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The Tragedy of Locrine (Third Folio, 1664)
96
The Tragedy of Locrine.
1652Should he enjoy the ayres fruition?
1653Should he enjoy the benefit of life?
1654Should he contemplate the radiant sun,
1655That makes my life equall to dreadfull death?
1656Venus convey this monster fro the earth,
1658Cupid convey this monster to dark hell,
1661With murthering blade bereave him of his life,
1664His wrathfull eyes piercing like Linces eyes,
1665Well have I overmatcht his subtiltie.
1666Nigh Deucolitum by the pleasant Lee,
1668Making a breach into the grassie downes,
1669A curious arch of costly marble fraught,
1670Hath Locrine framed underneath the ground,
1671The walls whereof, garnisht with diamonds,
1672 With ophirs, rubies, glistering emeralds,
1673And interlac't with sun-bright carbuncles,
1674Lightens the room with artificial day,
1675And from the Lee with water-flowing pipes
1676The moisture is deriv'd into this arch,
1678Thither eftsoons accompanied with my page,
1681For love aboundeth still with policie:
1682And thither still means Locrine to repair,
1684Scena Quinta.
1685Enter Humber alone, saying:
1687 Eheu malorum fames extremum malum.
1688Long have I lived in this desart cave,
1689With eating hawes and miserable roots,
1690Devouring leaves and beastly excrements.
1691Caves were my beds, and stones my pillow-beres,
1692Fear was my sleep, and horrour was my dream;
1694Now Locrine comes, now Humber thou must dye;
1695So that for fear and hunger, Humber's mind
1697O what Danubius now may quench my thirst?
1698What Euphrates, what light-foot Euripus
1699May now allay the fury of that heat,
1700Which raging in my entrails eats me up?
1701You ghastly devils of the ninefold Styx,
1702You damned ghosts of joyless Acheron,
1704You coal-black devils of Avernus pond,
1707Come with your razours rip my bowels up,
1712Cast down your lightning on poor Humber's head,
1713That I may leave this deathfull like life of mine:
1714What hear you not, and shall not Humber dye?
1715Nay I will dye though all the gods say nay.
1716And gentle Aby take my troubled corps,
1717Take it and keep it from all mortal eyes,
1720Flings himself into the river.
1721Enter the Ghost of Albanact.
1723Humber is dead, joy heavens, leap earth, dance trees;
1724Now may'st thou reach thy apples Tantalus,
1725And withem feed thy hunger-bitten limmes:
1726Now Sysiphus leave the tumbling of thy rock,
1728Unbind Ixion, cruel Rhadamanth,
1729And lay proud Humber on the whirling wheel.
1733Actus Quintus. Scena Prima.
1734Enter Ate as before. Jason leading Creon's daughter.
1735Medea following, hath a garland in her hand, and
1736putting it on Creon's daughters head, setteth it on fire,
1737and then killing Jason and her, departeth.
1741And choose the daughter of the Theban King,
1742Went to her devillish charms to work revenge;
1743And raising up the triple Hecate,
1744With all the rout of the condemned fiends,
1745Framed a garland by her magick skill,
1749Flies to the Dukedome of Cornubia,
1753Nigh to the river of great Mertia:
1756Scena Secunda.
1757Enter Locrine, Camber, Assaracus, Thrasimachas.
1759Now who is left to hapless Albion,
1760That as a pillar might uphold our state,
1761That might strike terrour to our daring foes?
1762Now who is left to hapless Britanie,
That
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