HIPPOLYTUS

Oh Nurse, how chau ̄ ce thy limping limbs do creep into this place? With blubbered Cheeks, & leaden looks with sad and mourning face? Does yet my Father Theseus with health enjoy his life? Does Phaedra yet enjoy her health my stepdame and his wife. No life is more devoid of sin, and free from grievous thralls, And keeping fashions old, then that which leaving Townish walls, Does take delight in pleasant Woods, he is not set on fire, Enraged soar with burning Boil of covetous desire. Who hath addict himself among the mountains wild to live, Not pricked with prattling peoples bruit, no credit does he give. Tooth Vulgar sort disloyal still, unto the better partly Nor cankered rancour pale does gnaw his black and fretting heart. Nor fickle favour forceth he, he bound does not obey The payse of Sceptre proud: but wields the massy sceptre sway, At bbing honours gapes he not, nor moils for fleeting muck, Removed far from hovering hope and dread of backward luck, Not bitter gnawing Envy rank tears him with tooth unkind, Not quainted with the mischief that in Cities and in mind Of people presseth thick: nor quakes at every blast that flies With guilty conscience to himself, nor frames himself to lies. Nor covets rich with thousand pillars close his head to shroud, Nor guilds his beams with glistering gold for fancy found and proud Nor gushing streams of blood upon his innocent Alters flow. Nor Bullockets bright their hundred heads as White as flaky Snow, Do yield to Axe, while scattered is on thaulter sacred grain, But all the quiet country round at will he does obtain. And harmless walks too and fro amid the open air, And only for the brutish Beast contrives a trapping snare. Another while upon the swift Alpheus banks he walks Now up and down the breary Brakes of bushy woods he stalks Where luck warm Lernas crystal flood with water clear does shine, And changing course his Channel out another way does twine: And hear the piteous plaining Birds with chirping charms do chide. And Branches trembling shake whereon soft windy puffs do glide, And spreading Beaches old do stand, to fast and shake my shanks: To stamp and dance it does me good on running Rivers banks: Or else upon a withered clod to steal a nap of sleep, Whereas the fountain flows amain with gushing waters deep. Or else among the baulmy flowers out braying savours sweet, Whereas with pleasant humming noise the bubbling brook does fleet. The Apples beaten of the tree do ravening hunger staunch, And Strawberyes gathered of the bush soon fill with hungry paunch. He shoons assaults, that does himself from regal royal hold. Estates do quaff their dreadful drink in Bolls of massy Gold: How trim it is water to lap in palm of naked hand: The sooner drowsy Morpheus binds thy Brows with sleepy band: The careless corpses does rest at ease upon the hardest Couch: The Cabin base haunts not by Nooks, to prig and filch a pouch: In house of many corners blind his head he does not hide, He loves to come abroad and in the light to be espied: The Heavens bear witness of his life, they lived in this wise. I think, that scattered did of Gods in arise. No doting covetous blind destre of Gold in them was found: No stones nor S akes set up in field did stint the parted ground: The sailing Ship with brazen St cut not the waltering wave, But every man does know his coast and how much he should have. No hugy ta said w re, nor Ditches delved deep, Nor countermured Cast e strong the walled Towns to keep. The Soldier was not busied his blun ed Tools to whet, Nor rapping Pellets Cannon shot the barred Gates down bet, Nor soil with yoked Ox was strainde to bea e the eueting share, The field even of it self did feed the World with fare, The plentiful abundant Woods great wealth by nature gave: A house of nature take they had a dim and darksome Cave: The covetous mind to scrape up wealth, and despret furious ire, And greedy Lust (that ggeth on the mind all set on fire.) First brake the bans, and eager thirst of bearing sway stepped in, To be the strongers ravening pray the weaker did begin, And might went for oppressed right: the naked Fist found out To scratch and cuff, to box and bum, with dealing blows about. The knarry Logs, and snaggy were framed weapons strong, The Gam en Tree ungrained was with Pikes of Iron long. No nor the rusty Fawcho then did hang along the side, Nor Helmet crest upon the head stood pe king up for pri e, Pale spiteful grief Tools, and Mars his brain Contriu'de new sleights a thousand kind of eathes he did ordain: By means hereof eke Land is filled with clot read gore ished, With streams of blood the Seas are died to hue of sanguine read, Then Mischief measure gan through every house to pass, No kind of vicious villainy that pra see wanted was. By Brother, Brother reft of Breath, and ache the Father's Life By hand of Child, ache murdered was the husband of his Wife. And Mother lewd on mischief set destroyed their bodies seed, I overpass the Stepdame with her gilded and heinous deed, And no where pity planted is, as in the brutish beast: But womankind in mischief is ringleader of the rest, The insrument of wickedness enkindling first desire, Whose vile vncesteous whoredom see so many Towns on fire. So many Nations fallen to war, take Kingdoms overthrown, And raised from the ground, to crush so many people down. Let other pass: by Jasons Wife Medea may we find By her alone, that Women are a plaguy crabbed kind. I hate, detest, abhor, I loath, I curse them from my heart. Be't reason, right, or Nature's law, or vengeance fury fell, It likes me to abhor them still: the burning fire shall dwell, And bide with quenching water first, the dangerous quick Sand Shall promise Ships with safetinesse upon the should to land, And Western Thetis sunk aloof and brencht in deepest nook, Shall force the ruddy Morning Sun from scarlet Skies to look, The Wolf shall yield his fleering Chaps to suck the Tet of Do Ere won by woman's love, to her I crouch and stoop allow. This only comfort of my Mother must I keep behind, That leefull unto me it is to hate all Womankind. Behold this secret place is void from any witness buy. Cannot the mind that covers talk in words at will out braced? Mother the grief y galls your heart come whisper in mine ear. The God that reigns aloft, forbid such luckless lot to light. My Father Theseus safe in health will straight return again. The righteous Gods will make for him a right returning way. But while through fear our wavering wills in hovering Balia ̄ ce sway, Upon my brothers will I cast a endue and earnest care, And thee defend: believe not that in Widow's plighted ye are: And I my self will unto the supply my Father's place, What mischief may this be? Enamorde thus with Love entiere of Theseus dost thou rage? Oh sovereign Sire of Gods, dost thou abide so long to hear This vile abomination? so long dost thou forbear To see this heinous villainy? if now the Skies be clear, Wilt thou henceforth at any time with furious raging hand Dart out thy cracking thunder dint, and dreadful lightnings brand? Now battered down w to bouncing bolts the rumbling Skies let fallen That foggy Clouds with dusky drooping day cover all, And force the backward starring starts to slide a slope withal Thou starry crested crown, and Titan pranked with beamy blaze Come out, with staring bush upon thy kindreds gilded to gaze. Dash out and drown thy leaming lamp eclisde in glummy Skies, To shrink in shimmering shape: why does thy right hand not arise Oh guide of Gods and men? how haps the world yet does not burn, Enkindled with three forked brand? on me thy thunder turn, Dash out on me thy bobbing bolt, and let thy fiery flake Whirlde out with force, burned Cinders of my wasted Carcase make: For guilty ( Jove ) I guilty am, deserved death I have, My Stepdame's Fancy I have fed: shall I most sinful slave, Be worthy thought to blot my Father's honourable Bed? Canst thou for mischief such through me alone be lightly sped? Oh Caitiff thou of womankind for gilded that hears the bell, Whose enterprised heinous evil does passingly excel, Thy Monster breeding Mother's fault with whoredom she alone Def de her self, when storming sighs with sorrow gan she groan, Through beastly lust of Bull: till it the Minotaurus ster In act of generation, had quenched her oule desire: And yet the time concealed long, the grim twishaped seed At length bewrayed with Bullike brows, thy Mother's naughty deed, The doubted Infant did disclose: that wicked womb she bore. With thrice, yea, four times blessed Fate of life depriu'de ye are, Whom swollen of waltering Seas have sonck, me cankered hate of breath Despoiled would h, and traitorous trains have quelde by daunting death. With Stepdame's banes and sorcery Oh Father, Father mine, I rue thy lot, not to be slain of milder Stepdame thine. This mischief greater, greater fair the wickedness does pass That by Medea despret Dame of Colchis practised was. Do not with shameless fawning Paws my spotless body stain. What means this? with hawsing me embrace she does begin: Draw, draw my sword, with stripes deseru'de I'll pay her on the skin: Her hair about my left hand wound, her head I backward wri e, No blood Diana better spent thine Alter yet hath died. Avant, avant, preserve thy life, at my hand nothing crave, This field Sword that thou hast touched no longer will I have. What bathing lukewarm Tanais may I defiled obtain, Whose cleansing watery Channel pure may wash me clean again? Or what Meotis muddy m are, with rough Barbarian wave That boards on Pontus roaring Sea? not Neptune grandsire graven With all his Ocean foulding flood can purge and wash away This dunghill foul of sin: Oh wood, Oh salvage beast I say: With mu ̄ bling voice perplexed ye waste your words against y wind.