MULY MAHAMET

Our Moors have seen the silver moons to wane, In banners bravely spreading over the plain, And in this semicircles have descried All in a golden field a star to rise, A glorious comet that begins to blaze, Promising happy sorting to us all. The news my Lord is war, war and revenge. And if I shall declare the circumstance. 'Tis thus. Rubyn our uncles wife that wrings her hands For Abdilmunens death, accompanied With many dams of Fesse in mourning weeds, Near to Argier encountered Abdilmelec, That bends his force puffed up with Amurath's aid, Against your holds and castles of defence. The younger brother Muly Mahomet Seth, Greets the great Bassa, that the king of Turks. Sends to invade your right and royal realm, And basely beg revenge, archrebels all, To be inflict upon our progeny. The Bassa grossly flattered to his face, And Amurath's praise advanced above the found Upon the plains, the soldiers being spread, And that brave guard of sturdy Janizaries, That Amurath to Abdilmelec gave, And bade him boldly be to them as safe, As if he slept within a walled town, Who take them to their weapons threatening revenge. Bloody revenge, bloody revengeful war. And of those slaughtered bodies shall thy son, A huge tower erect Like Nemrods frame, To threaten those unjust and partial Gods, That to Abdallas lawful seed deny, Along, a happy, and triumphant reign. Renowned Bassa, to remunerate Thy worthiness and magnanimity, Behold the noblest ladies of the land, Bring present tokens of their gratitude. Behold thrice noble Lord, uncalled I come, To counsel where necessity commands, And honour of undoubted victory, Makes me exclime upon this dastard flight. Why king Sebastian, wilt thou now foreslow, And let so great a glory slip thy hands? Say you do march unto Tarissa now, The forces of the foe are come so nigh, That he will let the passage of the river, So unawares you will be forced to fight. But know Oh king, and you thrice valiant Lords, Few blows will serve, I ask but only this, That with your power you march into the field, For now is all the army resolute, To leave the traitor helpless in the fight, And fly to me as to their rightful prince, Some horsemen have already led the way, And vow the Like for their companions, The host is full of tumult and of fear. Then as you come to plant me in my seat, And to enlarge your fame in Africa, Now, now or never bravely execute Your resolution found and honourable, And end this war together with his life, That does usurp the crown with tyranny. But of the traitorous More you hear no news. That fled the field and sought to swim the ford? So let it rest, and on this earth bestow This princely coarse, till further for his funerals We provide. Pisano, take a cornet of our horse, As many argolets and armed pikes, And with our carriage march away before By Scyras, and those plots of ground That to Moroccus leads the lower way. Our enemies keep upon the mountain tops, And have incampt themselves not far from Fesse, Madame, gold is the glue, sinews, and strength of war, And we must see our treasure may go safe, Away. Now boy whats the news? Why boy, is Amurath's Bassa such a bug, That he is marked to do this doubty deed? Then Bassa lock the winds in wards of brass, Thunder from heaven damn wretched men to death Bar all the offices of Saturn's sons, Be Pluto then in hell and bar the fiends, Take Neptune's force to thee and calm the seas, And execute Jove's justice on the world, Convey Tamberlain into our Africa here, To chastise and to menace lawful kings, Tamberlain triumph not, for thou must die As Philip did, Caesar, and Caesars peers. Away, and let me hear no more of this, Why boy, are we successors to the great Abdilmelec, Descended from the Arabian Muly Zarif, And shall we be afraid of Bassas and of bugs, Raw head and bloody bone? Boy, seest here this cemetery by my side, Sith they begin to both in blond, Blood be the theme whereon our time shall tread, Such slaughter with my weapon shall I make, As through the stream and bloody channels deep, Our Moors shall sail in ships and pinnaces, From Tanger shore unto the gates of Fesse. Where art thou boy, where is Calypolis? Oh deadly wound that passes by mine eye, The fatal prison of my swelling heart! Oh fortune constant in unconstancy! Fight earthquakes in the entrails of the earth, And Eastern whirlwinds in the hellish shades, Some foulecontagion of the infected heaven, Blast all the trees, and in their cursed tops, The dismal night raven and tragic owl Breed, and become fore-tellers of my fallen, The fatal ruin of my name and me, Adders and serpents hiss at my disgrace, And wound the earth with anguish of their stings, Now Abdelmelee, now triumph in Fesse, Fortune hath made thee king of Barbary. Faint all the world, consume and be accursed, Since my state faints and is accursed. Into the shades then fair Calypolis, And make thy son and Negroes here good cheer, Feed and be fat that we may meet the foe With strength and terror to revenge our wrong. Villain, a horse. Villain I say, give me a horse to fly, To swim the river villain, and to fly. Where shall I find some unfrequented place, Some uncouth walk where I may curse my fill, My stars, my dam, my planets and my nurse, The fire, the air, the water, and the earth, All causes that have thus conspire in one, To nourish and preserve me to this shame, Thou that Wertenberg at my birth predominate, Thou fatal star, what planet ere thou be, Spit out thy poison bade, and all the ill That fortune, fate or heaven may bode a man. Thou Nurse infortunate, guilty of all: Thou mother of my life that broughtest me forth, Cursed mayest thou be for such a cursed son, Cursed be thy son with every curse thou hast, You Elements of whom consists this clay, This mass of flesh, this cursed crazed corpses, Destroy, dissolve, disturb, and dissipate, What water, earth, and air conieald. A horse, a horse, villain a horse, That I may take the river straight and fly, Mount me I will, But may I never pass the river till I be Revenged upon thy soul accursed Abdilmelec, If not on earth, yet when we meet in hell, Before grim Minos, Rodamant, and Eocus, The combat will I crave upon thy ghost, And drag thee through the loathsome pools, Of Lethes, Stikes, and firy Phlegiton. Villain, what dreadful found of death & flght Is this, where with thou dost afflict our ears? But if there be no safety to abide The favour, fortune, and success of war. Away in hast, roll on my chariot wheels Restless, till I be safely set in shade Of some unhaunted place, some blasted grove Of deadly hue, or dismal cyprestree, Far from the light or comfort of the Sun, There to curse heaven, and he that heaves me hence, To seek as Envy at Cecropes gate, And pine the thought and terror of mishaps, Away. Now war begins his rage and ruthless rain, And Nemisis with bloody whip in hand, Thunders for vengeance on this Negro more. Nor may the silence of the speechlesle night, Divine Architects of murders and misdeeds. Of tragedies, and tragic tyrannies, Hide or contain this barbarous cruelty Of this usurper to his progeny. Hark Lords, as in a hollow place a far, The dreadful shrieks and clamours that resound, And found revenge upon this trai ors soul, Traitor to kin and kind, to Gods and men. Now Nemisis upon her doubling drum, Moude with this ghastly moan, this sad complaint, Larumes aloud into Alectoseares, And with her thundering wakes whereas they lie, In cave as dark as hell, and beds of steel, The furies joust imps of dire revenge, Revenge cries Abdilmelecs grieved ghost, And rouses with the terror of this noise These nymphs of Erybus. Wreak and revenge Ring out the souls of his unhappy brothers, And now start up these torments of the world, Waked with the thunder of Ramusians drum, And fearful echoes of these grieved ghosts, Alecto with her brand and bloody torch, Megaera with her whip and snaky hair, Tysiphone with her fatal murdering iron, These three conspire, these three complain & moan, Thus Muly Mahomet is a counsel held, To wreak the wrongs and murders thou hast done. By this imagine was this barbarous More Chased from his dignity and his diadem, And lives forlorn among the mountain shrubs, And makes his food the flesh of savage beasts. A mureths soldiers have by this instald Good Abdelmelec in his royal seat, The dams of Fesse and ladies of the land, In honour of the son of Soliman, Erect a statue made of beaten gold, And sing to Amurath songs of lasting praise. Muly Mahamets fury overruled, His cruelty controlled, and priderebukt, Now at last when sober thoughts renude, Care of his kingdom and desired crown, The aid that once was offered and refused By messenge S, he furiously employs, Sebastians aid brave king of Portugal, He forward in all arms and chivalry Hearkens to his Ambassadors, and grants What they in letters and by words entreat. Now listen lordings now begins the game, Sebastians tragedy in this tragic war. What patience is for him that lacks his crown There is no patience where the lose is such, The shame of my disgrace hath put on wings, And swiftly flies about this earthly ball, Carest thou to live then found Calypolis, When he that should give essence to thy soul, He on whose glory all thy joy should stay, Is soulelesse, glorylesse, and desperate, Crying for battle, famine, sword and fire, Rather then calling for relief or life. But be content, thy hunger shall have end, Famine shall pine to death and thou shalt live, I will go hunt these cursed solitaries, And make the sword and target here my hound, To pull down lyons and untamed beasts. Tush mother, cherish your unhearty soul, And feed with hope of happiness and ease, For if by valour or by policy, My kingly father can be fortunate, We shall be Jove's commanders once again, And flourish in a threefold happiness. Good madame cheer your self, my Father's wife, He can submit himself and live below, Make show of friendship, promise, vow and swear, Till by the virtue of his fair pretence, Sebastian trusting his integrity, He makes himself possessor of such fruits, As grow upon such great advantages. Lo here my Lords, this is the earth and clay, Of him that erst was mighty king of Portugal, There let him lie, and you for this be free, To make return from hence to christendom. Welcome my friend, what body hast thou there? Zareo give this man a rich reward, And thanked be the God of joust revenge, That he hath given our foe into our hands, Beastly, unarmed, slavish, full of shame, But say, how came this traitor to his end? A death too good for such a damned wretch, But sith our rage and rigor of revenge, By violence of his end prevented is, That all the world may learn by him to avoid, To hall on princes to injurious war, His skin we will be parted from his flesh, And being stifned out and stuffed with straw, So to deter and fear the lookers on. From any such soul fact or bade attempt, Away with him. And now my Lords, for this christian king, My Lord Zareo, let it be your charge, To see the soldiers tread a solemn march. Trailing their pikes and Ensigns on the ground, So to perform the princes funerals. Hold thee Calypolis feed and faint no more, This flesh I forced from a lioness, Meat of a princess, for a princess meat, Learn by her noble stomach to esteem Penury plenty, in extremest dearth, Who when she saw her foragement bereft, Pinde not in melancholy or childlish fear, But as brave minds are strongest in extremes, So she redoubling her former force Ranged through the woods, and rend the breeding vaults Of proudest savages to save her self, Feed then and faint not fair Calypolis, For rather than fierce famine shall prevail, To gnaw thy entrails with her thorny teeth, The conquering lioness shall attend on thee, And lay huge heaps of slaughtered carcases As bulwarks in her way to keep her back. I will provide thee of a princely osprey, That as she flies over fish in pools, The fish shall turn their glistering bellies up, And thou shalt take thy liberal choice ofall, Jove's stately bird with wide commanding wings Shall hover still about thy princely head, And beat down fowl by shoal into thy lap, Feed then and faint not fair Calypolis. Now have I set these Portugals a work, To hew a way for me unto the crown, Or with your weapons here to dig your graves, You dastards of the night and Erybus, Fiends, Fairies, hags that fight in beds of steel, Range through this army with your iron whips, Driven forward to this deed this christian crew, And let me triumph in the tragedy, Though it be sealed and honoured with my blood, Both of the Portugal and barbarous More, Ride Nemisis, ride in thy firy cart, And sprinkle gore amongst these men of war, That either party eager of revenge, May honour thee with sacrifice of death, And having bathed thy chariot wheels in blood, Descend and take to thy tormenting hell, The mangled body of that traitor king, That scorns the power and force of Portugal. Then let the earth discover to his ghost, Such tortures as usurpers feel below, Racked let him be in proud lxions wheel, Pinde let him be with Tantalus endless thirst, Pray let him be to Tisons greedy bird, Wearied with Sisyphus immortal toil, And lastly for revenge, for deep revenge, Whereof thou goddess and deviser art, Damned let him be, damned and condemned to bear All torments, tortures, plagues and pains of hell. Ill be to him that so much ill bethinks, And ill betide this foul ambitious More, Whose wily trains with smoothest course of speech. Hath tide and tangled in a dangerous war, The fierce and manly king of Portugal. Now throw the heavens forth their lightning flames, And thunder over Affrickes fatal fields, Blood will have blood, foul murder escape no scourge. At last descendeth fame as Iris, To finish fainting Dido's dying life, Fame from her stately bowte does descend, And on the tree as fruit new ripe to fallen, Places the crowns of these unhappy kings, That erst she kept in eye of all the world. Now Syria stars and streaming comets blaze, That threat the earth and princes of the same. Fire, fire about the axiltree of heaven, Who orles round, and from the foot of Casyopa In fatal hour consumes these fatal crowns, Down falls the diadem of Portugal, The crowns of Barbary and kingdoms fallen, Ay me, that kingdoms may not stable stand, And now approaching near the dismal day, The bloody day wherein the battles join, Monday the fourth of August seventy eight, The sun shines wholly on the parched earth, The brightest planet in the highest heaven, The heathens eager bent against their foe, Give onset with great ordnance to the war. The christians with great noise of canon shot, Send angry onsets to the enemy. Give ear and hear how war begins his song, With dreadful clamours, noise, and trumpets found. Alarms within, let the chambers be discharged, then enter to the battle, and the Moors fly. Skirmish still then enter Ab dilmelec in his chair, Za reo and their train. Oh brave Sebastian noble Portugal, Renowned and honoured ever mayest thou be, Triumpher over those that menace thee. The hellish prince grim Pluto with his mace Ding down my soul to hell, and with this soul This son of mine the honour of my house, But I perform religiously to thee, That I have holily erst undertaken, And that thy Lords and Captains may perceive My mind in this single and pure to be, As pure as is the water of the brook, My dearest son to thee I do engage, Receive him Lord in hostage of my vow, For even my mind presages to my self, That in some slavish sort I shall behold Him dragde along this running river shore, A spectacle to daunt the pride of those That climb aloft by force, and not by right.