THRASYMACHUS

Most noble Lord, if ought your loyal peers Accomplish m y, to ase your lingering grief, I in the name of all protest to you, That we will boldly enterprise the same, Were it to enter to black Tartarus, Where triple Cerberus with his venomous throat, Scarreth the ghosts with high resounding noise, Wele either rend the bowels of the earth, Searching the entrails of the brutish earth, Or with his Ixion's over-daring soon, Be bound in chains of ever during steel. No such matter, Look you be at the common house to morrow. After the traitorous host of Scythians, Entered the field with martial equipage Young Albanact impatient of delay Led forth his army gainst the straggling mates, Whose multitude did daunt our soldiers minds, Yet nothing could dismay the forward prince, But with a courage most heroical Like to a lion amongst a flock of lambs Made havoc of the faint heart fugitives, Hewing a passage through them with his sword, Yea we had almost given them the repulse When suddenly from out the silent wood Hubba with twenty thousand soldiers Cowardly came upon our weakened backs, And murdered all with fatal massacre, Amongst the which old Deb n martial knight, With many wounds was brought unto the death. And Alban ct oppressed with multitude While valiantly he felled his enemies Yielded his life and honour to the dust, He being dead, the soldiers fled amain, And I alone escaped them by flight, To bring you tidings oh these accidents. Right noble Lord, your subjects every one, Must needs obey your highness at command, Especially in such a cause as this, That much concerns your highness great content. Here good fellow take it at my command, Unless you mean to be stretched. After we passed the groves of Caledone, Where murmuring rivers slide with silent streams We did behold the straggling Scythians camp, Repleat with men, stored with munition; There might we see the valiant minded knights Fetching carriers along the spacious plains, Humber and Hubba armed in azure blue, Mounted upon their coursers white as snow, Went to behold the pleasant flowering fields; Hector and Troialus, Priamus lovely sons, Chasing the Grecians over Simoeis, Were not to be compared to these two knights. What sirs what mean you by these clamours made, Those outcries raised in our stately court? Villains I say, tell us the cause hereof? Tell me you villains, why you make this noise, Or with my lance I will prick your bowels out. Forward brave soldiers, forward keep the chase, He that takes captive Humber or his son, Shall be rewarded with a crown of gold. Fly noble Albanact and save thy self, The Scythians follow with great celerity, And ther's no way but fight, or speedy death, Fly noble Albanact and save thy self. My Lord, within your foul accursed grove That bears the tokens of our overthrow, This Humber hath entrenched his damned camp. March on my Lord, because I long to see The treacherous Seithians squeltring in their gore. And if Thrasimachus detract the fight, Either for weakness or for cowardice, Let him not boast that Brutus was his am, Or that brave Corineus was his sire. But none may more bewail his mournful hearse, Then I that am the issue of his loins, Now foul befall that cursed Humbers throat, That was the causer of his lingering wound. In Cornwall Locrine is my sister now, Providing for my father's unerall. Hath Locrine then forsook his Guendoline? Is Corineus death so soon orgot? If there be gods in heaven, as sure there be, If there be fiends in hell, as needs there must, They will revenge this thy notorious wrong, And pour their plagues upon thy cursed head. Though I be young and of a tender age, Yet will I cope with Locrine when he dares. My noble father with his conquering sword, Slew the two giants kings of Aquitaine. Thrasimachus is not so degenerate That he should fear and tremble at the looks Or taunting words of a venerean squire. If princes stain their glorious dignity With ugly spots of monstrous infamy, They lose their former estimation, And throw themselves into a hell of hate. Then osell Locrine, look unto thy self, Thrasimachus will venge this injury. Exit. Sister, complaints are b otlesse in this cause, This open wrong must have and open plague: This plague must be repaid with grievous war, This war must finish with Locrinus death, His death will soon extinguish our complaints. Madame if not your proper injuries, Nor my exile, can move you to revenge, Think on our father Corineus words, His words to us stands always for a law, Should Locrine live that caused my father's death? Should Locrine live that now divorceth you? The heavens, the earth, the air, the fire reclaims, And then why should all we deny the same? See madame see, the desire of revenge Is in the children of a tender age. Forward brave soldiers into Mertia, Where we shall brave the coward to his face. Locrin we came not here to fight with words Words that can never win the victory, But for you are so merry in your rumps, Unsheath your swords, and try it out by force, That we may see who hath the better hand. Nor does thy husband lovely Guendoline, That wonted was to guide our stale see steps, Enjoy this light; see where he murdered lies: By luckless lot and froward frowning fate, And by him lies his lovely paramour Fair Estrild gored with a dismal sword, And as it seems, both murdered by themselves, Clasping each other in their feebled arms, With loving zeal, as if for company Their uncontented corpses were yet content To pass soul Stix in Changed r ns ferry-boat.