APPIUS

O thundering Gods that threaten ire, and Plague for eke offence: Your selves I deem would counsel crave, in this so fit pretence: And eke your nimble stretched arms, with great rewards would she, To purchase fairy Virginia, so deer a wight to me: And friend, I swear by Iubiter, and eke by Juno's seat: And eke by all the mysteries, where on thou canust entreat: Thou shalt possess and have, I will Thee grant and give, The greatest partly of all my Realm, for aye thee to relieve. I mean so. I will so, if thou do persuade me, To hap or to hazard, what thing shall envade me: I King and I Keyser, I rule and ouerwhealme: I do what it please me, with in this my realm: Wherefore in thy judgement, see that thou do enter, Hap life or hap death, I surely will venture. I find it, I mind it, I swear that I will, Though shame, or defame, do happen no skill, Here let him make at though he went out and let Con since and lu stice come out of him, and let Consiéce hold in his hand a Lamp burning and let Justice have a sword and hold it be before Apius But out I am wounded, how am I divided? Two states of my life, from me are now glided, For Conscience he pricks me contemned, And Justice says, Judgement would have me condemn ned: Conscience says cruelty sure will detest me: And Justice says, death in th'end will molest me, And both in one sodden me thinks they do cry, That fire eternal, my soul shall destroy. And sayest thou so my sured Friend, then hap as hap shall hit, Let Constence grope, & judgement crave, I will not shrink one whit I well persever in my thought, I will deflower his youth, I will not sure reverted be, my heart shall have no ruth, Come on proceed and wayteou me, I will hap woe or wealth, Hap blunt, hap sharp, hap life, hap death, though Haphazard be of health By the Gods, I consent to thee Claudius now Prepare the in haste Virginius unto, Charge him, command him, upon his alegeance With all kind of speed, to yield his obeisance, Before my seat in my consistary Subpene of land, life and treasury. No let, no stay, nor ought perturbraunce, Shall cause me to omit the furtherance, Of this my weighty charge: Exit. Whence does this pinching sound defend? What art thou theu declare be brief? Why no disease dath me approach, no grief does make me grudge, But want of fair Virginia, whose beauty is my Judge: By his I live, by his I die, for his I wy or woe, For his my soul does sink or swim, for his I swear I go. I force it not, I will attempt, I stay for Claudius hear, Yet will I go to meet with him, to know what news and cheer. Hast for a hangman, in hazard of hemp Run for a riddueke, there is no such imp: Claudius is knocking, with hammer and stone, At Virginius gate, as hard as he can lay one: By the Gods my masters, Haphazard is hardy, For he will run rashly, be they never so many, Yea he will sing sowsnowt, and sknap with the best, But peace, who comes yonder, what Iely good gest? WHen men will seem misdoubtfully, Without and why, to call and cry, And fearing with temerety, its jeopardy, of liberty, We wish him take to cheer his heart, Haphazard, Bold blind bayard, A Fig for his uncourtesy, That seeks to shun good company. Good reason to Virginius, come Claudius show thy mind, Let Justice here, if Judgement may, Virginus guilty find Why how now Haphazard, of what dost thou speak? Me thinks in mad sort thy talk thou deest break, all in one. Well now I range at large my will for to express, For look how Torquin, Lucres fair, by force did once oppress, Even so will I Virginia use: Judge Apius prince, o stay refuse, Be ruled by thy friend: What bloody death with open shame, Did Torquin gain in end?