MALINDO

Make me acknowledge this thy love sincere, Bring thy magnanimous courage into act; Oh be my agent, reconcile the doubts Which do possess my intellectual sense. The Statesmen are my sole Antigonists, They do seduce and steal away the King. Keep his heroic bounty for themselves; They do detain his nature punctually, Make him (deluded) parsimonious, Erect who pleases their magnificence, Who them displease, the king must frown upon: They do entomb the silly wretch alive, Make him as dead, to eminent designs, Which they approve not; then revive his will, To adventure such, as none approve but they In brief, they lead him Like a Lyons whelp, Tame, and yet fierce; if so the keeper please, To wurry with advantage: then beware, Those who offended have the keepers will; By which, the tame-taught Lions' governed still. But sir, the high opponents, who traduce My honour, and good name, be numerous, Men of no dunghill breeding (not advanced By some especial Madame of the Court, For a concealment of her secrecy, In case, where witness, bawdy hand, or seal, To broken Titles be restorative) But matchless in their eminence of birth, Not sprung from petty page, or foot-bois raze, (Only removed, to fill up vacant place, And rob judicial statesmen of deserts, To whom by Nations law, all same reverts) No, my assailants be both rich and wise, (Two qualities scarce analogical, Yet my oppugnant enemies have both) Rich, wise, and nobly born; nay favourites, Men of and aequal judgement with my self, Ingenious they be (though Flatterers) Who with calumnious faction do deprave My potent Fortune's, making birth a slave. My foes be great, therefore I am dismayed, And to encounter great ones am afraid. Deign mighty Monarch but experience, Attempts of great men speak in silver tones, Thus gilded tombs overshadow dead men's bones. Sovereign the ellow is lunatic, Remove the mad man sirs; away with him. Arise from foggy Ler a some foul smoke. Each living creature without mercy choke. Be ever clouded Phœbus, may thy light, Turn in a moment to eternal night: Return oblivion, or the antique age; Forgotten Chaos, and the pilgrimage Of undefiled men first innocence, That I all torment may escape on earth, And be accounted guiltless (as at birth) Oh for enchantments, for a potent charm, A magic spell that may conjure the clouds, To cover me with darkness at noonday! For such a charm would I expose the wealth Of Tagus, or the Ocean (were it mine) Help, o assist me some infernal aid, Now be propitious (Hell) I am betrayed. Fortune, o strumpet! Il'e advance the dark And fearful habitation of the dead, Il'e worship witches, and extol the praise Of Pluto, Il'e prefer impiety, Canonise all before thy Deity. The blood of Nessus never did enforce A Hercules to half such vehemence. The man whom fate hath from eternity, From since the words beginning, hath enrolled Amid misfortunes mournful Catalogue, Whose downfall frowning planets have conspired, Who never was the bounded favourite Of wayward rumor; whom adversity Hoth wholly seized, whom heavens appointed awe Prepares as fatal object of disdain To level her envenomed aim against. Oh let him ever dwell in mother's womb, Or let that Infants cradle be his tomb. Ambition leads us to the fountains brink, But then afford's destruction instead of drink. What shadow void of substance hither comes? What incorporeal essence does approach? What vapours painted Like my self with fume? (Who steal existence from united fog) What substance insubstantial? what Ghost Walks in the clouded element of air? Aread thou dumb associate of dark And thievish midnights; now aread thy name. My true born Cassius? well encountered; see The soul and image of thy zealous friend. I vanish where thy Ghost shall never see My shadowed substance of impiety. Thou'art young ( Hirudo ) resolute and wise, A pliant apprehension soon will rise; Remember now thy natural good parts, Think if they serve to reconcile the doubt Of my ensuing mischief; prithee think, If thou dar'ft venture boldly to remove My foes from bounty of Maenanders love: Which, till the blinded King do abrogate, Each fool may from my Fortune's derogate. Combine thy powers, and ingenious parts To salve the wound of my disgrace, which smarts. And be my creature; meditate withal Our now-declining joys to reinstall: And be my creature; satisfy the King By some corrupted means, or anything: And be my creature; may some new devise, Purchased by Magic Art, and hellish prize, Wholly avert the puny Kings belief From our opponents tales, which do in chief Poison my merits; o abolish those, And be my creature, or indeed deer slave I will be thine; do but employ some care To best advantage of thy agent-skill; Remember then, thou art my creature still. In thy protection let our kingdom live. Yes, and that furtherance will I bestow: But the most noble have their enemies, Their opposites, antigonists; nay some Of ragged base repute do still survive, Who (notwithstanding) dare malign the state Of us, though splendour to the Commonweal. These vomit forth each scandal, each contempt, Malice and gall together: poison choke them; I feel their aspic venom here involved, They wound worse then a raging Basyliske. How bitter is the taste of contumele! Some patience I entreat thee (heaven) bestow Upon our scandalized name: Reproach, That common adversary of us all, Who are in a good way to purchase fame, Does dog us to our latest winding-sheet, Even to the womb of our great grandmother, That never satisfied womb of earth. Blame not my zealous anger, I am hight, And carried with true valour, to the pitch Of and exclaim so requisite: o slaves, And prodigies of nature, that will taint Pure sanctity; nay, even the Gods above, And their incomprehended holiness; Their sacred essence, with Like blasphemy; If but enraged awhile, as they do mine. How? speak that again, do you remember well? No? why thou ungrateful man; must I advance, Must I search out a lodging for thy soul, And make room for thy friendship in our bosom? Canst ever hope to be incorporate With my own essence? the same man almost, And not endure the presence, nay the sighed Of our malicious foe? recall your thought: Each timorous fellow, that abhors the name Of absolute revenge, could say no more: What? run away from our contemned foe? Courageous resolution! I commend Such vehemence in valour: this does urge And animate my purpose to be quick, Royal, and open-breasted to a man Of such full undertaking every way. Let us employ this youthful vehemence Betimes: a quick blood calls for Actium. Imagine this the pavement where my foe Hath fixed (upon the quarrel) his firm foot; For know that such a villain does survive, Whom I will scourge in thee my favourite, Briefly you must disgrace and murder him Whose name is hitherto concealed; but you (After instruction for the stratagem) Shall know the varlet, whom you must imagine (Merely for apprehension) is your self. I Like a ruffaine (which remember well, You must hereafter practice) though for instance I will now undertake it, unawares I fetch away your not misdoubting heals From of the trampled earth, even thus: then swear Some oath of high importance, that the air Shall never be infected with a slave, Who breathes out poisoned blasphemy on earth. Swear then that neither shining light of day No interchanged seasons shall afford One minute more of blessing, that himself Shall not enjoy one article of breath Beside, to ask forgiveness of the world: Swear that no planet, no supernal star, No Hercules, no Gigant a arm Shall rescue villains from appointed harm: Then spit him through the centre of his heart, Even thus, His ds. May my suspected agents perish ever. Be secret as calm silence, or the night. My care must follow to frame Theaters, Warning the Megalenses, our Comedians To act some pithy and applauded Scoene, Wherewith to shadow my pretensive zeal. But well-encountered (Poet) pray approach. And let us parley of and Interlude. Command Per llus? no, entreat thee rather, Each highborn Title must advance the worth Of holy rapture: pray inform the Actors Of some true Moral, of some Tragedy Or else some subject more ridiculous, Which may with new devised conceits stir up The dull and solemn audience. Oh pacify great King.—