PHAEDRA

That end I will accept, whereto by Fortune I can lead The neighbours weal great comfort brings unto the hoary head. My faltering tonge does in my mouth my tale begun deny. Great force constraineth me to speak, but greater hold my peace, Oh heavenly Ghosts I you protest, 'tis this that does me please. Light cares have words at will. but great do make us soar aghast. The name of Mother is to proud a name for me to bear, Importing puissant power too much: the fancy of my mind It does , a baser name of less renown to find. Me (if thou please) Hippolytus thy Loving Sister call. Or waiting Maid, and rather so: no drudgry spare I shall, If thou through thick and thin in snows to travail me desire, Or else command me for to run through Coals of flaming fire, Or set my foot on Pi dus frozen Rocks, it irks me not. Or if thou will me rashly run thorough scorching fire hight, Or ravening routs of salvage beasts I will not slowly rest, With gory Lance of naked blade my bowels to unbreast. These Ringdomes left to me in charge wield thou of them the sway, And take me as thy humble Mate, it fits me to ay, And thee to give commandment, it is no woman's seat, To claim her Title to the Crown, to reign in Parents seat. Thou flourishing amid the pride of lusty youthful raze Supply a valiant Prynees room with Father's golden Mace, Protect thy humble suppliant, defend thy lowly Maid Embraced in mercies bosom, at thy Feet so meekelylayde. Take pity on a stely Widow's woe, and wretched plighted. The lowering Lord that deep in stro ̄ g infernal Gail do reign, And damned up always to pass from Stygian Puddle glum, Whereby to breathing bodies left alone the ground to cum, Shall he let escape the Cloyner of his joys from spousal bed, Unless that Plutos fancy found by doting love be led: Oh Love (alas) of credit light, Oh Love of flickering Face, Is this enough that he hath said? entreatance will I try, Dear child we on my wretched woe, do not my suit deny, That lurking close does couch in secret mourning breast of me, Fain would I speak: yet loath I am. A vapor hot, and Love do glow within my bedlam breast: It raging rank no inward juice undried leaves in rest: The sir sonk in scalded guts through every vain does fry, And smothering close in seething blood as flashing flame does fly, With egar sweeping sway along up burning beams on High. Even so it is: the lovely looks of Theseus former age Which he a sweet welfauorde Boy did bear with comely grace, When pretty dapper cutted Beard on clear complexio de Face Gan sprout, on naked Chin, when he the kennels clottered blood Beheld of mongrel Minotaur, and crooking Maze withstood By groping long untwined threads the beams of beauty bright That shone that his Face, his rispen locks with labels bite, Smooth stroked lay, his scarlet Cheeks by nature paincted bright Powdered with spots of golden gloss, and sharp assaults of Love Prevailed in his fleshly arms: what grace does shine above In the Diana's Face, or fiery crested Phœbus mine, Or else in comely countenance of this lovely face of thine, Such Theseus had when Ariadna's Eye he did delight: Thus portly pacing did he biare his noble head upright. It is no counterfeited gloss that shines in thy Face, In thee appears thy manly Father's starve and lowering Grace. Thy Mother's crabbed countenance cake resembled in some partly Puts in full well a seemelynesse, to please the Lookers heart. The Scythian awful Majesty with Greekish favour sweet Appears: if thou had with thy Sire attempt the Seas of Crete, (One of those seven from Athens sent elect by luckless lot To pay such bloody tribute, which King Minos of them God. The ravening and bloudthirsty Minotaurus fowl to feed) My Sister Ariadne would, for thee have spun the thread. Therewith in crafty compassed Maze to lead thee to and from, In ugly Laberynthus long returning from thy Foe. Thee, thee Oh Sister deer whereso in all the Heaven thou are, And shinest bright with blazing beams transform'de into a Star, I thee beseech come succour me with Like distress now cloyed: Alas us stely Sisters twain one kindred hath desroyde. The Sire thy smart, the son hath brewed the bane that me does lees. Behold and Imp of royal raze laid humbly at thy Knees, Yet never staynde, and undefiled, and harmless innocent, To thee alone of all the World my crouching Knees are bent, And for the nonce my haughty heart, and Princely courage stout I did abate, that humbly thee with tears entreat I might. And I do know, what uncouth luck upon our stock hath light, The thing that we should shun, we seek, it is not in my might To rule my self: through burning fire eunne after the I shall, Through raging Seas, & craggy Rocks, through fleeting Rivers all, Which boiling waters ruffling raise, what way so go thou will, I bedlam Wight with frantic fits will follow, follow still. Oh stately Lord before thy feet yet fallen I once again. Hippolytus, now dost thou grant to me mine own desire, Thou cools my ramping rage, this is much more than I require, That saving thus mine honesty I may be given to death, By bloody stroke received of thy band to lose my breath. Now I my self will speak: stay yet. Thee, thee, Creator of the Neauens to witness I do call, And thee Oh glittering fiery glede of Crystal Sky with all, And Phœbus thou from whom at first our royal Raze hath roon. With fawning face & flattering words in suit I was not won. For naked sword, & thundering three S, appalled was I not: My bruised bones abided the blow, and stripes when soar he smote: This blemish black of foul defame my blood shall purge again. Whom least ye would mistrust. This Sword will tell, which soar affright when people thick in through ̄ g Resorted fast, the Leacher vile for hast did leave behind, Because the people pressing fast he dreaded in his mind: With light Heel running soar dismayed these sruants did him see? Oh tamer of the wrestling waves me, me, do thou invade. The Monstrous hags of Marble Seas to ramp on me send out, What ever Thetis low does keep with folding arms about, Or what the Ocean Seas alo fe embrace with winding wave: Oh Theseus that to thine allies dost still thy self behave So Currishly, Oh thou that for thy loving Friends avail Dost never yet return: thy Son and Father do bewail Thy passport brought by death, and blood, thy S ooke thou dost destroy, By love or hatred of thy wife thou workest still annoy: Oh sweet Hippolytus thus I behold thy battered face, And I it is, I wretch (alas) that brought thee to this case. What Scinis forced thy limbs so torn his snatching boughs to feel? Or what Procrustes racked and rend thee streacht on bed of Steel? Or else what Minotaur of Crete that grim twishaped Bull With horny head (that Dedalls ves with lo king S leth Hath thee in fitters torn? (aye me) where is thy beauty fled? Where are our twinkling stars thine eyes? alas, and art thou dead? Appear a while, receive my words, for speak I shall none ill. This hand shall strike the stroke, wherewith thy bengeance quite I will. And sith that I, I Can ife, I, abridged have thy life, Lo here I aut content, thee mine with bloody knife. If ghost may here be given for ghost, and breath may serve for breath, Hippolytus take thou my soul, and come again from death. Behold my bowels yet are safe my limbs in lusty plighted. Would God that as they serve for me, thy body serve they might, Mine eyes to render kindly light unto thy Carcase dead, Lo for thy use this hand of mine shall pluck them from my head, And set them in these empty cells and vacant holes of thine. Thy weal of me a wicked Wight to win, do not repine. And if a woman's woeful heart in place of thine may rest, My bosom straight break up I shall, and tear it from my breast. But courage stout of thine does loath aint woman's heart to have Thy Noble mind would rather go with manly heart to graven. Alas be not so manly now, this manliness forheare, And rather choose to live a man with woman's sprite and fear, Then as no man with manly heart in darkness deep to fit: Have thou thy life, give me thy death that more deserves it. Can not my proffer purchase place? yet vengeance, shall thou have, Hell shall not hold me from thy side nor death of dompish graven. Sith fates will not permit thee life, though I behest thee mine, My self I shall in spite of fate my fatal twist untwine. This blade shall rive my bloody breast, my self I will despoil Of soul, and sin at once: through floods and Tactor gulfs y boil, Through S yx and through the burning Lake's I will come after thee: Thus may we please the lowering shades, receive thou here of m e The parings of my Poll, and Locks cut off from forehead torn, Our hearts we could not join in one, yet wretches now forlorn. We shall together in one day our fatal hour close: If thou be loyal to thy spouse, for him thy life then loose: But if thou be vncestuous, die for thy lovers sake. Shall I unto my husbands bed again my corpse betake, Polluted with so heinous crime? Oh death the chiefest joy Of wounding shame: Death only ease of stinging Loves annoy: We run to thee: embrace our souls within thy gladsome breast: Hark Athens, hark unto my talk, and thou above the rest, Thou Father worse unto thy Child than bloody stepdame I. False forged tales I told with shame, I feigning that did lie, Which I of spite imagined, when raging breast did swerve. Thou father falsely punished hast him that did not deserve. The youngman chased is cast away for mine vncestuous vice, Both bashful he and guiltless was, now play thy wonted guise. My guilty breast with bloody Lance of Sword deserved is riven, The Dirge tooth dead to purge my spouse shall with my blood be given. Thou father of the stepdame learn, what things thy So ̄ ne should have Of life deprived, as to lay his carcase in a graven. I know the truth you teach Oh Nurse, but fury forceth me at worse things to reach: My mind even wittingly to vice falls forward prove and bent To bolesome counsel back again in vain it does relente: As when the Norman tugges and toils to bring the freighted Bark Against the striving stream, in vain he loses all his cark And down the shallow stream perforce the Ship does headlong yield, Where reason preaseth forth, there fighting fury wins the field, And bears the swinging sway, and crank Cupid's puissant might Tryumpheth over all my breast this flighty win ed wight And puissant potestate throughout the world does hear the stroke, And with unquenched flames does force Io es kindled breast to smoke, The Battelbeaten Mars hath felt these bitter burning brands, And eke the God hath tasted these whose fervent fiery hands, The thumping thunder bouncing bolts three forked wise does frame, And he that ever busted is about the furious flame, In smoltring Furnace raging hot on dusky top so Of foggy A tna mount: and with such slender heat does fry, And Phoebe himself that weldes his dart upon his twanging string, With aimed shaft directly driven the wimpled Lad does sting. With pour he scours along the Earth and Marble Sky awayne. Lust favouring folly filthtly did falsely forge and L we for a God: and that he might his freedom Ascribes the name of feigned God to shittel bed lame rage. Erycina about the world does send her roving page, Who gliding through the Azure skies with slender jointed arm His perilous weapons wields at will, and working griec vous harm. Of bones and stature being least great might he does display Upon the Gods, compelling them to crouch and him obey. Some Brainsick head did attribute these things unto himself, And Venus Godhead with the bow of Cupid little self. Who cockered is, triumphing much in fau king Fortune's lap. And floats in wealth, or seeks and sues for things that seldom hap, Lust (mighty Fortune's mischeous mate) assaulteth straight his breast, His tooth contemn wonted fare and victuals homly dressed. Nor handsome houses pleases him, why does this plague refuse. The simple sort, and to annoy does stately bowers choose? How haps it matrimony pure to bide in Cottage base? And honest love in middle sort of men does purchase place? And things that be of mean estate themselves restrain full well, But they that wallow in their Lust whose stately stomachs swell, Puffed up and boistred big with trust of Kingly sceptre proud Do greater matters enterprise then may be well allowed. He that is able much to do, of pour will also be To do these things he cannot do. Now Lady dost thou see What things do thee beseem thus sta worser on stately throne on High? Mistrust the sceptre of thy spouse returning by and by. In me I bear a violent and mighty payse of love, And no men coming home again to terror may me move. He never stepped back again, the welkin sky to touch, That swallowed once and sunk in gulf and glummy cave did couch Shut up in shimering shade for ay. Perhaps he pardon will the crime of loves procuring heat To follow him even through the hills, the Forest thick & wood, That keeps among the clottered clives besmeared with silver Snow, Whose nimble heals on craggy rocks are frisking to and fro: I wish. will not he moved be with moan? and I have learned wild things by love to tame if by the Seas hef j, I on the same Will follow him. I may remember mine offence, my mother eake will slake. No stru ̄ pets bashful fear against my breast does hold at bay: I wis he comes I warrant him Pyrothous companion in hellicke dungeon dim. A gentle hearted Sire Forgiving Ariadnes fault, when she did him require. Not every jot at honesty exiled is my breast, I yield me Nurse, love that denies thus under rule to rest In quietness, let him, let him perforce be battered down. I will not let my fleeting fame and glorious bright renown With stain to be dishonoured, this only is the gap, To shun the perilous path that leads to vices training trap. My spouse let me ensue with death this strive I shall subvert. Condemde I am to die, what kind of death now would I know, As either strangled with a rope shall I my life forgo? Or run upon a bloody blade, with gory wound to die? Or tops e turuy headlong hurled down Pallas turret High, In quarrel joust of Chastity. No reason can restrain Him that destreth death when death he hath determined plain And ought to die, Maids, have our purple garments hence, & vestures wrought w to gold These crimso ̄ robes of scarlet read let not mine eyes behold. And damask weeds, whereon the Seres embraudet branches brave, Whose Silken substance gathered of their trees aloof they have, My bosom shall be swaddled in with cuttied gaberdine, No golden collar on my neck nor Indian jewels fine The precious pearls so White shall hang no more now at mine ears, Nor sweet perfumes of Siria shall poulder more my hears. My flaring ruffled locks shall dagling hang my neck about And shoulder points: then then apace to attring in and out. Let winds even blow it where it list, in left hand will I take A quiver of shafts, and in my right a Boorespere will I shake, To cruel child Hippolitus such one his mother was, As fleeting from the frozen Seas those country costs did pass, And drove her hierdes that bet with trampling feet the Athenian soil Or Like the trull of Tauais, Or Like her will I toil, Of Meotis that on a knot wound up her crispen locks Thus will I trot with moon Like targe among the wodes and rocks. Alas my valiant Theseus even for thy royal mace, Wherewith thy Kingdom thou dost wield, and by the noble reign Of thy belo'ud posterity, and coming home again, And for the worship that is endue unto my fatal graven, Oh let me die and suffer me, deserved death to have. If I the cause of death Disclose, then shall I not obtain the loosing of my breath: What thou would other to conceal, keep thou it first in rest. From him that wishes Death, Death never can be separate. Forsooth because I live. It is the sweetest death, when one does loathsome life forsake, Bereft of such as should for him most woeful weeping make. Such mischief as you would not think, could light in Mother's mind.