NUNTIUS

He lives (Oh Queen) hereof have you no doubt, From such suspect my self will quite you soon. The Gods forbid. Not so, they were at first in danger sure, But in the end obtained victory. You have (Oh Queen) yet both your sons alive. No sooner had your worthy valiant son, Seuerde the Dukes into seven several parts, And set them to defence of several gates, And brought in brave array his horsemen out, First to encounter with their mighty foes, And likewise pitched, the footmen face to face Against the footmen of their enemies, But fiercely straight, the armies did approach, Swarming so thick, as couerde clean the field, When dreadful blast of braying trumpets sound, Of doleful drums, and thundering cannon shot, Gave hideous sign of horror of the fight, Then gan the Greeks to give their sharp assault, Then from the walls our stout courageous men, With rolling stones, with paisse of hugy beam , With flying darts, with flakes of burning fire, And deadly blows, did beat them back again: Thus striving long, with stout and bloody fight, Whereby full many thousand slaughtered were, The hardy Greeks came underneath the walls, Of whom, first Capaney (a lusty Knight) Did scale the walls, and on the top thereof Did vaunt himself, when many hundred more, With fierce assaults did follow him as fast. Then lo, the Captains seven bestirrde themselves, (Whose names you have already understood) Some here, some there, nought dreading lose of life, With new relief to feed Thee fainting breach: And Polinice, he ended all the force Of his whole charge, against the greatest , When suddenly a flash of lightning flame From angry skies strake captain Capaney, That there down dead he fell, at sighed whereof The gazers one were fraught with Sudden fear. The rest, that strove to mount the walls so fast, From ladders top did headlong tumble down. Herewith our men encouragde by good happen, Took hardy hearts, and so repulsed the Greeks. There was Eteocles and I with him, Who setting first those soldiers to their charge, Ran straight to tother gates, unto the weak He manly comfort gave, unto the bold His lusty words increased courage still, In so much as amazed Grecian king When he did hear of Capaney his death, Fearing thereby the Gods became his foes Out from the trench withdrew his weary host. But rash Eteocles (presuming too too much Upon their flight) did issue out of Thebes, And forward Straight with strength of chivalry, His flying foes courageously pursued. To long it were to make recompt of all That wounded be, or slain, or captive now, The cloudy air was filled round about With houling cries and woeful wailing plaints: So great a slaughter (Oh renowned Queen) Before this day I think was never seen. Thus have we now cut of the fruitless hope The Grecians had, to sack this noble town. What joyful end will happen hereunto Yet know I not: the gods turn all to good. "To conquer, lo, is doubtless worthy praise, "But wisely for to use the conquest got, "Hath ever won immortal found of fame Well, yet therewhile in this we may rejoice, Sith heaven and heavenly powers are pleased therewith. No more (Oh Queen) let this for now suffice, Sith hitherto your state is safe enough. What would you more, already being sure That both your sons in safety do remain? Oh let me now return to Eteocles, That of my service greatly stands in need. O force me not, the good now being passed, To tell the ill. Since thus you seek to hear a doleful tale, I will no longer stay: wit you therefore, Your desperate sons together be agreed For to attempt a wicked enterprise, To private ght they have betroutht themselves, Of which conflict, the end mus needs be this, That one do , that other die the death. Now, sith in sum I have revealed that, Which you have herd with great remorse of mind, I will proceed, at large to tell the wh le. When your victorious son, with valiant force Had chased his foes into their joining tents, Even there he stayed, and straight at found of trump With stretched voice the herault thus proclaimde: You princely Greeks, that hither be arrived To spoil the fruit of these our fertile fields, And us to driven from this our Native soil, Oh suffer not so many guiltless souls By this debate descend in Stigian lake, For private cause of wicked Pollinice, But rather let the brothers, hand to hand, By mutual blows appease their furious rage, And so to cease from shedding further blood: And, to the end you all might understand The profit that to every side may fallen, Thus much my Lord thought good to proffer you, This is his will, if he be overcome, Then Polinice to rule this kingly realm: If so it happen (as reason would it should) Our rightful prince to conquer Polinice, That then no one of you make more ado, But straight to Argos. I'll hast home again. This, thus pronounced unto the noble Greeks, No sooner did the found of trumpet cease, But Polinice stepped forth before the host, And to these words this answer did he make: Oh thou, (not brother) but my mortal foe, Thy proffer here hath pleased me so well, As presently, without more long delay, I yield my self prepared to the field. Our noble King no sooner herd this vaunt, But forth as fast he pressed his princely steps, With eager mind, as hoouering falcon wonts To make his stoop, when pray appears in fight: At all assays they both were bram ely armed, To either's side his sword fast being girded, In ithers hand was put a sturdy lance: About Eteocles our soldiers cloong, To comfort him, and put him then in mind, He fought for safety of his country soil, And that in him consisted all their hope. To Polinice the king Adrastus swore, If he escaped victor from the field, As his return he would in Greece erect A golden Image unto mighty Jove In sign of his triumphing victory: But all this while seek you (Oh noble Queen) To hinder this your furious sons attempt. Entreat that Gods it may not take effect, Else must you needs ere long deprived be Of both your sons, or of the one at least. Alas, who can direct my hasty steps Unto the brother of our woeful Queen? But lo where carefully he stands here. My Lord, the thing you fear is very true, Your son Meneceus no longer lives. Your son (my Lord) came to Eteocles, And told him this in presence of the rest, Renou ed King, neither your victory, Ne yet the safety of this princely Realm In armour does consist, but in the death Of me, of me, (Oh most victorious King) So heavenly dome of mighty Jove commands, I (knowing what avail my death should yield Unto your grace, and unto native land) Might well be ind a most ungrateful son Unto this worthy town, if I would shun The sharpest death to do my country good, In mourning weed now let the vestal Nymph's, With fawning tunes commend my faultl sse ghost To highest heavens, while I despoil my self, That afterward (sith oue will have it so) To save your lives, I may receive my death. Of you I crave, Oh courteous Citizens, To shrine my corpse in tomb of marble stone, Whereon graven this: Meneceus here does lie, For countries cause that was content to die. This said, alas, he made no more a do, But drew his sword and sheathde it in his breast. My Lord, your nephews both have lost their lives. More wretched shall you deem your self, my lord, When you shall hear of further misery. With his deer sons the Queen his self is slain, Then know my Lord, the battle that begun Under the walls, was brought to lucky end, Eteocles had made his foemen flee Within their trenches, to their foul reproach: But herewithal the brethren straightway Eke other challenge forth into the field, By combat so to stint their cruel strife, Who armed thus amid the field appeared. First Pollinices turning toward Greece His lovely looks, gan Juno thus beseech: Oh heavenly Queen, thou seest, that since the day I first did wed Adrastus daughter deer, And stayed in Greece, thy servant have I be: Then (be it not for mine unworthiness) Grant me this grace, the victory to win, Grant me, that I with high triumphant hand, May bath this blade within my brother's breast: I know I crave unworthy victory, Unworthy triumphs, and unworthy spoils, Lo he the cause, my cruel enemy. The people wept to hear the woeful words Of Pollinice, foreseeing eke the end Of this outrage and cruel combat taken, Eke man gan look upon his drooping mate, With minds amazed, and trembling hearts for dread, Whom pity pierced for these youthful knights. Eteocles with eyes up cast to heaven. Thus said: Oh mighty love his daughter grant to me, That this right hand with this sharp armed lance Passing amid my brother's cankered breast, It may eke pierce that coward heart of his, And so him slay that thus unworthily Disturbs the quiet of our common weal. So said Eteocles, and trumpets blown, To send the summens of their bloody fight, That one the other fiercely did encounter, Like Lions two fraught with boiling wrath, Both couched their lances full against the face, But heaven it nolde that there they should them teinte: Upon the battered shields the mighty spears Are both ybroke, and in a thousand shivers Amid the air flown up into the heavens: Behold again, with naked sword in hand, Eke one the other furiously assaults. Here they of Thebes, there stood the Greeks in doubt, Of whom does eke man feel more chilling dread, Least any of the twain should loose his life, Than any of the twain did feel in fight. Their angry looks, their deadly daunting blows, Might witness well, that in their hearts remaynde As cankered hate, disdain, and furious mood, As ever bred in bear or tigers breast. The first that happened to hurt was Polinice, Who smote the right thigh of Eteocles: But as we deem, the blow was nothing deep, Then cried the Greeks, and leapt with lightened hearts, But straight again they held their peace, for he Eteocles gan thrust his wicked sword In the left arm of unarmed Pollinice, And let the blood from thin unfence flesh With falling drops distil upon the ground, Ne long he stays, but with and other thrust His brother's belly boweld with his blade, Then wretched he, with bridle left at large, From of his Horse fell pale upon the ground, Ne long it was, but down our duke dismounts From of his startling steed, and runs in hast, His brother's hapless helm for to unlace, And w that such hungry mind desired spoil, As one that thought the field already woonne: That at unwares, his brother's dagger drawn, And gripped fast within the dying hand, Under his side he reckless does receive, That made the way to his wide open heart: Thus falls E eocles his brother by, From both whose breasts the bloudfast bubbling, gave A sorry show to Greeks and both. When ̄ thus with pierced hearts, by there own hands The brother's fell had wallowed in their blood, That one tumbling on the others gore, Came their afflicted mother, then to late, And eke with his, his chased child Antygone, Who saw no sooner how their fates had fa ne, But with the doub ed echo of alas, Soar dym de the air with loud complaints and cries: O sons (quod she) too came all my help, And all to late have I my succour sent: And with these words, upon their carcase cold. She shriched so, as might have stayed the Sun To mourn with his, the woeful sister eke, That both his cheeks did bath in flowing tears, Out from the depth of his torment breast, With scalding sighs gan draw these weary words: Oh my deer brothers, why abandon you Our mother deer, when these his aged years, That of themselves are weak and grown with grief, Stood most in need of your sustaining help? Why do you leave his thus disconsolate? At sound of such his weeping long lament, Eteocles our king held up his hand, And sent from bottom of his woeful breast. A doubled sigh, divided with his grief, In faithful token of his Feeble will To recomfort his mother and sister both: And in the stead of sweet contenting words, The trickling tears raynde down his paled cheeks: Then clasped his hands, and shut his dying eyes. But Pollinice that turned his rolling eyes Unto his mother and his sister deer, With hollow voice and fumbling tongue, thus spoke: Mother, y u see how I am now arrived Unto the haven of mine unhappy end, Now nothing does remain to me, but this, That I lament my sisters life and yours Left thus in everlasting woe and gri fe: So am I sorry for Eteocles, Who though he were my cruel enemy, He was your son, and brother yet to me: But since these ghosts of curs must needs go down With staggering steps into the Stigian reign, I you beseech, mother and sister both, Of pity yet, that you will me procure A royal tomb within my native realm, And now shut up with those your tender hands, These grie full eyes of mine, whose dazzled ight Shadows of dreadful death b come to close, Now rest in pe ce, thus said, he yielded up His fainting ghost, that ready was to partly. The mother thus beholding both his sons Y one to death, and overcome with dol , Drew out the dagger of his Pol mces, From brother's breast, and gorde his mother's throat Falling between his sons, Then with his feebled arms, she does en old Their bodies both, as if for company His uncontented corpse were yet content To pass with them in Cham ons ferry boat. When cruel fate had that S with force bereft The woeful mother and his two deer sons, All suddenly alarm alarm they cry, And hight conflict began for to arise Between our army and our e emyes: For either partly would have the victory. A while they did with equal force maintain The bloody fight, at last the Greeks do fly, Of whom could hardly any one escape, For in such hugy heaps our men them slew, The ground was couerde all with carcases: And of our soldiers, some gan spoil the dead, Some other were that parted out the pray, And some pursuing Antigone took up The Queen locasta and the brothers both, Whom in a chariot hither they will bring Ere long: and thus, although we got have The victory over our enemies, Yet h we we lost much more than we have won.