The Two Noble Kinsmen

“ ARCITE.
If I fall, curse me, and say I was a coward,
For none but such dare die in these just Tryalls.
Once more farewell, my Cosen.
PALAMON.
Farewell, Arcite. [Fight.]
[Hornes within: they stand.]
ARCITE.
Loe, Cosen, loe, our Folly has undon us.
PALAMON.
Why?
ARCITE.
This is the Duke, a hunting as I told you.
If we be found, we are wretched. O retire
For honours sake, and safety presently
Into your Bush agen; Sir, we shall finde
Too many howres to dye in: gentle Cosen,
If you be seene you perish instantly
For breaking prison, and I, if you reveale me,
For my contempt. ”

“ PALAMON.
I have put you to too much paines, Sir.
ARCITE.
That too much, faire Cosen,
Is but a debt to honour, and my duty.
PALAMON.
Would you were so in all, Sir; I could wish ye
As kinde a kinsman, as you force me finde
A beneficiall foe, that my embraces
Might thanke ye, not my blowes.
ARCITE.
I shall thinke either, well done,
A noble recompence.
PALAMON.
Then I shall quit you.
ARCITE.
Defy me in these faire termes, and you show
More then a Mistris to me, no more anger
As you love any thing that’s honourable:
We were not bred to talke, man ”

“ The Funerall of Arcite; in whose end
The visages of Bridegroomes weele put on
And smile with Palamon; for whom an houre,
But one houre, since, I was as dearely sorry,
As glad of Arcite: and am now as glad,
As for him sorry. O you heavenly Charmers,
What things you make of us! For what we lacke
We laugh, for what we have, are sorry: still
Are children in some kind. ”

“ Men of great quality, as may be judgd
By their appointment; Sone of Thebs have told’s
They are Sisters children, Nephewes to the King.
THESEUS.
By’th Helme of Mars, I saw them in the war,
Like to a paire of Lions, smeard with prey,
Make lanes in troopes agast. I fixt my note
Constantly on them; for they were a marke
Worth a god’s view: what prisoner was’t that told me
When I enquired their names?
HERALD.
Wi’leave, they’r called Arcite and Palamon.
THESEUS.
Tis right: those, those. They are not dead? ”

“ ARCITE.
You are not mad?
PALAMON.
Or I will make th’advantage of this howre
Mine owne, and what to come shall threaten me,
I feare lesse then my fortune: know, weake Cosen,
I love Emilia, and in that ile bury
Thee, and all crosses else.
ARCITE.
Then, come what can come,
Thou shalt know, Palamon, I dare as well
Die, as discourse, or sleepe: Onely this feares me,
The law will have the honour of our ends.
Have at thy life.
PALAMON.
Looke to thine owne well, Arcite. [Fight againe. Hornes.]
[Enter Theseus, Hipolita, Emilia, Perithous and traine.] ”

“ Swallow their youth: were we at liberty,
A wife might part us lawfully, or busines;
Quarrels consume us, Envy of ill men
Grave our acquaintance; I might sicken, Cosen,
Where you should never know it, and so perish
Without your noble hand to close mine eies,
Or praiers to the gods: a thousand chaunces,
Were we from hence, would seaver us.
PALAMON.
You have made me
(I thanke you, Cosen Arcite) almost wanton
With my Captivity: what a misery
It is to live abroade, and every where!
Tis like a Beast, me thinkes: I finde the Court here—
I am sure, a more content ”

“ The faire-eyd Maides, shall weepe our Banishments,
And in their Songs, curse ever-blinded fortune,
Till shee for shame see what a wrong she has done
To youth and nature. This is all our world;
We shall know nothing here but one another,
Heare nothing but the Clocke that tels our woes.
The Vine shall grow, but we shall never see it:
Sommer shall come, and with her all delights;
But dead-cold winter must inhabite here still.
PALAMON.
Tis too true, Arcite. ”

“ Prince Palamon, I must awhile bereave you
Of your faire Cosens Company. [Exeunt Arcite, and Keeper.]
PALAMON.
And me too,
Even when you please, of life. Why is he sent for?
It may be he shall marry her; he’s goodly,
And like enough the Duke hath taken notice
Both of his blood and body: But his falsehood!
Why should a friend be treacherous? If that
Get him a wife so noble, and so faire,
Let honest men ne’re love againe. Once more
I would but see this faire One. Blessed Garden,
And fruite, and flowers more blessed, that still blossom
As her bright eies shine on ye! ”

“ Ravishd our sides, like age must run to rust,
And decke the Temples of those gods that hate us:
These hands shall never draw’em out like lightning,
To blast whole Armies more.
ARCITE.
No, Palamon,
Those hopes are Prisoners with us; here we are
And here the graces of our youthes must wither
Like a too-timely Spring; here age must finde us,
And, which is heaviest, Palamon, unmarried ”

“ ARCITE.
She is wondrous faire.
PALAMON.
She is beauty extant.
EMILIA.
The Sun grows high, lets walk in: keep these flowers;
Weele see how neere Art can come neere their colours.
I am wondrous merry hearted, I could laugh now.
WOMAN.
I could lie downe, I am sure.
EMILIA.
And take one with you?
WOMAN.
That’s as we bargaine, Madam.
EMILIA.
Well, agree then. [Exeunt Emilia and woman.]
PALAMON.
What thinke you of this beauty?
ARCITE.
Tis a rare one.
PALAMON.
Is’t but a rare one?
ARCITE.
Yes, a matchles beauty.
PALAMON.
Might not a man well lose himselfe and love her? ”

“ Good Palamon would miscarry; yet I knew not
Why I did thinke so; Our reasons are not prophets,
When oft our fancies are. They are comming off:
Alas, poore Palamon! [Cornets.]
[Enter Theseus, Hipolita, Pirithous, Arcite as victor, and attendants, &c.]
THESEUS.
Lo, where our Sister is in expectation,
Yet quaking, and unsetled.—Fairest Emily,
The gods by their divine arbitrament
Have given you this Knight; he is a good one
As ever strooke at head. Give me your hands;
Receive you her, you him; be plighted with
A love that growes, as you decay. ”

“ PERITHOUS.
Sir, my good Lord,
Your Sister will no further.
THESEUS.
Oh, she must.
She shall see deeds of honour in their kinde,
Which sometime show well, pencild. Nature now
Shall make and act the Story, the beleife
Both seald with eye and eare; you must be present,
You are the victours meede, the price, and garlond
To crowne the Questions title.
EMILIA.
Pardon me ”

“ EMILIA.
Were they metamorphisd
Both into one! oh why? there were no woman
Worth so composd a Man: their single share,
Their noblenes peculier to them, gives
The prejudice of disparity, values shortnes, [Cornets. Cry within, Arcite, Arcite.]
To any Lady breathing—More exulting?
Palamon still?
SERVANT.
Nay, now the sound is Arcite.
EMILIA.
I pre’thee, lay attention to the Cry, [Cornets. A great showt and cry, ‘Arcite, victory!’] Set both thine eares to’th busines. ”

“ That thou durst, Arcite!
ARCITE.
My Coz, my Coz, you have beene well advertis’d
How much I dare, y’ave seene me use my Sword
Against th’advice of feare: sure, of another
You would not heare me doubted, but your silence
Should breake out, though i’th Sanctuary.
PALAMON.
Sir,
I have seene you move in such a place, which well
Might justifie your manhood; you were calld
A good knight and a bold; But the whole weeke’s not faire,
If any day it rayne: Their valiant temper
Men loose when they encline to trecherie,
And then they fight like coupelld Beares, would fly
Were they not tyde. ”

“ EMILIA.
Must these men die too?
PERITHOUS.
When he speakes, his tongue
Sounds like a Trumpet; All his lyneaments
Are as a man would wish ’em, strong and cleane,
He weares a well-steeld Axe, the staffe of gold ”

“ PALAMON.
Lets to the king, who, were he
A quarter carrier of that honour which
His Enemy come in, the blood we venture
Should be as for our health, which were not spent,
Rather laide out for purchase: but, alas,
Our hands advanc’d before our hearts, what will
The fall o’th stroke doe damage?
ARCITE.
Let th’event,
That never erring Arbitratour, tell us
When we know all our selves, and let us follow
The becking of our chance. [Exeunt.]
Scaena 3. (Before the gates of Athens.) [Enter Pirithous, Hipolita, Emilia.]
PERITHOUS.
No further. ”

“ Whilst Palamon is with me, let me perish
If I thinke this our prison.
PALAMON.
Certeinly,
Tis a maine goodnes, Cosen, that our fortunes
Were twyn’d together; tis most true, two soules
Put in two noble Bodies—let ’em suffer
The gaule of hazard, so they grow together—
Will never sincke; they must not, say they could:
A willing man dies sleeping, and all’s done.
ARCITE.
Shall we make worthy uses of this place
That all men hate so much?
PALAMON.
How, gentle Cosen?
ARCITE.
Let’s thinke this prison holy sanctuary,
To keepe us from corruption of worse men. ”

“ PALAMON.
O that now, that now
Thy false-selfe and thy friend had but this fortune,
To be one howre at liberty, and graspe
Our good Swords in our hands! I would quickly teach thee
What ’twer to filch affection from another:
Thou art baser in it then a Cutpurse;
Put but thy head out of this window more,
And as I have a soule, Ile naile thy life too’t.
ARCITE.
Thou dar’st not, foole, thou canst not, thou art feeble. ”

“ Actus Quintus Scaena 1. (Before the Temples of Mars, Venus, and Diana.) [Enter Thesius, Perithous, Hipolita, attendants.]
THESEUS.
Now let’em enter, and before the gods
Tender their holy prayers: Let the Temples
Burne bright with sacred fires, and the Altars
In hallowed clouds commend their swelling Incense
To those above us: Let no due be wanting; [Florish of Cornets.]
They have a noble worke in hand, will honour
The very powers that love ’em.
[Enter Palamon and Arcite, and their Knights.] ”

“ Cosen Arcite,
Had not the loving gods found this place for us,
We had died as they doe, ill old men, unwept,
And had their Epitaphes, the peoples Curses:
Shall I say more?
ARCITE.
I would heare you still.
PALAMON.
Ye shall.
Is there record of any two that lov’d
Better then we doe, Arcite?
ARCITE.
Sure, there cannot.
PALAMON.
I doe not thinke it possible our friendship
Should ever leave us.
ARCITE.
Till our deathes it cannot;
[Enter Emilia and her woman (below) .]
And after death our spirits shall be led
To those that love eternally. Speake on, Sir. ”

“ Poore Cosen Palamon, poore prisoner, thou
So little dream’st upon my fortune, that
Thou thinkst thy selfe the happier thing, to be
So neare Emilia; me thou deem’st at Thebs,
And therein wretched, although free. But if
Thou knew’st my Mistris breathd on me, and that
I ear’d her language, livde in her eye, O Coz,
What passion would enclose thee!
[Enter Palamon as out of a Bush, with his Shackles: bends his fist at Arcite.] ”

“ The bownd thou wast ore-flowing, at once subduing
Thy force, and thy affection: Soldiresse
That equally canst poize sternenes with pitty,
Whom now I know hast much more power on him
Then ever he had on thee, who ow’st his strength
And his Love too, who is a Servant for
The Tenour of thy Speech: Deere Glasse of Ladies,
Bid him that we, whom flaming war doth scortch,
Vnder the shaddow of his Sword may coole us:
Require him he advance it ore our heades;
Speak’t in a womans key: like such a woman
As any of us three; weepe ere you faile ”

“ We pray our Play may be so; For I am sure
It has a noble Breeder, and a pure,
A learned, and a Poet never went
More famous yet twixt Po and silver Trent:
Chaucer (of all admir’d) the Story gives,
There constant to Eternity it lives.
If we let fall the Noblenesse of this,
And the first sound this child heare, be a hisse,
How will it shake the bones of that good man,
And make him cry from under ground, ‘O fan
From me the witles chaffe of such a wrighter
That blastes my Bayes, and my fam’d workes makes lighter
Then Robin Hood!’ This is the feare we bring ”

“ Of thee and of thy goodnesse: I am Palamon,
That cannot love thee, he that broke thy Prison;
Thinke well what that deserves: and this is Arcite,
A bolder Traytor never trod thy ground,
A Falser neu’r seem’d friend: This is the man
Was begd and banish’d; this is he contemnes thee
And what thou dar’st doe, and in this disguise
Against thy owne Edict followes thy Sister,
That fortunate bright Star, the faire Emilia,
Whose servant, (if there be a right in seeing,
And first bequeathing of the soule to) justly
I am, and, which is more, dares thinke her his. ”

“ Loe he appeares.
[Enter Theseus, Hipolita, Emilia, Arcite in a chaire.]
PALAMON.
O miserable end of our alliance!
The gods are mightie, Arcite: if thy heart,
Thy worthie, manly heart, be yet unbroken,
Give me thy last words; I am Palamon,
One that yet loves thee dying.
ARCITE.
Take Emilia
And with her all the worlds joy: Reach thy hand:
Farewell: I have told my last houre. I was false,
Yet never treacherous: Forgive me, Cosen:—
One kisse from faire Emilia: Tis done:
Take her: I die.
PALAMON.
Thy brave soule seeke Elizium.
EMILIA.
Ile close thine eyes, Prince ”

“ Dissolue my life, Let not my sence unsettle,
Least I should drowne, or stab or hang my selfe.
O state of Nature, faile together in me,
Since thy best props are warpt! So, which way now?
The best way is the next way to a grave:
Each errant step beside is torment. Loe,
The Moone is down, the Cryckets chirpe, the Schreichowle
Calls in the dawne; all offices are done
Save what I faile in: But the point is this,
An end, and that is all. [Exit.]
Scaena 3. (Same as Scene I.) [Enter Arcite, with Meate, Wine, and Files.]
ARCITE.
I should be neere the place: hoa, Cosen Palamon. ”