PAPHLAGONIA

Triumphant over the King of Jerusalem, the Assyrian king Rasni declares himself divine and marries his sister, Remilia; a viceroy who objects is banished and the flatterer Radagon given his place. Inordinately proud of her beauty, Remilia is struck by lightning. Rasni is unable to revive her, and buries her in state; but is encouraged by Radagon to think of the living rather than the dead, and to take Alvida, wife of the King of Paphlagonia. When her husband objects to the adulterous liaison, she poisons him. Alvida continues to be unfaithful: her ambition attracts her to Rasni, but her sexual appetite favours the Viceroy of Cilicia, so she takes both. Thrasybulus and Alcon are both cheated by a usurer to whom they are trying to repay money: he keeps them talking beyond the due hour and then secures possession of Thrasybulus’ farm and Alcon’s cow as a penalty for non-payment. They attempt to sue him, but he bribes both the judge and their lawyer, and they lose their cases. Alcon appeals to Radagon, his son, to help his starving family, but Radagon is too proud to acknowledge his parent, and Rasni has him ejected from the court. Radagon’s mother curses him, and: he is swallowed by subterranean fire. Thrasybulus ard ===== PAGE 473 ===== 1589 Alcon turn to begging and theft in their destitution, and try to pawn stolen clothes to the usurer. Adam, a smith’s man, goes off with some ruffians to get drunk. After a drunken quarrel over a woman, one of them is killed. Rasni finds Adam in a stupor by the body, but decides that murder is ordinary drunken behaviour, and takes no judicial action. Adam and his mistress are having an illicit affair. The smith catches them canoodling, but when he attempts to take reprisals, Adam argues that he is the one who should be beaten for the sin of jealousy. An angel orders Jonah to preach against Nineveh’s wickedness. He is reluctant, and takes a ship to Tarshish instead. The ship encounters a storm, which Jonah identifies as a sign of divine displeasure at his disobedience. He has himself thrown overboard, and the storm abates. A whale swallows him, then belks him up on shore. He goes to Nineveh as ordered. These events are watched and commented on by the prophet Hosea, brought from Jerusalem by an angel. The angel removes him before the Ninevites’ corruption receives its due reward in the city’s destruction, and he returns to preach to the Jews of Nineveh’s wickedness. ‘The city is troubled by apparitions and portents, but…