555537Aron. Now climeth Tamora Olympus toppe,

556538Safe out of fortunes shot, and sits aloft,

557539Secure of thunders cracke or lightning flash,

558540Aduaunc'd aboue pale enuies threatning reach,

559541As when the golden suune salutes the morne,

560542And hauing gilt the Ocean with his beames,

561543Gallops the Zodiacke in his glistering Coach,

562544And ouer-looks the highest piering hills.

563545 So Tamora.

564546Vpon her wit doth earthly honour wait,

565547And vertue stoops and trembles at her frowne,

566548Then Aron arme thy hart, and fit thy thoughts,

567549To mount aloft with thy Emperiall Mistris,

568550And mount her pitch, whom thou in triumph long

569551Hast prisoner held, fettred in amourous chaines,

570552And faster bound to Arons charming eies,

571553Than is Prometheus tide to Caucasus.

572554Away with slauish weedes and seruile thoughts,

573555I will be bright and shine in pearle and golde,

574556To wait vpon this new made Emperesse.

575557To wait said I? to wanton with this Queene,

576558This Goddesse, this Semerimis, this Nymph,

577559This Syren that will charme Romes Saturnine,

578560And see his shipwracke, and his Common-weales.

579561Hollo, what storme is this?

581563Demetrius. Chiron thy yeares wants wit, thy wits wants(edge,

582564And manners to intrude where I am grac'd,

583565And may for ought thou knowest affected bee.

584566Chiron. Demetrius, thou dost ouerweene in all,

585567And so in this, to beare me downe with braues,

586568Tis not the difference of a yeare or two

587569Makes me lesse gratious, or thee more fortunate:

588570I am as able and as fit as thou,

589571To serue, and to deserue my Mistris grace,

590572And that my sword vpon thee shall approue,

C₃ And

591573And plead my passions for Lauinias loue.

592574Moore. Clubs, Clubs, these louers will not keepe the(peace.

593575Demetrius. Why boy, although our mother (vnaduizd)

594576Gaue you a daunsing Rapier by your side,

595577Are you so desperate growne to threat your friends:

596578Goe too: haue your lath glued within your sheath,

597579Till you know better how to handle it.

598580Chiron. Meanewhile sir, with the little skill I haue,

599581Full well shalt thou perceiue how much I dare.

600582Demetrius. I boy, grow yee so braue? they drawe.

601583Moore. Why how now Lords?

602584So neere the Emperours Pallace dare yee drawe,

603585And maintaine such a quarrell openlie?

604586Full well I wote the ground of all this grudge,

605587I would not for a million of gold,

606588The cause were knowne to them it most concernes,

607589Nor would your Noble Mother for much more,

608590Be so dishonoured in the Court of Rome.

609591For shame put vp.

610592Demetrius. Not I till I haue sheathd,

611593My Rapier in his bosome, and withall

612594Thrust those reprochfull speeches downe his throat,

613595That he hath breathd in my dishonour here.

614596Chiron. For that I am prepard, and full resolude,

615597Fowle spoken Coward, that thundrest with thy tongue,

617598And with thy weapon nothing darst performe.

618599Moore. Away I say.

619600Now by the Gods that warlike Gothes adore,

620601This pettie brabble will vndoo vs all:

621602Why Lords, and thinke you not how dangerous

622603It is to iet vpon a Princes right?

623604What is Lauinia then become so loose,

624605Or Bascianus so degenerate,

625606That for her loue such quarrels may be brocht,

626607Without controulement, iustice, or reuenge.

627608Young Lords beware, and should the Empresse know,

628609This discords ground, the musicke would not please.

629610Chiron. I care not I, knew shee and all the world,

630611I loue Lauinia more than all the world.

631612Demetrius. Yongling learne thou to make some meaner(choise,

633613Lauinia is thine elder brothers hope.

634614Moore. Why are ye mad? or know yee not in Rome,

635615How furious and impatient they bee,

636616And cannot brooke competitors in loue?

637617I tell you Lords, you doo but plot your deaths,

638618By this deuise.

639619Chiron. Aron, A thousand deaths would I propose,

640620To atchiue her whom I loue.

641621Aron. To atchiue her how?

642622Demetrius. Why makes thou it so strange?

643623Shee is a woman, therefore may be woode,

644624Shee is a woman, therefore may be woonne,

645625Shee is Lauinia, therefore must be loude.

646626What man, more water glideth by the mill

647627Than wots the Miller of, and easie it is,

648628Of a cut loafe to steale a shiue we know:

649629Though Bascianus be the Emperours brother,

650630Better than he haue worne Vulcaens badge.

651631Moore. I and as good as S aturninus may.

652632Demetrius. Then why should he dispaire that knows to(court it,

653633With words, faire looks, and liberalitie.

654634What hast not thou full often stroke a Doe,

655635And borne her cleanlie by the Keepers nose?

656636Moore. Why then it seemes some certaine snatch, or so

657637Would serue your turnes.

658638Chiron. I so the turne were serued.

659639Demetrius. Aron thou hast hit it.

660640Moore. Would you had hit it too,

661641Then should not we be tirde with this adoo.

662642Why harke ye, harke ye, and are you such fooles

663643To square for this: would it offend you then

663.1644That both should speede.

664645Chiron. Faith not me.

665646Demetrius. Nor me so I were one.

666647Aron. For shame be friends, and ioine for that you iar,

667648Tis pollicie and stratageme must doo

668649That you affect, and so must you resolue,

669650That what you cannot as you would atchiue,

670651You must perforce accomplish as you may:

671652Take this of mee, Lucrece was not more chast

672653Than this Lauinia, Bascianus loue.

673654A speedier course this lingring languishment

674655Must we pursue, and I haue found the path:

675656My Lords a solemne hunting is in hand,

676657There will the louelie Romane Ladies troope:

677658The forrest walks are wide and spatious,

678659And many vnfrequented plots there are,

679660Fitted by kinde for rape and villanie:

680661Single you thither then this daintie Doe,

681662And strike her home by force, if not by words,

682663This waie or not at all, stand you in hope.

683664Come, come, our Empresse with her sacred wit

684665

+

To villanie and vengeance consecrate,

685666Will we acquaint withall what we intend,

686667And shee shall file our engines with aduise,

687668That will not suffer you to square yourselues,

688669But to your wishes hight aduaunce you both.

689670The Emperours Court is like the house of fame,

690671The Pallace full of tongues, of eies, and eares:

691672The woods are ruthles, dreadfull, deafe, and dull:

692673There speake, and strike braue boies, and take your turns,

693674There serue your lust shadowed from heauens eie,

694675And reuell in Lauinias treasurie.

695676Chiron. Thy counsell Lad smels of no cowardize.

696677Demetrius. Sit fas aut nefas, till I finde the streame,

697678To coole this heate, a charme to calme these fits,

698679Per Stigia, per manes Vehor.