The funeral passes over the stage. Nennius's 'scutcheon, armour, Cæsar's sword borne. Torches, mourners.
Cas. Set down that heavy load with heavier hearts.
Could virtuous valour, honourable thoughts,
A noble scorn of fortune, pride and death,
Myriads of vows and prayers sent to heaven;
Could country's love or Britain's genius save
A mortal man from sleeping in his grave,
Then hadst thou liv'd, great Nennius, and outliv'd
The smooth-tongu'd Greek. But we may more envy,
And less bewail thy loss, since thou didst fall
On honour's lofty field-bed, on which stage
Never did worthy act a statelier part.
Nor durst pale death approach with cypress sad,
Till flourishing bays thy conquering temples clad.
A Funeral Elegy sung to the Harp.
Turnus may conceal his name,
Nennius had Æneas' fame.
Hannibal let Afric smother,
Nennius was great Scipio's brother.
Greece, forbear Achilles' story,
Nennius had brave Hector's glory.
Thrush and nightingale, be dumb:
Sorrowful songs befit a tomb.
Turn, ye marble stones, to water:
Isis' nymphs forswear all laughter:
Sigh and sob upon your bed,
Beli's noble son is dead.
A banquet served over the stage. Rollano, with a leg of a capon and a tankard of wine.
Rol. I like such slaughtering well of birds and beasts,
Which wear no swords, nor shake a fatal pike,
When hogsheads bleed, and oxen mangled lie.
O, what a world of victuals is prepar'd
For sacrifice and feasting! Forty thousand
Fat bullocks! then the parks and forests send
Full thirty thousand wild beasts, arm'd with horns
And dangerous teeth: the main battalion
Consists of sheep, an hundred thousand fat:
The wings are both supplied with birds and fowls
Sans number: and some fish for succours serve—
A goodly army. Troynovant doth smoke,
And smells all like a kitchen. The king, princes,
And nobles of the land a triumph hold.
Music and songs, good cheer and wine; and wine
And songs, and music and good cheer. Hei, brave!
No more shall barley-broth pollute my throat,
But nectar—nectar of the grape's sweet blood.
Come, heavenly potion—wine, whose gentle warmth
Softens the brain, unlocks the silent tongue;
Wit's midwife, and our spirit's vestal priest,
Keeping alive the natural heat. A health,
A health (to make short work) to all the world!
So will it (sure) go round. [Steals behind.
The triumphs. Cassibelanus: four Kings of Kent: three Kings, Cridous, Britael, Guerthed; Androgeus, Tenantius, Hirildas, Eulinus, Belinus, take places.
Cas. Sorrow must doff her sable weeds, and joy
Furbish the Court with fresh and verdant colours;
Else should we seem ungrateful to the gods.
Triumphs must thrust out obsequies; and tilt
With tourney, and our ancient sport call'd Troy,
Such as Iulus 'bout his grandsire's tomb
Did represent; and at each temple's porch,
Games, songs, and holy murdering of beasts. [They sit down.
A dancing masque of six enters, then the epinicion[316] sung by two bards.