Christopher Marlowe

“ Henceforth you shall be our [129] Carthage gods.
Ay, but it may be, he will leave my love,
And seek a foreign land call'd Italy:
O, that I had a charm to keep the winds
Within the closure of a golden ball;
Or that the Tyrrhene sea were in mine arms,
That he might suffer shipwreck on my breast,
As oft as he attempts to hoist up sail!
I must prevent him; wishing will not serve.—
Go bid my nurse take young Ascanius,
And bear him in the country to her house;
Æneas will not go without his son;
Yet, lest he should, for I am full of fear,
Bring me his oars, his tackling, and his sails. ”

“ Exit an Attendant who brings in the garment, which Æneas puts on.
Brave prince, welcome to Carthage and to me,
Both happy that Æneas is our guest.
Sit in this chair, and banquet with a queen:
Æneas is Æneas, were he clad
In weeds as bad as ever Irus ware.
Æn. This is no seat for one that's comfortless:
May it please your grace to let Æneas wait;
For though my birth be great, my fortune's mean,
Too mean to be companion to a queen.
Dido. Thy fortune may be greater than thy birth:
Sit down, Æneas, sit in Dido's place ”

“ Threatening a thousand deaths at every glance:
To whom the agèd king thus, trembling, spoke;
"Achilles' son, remember what I was,
Father of fifty sons, but they are slain;
Lord of my fortune, but my fortune's turn'd:
King of this city, but my Troy is fir'd;
And now am neither father, lord, nor king:
Yet who so wretched but desires to live?
O, let me live, great Neoptolemus!"
Not mov'd at all, but smiling at his tears,
This butcher, whilst his hands were yet held up,
Treading upon his breast, struck off his hands.
Dido. O, end, Æneas! I can hear no more. ”

“ Achates, see, King Priam wags his hand!
He is alive; Troy is not overcome!
Ach. Thy mind, Æneas, that would have it so,
Deludes thy eye-sight; Priamus is dead.
Æn. Ah, Troy is sack'd, and Priamus is dead!
And why should poor Æneas be alive ?
Asc. Sweet father, leave to weep; this is not he,
For, were it Priam, he would smile on me.
Ach. Æneas, see, here come the citizens:
Leave to lament, lest they laugh at our fears.
Enter Cloanthus, Sergestus, Ilioneus, and others. ”

“ Dido. Huntsmen, why pitch you not your toils apace,
And rouse the light-foot deer from forth their lair?
Anna. Sister, see, see Ascanius in his pomp,
Bearing his hunt-spear bravely in his hand!
Dido. Yea, little son, are you so forward now?
Cup. Ay, mother; I shall one day be a man,
And better able unto other arms;
Meantime these wanton weapons serve my war,
Which I will break betwixt a lion’s jaws.
Dido. What, dar'st thou look a lion in the face?
Cup. Ay; and outface him too, do what he can.
Anna. How like his father speaketh he in all! ”

“ To cure my mind, that melts for unkind love.
Iar. But, afterwards, will Dido grant me love?
Dido. Ay, ay, Iarbas; after this is done,
None in the world shall have my love but thou. [They make a fire.
So, leave me now; let none approach this place. [Exeunt Iarbas and Attendants.
Now, Dido, with these relics burn thyself,
And make Æneas famous through the world
For perjury and slaughter of a queen.
Here lie [s] the sword that in the darksome cave
He drew, and swore by, to be true to me:
Thou shalt burn first; thy crime is worse than his. ”

“ Stay not to answer me; run, Anna, run! [Exit Anna.
O foolish Trojans, that would steal from hence,
And not let Dido understand their drift!
I would have given Achates store of gold,
And Ilioneus gum and Libyan spice;
The common soldiers rich embroider'd coats,
And silver whistles to control the winds,
Which Circe [123] sent Sichæus when he liv'd:
Unworthy are they of a queen's reward.
See, where they come: how might I do to chide?
Re-enter Anna, with Æneas, Achates, Cloanthus, Sergestus, and Carthaginian Lords. ”

“ Anna. 'Twas time to run; Æneas had been gone;
The sails were hoising up, and he aboard.
Dido. Is this thy love to me?
Æn. O princely Dido, give me leave to speak!
I went to take my farewell of Achates.
Dido. How haps Achates bid me not farewell?
Acha. Because I fear'd your grace would keep me here.
Dido. To rid thee of that doubt, aboard again:
I charge thee put to sea, and stay not here.
Ach. Then let Æneas go aboard with us.
Dido. Get you aboard; Æneas means to stay.
Æn. The sea is rough, the winds blow to the shore.
Dido. O false Æneas! now the sea is rough ”

“ Dido. Æneas! no; although his eyes do pierce.
Æn. What, hath Iarbas anger'd her in aught?
And will she be avengèd on his life?
Dido. Not anger'd me, except in angering thee.
Æn. Who, then, of all so cruel may he be
That should detain thy eye in his defects?
Dido. The man that I do eye where'er I am;
Whose amorous face, like Pæan, sparkles fire,
Whenas [95] he butts his beams on Flora's bed.
Prometheus [96] hath put on Cupid's shape,
And I must perish in his burning arms:
Æneas, O Æneas, quench these flames!
Æn. What ails my queen? is she faln sick of late?
Dido. Not sick, my love ”

“ Triton, I know, hath fill'd his trump with Troy,
And therefore will take pity on his toil,
And call both Thetis and Cymodoce [16]
To succour him in this extremity.
Enter Æneas, Ascanius, Achates, and others.
What, do I see [17] my son now come on shore?
Venus, how art thou compass'd with content,
The while thine eyes attract their sought-fur joys! ”

“ Where thou shalt see the red-gill'd fishes leap,
White swans, and many lovely water-fowls.
Now speak, Ascanius, will you go or no?
Cup. Come, come, I'll go. How far hence is your house?
Nurse. But hereby, child; we shall get thither straight.
Cup. Nurse, I am weary; will you carry me?
Nurse. Ay, so you'll dwell with me, and call me mother.
Cup. So you'll love me, I care not if I do.
Nurse. That I might live to see this boy a man!
How prettily he laughs! Go, [135] you wag!
You'll be a twigger when you come to age.
Say Dido what she will, I am not old;
I'll be no more a widow ”

“ Thy mother was no goddess, perjur'd man, Nor Dardanus the author of thy stock ; But thou art sprung from Scythian Caucasus, And tigers of Hyrcania gave thee suck. Ah, foolish Dido, to forbear this long ! * Wast thou not wreck'd upon this Libyan shore, And cam'st to Dido like a fisher swain ? Repair'd not I thy ships, made thee a king, And all thy needy followers noblemen ? ”

“ Had ever residence in Dido's breast.
Iar. But Dido is the favour I request.
Dido. Fear not, Iarbas; Dido may be thine.
Anna. Look, sister, how Æneas' little son
Plays with your garments and embraceth you.
Cup. No, Dido will not take me in her arms;
I shall not be her son, she loves me not.
Dido. Weep not, sweet boy; thou shalt be Dido's son:
Sit in my lap, and let me hear thee sing. [Cupid sings. [64]
No more, my child; now talk another while,
And tell me where learn'dst thou this pretty song.
Cup. My cousin Helen taught it me in Troy.
Dido. How lovely is Ascanius when he smiles! ”

“ Dido. What makes Iarbas here of all the rest?
We could have gone without your company.
Æn. But love and duty led him on perhaps
To press beyond acceptance to your sight.
Iar. Why, man of Troy, do I offend thine eyes?
Or art thou griev'd thy betters press so nigh?
Dido. How now, Gætulian! are you grown so brave,
To challenge us with your comparisons?
Peasant, go seek companions like thyself,
And meddle not with any that I love.—
Æneas, be not mov'd at what he says;
For otherwhile he will be out of joint.
Iar. Women may wrong by privilege of love ”

“ Enter Cupid [63] as Ascanius.
Cup. Now, Cupid, cause the Carthaginian queen
To be enamour'd of thy brother's looks:
Convey this golden arrow in thy sleeve,
Lest she imagine thou art Venus' son;
And when she strokes thee softly on the head,
Then shall I touch her breast and conquer her.
Enter Dido, Anna, and Iarbas.
Iar. How long, fair Dido, shall I pine for thee?
'Tis not enough that thou dost grant me love,
But that I may enjoy what I desire:
That love is childish which consists in words.
Dido. ”

“ When thou, Achates, with thy sword mad'st way,
And we were round environ'd with the Greeks:
O, there I lost my wife! and, had not we
Fought manfully, I had not told this tale.
Yet manhood would not serve; of force we fled ”

“ Æn. Achates, 'tis my mother that is fled;
I know her by the movings of her feet.— [28]
Stay, gentle Venus, fly not from thy son!
Too cruel, why wilt thou forsake me thus,
Or in these shades [29] deceiv'st mine eyes so oft?
Why talk we not together hand in hand,
And tell our griefs in more familiar terms?
But thou art gone, and leav'st me here alone,
To dull the air with my discoursive moan.
[Exeunt.
Enter Iarbas, [30] followed by Ilioneus, Cloanthus, [31] Sergestus, and others. [32]
Ili. Follow, ye Trojans, follow this brave lord,
And plain [33] to him the sum of your distress. ”

“ And raise a new foundation to old Troy.
Witness the gods, and witness heaven and earth,
How loath I am to leave these Libyan bounds,
But that eternal Jupiter commands!
Enter Dido.
Dido. I fear I saw Æneas' little son
Led by Achates [137] to the Trojan fleet.
If it be so, his father means to fly:—
But here he is; now, Dido, try thy wit.― [Aside
Æneas, wherefore go thy men aboard?
Why are thy ships new-rigg'd? or to what end,
Launch'd from the haven, lie they in the road?
Pardon me, though I ask; love makes me ask.
Æn. O, pardon me, if I resolve [138] thee why! ”

“ Is that which terrifies poor Dido's heart:
Not bloody spears, appearing in the air,
Presage the downfall of my empery,
Nor blazing comets threaten Dido's death;
It is Æneas' frown that ends my days.
If he forsake me not, I never die;
For in his looks I see eternity,
And he'll make me immortal with a kiss.
Re-enter First Lord, with Attendants carrying tackling, &c.
First Lord. Your nurse is gone with young Ascanius;
And here's Æneas' tackling, oars, and sails.
Dido. Are these the sails that, in despite of me,
Pack'd [130] with the winds to bear Æneas hence? ”

“ Nature, why mad'st me not some poisonous beast,
That with the sharpness of my edgèd sting
I might have stak'd them both unto the earth,
Whilst they were sporting in this darksome cave?
Enter, from the cave, Æneas and Dido.
Æn. The air is clear, and southern winds are whist. [106]
Come, Dido, let us hasten to the town,
Since gloomy Æolus doth cease to frown.
Dido. Achates and Ascanius, well met.
Æn. Fair Anna, how escap'd you from the shower?
Anna. As others did, by running to the wood.
Dido. But where were you, Iarbas, all this while?
Iar. Not with Æneas in the ugly cave.
Dido. ”

“ Meantime Ascanius shall be my charge;
Whom I will bear to Ida in mine arms,
And couch him in Adonis' purple down. [Exeunt.
Enter Dido, [86] Æneas, Anna, Iarbas, Achates, Cupid as Ascanius, and Followers.
Dido. Æneas, think not but I honour thee,
That thus in person go with thee to hunt:
My princely robes, thou see'st, are laid aside,
Whose glittering pomp Diana's shroud [87] supplies;
All fellows now, dispos'd alike to sport;
The woods are wide, and we have store of game. ”

“ Nor Venus triumph in his tender youth;
For here, in spite of heaven, I'll murder him,
And feed infection with his let-out [75] life.
Say, Paris, now shall Venus have the ball?
Say, vengeance, now shall her Ascanius die?
O, no! God wot, I cannot watch my time,
Nor quit [76] good turns with double fee down told!
Tut, I am simple, without mind [77] to hurt,
And have no gall at all to grieve my foes!
But lustful Jove and his adulterous child
Shall find it written on confusion's front,
That only Juno rules in Rhamnus' town. [78]
Enter Venus. ”

“ There is a woman famoused for arts,
Daughter unto the nymphs Hesperides,
Who will'd me sacrifice his ticing relics:
Go, Anna, bid my servants bring me fire. [Exit Anna.
Enter Iarbas.
Iar. How long will Dido mourn a stranger's flight
That hath dishonour'd her and Carthage both?
How long shall I with grief consume my days,
And reap no guerdon for my truest love?
Enter Attendants with wood and torches.
Dido. Iarbas, [152] talk not of Æneas; let him go:
Lay to thy hands, and help me make a fire,
That shall consume all that this stranger left ”

“ Vain man, what monarchy expecf st thou here ? Or with what thought sleep'st thou in Libya- shore ? If that all glory hath forsaken thee, And thou despise the praise of such attempts, Yet think upon Ascanius' prophecy, And young lulus' more than thousand years, Whom I have brought from Ida, where he slept, And bore young- Cupid unto Cyprus' isle. ^En. This was my mother that beguil'd the queen, And made me take my brother for my son : No marvel, Dido, though thou be in love, That, daily dandiest Cupid in thy arms. ”

“ Which neither art nor reason may achieve,
Nor I devise by what means to contrive.
Iar. As how, I pray? may I entreat you tell?
Æn. With speed he bids me sail to Italy,
Whenas [136] I want both rigging for my fleet,
And also furniture for these my men.
Iar. If that be all, then cheer thy drooping looks,
For I will furnish thee with such supplies.
Let some of those thy followers go with me,
And they shall have what thing soe'er thou need'st.
Æn. Thanks, good Iarbas, for thy friendly aid:
Achates and the rest shall wait on thee,
Whilst I rest thankful for this courtesy. ”

“ Achates, come forth! Sergestus, Ilioneus,
Cloanthus, haste away! Æneas calls.
Enter Achates, Cloanthus, Sergestus, and Ilioneus.
Ach. What wills our lord, or wherefore did he call?
Æn. The dream, [115] brave mates, that did beset my bed,
When sleep but newly had embrac'd the night,
Commands me leave these unrenowmèd [116] realms, [117]
Whereas [118] nobility abhors to stay
And none but base Æneas will abide. ”

“ Stout love, in mine arms make thy Italy,
Whose crown and kingdom rests at thy command:
Sichæus, not Æneas, be thou call'd;
The king of Carthage, not Anchises' son:
Hold, take these jewels at thy lover's hand, [Giving jewels, &c.
These golden bracelets, and this wedding-ring,
Wherewith my husband woo'd me yet a maid,
And be thou king of Libya by my gift. [Exeunt to the cave. [101]
ACT IV.
Enter Achates, [102] Cupid as Ascanius, Iarbas, and Anna.
Ach. Did ever men see such a sudden storm,
Or day so clear so suddenly o'ercast? ”