Francis Beaumont

“ Why, who has done thee wrong?
Name me the man, and by thy self I swear,
Thy yet unconquer'd self, I will revenge thee.
Evad. Now I shall try thy truth; if thou dost love me,
Thou weigh'st not any thing compar'd with me;
Life, Honour, joyes Eternal, all Delights
This world can yield, or hopeful people feign,
Or in the life to come, are light as Air
To a true Lover when his Lady frowns,
And bids him do this: wilt thou kill this man?
Swear my Amintor, and I'le kiss the sin off from
thy lips. ”

“ Enter Melantius.
The Land by me welcomes thy vertues home to Rhodes, thou that with blood abroad buyest us our peace; the breath of King is like the breath of Gods; My brother wisht thee here, and thou art here; he will be too kind, and weary thee with often welcomes; but the time doth give thee a welcome above this or all the worlds.
Mel. My Lord, my thanks; but these scratcht limbs of mine have spoke my love and truth unto my friends, more than my tongue ere could: my mind's the same it ever was to you; where I find worth, I love the keeper, till he let it go, And then I follow it. ”

“ This sword shall be thy lover: tell, or I'le kill thee:
And when thou hast told all, thou wilt deserve it.
Evad. You will not murder me!
Mel. No, 'tis a justice, and a noble one, To put the light out of such base offenders.
Evad. Help!
Mel. By thy foul self, no humane help shall help thee,
If thou criest: when I have kill'd thee, as I have
Vow'd to do, if thou confess not, naked as thou hast
left
Thine honour, will I leave thee,
That on thy branded flesh the world may read
Thy black shame, and my justice; wilt thou bend yet? ”

“ Some hidden Power tell her that Amintor calls,
And let her answer me: Aspatia, speak.
I have heard, if there be life, but bow
The body thus, and it will shew it self.
Oh she is gone! I will not leave her yet.
Since out of justice we must challenge nothing;
I'le call it mercy if you'l pity me,
You heavenly powers, and lend for some few years,
The blessed soul to this fair seat agen.
No comfort comes, the gods deny me too.
I'le bow the body once agen: Aspatia!
The soul is fled for ever, and I wrong
My self, so long to lose her company.
Must I talk now? Here's to be with thee love. ”

“ Thou art no friend: he sent for her to me;
By Heaven to me; my self; and I must tell ye
I love her as a stranger; there is worth
In that vile woman, worthy things, Melantius;
And she repents. I'le do't my self alone,
Though I be slain. Farewell.
Mel. He'l overthrow my whole design with madness:
Amintor, think what thou doest; I dare as much as
valour;
But 'tis the King, the King, the King, Amintor,
With whom thou fightest ”

“ King. Take him; farewel; henceforth I am thy foe; And what disgraces I can blot thee, look for.
Evad. Stay Sir; Amintor, you shall hear, Amintor.
Amint. What my Love?
Evad. Amintor, thou hast an ingenious look, And shouldst be vertuous; it amazeth me, That thou canst make such base malicious lyes.
Amint. What my dear Wife?
Evad. Dear Wife! I do despise thee; Why, nothing can be baser, than to sow Dissention amongst Lovers.
Amint. Lovers! who?
Evad. The King and me.
Amint. O Heaven!
Evad. Who should live long, and love without distaste,
Were it not for such pickthanks as thy self! ”

“ Tell, or I'le be this day a killing thee.
Evad. Will you forgive me then?
Mel. Stay, I must ask mine honour first, I have too much foolish nature in me; speak.
Evad. Is there none else here?
Mel. None but a fearful conscience, that's too many. Who is't?
Evad. O hear me gently; it was the King.
Mel. No more. My worthy father's and my services
Are liberally rewarded! King, I thank thee,
For all my dangers and my wounds, thou hast paid me
In my own metal: These are Souldiers thanks.
How long have you liv'd thus Evadne? ”

“ A soul as white as heaven: let not my sins
Perish your noble youth: I do not fall here
To shadow by dissembling with my tears,
As all say women can, or to make less
What my hot will hath done, which heaven and you
Knows to be tougher than the hand of time
Can cut from mans remembrance; no I do not;
I do appear the same, the same Evadne,
Drest in the shames I liv'd in, the same monster.
But these are names of honour, to what I am;
I do present my self the foulest creature,
Most poysonous, dangerous, and despis'd of men,
Lerna e're bred, or Nilus ”

“ You powers above, if you did ever mean
Man should be us'd thus, you have thought a way
How he may bear himself, and save his honour:
Instruct me in it; for to my dull eyes
There is no mean, no moderate course to run,
I must live scorn'd, or be a murderer:
Is there a third? why is this night so calm?
Why does not Heaven speak in Thunder to us,
And drown her voice?
Evad. This rage will do no good.
Amint. Evadne, hear me, thou hast ta'ne an Oath,
But such a rash one, that to keep it, were
Worse than to swear it; call it back to thee;
Such vows as those never ascend the Heaven ”

“ By my troth y'are spoil'd.
Mel. Amintor!
Amint. Ha!
Mel. Thou art sad.
Amint. Who I? I thank you for that, shall Diphilus, thou and I sing a catch?
Mel. How!
Amint. Prethee let's.
Mel. Nay, that's too much the other way.
Amint. I am so lightned with my happiness: how dost thou Love? kiss me.
Evad. I cannot love you, you tell tales of me.
Amint. Nothing but what becomes us: Gentlemen,
Would you had all such Wives, and all the world,
That I might be no wonder; y'are all sad;
What, do you envie me? I walk methinks
On water, and ne're sink, I am so light.
Mel. 'Tis well you are so. ”

“ Of a lost Virgin; whither wilt thou pull me?
To what things dismal, as the depth of Hell,
Wilt thou provoke me? Let no [woman] dare
From this hour be disloyal: if her heart
Be flesh, if she have blood, and can fear, 'tis a daring
Above that desperate fool that left his peace,
And went to Sea to fight: 'tis so many sins
An age cannot prevent 'em: and so great,
The gods want mercy for: yet I must through 'em.
I have begun a slaughter on my honour,
And I must end it there: he sleeps, good heavens! ”

“ Looks not Evadne beauteous with these rites now?
Were those hours half so lovely in thine eyes,
When our hands met before the holy man?
I was too foul within to look fair then;
Since I knew ill, I was not free till now.
Amint. There is presage of some important thing
About thee, which it seems thy tongue hath lost:
Thy hands are bloody, and thou hast a knife.
Evad. In this consists thy happiness and mine;
Joy to Amintor, for the King is dead.
Amint. Those have most power to hurt us that we love,
We lay our sleeping lives within their arms. ”

“ Did you not name Aspatia?
Amint. I did.
Asp. And talkt of tears and sorrow unto her?
Amint. 'Tis true, and till these happy signs in thee
Did stay my course, 'twas thither I was going.
Asp. Th'art there already, and these wounds are hers:
Those threats I brought with me, sought not revenge,
But came to fetch this blessing from thy hand,
I am Aspatia yet.
Amint. Dare my soul ever look abroad agen?
Asp. I shall live Amintor; I am well:
A kind of healthful joy wanders within me.
Amint. The world wants lines to excuse thy loss:
Come let me bear thee to some place of help. ”

“ Are most contemptible.
Amint. Good Sir forbear.
Cal. There is just such another as your self.
Amint. He will wrong you, or me, or any man,
And talk as if he had no life to lose
Since this our match: the King is coming in,
I would not for more wealth than I enjoy,
He should perceive you raging, he did hear
You were at difference now, which hastned him.
Cal. Make room there.
Hoboyes play within.
Enter King, Evadne, Aspatia, Lords and Ladies.
King. Melantius, thou art welcome, and my love Is with thee still; but this is not a place To brabble in; Calianax, joyn hands. ”

“ King. But thou hast let Amintor lie with thee.
Evad. I ha'not.
King. Impudence! he saies himself so.
Evad. He lyes.
King. He does not.
Evad. By this light he does, strangely and basely, and I'le prove it so; I did not shun him for a night, But told him I would never close with him.
King. Speak lower, 'tis false.
Evad. I'm no man to answer with a blow; Or if I were, you are the King; but urge me not, 'tis most true.
King. Do not I know the uncontrouled thoughts
That youth brings with him, when his bloud is high
With expectation and desires of that
He long hath waited for? ”

“ Evad. For heavens sake look more calm; Thine eyes are sharper than thou canst make thy sword.
Amint. Away, away, thy knees are more to me than violence.
I am worse than sick to see knees follow me
For that I must not grant; for heavens sake stand.
Evad. Receive me then.Amint. I dare not stay thy language;
In midst of all my anger and my grief,
Thou dost awake something that troubles me,
And sayes I lov'd thee once; I dare not stay;
There is no end of womens reasoning. ”

“ Mel. Good day Amintor, for to me the name Of Brother is too distant; we are friends, And that is nearer.
Amint. Dear Melantius! Let me behold thee; is it possible?
Mel. What sudden gaze is this?
Amint. 'Tis wonderous strange.
Mel. Why does thine eye desire so strict a view
Of that it knows so well?
There's nothing here that is not thine.
Amint. I wonder much Melantius,
To see those noble looks that make me think
How vertuous thou art; and on the sudden
'Tis strange to me, thou shouldst have worth and honour,
Or not be base, and false, and treacherous,
And every ill. But—
Mel. ”

“ Easie and sweet, who is a happy Lover;
Or if thou woot, then call thine own Endymion
From the sweet flowry bed he lies upon,
On Latmus top, thy pale beams drawn away,
And of this long night let him make a day.
Cinth. Thou dream'st dark Queen, that fair boy was not mine,
Nor went I down to kiss him; ease and wine
Have bred these bold tales; Poets when they rage,
Turn gods to men, and make an hour an age ”

“ This Banquet is for you, sir: Who has brought
A merry Tale about him, to raise a laughter
Amongst our wine? why Strato, where art thou?
Thou wilt chop out with them unseasonably
When I desire 'em not. ”

“ Come lets be sad my Girles; That down cast of thine eye, Olympias, Shews a fine sorrow; mark Antiphila, Just such another was the Nymph Oenone, When Paris brought home Helen: now a tear, And then thou art a piece expressing fully The Carthage Queen, when from a cold Sea Rock, Full with her sorrow, she tyed fast her eyes To the fair Trojan ships, and having lost them, Just as thine eyes do, down stole a tear, Antiphila; What would this Wench do, if she were Aspatia? Here she would stand, till some more pitying God Turn'd her to Marble: 'tis enough my Wench ”

“ Strato. 'Tis my ill luck Sir, so to spend them then.
King. Reach me a boul of wine: Melantlius, thou art sad.
Amin. I should be Sir the merriest here, But I ha' ne're a story of mine own Worth telling at this time.
King. Give me the Wine. Melantius, I am now considering How easie 'twere for any man we trust To poyson one of us in such a boul.
Mel. I think it were not hard Sir, for a Knave.
Cal. Such as you are.
King. I' faith 'twere easie, it becomes us well
To get plain dealing men about our selves,
Such as you all are here: Amintor, to thee
And to thy fair Evadne. ”

“ I want smoothness To thank a man for pardoning of a crime I never knew.
King. Not to instruct your knowledge, but to shew you my ears are every where, you meant to kill me, and get the Fort to scape.
Mel. Pardon me Sir; my bluntness will be pardoned:
You preserve
A race of idle people here about you,
Eaters, and talkers, to defame the worth
Of those that do things worthy ”

“ To laugh at thee alone.
Cal. I'le spoil your mirth, I mean to fight with thee;
There lie my Cloak, this was my Fathers Sword,
And he durst fight; are you prepar'd?
Mel. Why? wilt thou doat thy self out of thy life?
Hence get thee to bed, have careful looking to, and eat
warm things, and trouble not me: my head is full of
thoughts more weighty than thy life or death can be.
Cal. You have a name in War, when you stand safe
Amongst a multitude; but I will try
What you dare do unto a weak old man
In single fight; you'l ground I fear: Come draw. ”

“ I would save thee; your great maintainers are not here, they dare not, would they were all, and armed, I would speak loud; here's one should thunder to 'em: will you tell me? thou hast no hope to scape; he that dares most, and damns away his soul to do thee service, will sooner fetch meat from a hungry Lion, than come to rescue thee; thou hast death about thee: h'as undone thine honour, poyson'd thy vertue, and of a lovely rose, left thee a canker. ”

“ Not on thee, did thine anger swell as high
As the wild surges; thou shouldst do me ease
Here, and Eternally, if thy noble hand
Would cut me from my sorrows.
Mel. This is base and fearful! they that use to utter lyes,
Provide not blows, but words to qualifie
The men they wrong'd; thou hast a guilty cause.
Amint. Thou pleasest me; for so much more like this,
Will raise my anger up above my griefs,
Which is a passion easier to be born,
And I shall then be happy.
Mel. Take then more to raise thine anger. 'Tis meer
Cowardize makes thee not draw; and I will leave thee
dead
However ”

“ That Art or Love could frame; if he were false,
Pardon it heaven, and if I did want
Vertue, you safely may forgive that too,
For I have left none that I had from you.
Evad. Nay, leave this sad talk Madam.
Asp. Would I could, then should I leave the cause.
Evad. See if you have not spoil'd all Dulas mirth.
Asp. Thou think'st thy heart hard, but if thou beest caught, remember me; thou shalt perceive a fire shot suddenly into thee.
Dul. That's not so good, let'm shoot any thing but fire, I fear'm not.
Asp. Well wench, thou mayst be taken.
Evad. Ladies good night, I'le do the rest my self. ”