RASNI

Viceroys enough, peace Paphlagon no more, See where my sister fair Remilia, Fairer then was the virgin Daniam, That waits on Venus with a golden show, She that hath stolen the wealth of Rasnes looks, And tide his thoughts within her lovely locks, She that is loved, and love unto your King, See where she comes to gratulate my fame. Sister. The title fits not thy degree, A higher state of honour shall be thine, The lovely Trull that Mercury entrapped, Within the curious pleasure of his tongue, And she that bashed the sun-god with her eyes, Fair Semele the choice of Venus maids, Were not so beauteous as Remelia. Then sweeting, sister shall not serve the turn, But Rasnes wife, his Lemon and his love. Thou shalt Like Juno wed thy self to Jove, And fold me in the riches of thy fair, Remilia shall be Rasnes Paramour. For why if I be Mars for warlike deeds? And thou bright Venus for thy clear aspect, Why should not from our loins issue a son, That might be Lord of royal sovereignty? Of twenty world's, if twenty world's might be, What sayest Remilia, art thou Rasnes wife? Remilias, what fair dams be those that wait Attendant on thy matchless royalty? Trust me she is fair thast Paphlagon a Jewel, To fold Thee in so bright a swéetings arms. What if I do Radagon? Well answered Radagon thou art for me, Feed thou mine humour, and be still a king. Lords go in triumph of my happy loves, And for to feast us after all our broils, Frolic and revel it in Nineveh. Whatsoever befitteth your conceited thoughts, Or good or ill, love or not love my boys, In love or what may satisfy your lust, Act it my Lords, for no man dare say no. Magi for love of Rasni by your Art, By Magic frame and Arbour out of hand, For fair Remilia to desport her in. Meanwhile, I will bethink me on further pomp. Blessed be you man of Art that grace me thus, And blessed be this day where Himen hies, To join in union pride of heaven and earth. What wondrous threatening noise is this I hear? What flashing lightnings trouble our delights? When I draw near Remelias royal Tent, I waking, dream of sorrow and mishap. Thou hast confirmed my doubts kind Radagon. Now open you folds where Queen of favour sits, Carrying a Net within her curled locks, Wherein the Graces are entangled oft: Open Like imperial gates where Phœbus sits, When as he means to woo his Clitia. Necternall Cares, you blemishers of bliss, Cloud not mine eyes while I behold her face. Remilia my delight, she answereth not. How pale? as if bereaved in fatal meeds, The balmy breath hath left her bosom quite, My Hesperus by cloudy death is blended, Villains away, fetch Sircopes of the Ind, Fetch Balsomo the kind preserve of life, Fetch wine of Greece, fetch oils, fetch herbs, fetch all To fetch her life, or I will faint and die. Herbs, Oils of Ind, alas there nought prevails. Shut are the day-bright eyes, that made me see, Locked are the Iems of joy in dens of death, Yet triumph I on fate, and he on her. Malicious mistress of inconstancy, Dammed be thy name, that hast obscured my joy, Kings, Viceroys, Princes, rear a royal tomb For my Remilia, bear her from my sighed, While I in tears, weep for Remilia. She smiles on me, I see she is mine own. Wilt thou be Rasnes royal Paramour? What slaughtered wretch lies bleeding here his last? So near the royal palace of the King, Search out if any one be biding nigh, That can discourse the manner of his death, Seat Thee fair Alvida, the fair of fairs, Let not the once offend thine eyes, Wake him and make enquiry of this thing. Weel sport with him that Alvida may laugh. But hearest thou fellow, who killed this man? Answer me knave to my question, how came this man slain? Smith canst thou tell me how this man came dead? Some of you carry away the dead body, drunken men must have their fits, and sirrah Smith hence with thy man. Beauteous, more bright then beauty in mine eyes, Tell me fair sweeting, wants thou any thing? Contained within the threefold circle of the world, That may make Alvida live full content. Look how thy husband haunts our royal Courts, How still his sighed breeds melancholy storms, O Alvida I am passion passionate, And vexed with wrath and anger to the death, Mars when he held fair Venus on his knee, And saw the limping Smith come from his forge, Had not more deeper furrows in his brow, Then Rasni hath to see this Paphlagon. What sayest thou king of Paphlagon to this? Thou hearest the doubt thy wife does stand upon, If she hath done amiss it is my fault, I prithee pardon and forget all. What sayest thou Alvida to this? What answers Paphlagon ? That for this deed isle deck my Alvida, In Sendall and in costly Sussapine, Bordered with Pearl and India Diamond, I'll cause great Eol perfume all his winds, With richest myrrh and curious Ambergris, Come lovely minion, paragon for fair, Come follow me sweet goddess of mine eye, And taste the pleasures Rasni will provide. Exeunt. How now, what mean these outcries in our Court? Where nought should found but harmonies of heaven, What makes Radagon so passionate? Thy son: what son? Say sooth in secret Radagon, Is this thy father? I Like thy pride, I praise thy policy, Such should they be that wait upon my Court. Let me alone to answer ( Radagon. ) Villains, seditious traitors as you be, That scandalise the honour of a King, Depart my Court you stales of impudence, Unless you would be parted from your limbs, So base for to entitle fatherhood, To Rasnes friend, to Rasnes favourite? What exorcising charm, or hateful hag. Hath ravished the pride of my delight? What tortuous planets, or malevolent Conspiring power, repining destiny Hath made the concave of the earth unclose, And shut in ruptures lovely Radagon? If I be Lord-commander of the clouds, King of the earth, and Sovereign of the seas, What daring Saturn from his fiery den, Does dart these furious flames amid my Court? I am not chief, there is more great then I, What greater then Th'assirian Satrapos ? It may not be, and yet I fear there is, That hath bereft me of my Radagon. The proof is good and philosophical, And more, thy counsel plausible and sweet. Come Lords, though Rasni wants his Radagon, Earth will repay him many Radagons, And Alvida with pleasant looks revive, The heart that droupes for want of Radagon. Sun-bright, as is the eye of summer's day, When as he suits Spenori all in gold, To woo his Leda in a swanlike shape. Seemly as Galbocia for thy white: Rose-coloured, lily, lovely, wanton, kind, Be thou the labyrinth to tangle love, While I command the crown from Venus crest: And pull Onoris girdle from his loins, Enchased with Carbuncles and Diamonds, To beautify fair Alvida my love. Play Eunukes, sing in honour of her name, Yet look not slaves upon her wooing eyes, For she is fair Lucina to your king, But fierce Medusa to your baser eye. Within my bosom Nymph, not on my knee. Sleep Like the smiling purity of heaven, When mildest wind is loath to blend the peace, Meanwhile thy balm shall from thy breath arise, And while these closures of thy lamps be shut, My soul may have his peace from fancies war. This is my Morane, and I her Cephalus. Wake not too soon sweet Nymph, my love is won: Catnies why stay your strains, why tempt you me? Who tempts Alvida? Go break me up the brazen doors of dreams, And bind me cursed Morpheus in a chain, And fetter all the fancies of the night, Because they do disturb my Alvida. What am I threatened then amid my throne? Sages? you Magi? speak: what means this? Then frolic Viceroys, Kings & potentates, Driven all vain fancies from your Feeble minds. Priests go and pray, while I prepare my feast, Where Alvida and I, in pearl and gold, Will quaff unto our Nobles, richest wine, In spite of fortune, fate, or destiny. So Viceroys you have pleased me passing well, These curious cates are gracious in mine eye. But these Borachious of the richest wine, Make me to think how blithesome we will be. Seat Thee fair Juno in the royal throne, And I will serve Thee to see thy face, That feeding on the beauty of thy looks, My stomach and mine eyes may both be filled. Come Lordings seat you, fellow mates at feast, And frolic wags, this is a day of glee, This banquet is for brightsome Alvida. I'll have them skink my standing bowls with wine, And no man drink, but quaff a whole carouse, Unto the health of beauteous Alvida. For who so riseth from this feast not drunk, As I am Rasni Niniuies great King, Shall die the death as traitor to my self, For that he scorns the health of Alvida. Gramercy Lording, here I take thy pledge. And Crete to Thee a bowl of Greekish wine, Here to the health of Alvida. Vassals attendant on our royal feasts, Drink you I say unto my lovers health, Let none that is in Rasnes royal Court, Go this night safe and sober to his bed. Whats the matter there, what noise is that? What is it that great Rasni will not grant This day, unto the meanest of his land? In honour of his beauteous Alvida ? Come hither swain, what is it that thou cravest? Say, what is it? I, what of that? A pleasant slave, forward sirrah, on with thy tale. What was that fellow? Her word is law: and thou shalt want no drink. A pledge my love, as hardy as great Jove, Drunk, when his Juno heaved a bowl to him. Frolic my Lord, let all the standards walk. Ply it till every man hath taken his load. How now sirrah, how cheer, we have no words of you? What fellow is this, that thus disturbs our feasts, With outcries and alarams to repent. Come hither fellow, what art, & from whence comest thou? Stay Prophet, stay. My soul is buried in the hell of thoughts. Ah Alvida, I look on Thee with shame. My Lords on sudden fix their eyes on ground, As if dismayed to look upon the heavens. Hence Magi, who have flattered me in sin. Horror of mind, disturbance of my soul, Makes me aghast, for Niniuies mishap. Lords see proclaimed, yea see it straight proclaimed, That man and beast, the woman and her child, For forty days in sack and ashes fast, Perhaps the Lord will yield and pity us. Bear hence these wretched blandishments of sin, And bring me sackcloth to attire your King. Away with pomp, my soul is full of woe: In pity look on Nineveh, Oh God. King of Cilicia, should I cease my grief, Where as my swarming sins afflict my soul? Vain man know, this my burden greater is, Then every private subject in my land: My life hath be a loadstar unto them, To guide them in the labyrinth of blame, Thus I have taught them for to do amiss: Then must I weep my friend for their amiss, The fallen of Nineveh is wrought by me: I have maintained this City in her shame. I have contemned the warnings from above. I have upholden incest, rape, and spoil. 'Tis I that wrought the sin, must weep the sin. O had I tears Like to the silver streams, That from the Alpine Mountains sweetly stream, Or had I sighs the treasures of remorse, As plentiful as Aeolus hath blasts, I then would tempt the heavens with my laments, And pierce the throne of mercy by my sighs. But after our repent, we must lament: Least that a worse mischief does befall. O pray, perhaps the Lord will pity us. O God of truth both merciful and joust, Behold repentant men with piteous eyes, We wail the life that we have led before. Oh pardon Lord, Oh pity Nineveh. Let not the Infants dallying on the tent, For father's sins in judgement be oppressed. Oh pardon Lord, Oh pity Nineveh. Oh Lord of heaven, the virgins weep to Thee. The covetous man forie sorry for his sin. The Prince and poor, all pray before thy throne. And wilt thou then be wrath with Nineveh ? Give truce to prayers, when times require no truce No Princes no. Let all our subjects High Unto our temples, where on humbled knees, I will expect some mercy from above. Enter the temple Omnes. Lowly I bend with awful bent of eye, Before the dread Jehovah, God of host, Despising all profane device of man, Those lustful lures that whilom led awry, My wanton eyes shall wound my heart no more: And she whose youth in dalliance I abused, Shall now at last become my wedlock mate. Fair Alvida look not so woe begone: If for thy sin thy sorrow do exceed, Blessed be thou, come with a holy band, Lets knit a knot to salve our former shame. Then witness holy Prophet our accord. Such be the fruits of Niniuies repent, And such for ever may our dealings be, That he that called us home in height of sin, May smile to see our hearty penitence. Viceroys proclaim a fast unto the Lord, Let Israel's God be honoured in our land. Let all occasion of corruption die. For who shall fault therein, shall suffer death. Bear witness God, of my unfeigned zeal. Come holy man, as thou shalt counsel me, My Court and City shall reformed be. Remelias love is far more either prised, Then Ieroboams or the world's subdue, Lordings isle have my weddings sumptuous, Made glorious with the treasures of the world, I'll fetch from Albia shelves of Margarites, And strip the Indies of their Diamonds, And Tyre shall yield me tribute of her gold, To make Remelias wedding glorious, I'll send for all the Damosel Queens that live Within the reach of Rasins government, To wait as handmaidens on Remelia, That her attendant train may pass the troop That gloried Venus at her wedding day. Well hast thou answered within Radon, I Like Thee for thy learned Sophistri, But thou of Creet that countercheckest thy King, Pack hence in exile, Radagon the Crown, Be Thee Vicegerent of his royalty, And fail me not in what my thoughts may please, For from a beggar have I brought Thee up, And gracest thee with the honour of a Crown, You quandam king, what feed you on delays? What woo my subjects wife that honoureth me? Why take her Paphlagon, exclaim not man, For I do prize mine honour more then love. Fair Alvida go with thy husband home. Thy dost thou then contemn him & his friends? Priests why presume you to disturb my peace? It best you did, for fear you catch your bane,