King. You know he do's deserve ye, loves ye dearly,
You know what bloody violence had us'd { The Hearse
ready, Polydor,
Eumenes
& Captains.
Upon himself, but that his Brother crost it,
You know the same thoughts still inhabit in him
And covet to take birth: Look on him Lady,
The wars have not so far consum'd him yet,
Cold age disabled him, or sickness sunk him
To be abhorr'd: look on his Honour Sister,
That bears no stamp of time, no wrinkles on it,
No sad demolishment, nor death can reach it:
Look with the eyes of Heaven that nightly waken,
To view the wonders of the glorious Maker,
And not the weakness: look with your vertuous eyes,
And then clad royaltie in all his conquests,
His matchless love hung with a thousand merits,
Eternal youth attending, Fame and Fortune,
Time and Oblivion vexing at his vertues,
He shall appear a miracle: look on our dangers,
Look on the publick ruin.
Calis. O, dear Brother.
King. Fie, let us not like proud and greedy waters
Gain to give off again: this is our Sea,
And you his Cynthia, govern him, take heed,
His flouds have been as high, and full as any,
And gloriously now is got up to the girdle,
The Kingdomes he hath purchas'd; noble Sister,
Take not your vertue from him, O take heed
We ebbe not now to nothing, take heed Calis.
Calis. The will of Heaven not mine, which must not alter,
And my eternal doom for ought I know
Is fixt upon me; alas, I must love nothing,
Nothing that loves again must I be blest with:
The gentle Vine climbs up the Oke and clips him,
And when the stroke comes, yet they fall together;
Death, death must I enjoy, and live to love him,
O noble Sir!
Mem. Those tears are some reward yet,
Pray let me wed your sorrows.
Calis. Take 'em Souldier,
They are fruitfull ones, lay but a sigh upon 'em,
And straight they will conceive to infinites;
I told ye what ye would find 'em.
Enter Funeral, Captains following, and Eumenes.
King. How now, what's this? more drops to th' Ocean?
Whose body's this?
Eum. The noble Polydor,
This speaks his death.
Mem. My Brother dead?
Calis. O Goddess!
O cruel, cruel Venus, here's my fortune.
King. Read Captain.
Mem. Read aloud: farewel my follies.
[Eumen. reads to the Excellent Princess Calis.
Eum. Be wise, as you are beauteous, love with judgement,
And look with clear eyes on my noble Brother,
Value desert and vertue, they are Jewels,
Fit for your worth and wearing: take heed Lady,
The Gods reward ingratitude most grievous;
Remember me no more, or if you must,
Seek me in noble Memnons love, I dwell there:
I durst not live, because I durst not wrong him,
I can no more, make me eternal happy
With looking down upon your loves. Farewel.
Mem. And did'st thou die for me?
King. Excellent vertue!
What will ye now doe?
Calis. Dwell for ever here Sir.
Mem. For me dear Polydor? O worthy young man!
O love, love, love, love above recompence!
Infinite love, infinite honesty!
Good Lady leave, you must have no share here,
Take home your sorrows: here's enough to store me,
Brave glorious griefs! was ever such a Brother?
Turn all the stories over in the world yet,
And search through all the memories of mankind,
And find me such a friend; h'as out done all,
Outstript 'em sheerly, all, all, thou hast Polydor,
To die for me; why, as I hope for happiness,
'Twas one of the rarest thought on things,
The bravest, and carried beyond compass of our actions,
I wonder how he hit it, a young man too,
In all the blossomes of his youth and beautie,
In all the fulness of his veins and wishes
Woo'd by that Paradise, that would catch Heaven;
It starts me extreamly, thou blest Ashes,
Thou faithfull monument, where love and friendship
Shall while the world is, work new miracles.
Calis. O! let me speak too.
Mem. No not yet; thou man,
(For we are but mans shadows,) only man,
I have not words to utter him; speak Lady,
I'le think a while.
Calis. The Goddess grants me this yet,
I shall enjoy the dead: no tomb shall hold thee
But these two arms, no Trickments but my tears
Over thy Hearse, my sorrows like sad arms
Shall hang for ever: on the tuffest Marble
Mine eyes shall weep thee out an Epitaph,
Love at thy feet shall kneel, his smart bow broken;
Faith at thy head, youth and the Graces mourners;
O sweet young man!
King. Now I begin to melt too.
Mem. Have ye enough yet Lady? room for a gamester.
To my fond Love, and all those idle fancies
A long farewel, thou diedst for me dear Polydor,
To give me peace, thou hast eternal glory,
I stay and talk here; I will kiss thee first,
And now I'le follow thee. [Polydor rises.
Pol. Hold, for Heavens sake!
Mem. Ha!
Does he live?
Dost thou deceive me?
Pol. Thus far,
Yet for your good, and honour.
King. Now dear Sister.
Calis. The Oracle is ended, noble Sir,
Dispose me now as you please.
Pol. You are mine then?
Calis. With all the joyes that may be.
Pol. Your consent Sir?
King. Ye have it freely.
Pol. Walk along with me then,
And as you love me, love my will.
Calis. I will so.
Pol. Here worthy Brother, take this vertuous Princess,
Ye have deserv'd her nobly, she will love ye,
And when my life shall bring ye peace, as she does,
Command it, ye shall have it.
Mem. Sir, I thank ye.
King. I never found such goodness in such years.
Mem. Thou shalt not over-doe me, though I die for't,
O how I love thy goodness, my best Brother,
You have given me here a treasure to enrich me,
Would make the worthiest King alive a begger,
What may I give you back again?
Pol. Your love Sir.
Mem. And you shall have it, even my dearest love,
My first, my noblest love, take her again, Sir,
She is yours, your honesty has over-run me,
She loves ye, lose her not: excellent Princess,
Injoy thy wish, and now get Generals.
Pol. As ye love heaven, love him, she is only yours, Sir.
Mem. As ye love heaven, love him, she is only yours, Sir;
My Lord, the King.
Pol. He will undoe himself Sir,
And must without her perish; who shall fight then?
Who shall protect your Kingdom?
Mem. Give me hearing,
And after that, belief, were she my soul
(As I do love her equal) all my victories,
And all the living names I have gain'd by war,
And loving him that good, that vertuous good man,
That only worthy of the name of Brother,
I would resign all freely, 'tis all love
To me, all marriage rites, the joy or issues
To know him fruitfull, that has been so faithfull.
King. This is the noblest difference; take your choice Sister.
Calis. I see they are so brave, and noble both,
I know not which to look on.
Pol. Chuse discreetly,
And vertue guide ye, there all the world in one man
Stands at the mark.
Mem. There all mans honestie,
The sweetness of all youth—
Cal. O God's!
Mem. My Armour,
By all the God's she's yours; my Arms, I say,
And I beseech your Grace, give me imployment,
That shall be now my Mistress, there my Courtship.
King. Ye shall have any thing.
Mem. Vertuous Lady,
Remember me, your Servant now; Young man,
You cannot over-reach me in your goodness;
O love! how sweet thou look'st now! and how gentle!
I should have slubber'd thee, and stain'd thy beauty;
Your hand, your hand Sir!
King. Take her, and Heaven bless her.
Mem. So.
Pol. 'Tis your will Sir, nothing of my merit;
And as your royal gift, I take this blessing.
Cal. And I from heaven this gentleman: thanks Goddess.
Mem. So ye are pleas'd now Lady?
Calis. Now or never.
Mem. My cold stiffe carkass would have frozen ye,
Wars, wars.
King. Ye shall have wars.
Mem. My next brave battel
I dedicate to your bright honour, Sister,
Give me a favour, that the world may know
I am your Souldier.
Calis. This, and all fair Fortunes.
Mem. And he that bears this from me, must strike boldly. [Cleanthe kneeling.
Calis. I do forgive thee: be honest; no more wench.
King. Come now to Revels, this blest day shall prove
The happy crown of noble Faith and Love. [Exeunt.
Prologue.
To please all's impossible, and to despair
Ruins our selves, and damps the Writers care:
Would we knew what to doe, or say, or when
To find the mindes here equal with the men:
But we must venture; now to Sea we goe,
Faire fortune with us, give us room, and blow;
Remember ye're all venturers; and in this Play
How many twelve-peaces ye have 'stow'd this day:
Remember for return of your delight,
We launch, and plough through storms of fear, and spight:
Give us your fore-winds fairly, fill our wings,
And steer us right, and as the Saylor sings,
Loaden with Wealth, on wanton seas, so we
Shall make our home-bound-voyage chearfully;
And you our noble Merchants, for your treasure
Share equally the fraught, we run for pleasure.
Epilogue.
Here lyes the doubt now, let our Playes be good,
Our own care sailing equall in this Flood;
Our preparations new, new our Attire,
Yet here we are becalmed still, still i' th' mire,
Here we stick fast; Is there no way to clear
This passage of your judgement, and our fear,
No mitigation of that law? Brave friends,
Consider we are yours, made for your ends,
And every thing preserves it self, each will
If not perverse, and crooked, utter still
The best of that it ventures in: have care
Ev'n for your pleasures sake, of what we are,
And do not ruine all, You may frown still,
But 'tis the nobler way, to check the will.