To Mr. T. J. Sir WHat in Superiors is counted gift and bounty in Inferiors amounts to no more than homage and gratitude And well it is if in stead of abating it increase not the audit of their Obligations Such is the nature of the present and though it pretend not to acquit the least part of that debt your civilitie hath involved me in yet shall I hope it may arrive at the tender of a grateful acknowledgment and I wish my thanks may prove but as large as you were liberal Think it not strange that I have been thus long silent nor account me an unclean beak if I still chew the chud in a thankful remembrance Sir the noble entertainment you vouchsafed to me a stranger hath cherished the inclosed pamphlets into a confidence that you will deign them not onely a favourable acceptance but that your goodnesse will also grant them the benefit of the late Act of Pardon without which they will seem as much strangers to our Common-wealth as their Author was to your self who should now too much wrong your noble nature if he should not professe himself Sir your most indebted Servant T. F. To Mr. C. A. Sir I Being of late arrested at the suit of some importunate occasions which would willingly be called necessary I have been so much their prisoner that till I had satisfied the utmost minute I was so far from a possibilitie of being your servant that I was not my own Master Now must I compound with you and intreat that if my so long silence deserve not to be answered with a repeated act of that dormant pardon you long since pleased to grant me yet that you will at least accept of this as Interest till opportunitie shall enable me to discharge the whole I shall now begin to turn the weekly hour-glasse of our Commerce and hereafter measure my life by my letters For though I have intermitted my constant course you are in no more likelyhood to be rid of this trouble than you have hopes of losing your Ague by the alteration of the fits If friendship be the incorporating of two bodies by an union of souls making but one of two Me thinks this constant correspondence fitly answers to that deservedly applauded notion of the Circulation of the Blood It shall be my care that no stop be made on my side that we may preserve the life of our Friendship during the life of Sir your Servant T. F. To Mr. T. P. Sir BEsides the natural Antipathy of my Genius to Controversies I have been of late so divorced from my self and my own thoughts by the motion of an higher wheel than my own occasions that I am altogether discouraged to give you any account of this piece upon so transient a view that I fear I shall give you as ill an account of it as he did of Venice to King James that told him He knew nothing of it for he rode post through it Yet to satisfie your command against all these discouragements I shall adventure a few hasty lines to your more setled judgment Sir did not the Authors worth out-poize those petty exceptions that might be taken in advantage as the scarce sense of the title and some other inconsiderate expressions in the whole that seem to clash one against another I shall onely commend to your consideration these few thoughts The Proverb is common wherein wit and experience club to say much in a little That marriages are made on Earth but matches are made in Heaven I am easily induced to believe that the omniscient providence which descends to take care of the falling of a sparrow and the number of our hairs should much more take care of that grand Climacterical Action of a mans life the restoraration of his lost rib I shall therefore not
that brings home trophies or a grave I 'll tempt his god-ship with a song and see If verse not sighs will gain the victorie 1. No more no more Fond Love give â—'re Dally no more with me Strike home and bold Be hot or cold Or leave thy deitie 2. In love luke-warm Will do more harm Than can feavers heat Cold cannot kill So soon as will A fainting dying sweat 3. I cannot tell When sick or well Physick or poyson give Still in anguish I do languish Or let me die or live 4. If I must be Thy Votarie Be thou my friend or foe If thou wilt have Me be thy slave Hold fast or let me goe Sure Cupid hath resign'd his place and giv'n His god-head unto Carmela whose eyes Wound more than ever did his darts But what is that if she have power to hurt And wanteth mercie for to heal those hurts I fear whilst I make her my deitie I do but thereby make her proud And with my own hands place her out of reach Yet she is in distress and that should make Enter Doron Listens and laughs Her humble I relieve her therefore she Hath the more reason thus to relieve me And certain she will rather love than want Dor. Ha ha ha c. are you catch'd Menaphon I'faith I think y' are fetter'd now you 'r hang'd i th' brambles of love as well as I. You laugh'd At me before but now I 'll laugh at you Men. Ah Doron now I crave thy pitie for I never thought an earthly beautie could So soon have fetter'd me what did I say An earthly No Doron she is heavenly Brighter than Phoebus in his glittring pride Venus her self was not so fair a Bride Do. How now Menaphon I 'm afraid thou wilt Be a beggar shortly thou art a Poet already One of the thred-bare crew that ragged regiment Enter Samela Men. See Doron see see where she comes who with Her brighter lustre can create a day At mid-night when the Sun is gone to sleep Eclipse his noon-tide glory with her light Her absence would benight the world cloath't In blackest darkness for to mourn it's loss Sam. Good-morrow Host how thrive your well-fed flocks Men. My flocks do thrive Lady and can't do less Blest with the auspicious sun-shine of your eyes And I were too ingrateful if I should Deny to give you back again what I Enjoy but by your beauteous influence Sam. Y' are merry Menaphon if not prophane To rob the gods of what is due to them To give it to the object of their scorn Could I dispense good fortunes I should not Forget my self chuse the meanest lot Exeunt Menaphon Dor. This 't is to be in love how spruce is Become of late as he were always going To a feast and talks as if he were some Citie Orator Why can I not do so I 'm Sure I am in love as well as he But I 'll go hire some journey-man Poet or other And he shall make me some verses For my Carmela And that will do as Well as if I made them my self I 'll Set my brand upon them and then no Body will question them to be mine no More than they do my sheep that are mark'd Enter Melecertus Scaen. 3. Ay ay it shall be so Oh Melecertus Yonder is the finest shepherdess that ever The moon held the candle of her light to the Shepherd Menaphon has got her to him as If because he is the Kings shepherd he Must have the Queen of Shepherdesses Mel. Hast seen her Doron and dost know her name Dor. Seen her ay and sigh to see her too her name I Think is Stamela no no Samela Samela Ay ay that 's her name I have it now I would I had her too Mel. What kind of woman is she canst thou tell Dor. Ay or else I were naught to keep sheep Mel. Can thy tongue paint her forth to mine â—ar Dor. Ay ay legible I warrant you Her eyes are like two diamonds I think for I never saw any before and her locks are All gold like the golden fleece our shepherds Tell of Mel. It were good vent'ring for that golden fleece Doron as Jason long since did for his Dor. Her hands are all ivory like the bone-haft Of my best knife her alablaster and her Eyes black as my blackest lamb her cheeks Like roses red and white that grow together What think you of her now have I not made A fair picture on her Mel. Ay Doron were this picture painted to The life as thou hast here described it It could not chuse but make an absolute Rare and compleat piece of deformitie Dor. Nay nay if you don 't like it I don't Care but I had it out of an old book of My brother Morâ—â—'s they call 'm Rogue-mances I think my brother Ha's a whole tumbrel full on 'm he 's Such a Bookish block-head Mel. Nay be not angry Doron I believe Thou mean'st a beautie beyond expression And such an one I had till envious fate Rob'd me of her and all my joyes at once Heavens envying at my happiness Sent death to fetch her from me and she 's dead Dead Doron dead she's dead to me and to The world and all but to my memorie weeps Dor. Fie Melecertus what dost mean to Weep what wilt thou make dirt of Her ashes with thy teares Mel. Well Doron we forget our flocks and we Shall miss the shepherds merry meeting Dor. That 's true and there will be the shepherdesses Too and Menaphon will bring his fine Mistris thither there shalt thou see her But first mask thine eyes lest thou lose Them and become love-blind as I am Good Melecertus take the pains to lead me Exeunt Scâ—n 4. Enter King Damocles melancholy 2 Lords Kin. How wretched am I grown I hate my self And care not now for my own company I loath thee light and fain would hide my self From mine own eyes I 'm wearie of my life Where shall I hide my self that there I may Deceive th' approaches of discov'ring day I 'll seek some gloomy cave where I may lie Entomb'd alive in shades of secrecie Exit 1 Lo. His thoughts are much perplex't black despair May push him on unto some desp'rate act If not prevented by our vigilance 2 Lo This is th' effect of rash resolves when hast And passion hurry men to do those things Reason would wish undone at least delay'd Our wills spur'd on by rage ne're stop till we Blinded with anger headlong throw our selves From dangers praecipice into a gulf Of black despairing thoughts and then too late Repentance lends us so much light as may Shew us our madness and our miserie 1 Lo. Ill actions never go unpunished They are their own tormentors and do prove At last furies to lash the guilty soul 2 Lo. When reason is depos'd passion reigns Nothing but lawless actions do appear When passion hath usurp't the helm And steers a wild uncertain course not by
The card and compass of advice the ship Will never make good voyage but be tost Upon the waves and all her lading lost He by his wilful rage hath cast away Himself and floats upon the waves of ruine Let 's try if we can waft him safe to shore Lend him our helping hands lest he do sink Into that deep and black gulf of despair 1 Lo. Let 's after him and try what we can do In saving him we save our Kingdom too Exeunt Scaen. 5. Enter Menaphon with Samela and Pesana after them Melecertus leading Doron Pes Hey day what 's here my brother Doron Mel. Doron conceits himself that he is blind Dor. Ay Doron's as blind as any door what Creep I here upon Carmila oh Carmila The very sight of thee hath recovered mine Eyes again He stumbles on Samela in Carmila's cloaths Men. Nay now I see Doron th' art blind indeed That dost not know Carmila from her cloaths No no 't is Samela not Carmila Dor. Which is my Carmila good Melecertus Shew me where she is Mel. It seems Doron Carmila is not here Dor. Why what do I do here then I thought It was something I miss'd onely I Mistook for I had thought it had Been my eyes were lost but now I See it is my Carmila is missing whom I had rather see than my own eyes Pes This is my corrival in Menaphon's love Mel. She is a beautie indeed and since my Sephestia is drown'd without compare I cannot blame Menaphon but envie Him rather for his so happy choise O happy yet to me unhappy beautie That doth as in a glass present unto My frighted senses the remembrance of My loss which unless by this fair piece Cannot be recompenced by the world Mistris y' are welcome to our company Dor. By my troth Mistris you are very welcome As I may say unto our meeting Sam. Thanks shepherds I am a bold intruder Into your company but that I am Brought by your friend and my host Menaphon Mel. Mistris your presence is Apologie Sufficient yet do we owe him thanks That by his means we have the happiness T' enjoy your sweet societie in this Our rural meeting when shepherds use To cheer themselves with mirth pleasant tales Sam. I hope my company shall not forbid The Banes between your meeting your mirth Mel. Then by your leave fair shepherdess I will Begin with you If the gods should decree To change your form what shape would you desire Sam. I would be careful how to sail between The two rocks of immodest boldness or Of peevish coyness therefore to answer Unto your question I would be a sheep Men. A sheep Mistris why would you be a sheep Sam. Because that then my life should harmless be My food the pleasant Plains of Arcadie My drink the curious streams my walks Spacious and my thoughts as free as innocent Dor. I would I were your Keeper Mel. But many times the fairest sheep are drawn Soonest unto the shambles to be kill'd Sam. And sure a sheep would not repine at that To feed them then who fed her long before Pes Then there 's more love in beasts than constancie In men for they will die for love but when When they can live no longer not before Men. If they 'r so wise it is their mother-wit For men have their inconstancies but from You women as the sea it's ebbs and tides Hath from the moon Your embleme to an hair Dor. Menaphon if you hate my sister I 'll Love yours for 't in spight of your teeth Pes Your mother surely was a weather cock That brought forth such a changeling for your love Is like the lightning vanished as soon As it appears a minute is an age In your affections You once loved me Dor. Ay I would you lov'd him no better Men. If that I be so changing in my love It is because mine eye 's so weak a Judge It cannot please my heart upon trial Pes If that your eye 's so weak then let your eares Be open to your loves appeals and plaints Sam. Come for to end this strife pray let us hear Th' opinion of good Doren who 's so mute As if h' had lost his tongue too with his eyes Dor. By my â—ay fair Mistris I was thinking All this while with my self whether in being A sheep you would be a ram or an ewe Sam. An ewe no doubt if I should change my shape I would not change my Sex and horns are held The heaviest burthen that the head can bear Dor. I think then I were best be an ewe too So I might be sure to have no horns But I would not greatly care to wear horns Were I a ram were it but where you were and gives An ewe Men. VVell shepherds come the day declines Us timely warning for to fold our flocks Exeunt Scaen. 6. Manet Melecertus VVere my Sephestia living I should think This sheperdess were she Such was her shape Such was her countenance her very voice Doth speak her my Sephestia But alas How fondly do I dream I do embrace A cloud in stead of Juno Yet I love And like her ' cause she is so like my Love VVe love the pictures of our absent friends And she 's the living picture of my dear My dear Sephestia Me thinks I feel A kind of sympathy within my brest To like and love her of all women best Forgive me my Sephestia if thou livest If I do love another for thy sake Thy likeness is the loadstone which doth draw My heart to her that nothing else could move Exit Scaen. 7. Enter Pesana Thou most impartial deitie of Love Can there be two Suns in Loves Hemisphere Or more loves in one heart than one that 's true Or can the stream of true love run in more Channels than one Shall I be thus paid For my love to false Menaphon Hereafter Venus never will I adore thee nor Will I offer up so many Evening Prayers unto Cupid as I have done Was ever poor maid so rewarded with An inconstant lover as I daily am With this same fickle-headed Menaphon Enter Doron How now Pesana what 's the newes with thee Pes News marry 't is the news I complain of Were Menaphon the old Menaphon that He was wont to be I should not complain Dor. Come plain Pesana must not grutch to give Way unto fine Samela that hath turn'd his Heart and if he do not turn again Quickly he 'l be burnt on that side well Be content a while by that time he hath loved Her as long as he did thee he 'l be as Weary of her as he is now of thee Pes But in the mean time Doron I must be A stale to her usurps my right in him Dor. Ay that 's the reason he doth not care For thee because thou art stale Thus do poor lovers run through The briars and the brambles of difficulties And sometimes fall into the ditch of undoing
companions Lam. Well fear not Sâ—â—â—la already I Have found a way to case thy mind I have A little money left and there withal Soon shall I purchase a small flock for thee Where thou shalt live secure and free from fear Enjoy thy little with content there is A shepherd lately dead whose flock I 'll buy And thou shalt be it's Mistris Samela Sam. Uncle my thanks shall ever ready be For you as always is your care for me But let your haste prevent my comming griefs For griefs have wings wherewith they flie to us Comforts are leaden heel'd and move but slow Lam. Fear not I will dispatch it suddenly The shepherd Doron's brother's lately dead And he hath the disposal of the flock As soon as I can find him we will try If reasonable price will make them ours Enter Doron See where he comes preventing me Doron The merry shepherd whither away so fast Dor I 'm running for my life Sir my brother 's Lately dead and I 'm afraid death will catch Me too if I don't make haste I 'm sure Carmela has half cut the thred of my Life in twain with the hook of her crueltie Besides Moron's sheep are roving to find Their master and they I go till they lose Themselves if I find them not the sooner Lam. Moron what was he a kin to a fool Dor. Why he was my own brother Sir Lam. I thought so Dor. I must be gone Lam. Nay stay Doron what wilâ— thou take and we Will ease thee of the trouble of thy sheep Dor. By my troth Sir and you shall have them but What will you give me and you shall have His flock ay and me too if you will for I think Carmela won't Gives him gold Lam. Will these content thee for thy sheep Dor. Ay marry this is something lik you Shall have them Sir were there as many Of them as there are hairs on their Backs They talk of a golden fleece But I think I have made their fleeces Gold now Come Sir I 'll deliver you the sheep Exeunt Scaen. 6. Enter Menaphon Forlorn forsaken and the object made Of all the shepherds storms what shall I do Love is no god Fortune is blind and can Not help sleep flies and cares possess my head Mirth makes me melancholy company Yields me no comfort when I am alone A thousand fancies do distract my thoughts And when I try to drown my cares in wine They swim aloft and will be uppermost I 'll try if I can sing my cares asleep Ye restless cares companions of the night That wrap my joyes in clouds of endless woes Spare not my heart but wound it with your â—â—ight Since love and fortune prove my equal foâ—s Enter Pesana Farewel my hopes farewel my happy dayes Welcom sweet grief the subject of my layes Pes Now will I take time by the fore-lock and Creep into Menaphon's breast through the cracks His minion Sâ—â—â—lâ— has made in it Aside Friend Menaphon what is your courage cool'd Men. Cold entertainment hath my courage cool'd Pes You know where you might have been let in long E're this without assault or batterie But you 'r serv'd in your kind for being coy Now you have met with your mate friend I hope Men. She set my heart on fire by her presence That will not be put out by her absence Pes Then I see you mean to follow her with Your suit and service still for all her scorn Men. No she hath wounded me too deep to make Pursuit after her therefore let her go Pes Now then you know what 't is to be slighted So once you slighted me now I 'll slight you Exit Men. Ah cruel love whose musick is compos'd Of Lovers jars an discords mixt with sighs If I turn traytor once more unto love I 'll rob him of his deitie and pull His little Kingdom down I 'll pull his wings And with the quils made into pens and dipt In saddest lovers tears in stead of ink I 'll Satyres write against his tyrannie Exit Scaen. 7. Enter King Agenor Plusidippus and Euriphila Kin. Why then my Plusidippus will you leave Us and your fortunes It is my resolve To make you heir to my crown my Son And Successor Plu. Great Sir I would not be Fondly injurious to my self or you Or so prophane unto the gods to slight Their and your gifts when proffer'd me so fair I must obey their dictates and my vowes Which call me to Arcadia till when I cannot rest Give me your Royal leave To go I will engage my hopes and all My future happinesses to return In so short a time as you shall limit me Kin. Then daughter since it must be so I can Not tell how to denie his just request But see you part with him in friendship And The like Sir I require of you to her Exit Plu. Far bâ— it from me to denie so fair Requests Lady in signe hereof I take This parting kiss and may it cancel all Miscarriages and seal Loves covenants And thus I take my leave but for a while Eur. Then take thee this my dearest heart and bear It with thee may it be a charm to keep Thy chaste affections from a Strangers love May your return shorten my tedious hours Since I neglect mine own content for yours Exeunt Scaen. 8. Enter 2 Lords 1 Lo. It seems our Kink hath pretty well out-grown His griefs and now he meditates new Loves 2 Lo. The fire of love hath thaw'd his frozen breast And turn'd his cold December into May His Scepter 's chang'd into a sheep-hook He Is gone on pilgrimage to seek a wife Amongst the shepherdesses there is one Whom I have seen and he is gone to see May vie with Juno for precedencie Who in the habit of a Country lass Carries a Prince-like countenance and grace In th' Arcadian Plains she keeps a flock Of sheep whose innocence and whiteness she Surpasseth whilst the shepherds daily strive VVho shall bid fairest for this fairer prize 1 Lo. And he 'l out-bid them all if that will do But what a motley mixture will it be To see his grey hairs joyned with her green And springing youth The strange effects of love VVell may she be his nurse but not his wife VVhat 's love in young is dotage in old men 2 Lo. Love can create an Autumn Spring inâ—uâ—â— New spirits in the old and make them young Besides Honour 's a bait frail women know Not to resist who would not be a Queen Exeunt Scaen. 9. Enter Samela Once more doth Fortune flatter me with hopes Of a contented life now am I free From jealous Menaphon's suspitions And without fear enjoy my wished love Enter Melecertus See where he comes the picture drawn to th' life Of my dead Maximus my former joy Mel. All hail unto the fairest Samela And to her happy flock I envie them She is their Mistris I her servant am Long since my heart was hers may she
but please To take that kindly which I freely give Sam. But Melecertus can I hope to find You real unto me whose worth I know Cannot but be engag'd already to Some more deserving creature than poor I. Mel. Lady my services were never due To any but to one which bond harsh death Hath cancelled to make me yours alone Sam. You call death harsh for freeing you from them And would you be in the like bonds again Mel. Your heavenly likeness doth compel me to 't You are the same but in another dress Let me no longer therefore strive to win That fort I so much covet to be in Sam. Then Melecertus take thy Samela Mel. Oh happy word oh happy fate the gods If they would change with me should give me odds Finis Act. 4. Act. 5. Scaen. 1. Enter King Damocles like a Shepherd THus Jove chang'd shapes to satisfie his love He laid his god-head by my Kingdome I Have for a time forsaken and exchang'd My royal robes for shepherds weeds How light Me thinks I feel my self having laid by My crown with its companions heavy cares Enter Plusidippus But who comes here His paces to me tend Plu. Shepherd well met but why without a flock What hath the rot consum'd thy sheep or are They gone astray Kin. No not my sheep but I Aside So far I almost know not where or what I am to seek as yet I know not whom Plu. This old man dotes and knows not what he sayes Where is thy bag-pipe and thy merry layes That shepherds use to have in readiness Surely thou art no shepherd but some goat Crept lately into a sheeps habit Dost Thou know the field of the fair Samela Kin. This boy will be my Rival for that name Aside Sounds like the creatures that I seek for No Go seek your Stamela I know no such Plu. This is intolerable I will scourge Enter Samela passing by Draws Thee into better manners But that divine Appearance makes my spirits calm and strikes An awful reverence into my breast This is the beautie of th' Arcadian Plains Sh' has shot her rayes so home into my heart But partial fame was niggardly and base In giving but a glimpse of this rare beautie Sam. D' you know me Sir or have you lost your way Plu. I cannot likely lose my way where I Do find such glistring goddesses as you Indeed the force of such a light may rob Me of the office of mine eyes and make Them dark with too much brightness can I chuse But gaze upon the Sun when first I see 't Sam. I think you lost your wits or else your eys That you mistake a glo-worm for the sun And make a goddess of a shepherdess Plu. Lady if I have lost my wits or eyes It was with seeking you whose beautie drew Me hither for your sake alone have I Shook hands with Thessaly and all my friends Onely to joyn my hands and heart with you Sam. I should be loth to give my hand unto So sudden a conclusion and my heart Is neither in my power or possession Plu. Fair Shepherdess my errand is in love To yield my heart into your hands 't is yours By gift and conquest I 'm at your command Sam. If that you are at my command be gone I cannot will not listen to your words Exit Plu. And have I left my dear Euriphila For this I see beautie makes women proud I would I were at Thessaly again There should I welcome be unto Euriphila Whose heart I know's my fellow-traveller Her salt rears by this time would make a sea Wherein I might swim back again with ease Exit Scaen. 2. Kin. I see this youth 's repul'st and he is young And stout and well deserving how shall I Hope to prevail with her if lively youth She do despise then much more cripling age Nor do I know what arguments to use Unless to tell her that I am a King And lay my Crown and Scepter at her feet Which she will scarce believe my shepherds hook Will not be taken for a scepter nor This poor cap for th' usurper of a crown I have a way whereby to work my will And this young man shall be my instrument There stands a castle hard by whither he Perforce shall carry her I 'll work my will Upon her when I have her there confin'd Enter Plusidippus Plu. I will revenge this scorn if force or wit Will do I 'll make her pride come down Kin. Be wise Young man and valiant and I will tell Thee how thou shalt obtein thy full desire Plu. But tell me how and then let me alone To act what e're it be Kin. A Castle stands Near by guarded with crows and negligence Thither thou mayst by force convey her and Then force her unto what entreaties can't Plu. Old man if I do gain her by thy means Thou shalt not want reward I know the place Where she doth tend her flock and I 'l watch her As she doth them and when I see my time I will convey her where you shall direct Exit Kin. I will attend you here Now must I plot To get her in my power and then I shall Advance her to a crown against her will But yet I cannot think Honour should need An Advocate womens ambitious thoughts Do swim aloft they love to be above Their neighbours envying ev'ry one whose height Doth over-look and seemeth to upbraid Their lowness by comparison their minds Are always climbing up to honours hill And pride and self-conceit are the two wings Which elevate their thoughs to flie aloft Enter Plusidippus with Samela Plu. Now Mistris Coy y' are not in your own power But mine Old shepherd take thee charge of her Exit Kin. Lady you see what folly 't is for you To denie men what they can take without Your leave Now must you yield unto the Of Thessaly But if you will be wise And see a good when proffer'd you may be Knight A Queen by granting of my suit who am King of Arcadia although thus disguis'd Sam. My father Damocles 't is he now sues aside To me his dauughter He 's incestuous grown Kin. This is too woman-like to turn away From your own happiness And it is strange That honour doth not tempt her thou shalt have A Crown and Kingdom at thy sole command And change these rural weeds for princely robes If thou wilt be my wife pleasure for pain And plenty for thy povertie What sayst Sam. Your potent batteries and golden baits Might win perhaps on some ambitious soul They nothing move me to remove my love Already plac'd on Melecertus He He onely doth and shall possess my heart Kin. A shepherd Shall a shepherds basnesse stand In competition and out-weigh a King A subject be before his Sovereign Prefer'd Oh how prepostrous are the minds Of these fond women Come be well advis'd And change that pettie pebble for a pearl 'T is in my power to make thee