BREMO. Thou shalt not choose; I long to see thee dead.
AMADINE. Yet spare him, Bremo, spare him.
BREMO. Away, I say, I will not spare him.
MUCEDORUS. Yet give me leave to speak.
BREMO. Thou shalt not speak.
AMADINE. Yet give him leave to speak for my sake.
BREMO. Speak on; but be not over-long.
MUCEDORUS. In time of yore, when men (like brutish beasts)
Did lead their lives in loathsome cells and woods,
And wholly gave themselves to witless will
(A rude, unruly rout), then man to man became
A present prey: then might prevailed:
The weakest went to wall,
Right was unknown; for wrong was all in all.
As men thus lived in this[185] great outrage,
Behold, one Orpheus came (as poets tell),
And them from rudeness unto reason brought:
Who led by reason, some forsook the woods;
Instead of caves, they built them castles strong;
Cities and towns were founded by them then.
Glad were they, [that] they found such ease,
And in the end they grew to perfect amity.
Weighing their former wickedness,
They term'd the time, wherein they lived then
A golden age, a goodly golden age.
Now, Bremo, for so I hear thee called,
If men which lived tofore, as thou dost now,
Wildly[186] in wood, addicted all to spoil,
Returned were by worthy Orpheus' means,
Let me (like Orpheus) cause thee to return
From murder, bloodshed, and like cruelty.
What, should we fight before we have a cause?
No, let us live and love together faithfully—
I'll fight for thee—
BREMO. Fight for me or die? Or fight, or else thou diest?
AMADINE. Hold, Bremo, hold!