BROMIUS

More than sixteen years before the start of the action, Claius stole Lalage, the girlfriend of Philaebus. Philaebus grew melancholy and his father Pilumnus prayed to Ceres for vengeance on Lalage, who duly died in childbirth. This didn’t help Philaebus, who pined to death on her grave. Ceres declared that she will remain angry until the blood of Claius both quenches and kindles fire; so Claius fled, pursued by Corymbus, determined to kill him and lift the curse. But Ceres also disapproved of Pilumnus’ vindictiveness, and further declared that his daughter Urania will have 1630 an unhappy marriage unless her fiancé Amyntas, Claius’ son, gives her as a dowry something he does not, may not, and cannot have. The riddle so occupied his mind that he went mad. All this strife convinces Medorus that the time is not right for his daughter Laurinda to fall in love. She is herself averse to committing herself in marriage (since marriages always seem to end in unhappiness), and cannot make up her mind between her two suitors, Damon and Alexis. Damon is also the object of Amaryllis’ affections, but he is only interested in Laurinda. The two suitors would like to settle matters by fighting a duel, but bloodshed is a capital crime in the sacred vale, so they make a suicide pact instead. Laurinda dissuades them from carrying it out, and promises that she will finally accept one of them tomorrow: all three must accept the decision of the first virgin they meet coming out of the temple in the morning. Amaryllis is in despair over Damon, and intends asking him to kill her if he cannot love her. Laurinda proposes a remedy, and they spend the night together. Claius returns to Sicily in disguise, hoping to use his medical knowledge to cure Amyntas. He succeeds, but advises Urania to take an oath of virginity to prevent Amyntas racking his brains into a relapse. During the night, Dorylas and his friends dress up as elves to scrump apples from an orchard owned by the fairy- obsessed Jocastus. When caught, Dorylas claims to be King Oberon, and ‘knights’ Jocastus. Damon and Alexis meet the virgins at the temple. The first one is Amaryllis in disguise, which pleases Alexis: he goes to fetch Laurinda. The angry Damon wounds Amaryllis, then flees. She writes a letter in her own blood, informing Laurinda of her decision, and claims that she accidentally gored herself on her own spear. Claius finds her and administers medicine; but, although it is clear that she was deliberately…