46ROses their sharpe spines being gon,

47Not royall in their smels alone,

48But in their hew.

49Maiden Pinckes, of odour faint,

50Dazies smel-lesse, yet most quaint

51And sweet Time true.

52Prim-rose first borne, child of Ver,

53Merry Spring times Herbinger,

54With her bels dimme.

55Oxlips, in their Cradles growing,

56Mary-golds, on death beds blowing,

57Larkes-heeles trymme.

B

58All deere natures children: sweete-

59Ly fore Bride and Bridegroomes feete Strew Flowers.

60Blessing their sence.

61Not an angle of the aire,

62Bird melodious, or bird faire,

63Is absent hence.

64The Crow, the slaundrous Cuckoe, nor

65The boding Raven, nor Clough hee

66Nor chattring Pie,

67May on our Bridehouse pearch or sing,

68Or with them any discord bring

69But from it fly.

741. Qu. For pitties sake and true gentilities,

75Heare, and respect me.

762. Qu. For your Mothers sake,

77And as you wish your womb may thrive with faire ones,

78Heare and respect me,

793. Qu. Now for the love of him whom Iove hath markd

80The honour of your Bed, and for the sake

81Of cleere virginity, be Advocate

82For us, and our distresses: This good deede

83Shall raze you out o'th Booke of Trespasses

84All you are set downe there.

85Theseus. Sad Lady rise.

86Hypol. Stand up.

87Emil. No knees to me.

88What woman I may steed that is distrest,

89Does bind me to her.

90Thes. What's your request? Deliver you for all.

911. Qu. We are 3. Queenes, whose Soveraignes fel before

92The wrath of cruell Creon; who endured

93The Beakes of Ravens, Tallents of the Kights,

94And pecks of Crowes, in the fowle feilds of Thebs.

95He will not suffer us to burne their bones,

96To urne their ashes, nor to take th' offence

97Of mortall loathsomenes from the blest eye

98Of holy Phaebus, but infects the windes

99With stench of our slaine Lords. O pitty Duke,

100Thou purger of the earth, draw thy feard Sword

101That does good turnes to'th world; give us the Bones

102Of our dead Kings, that we may Chappell them;

103And of thy boundles goodnes take some note

104That for our crowned heades we have no roofe,

105Save this which is the Lyons, and the Beares,

106And vault to every thing.

107Thes. Pray you kneele not,

108I was transported with your Speech, and suffer'd

109Your knees to wrong themselves; I have heard the fortunes

110Of your dead Lords, which gives me such lamenting

111As wakes my vengeance, and revenge for 'em.

112King Capaneus, was your Lord the day

113That he should marry you, at such a season,

114As now it is with me, I met your Groome,

115By Marsis Altar, you were that time faire;

116Not Iunos Mantle fairer then your Tresses,

117Nor in more bounty spread her. Your wheaten wreathe

118Was then nor threashd, nor blasted; Fortune at you

119Dimpled her Cheeke with smiles: Hercules our kinesman

120(Then weaker than your eies) laide by his Club,

121He tumbled downe upon his Nenuan hide

122And swore his sinews thawd: O greife, and time,

123Fearefull consumers, you will all devoure.

1241, Qu. O I hope some God,

125Some God hath put his mercy in your manhood

126Whereto heel infuse powre, and presse you forth

127Our undertaker.

128Thes. O no knees, none Widdow,

129Vnto the Helmeted-Belona use them,

130And pray for me your Souldier.

131Troubled I am. turnes away.

B 2 2. Qu.

1322. Qu. Honoured Hypolita

133Most dreaded Amazonian, that ha'st slaine

134The Sith-tuskd-Bore; that with thy Arme as strong

135As it is white, wast neere to make the male

136To thy Sex captive; but that this thy Lord

137Borne to uphold Creation, in that honour

138First nature stilde it in, shrunke thee into

139The bownd thou wast ore-flowing; at once subduing

140Thy force, and thy affection: Soldiresse

141That equally canst poize sternenes with pitty,

142Whom now I know hast much more power on him

143Then ever he had on thee, who ow'st his strength,

144And his, Love too: who is a Servant for

145The Tenour of the Speech. Deere Glasse of Ladies

146Bid him that we whom flaming war doth scortch,

147Vnder the shaddow of his Sword, may coole us:

148Require him he advance it ore our heades;

149Speak't in a womans key: like such a woman

150As any of us three; weepe ere you faile; lend us a knee;

151But touch the ground for us no longer time

152Then a Doves motion, when the head's pluckt off:

153Tell him if he i'th blood cizd field, lay swolne

154Showing the Sun his Teeth; grinning at the Moone

155What you would doe.

156Hip. Poore Lady, say no more:

157I had as leife trace this good action with you

158As that whereto I am going, and never yet

159Went I so willing, way. My Lord is taken

160Hart deepe with your distresse: Let him consider:

161Ile speake anon.

1623. Qu. O my petition was kneele to Emilia.

163Set downe in yce, which by hot greefe uncandied

164Melts into drops, so sorrow wanting forme

165Is prest with deeper matter.

166Emilia. Pray stand up,

167Your greefe is written in your cheeke.

1683. Qu. O woe,

169You cannot reade it there; there through my teares,

170Like wrinckled peobles in a glasse streame

171You may behold 'em (Lady, Lady, alacke)

172He that will all the Treasure know o'th earth

173Must know the Center too; he that will fish

174For my least minnow, let him lead his line

175To catch one at my heart. O pardon me,

176Extremity that sharpens sundry wits

177Makes me a Foole.

178Emili. Pray you say nothing, pray you,

179Who cannot feele, nor see the raine being in't,

180Knowes neither wet, nor dry, if that you were

181The ground-peece of some Painter, I would buy you

182T'instruct me gainst a Capitall greefe indeed

183Such heart peirc'd demonstration; but alas

184Being a naturall Sister of our Sex

185Your sorrow beates so ardently upon me,

186That it shall make a counter reflect gainst

187My Brothers heart, and warme it to some pitty

188Though it were made of stone: pray have good comfort.

189Thes. Forward to'th Temple, leave not out a Iot

190O'th sacred Ceremony.

1911. Qu. O This Celebration

192Will long last, and be more costly then,

193Your Suppliants war: Remember that your Fame

194Knowles in the care, o'th world: what you doe quickly,

195Is not done rashly; your first thought is more.

196Then others laboured meditance: your premeditating

197More then their actions: But oh Iove, your actions

198Soone as they mooves as Asprayes doe the fish,

199Subdue before they touch, thinke, deere Duke thinke

200What beds our slaine Kings have.

2012. Qu. What greifes our beds

202That our deere Lords have none.

2033, Qu. None fit for'th dead:

204Those that with Cordes, Knives, drams precipitance,

205Weary of this worlds light, have to themselves

206Beene deathes most horrid Agents, humaine grace

207Affords them dust and shaddow.

2081. Qu. But our Lords

B3 Lie

209Ly blistring fore the visitating Sunne,

210And were good Kings, when living.

211Thes. It is true. and I will give you comfort,

212To give your dead Lords graves:

213The which to doe, must make some worke with Creou;

2141. Qu. And that worke presents it selfe to'th doing:

215Now twill take forme, the heates are gone to morrow.

216Then, booteles toyle must recompence it selfe,

217With it's owne sweat; Now he's secure,

218Not dreames, we stand before your puisiance

219Wrinching our holy begging in our eyes

220To make petition cleere.

2212. Qu. Now you may take him,

222Drunke with his victory.

2233. Qu. And his Army full

224Of Bread, and sloth.

225Thes. Artesuis that best knowest

226How to draw out fit to this enterpise,

227The prim'st for this proceeding, and the number

228To carry such a businesse, forth and levy

229Our worthiest Instruments, whilst we despatch

230This grand act of our life, this daring deede

231Of Fate in wedlocke.

2321. Qu. Dowagers, take hands

233Let us be Widdowes to our woes, delay

234Commends us to a famishing hope.

235All. Farewell.

2362. Qu. We come unseasonably: But when could greefe

237Cull forth as unpanged judgement can, fit'st time

238For best solicitation.

239Thes. Why good Ladies,

240This is a service, whereto I am going,

241Greater then any was; it more imports me

242Then all the actions that I have foregone,

243Or futurely can cope.

2441. Qu. The more proclaiming

245Our suit shall be neglected, when her Armes

246Able to locke Iove from a Synod, shall

247By warranting Moone-light corslet thee, oh when

248Her twyning Cherries shall their sweetnes fall

249Vpon thy tastefull lips, what wilt thou thinke

250Of rotten Kings or blubberd Queenes, what care

251For what thou feelst not? what thou feelst being able

252To make Mars spurne his Drom. O if thou couch

253But one night with her, every howre in't will

254Take hostage of thee for a hundred, and

255Thou shalt remember nothing more, then what

256That Banket bids thee too.

257Hip. Though much unlike

258You should be so transported, as much sorry

259I should be such a Suitour; yet I thinke

260Did I not by th'abstayning of my joy

261Which breeds a deeper longing, cure their surfeit

262That craves a present medcine, I should plucke

263All Ladies scandall on me. Therefore Sir

264As I shall here make tryall of my prayres,

265Either presuming them to have some force,

266Or sentencing for ay their vigour dombe,

267Prorogue this busines, we are going about, and hang

268Your Sheild afore your Heart, about that necke

269Which is my ffee, and which I freely lend

270To doe these poore Queenes service.

271All Queens. Oh helpe now

272Our Cause cries for your knee.

273Emil. If you grant not

274My Sister her petition in that force,

275With that Celerity, and nature which

276Shee makes it in: from henceforth ile not dare

277To aske you any thing, nor be so hardy

278Ever to take a Husband.

279Thes. Pray stand up.

280I am entreating of my selfe to doe

281That which you kneele to have me; Pyrithous

282Leade on the Bride; get you and pray the Gods

283For successe, and returne, omit not any thing

284In the pretended Celebration: Queenes

285Follow your Soldier (as before) hence you

286And at the banckes of Anly meete us with

287The forces you can raise, where we shall finde

288The moytie of a number, for a busines,

289More bigger look't; since that our Theame is haste

290I stamp this kisse upon thy currant lippe,

291Sweete keepe it as my Token; Set you forward

292For I will see you gone. Exeunt towards the Temple.

293Farewell my beauteous Sister: Pyrithous

294Keepe the feast full, bate not an howre on't.

295Pirithous. Sir

296Ile follow you at heeles; The Feasts solempnity

297Shall want till your returne.

298Thes. Cosen I charge you

299Boudge not from Athens; We shall be returning

300Ere you can end this Feast; of which I pray you

301Make no abatement; once more farewell all.

3021. Qu. Thus do'st thou still make good the tongue o'th(world.

3032. Qu. And earnst a Deity equal with Mars,

3043. Qu. If not above him, for

305Thou being but mortall makest affections bend

306To Godlike honours; they themselves some say

307Grone under such a Mastry.

308Thes. As we are men

309Thus should we doe, being sensually subdude

310We loose our humane tytle; good cheere Ladies. Florish.

311Now turne we towards your Comforts. Exeunt.