MUCEDORUS

Stay Lady stay, and be no more dismayed, That cruel beast most mercelesse and fell, Which have bereaved thousands of their lives, Affrighted many with his hard pursues, Prying from place to place to find his pray, Prolonging thus his life by others death, His carcase now lies headless void of breath. Assure your self thereof, behold his head Which if it please you Lady to accept, With willing heart I yield it to your majesty. Most gracious goddess, more then mortal wight, Your heavenly hew of right imports no less, Most glad am I in that it was my chance, To undertake this enterprise in hand. Which does so greatly glad your princely mind Yet worthy princes let thy sorrow cease, And let this sighed your former joys revive. Long may they last unto your hearts content. But tell me Lady what is become of him, Segasto called, what is become of him? Yet herd hearted he in such a case, So cowardly to save himself by flight: And leave so brave a princess to the spoil With all my heart. Vild coward, so without cause to strike a man. Turn coward turn, now strike and do thy worst. Segasto cease, these threats are needless Accuse not me of murder, that have done nothing but in mine own defence. behold the fickle state of man, always mutable, never at one. Sometimes we feed on fancies with the sweet of our desires. Sometimes again we feel the heat of extreme mi serie. Now am I infavour about the court and country. To morrow those favours will turn to frowns, To day I live revenged on my foe, To morrow I die, my foe revenged on me, Dread sovereign, I must needs confess, I slew this captain in mine own defence Not of any malice but by chance, But mine accuser hath a further meaning. Thanks to your majesty From Amadine and from her father's court, With gold and silver and with rich rewards, Flowing from to e banks of golden treasuries, More may I boast and say but I, Was never shepherd in such dignity, Welcome my Friends, from whence come you; Whose words are these? came these from Amadine ? Ah luckless fortune worse then Phaeton's tale, My former bless is now become my bale. My former heaven is now become my hell. What shall I do. Can Amadine so churelishly command. To banish the shepherd from her Father's court? Why shepherds are men, and kings are no more. And must I go, and must I needs depart? You goodly groves partakers of my songs In time tofore when fortune did not frown, Pour forth your plaints and wail a while with me And thou bright sun my comfort in the cold, Hide, hide thy face and leave me comfortless, You wholesome herbs, and sweet smelling savours, You each thing else prolonging life of man, Change, change your wonted course, That anting your aid, in woeful sort may die, This voice so sweet my pining spirits revives I linger life yet wish for speedy death. Ah Amadine, to hear of banishment is death, I double death to me, but since I must depart, one thing I crave. That in absence either far or near. You honoor me as servant with your name. And why? A shepherd and a sovereign nothing Like. Yet great dislike or else no banishment. Unworthy wights are most in jealousy. Amen say I, to have your company. No longer love no longer let me live. Thanks worthy princes I born likewise, Yet smother up the blast, I dare not promise what I may perform, Down in the valley where I slew the bear, And there does grow a air broad branched beach, That overshades a well, so who comes first Let them abided the happy meeting of us both. How Like you this? Now if you please you may appoint the time, The thanks that paris gave the Grecian queen the Like does Mucedorns yield. Your departure lady breeds a privy pain. It was my will and hour a go and more, As was my promise for to make return, But other business hindered my pretence. It is a world to S e when man appoints, And purposely one ce taine thing decrees How many things may hinder his inten . What once would wish the same is farthest off: But yet thappoynted time cannot be passed, Nor hath her pres nce yet prevented we, Well here isle S aye, and expect her coming. Some one or oath r is pursued no doubt Perhaps some search for me, 'tis good to doubt the worst, there over isle begone. Exit. Now Mucedorns whither wilt thou go, Home to thy father to thy native soil, Or try some long abided within these woods; Well I will hence depart and High me home, What High me home said I? that may not be. In Amadine rests my felicity Then Mucedorus do as thou didst decree, Attire thee hermit Like, within these grouees, Walk often to the be changed and view the well. Make settles that re and seat thy S life thereon, And when thou feelest thy self to be a thrist, Then drink a hearty draught to Amadine, No doubt she thinks on thee, And will one day come pleg thee at this we l Come habit thou art fit foe me, he disguiseth himself: No shepherd now, a hermit I must be: Me thinks this fits me very well , Now must I learn to bear a walking staff, And exercise some gravity with ll. I am and hermit. I tell you sir I am and hermit, one that leads a Soli tarry life within these woods. Thou dost mistake me, but I pray thee tell me what dost thou seek in these wood? A stray Kings daught r run away with a sh p heaarde. Wherefore canst thou tell? What manner of man was a, canst describe him unto me; Thou discr b st him well, but if I chance to see any such pray you where sh l I find you, or whats your name O m ister mouse, I pray you what of ice might you e r in the ourt? Oh usher of the table- But where shall I find you in the Court ? Ay sir, I warrant I will not forget you. Ah Amadine, what should become of the. whither shouldst thou go so long unknown. with watch and ward eke passage is beset, So that she cannot long escape unknown: Doubtless she hath lost her self within these woods out And wandering too and from she seeks the well, Which yet she cannot find, therefore will I seck he S, I want a weapon, how can I fight? I say not so, I do not yield to die. Yet give me leave to speak. I'll wait on thee, sometime upon the queen, such sreuice shalt thou shortly have as Bremo never had. How do you Like your Bremo and his woods; And why, not yours, me thinks he loves you well Lady, in this methinks you offer wrong, To hate the man that ever loves you best. pardon my boldness fai e lady, sith we both May safely talk now out of Bremos sighed, Unfold to me if so you please, the full discourse How, when and why you came into these woods, And fell into this bloody burchers hands. A shepherd lady, sure a man unfit to match with I needs I must, lo here it is again, When as we both had lost the sighed of thee It greeud us both, but specially thy queen, Who in thy absence ever fears the worst, Least some misehance befall your royrll grace. Shall my sweet Bremo wander through the woods. To le to and from for to redress my want, Hazard his life and all to cherish me, I Like not this quoth she And thereupon craude to know of me If I could teach her handle weapons well. My aunswe h was I had small skill therein, But gladmost mighty king to learn of thee. And this was all. With all my heart I willing am to learn. First teach me how to hold it in my hand. Next tell me how and when 'tis best to strike. Then now or never is my time to st ike. The head; Then have at thine, so lie there and die, A death no doubt according to desert. Or else a worse as thou deservest a woe see. Now lady it remains in you to end the tale you lately had begun, being enterrupted by this wicked wight. You said you loved a shepherd. But tell me lady, si h I set you free, What course of life do you intend to take? How I you find your shepha worser in these woods In tract of time a man may altar much, Say Lady do you know your shepherd well? Ay thats a question where of you may not be resolved, You know that I am banished from the court, I know likewise each pass age is be et, So that we cannot long escape unknown, Therefore my will is this, that we return Right brought the thickets to the wild men cave: And there a while live on his provision, Until the search and n rrow watch be passed. This is my counsel, and I think it best. Come lets begone. A wench oh me isle make the eat my sword. I scorn not thee, nor yet the least of thine. Well Amadine, it only rests in thee Without delay to make thy choice of three, There stands Segasto, here a shepherd stands, There stands the third, now make thy choice, And Am dine, why wilt thou none but m ? I cannot keep thee as thy father did, I have no lands foe to maintain thy state. Mor over if thou mean to be my wife, Commonly this must be thy use, To bed at midnight, up at four, Drudge all day and rudge from place to place, Whereby our Dam li victual for to win: And last of all which is the worst of all, No princes then but plain a shepherd's wife. Then know that which never tofore was known I am no shepherd, no Arragonian I, But born of Royal blood, my father's of Valentiam King, my mother Q eene, who for thy secret sake Took this hard ask in hand. Dear father, never were your sorrows Greater then my griefs, Never you so deloate as I comfortless, Yet nevertheless acknowledging my self To be the cause of both, on bent knees I humbly c ave your pardon. I do deserve the daughter of a king. No shepherd I, but a worthy prince. Yes princely born my father is a king. My mother Queen, and of Valentiam both. No cause to fear, I caused no offence, But this desiring thy daughters virtues for to see Disguised my self from out my father's court, Unknown to any in secret I did rest, And passed many troubles near to death, So hath your daughter my partaker been, As you shall know hereafter more at large, Desiring you, you will give her to me, Even as mine own and sovereign of my life Then shall I think my travels are well spent. Thanks good my Lord, & while I live Account of me in what I can or may. In time of yore when men Like brutish beasts Did led their lives in loathsome c lles and woods And wholly gave them selves to with less will, A rude unruly rout, then man to man became A present pray, then might prevailed, The weakst went to walls, Right was unknown, for wrong was all in all As men thus lived in his great outrage, Behold one Orpheus came as poets tell, And them `from rudeness unto reason brought, Who led by reasonson some forsook the woods, Instead of Can es heigh built them castles strong, Cities and towns were founded by hem then, Glad wrethey, they found such ease, And in the end they grew to perfect amity Weighing their former wickedness, They termed the time wherein they lived then A golden age, a goodly golden age. Now Bremo, for so I hear thee called. If men which lived tofo e as thou dost now, Wily in wood, addicted all to spoil, Returned were by worthy Orpheus means, Let me Like Orpheus cause thee to return From murder, bloodshed and Like crumb ltie, What should we fight be or we have a cause No, lets live and love together faithfully. I'll fight for thee. Unknown to any here within these woods With bloody Bremo do I led my life, The monster he does murder all he meets, He spares none and none does him escape, Who would continue, who but only I In such a cruel cutthroats company. Yet Amadine is there how can I choose: Ah silly soul how often times she sits And sighs, and calls come shepherd come, Sweet Mucedorus, come and set me free, When Mucedorus pesent stands hereby: But here she comes, what news fair Lady as you walk. these woods. What needs these words we way them not? Thanks Segasto, but yet you leveled at the crown You worthy prince work not thy will in wrath show favour. Stay there, the wild men comes Refer the rest until another time. What secret tale is this, what whispering have we here; Villain I charge the tell thy tale again, he hath set thee free.