ASPATIA

My hard Fortune's Deserve not scorn, for I was never proud When they were good. Exit Aspatia. It were a timeless smile should prove my cheek, It were a fitter hour for me to laugh, When at the Altar the religious Priest, Were passifying the offended powers, With sacrifice, then now, this should have been My right, and all your hands have been employed, In giving me a spotless offering To young Amintors bed, as we are now, For you pardon Evadne, would my worth Were great as yours, or that the King or he Or both thought so, perhaps he found me worthless, But till he did so, in these ears of mine, These credulons ears, he poured the sweetest words That art or love could frame, if he were false Pardon it heaven, and if I did want Virtue, you safely may forgive that too, For I have lost none that I had from you. Would I could, then I should leave the cause. Thou thinkest thy heart hard, but if thou be'st caught remember me; thou shalt perceive a fire shot suddenly unto thee. Well wench thou must be taken. Madame good night, may all the marriage joys That longing maids imagine in their beds Prove so unto you, may not discontent Grow betwixt your love and you, but if there do, Inquire of me and I will guide your moan, And teach you and artificial way to grieve, To keep your sorrow waking, love your Lord No worse then I, but if you love so well, Alas you may displease him, so did I, This is the last time you shall look on me: Ladies farewell, as soon as I am dead, Come all and watch one night about my hearse. Bring each a mournful sto j and a tear, To offer at it when I go to earth; With flattering Ivy clasp my coffin round, Write on my brow my fortune, let my beer Be born by Virgins that shall sing by course, The truth of maids, and perjuries of men. Go and be happy in your Ladies love, May all the wrongs that you have done to me, Be utterly forgotten in my death, I'll trouble you no more, yet I will take A parting kiss, and will not be denied, You'll come my Lord and see the virgins weep, When I am laid in earth; though you your self Can know no pity, thus I wind my self Into this willow garland, and am prouder That I was once your love, (though now refused) Then to have had another true to me. So with prayers I leave you, and must try Some yet unpractised way to grieve and die, Away you are not, force it no further, Good, good, how well you look, such a full colour Young bashful brides put on, sure you are new married. Alas poor wentches Go learn to love irst, learn to loose your selves, Learn to be flattered, and believe and bless The double tongue that did it, Did you ere love yet wenches, speak Olimpas, Thou hast a mettled temper, fit for stamp. Nor you Antiphila. Then my good girls be more then women with e At least, be more then I was, come le S be sad my girls, That down cast of thine eye Olimpias, Shows a feigned sorrow; mark Antiphila, Just such another was the Nymph Oenes, When Paris brought home Hellen, now a tear, And then thou art a piece expressing fu j, The Carthage Queen when from a cold Sea rock, Full with her sorrow, she tied fast her eyes, To the fair Trojan ships, having lost them, Just as thine does, down stole a tear! Antiphila, What would this wench do if she were Aspatia, Here she would stand, till some more, pitying God Turned her to Marble, 'tis enough my wench, Show me the piece of needl work you wrought. Yes that piece, This should be Theseus, has a cosening face, You meant him for a man. Why then 'tis well enough, never look black, You have a full wind, and a false heart Theseus, Does not the story say, his Keel was split, Or his masts spent, or some kind rock or other Met with his vessel. It should would been so, could the Gods know this, And none of all their number raise a storm, But they are all as ill, this false smile was expressed well, Just such another caught me, you shall not go so Antiphila, in this place work a quicksand, And over it a shallow smiling water, And over it a shallow smiling water, And his ship plowing it, and then a fear, Do that fear bravely wench. 'Twill make the story, wronged by wanton Poets, Live long and be believed, but where the Lady. Fie, you have missed it there Antipila, You are much mistaken wench: These colours are not dull and pale enough, To show a soul so full of misery As this poor Ladies was, do it by me, Do it again, by me the lost Aspatia, And you will find all true but the wild Island, Suppose I stand upon the Sea, breach now Mine arms thus, and mine hair blown with the wind, Wild as the place she was in, let all about me Be tears of my story, do my face, If thou hadst ever feeling of a sorrow, Thus, thus, Antiphila make me look good gi le Like sorrows mount, and the trees about me Let them be dry and leafless, let the rocks Groan with contiunall urges, and behind me Make all a desolation, see, see wenches, A miserable life of this poor picture. I have done, fit down, and let v Upon hat point fix all our eyes, hat point there Make a dumb silence till you feel a sudden sadness Give us new souls. Enter Calaina . This is my fatal hour, heaven may forgive My rash attempt that causelessly hath laid Griefs on me that will never let me rest, And put a woman's heart into my breast, It is more honour for you that I do, For she that can endure the misery That I have on me, and be patient too, May live and laugh at all that you can do. God save you Sir. Enter Servant. With you Sir now, to do me the fair office To help me to your Lord. I'll do him any service, but to haste, For my affairs are earnest, I desire To speak with him. It shall become you though to tell your Lord. This is most strange: art thou gold proof? theres for thee help me to him. How stubbornly this fellow answered me! There is a vild dishonest trick in man, More then in women: all the men I meet Appear thus to me, are harsh and rude, And have a subtlety in every thing, Which love could never know; but we found women Harbour the easiest and the smoothest thoughts, And think all shall go so, it is unjust That men and women should be matched together. Please it your Lordship to command your man Out of the room, I shall deliver things Worthy your hearing. Oh that that shape should bury falsehood in it. Aside. When you know me, my Lord, you needs must guess My business, and I am not hard to know. For till the chance of war marked this smooth face With these few blemishes, people would call me My sisters picture, and her mine: in short, I am the brother to the wronged Aspatia. I would I could with credit. Since I was twelve years old I had not seen My sister till this hour, I now arrived, She sent for me to see her marriage, A woeful one, but they that are above Have ends in every thing, she used few words, But yet enough to make me understand The baseness of the injuries you did her, That little training I have had, is war, I may behave my self rudely in peace, I would not though, I shall not needs to tell you I am but young, and would be loath to lose Honour that is not easily gained again, Fairly I mean to deal, the age is strict For single combats, and we shall be stopped If it be published, if you Like your sword Use it, if mine appear a better to you, Change, for the ground is this, and this the time To end our difference. Thus she swore, Thou wouldst behave thy self and give me words That would fetch tears into my eyes, and so Thou dost indeed, but yet she bade me watch, Least I were cossend, and be sure to fight Ere I returned. You must be urged, I do not deal uncivilly with those that dare to fight, but such a one as you M st be used thus. She strikes him. Thou art some prating Fellow, One that has studied out a trick to talk And move soft hearted people; to be kicked She kicks him aside. Thus to be kicked — why should he be so slow In giving me my death. I have God enough, And my desire, there is no place so fit For me to die as here. Ent. Evadne. O o o. O o o. Was it a dream? There stands Amintor still, Or I dream still. Did you not name A patia? And talked of tears and sorrow unto her. Thou art there already, and these wounds are her : Those threats I brought with me, sought not revenge, But came to fetch this blessing from thy hand. I am Aspatia yet. I shall sure live Amintor, I am well, A kind of healthful joy wanders within me. Amintor thou must stay, I must rest here, My strength begins to disobey my will. How dost thou my best soul? I would feign live, Now if I could, wouldst thou have loved me then? Give me thine hand, mine eyes grow up & down, And cannot find thee, I am wondrous sick. Have I thy hand, Amintor? I do believe thee better then my sense, O I must go, farewell.