AMYNTAS

And how Carinus canst thou be so mad, T'imagine Cloris, can, or does love thee, When by so many signs, as I have had, I find her whole affection bent to me? More certain signs, then thou canst ever show. Why let each then produce the best he can, To prove which may be thought the likeliest man. And I am well contented to begin. First if by chance, while she at Barely-breake With other Nymph's, do but perceive me come, Straight looks her cheek with such a Rosy read, As gives the setting Sun unto the West When morrow to mpests are prefigured. And if I find her, with her fellow Nymph's Gathering of flowers by some sweet Rivers side, At my approach she straight way stands pright, Forgets her work, and down lets slide her lap, And out fallen all her flowers, upon the ground. And if she meet but with my worser g, she takes And strokes him on the head plays with his ears, Spits in his mouth, and claps him on the back, And says, come, come Melampus go with me. While at a Crystal spring the other day, She washed her lovely face, and seeing me come, She takes up water with her dainty hand, And with a down cast look besprinckles me. As Silvia, one day, sat with her alone, Binding of certain choice selected herbs To her leaft arm, against bewitching spells; (And I at instant coming) she perceived Her pulse with far more violence to Beatrice (As she after told me) then it did before. And even but yester night, she going before With other maids, and seeing me following her, Lets fallen this dainty Nosegay, having fi st Bestowed a kiss thereon, to the end I might Receive it so, and with it do the Like. Now friend Carinus, thou that mutterest so At these plain speaking figures of her love, Tell by what signs thou dost her favours prove? Was't not a pact agreed betwixt thee and me? And hast thou then betrayed my easy trust, And dallied with my open simpleness? Carinus now thou dost me double wrong, First to deride my easy confidence, And then t'obrayd my trust, as if my tongue Had here profaned fair Cloris excellence, In telling of her mercies, or had sinned In uttering the honour of a modest grace Bestowing comfort, in so joust a case. Desert I cannot urge, but faith I can, If that may have reward, then happy man. But how that free and unsubdued heart, Infranchisd by the Charter of her eyes, Will bear the imposition of a endue I do not see, since love knew never Lord That could command the region of our will. And therefore urge thy endue, I for my partly, Must plead compassion, and a faithful heart. The more unkind they, who should better way Our honest vows, and love, for love repay, But oft they bear the penance of their will, And for the wrong they do, they speed as ill. Oh Techne, Techne, though I never get, Yet will I ever follow while I breath, And if I perish by the way, yet shall My death be pleasing that for her I die. And one day she may hap to come that way, (And be it, o her way) where I shall lie, And with her proud disdainful foe e she may Tread on my tomb, and say, lo where he lies, The triumph, and the conquest of mine eyes. And though I lose my self, and looso my tears, It shall be glory yet that I was hers. What have I done of late, should make her thus My presence with that strange disdain to fly, As if she did abhor my company? Cloris God knows, thou hast no cause therefore, Unless it be for loving more, and more. Why thou we to wont to lend me yet and ear, And though thou wouldst not help, yet wouldst thou hear. Alas she knows no hand but hers can que changed That heat in me, and therefore does she wrong To fire my heart, and then to run away. And if she would not aid, yet might she ease My careful soul, if she would but stand by And only look upon me while I die. No Techne, no, I know that cannot be, And therefore do not wrong her modesty, For Cloris loves no man, and that's some case Unto my grief, and gives a hope that you If ever soft affection touch her heart, She will look back, and think on my desert. If I see Cloris there, I know I shall, See nothing else with her, but modesty. Well Techne, if I shall see Cloris there It is enough, then thither will I go, Who will go any where to look on her. And Cloris know, I do not go to see, Any thing else of thee, but only thee. Peace Techne peace, and do not interrupt The grief that hath no leisure to attend Ought but itself, and hath shut up with it All other sense in private close within, From doing any thing, but only think. 'Tis true I do confess that I have seen The worst the world can show me, and the worst That can be ever seen with mortal eye. I have beheld the whole, of all where in My heart had any interest in this life; To be disrent and torn from of my Hope's, That nothing now is leaft, why I should live: That hostage I had given the world, which was The hope of her that held me to hold truce With it, and with this life is gone, and now Well may I break with them, and break I will And rend that pact of nature, and dissolve That league of blood that ties me to my self. For Cloris now hath thy immodesty Infranchizd me, and made me free to die: Which otherwise I could not least it might Have be (some stain and some disgrace to thee. Ah was it not enough for this poor heart T'indure the burden of her proud disdain? That weighed it to the earth but that it must Be crushed thus with oppression of her stain? The first wound yet though it were huge and wide, Yet was it cleanly made, it festered not, But this now given, comes by a poisoned shot, Against all laws of honours that are pure, And rankles deadly is without all cure. Ah how she blushed when as she islued forth With her inamor'd ma e out of the cave? And well then might she blush at such a deed, And with how wild a look she casts about Her fearful eyes? as if her loathsome sin Now coming thus into the open sighed, With terror did her guiltiness a lright; And up she treads the hill with such a pace, As if she gladly would have out gone shame, Which yet for all her hasting after came. And at their coming forth, me thought I herd The villain use my name, and she return The same again in very earnest sort, Which could be for no good I know to me, But only that perhaps it pleased her then To cast me up by this way of her mouth From of her heart, least it might stuff the same. But Cloris know thou shalt not needs to fear, I never more shall interrupt thy joys With my complaints, nor more observe thy ways; And o I would thy heart could be as free From sin and shame, as thou shalt be from me. I could (and I have reason so to do) Revenge my wrong upon that wicked wretch, Who hath surprised my love, and robbed thy shame, And make his blood oblation of my wrath Even at thy feet, that thou mightest see that a n To expiate, for this injustice done, But that the fact examined would display Thy infamy abroad unto the world, Which I had rather die then once bewray. And Techne pray-thee, tell her thus from me, But yet, ah tell it softly in her ear, And be thou sure no living creature hear, That her immodesty hath lost this day, Two the most honest guardians of her good She had in life, her honour, and my blo worser. No not yet Techne, pray-thee stay a while, And tell her too, though she spares not her shame, My death shall show, that I respect her fame. Oh Techne no not yet. And bid her not forget Amyntas faith, Though she despised him, and one day yet She may betoucht with grief, and that ere long, To think on her dishonour, and his wrong. Now Techne I have done, and so farewell. I cannot stay Techne, let go your hold, It is in vain I say, I must be gone. Well Cloris well, reioye that you are free, You may be touched one day as well as we. Faith I have no great list to any sport. And now you speak of dreams, in roth last night I was much troubled with a fearful dream. Me thought as I in Eremanthus walked A fearful wolf rushed forth from out a brake, And towards me makes with open hideous From whom I ran with all the speed I could, Escape my danger, and overtake One whom I saw before, that might lend aid To me distressed, but he, me thought did run As fast from me, as I did from the beast. I cried to him, (but all in vain) to stay; The more I cried, the more he ran away; And after I, and after me the Wolf, So long, as I began to faint in mind, Seeing my despair before, my death behind: Yet ran I still, and lo, me thought, at length A little he began to S ack his pace, Which I perceiving, put to all my strength And ran, as if desire had winged my heals, And in the end me thought recovered him. But never woman felt more joy it seemed To overtake a man, then I did him, By whom I scapte the danger I was in, That when I waked, as presently I waked, Touched with that sudden joy, which my poor heart God knows, had not be used unto of late: I found my self all in a moist faint sweat, Which that affrighting horror did beget, And though I were delivered of my fear, And felt this joy, yet did the trembling last Upon my heart, when now the fear was passed. God grant I may, it is the thing I want. Ah Cloris haste away, if this be so, And do not, if thou hast a heart of flesh, And of a woman, stay and trifle time, Go run, and save thine own, for if he die, It's thine that die, his blood is shed for thee, And what a horror this will ever be Hereafter to thy guilty conscience, when Years shall have taught thee wit, and thou shalt find This deed instampt in bloody Characters, Within the black records of thine own thoughts, Which never will be razed while thou hast breath, Nor yet will be forgotten by thy death. Beside wide Fame, will Trumpet forth thy wrong, And thou shalt be with all posterity, Amongst the examples held of cruelty, And have this savage deed of thine be made A sullen subject for a Tragedy, Entitled Cloris, that thereby thy name May serve to be and everlasting shame; And therefore go prevent so foul a stain. My deer Carinus thou dost much mistake I do not mar thy sport, 'tis thou marrstmine, And killest my joys with that hard heart of thine. Thy dooge perhaps by some instinct does know How I am his masters creature too, And kindly comes himself, and fawns on me To show what you in nature ought to do? What is it troublesome to be beloved? How is it then Carinus to be loathed? If I had done Like Cloris, skornd your suit, And spourn'd your passion, in disdainful sort, I had be wooed, and sought, and highly prized, But having n'other art to win thy love, Save by discovering mine, I am despised. As if you would not have the thing you sought, Unless you knew, it were not to be goat. And now because I lie here at thy feet, The humble booty of thy conquering eyes, And lay my heart all open in thy sighed, And tell thee I am thine, and tell thee right. And do not sure my looks, nor cloth my words In other colours, then my thoughts do wear, But do thee right in all, thou skornest me As if thou didst not love sincerity Never did Crystal more apparently Present the colour it contained with in Then have these eyes, these tears, this tongue of mine, Bewreyd my heart, and told how much I'am thine. Oh if that nature hath not armed my breast With that strong temper of resisting proof, But that by treason of my weak complexion, I Am made thus easy to the violent shot Of passion, and affection I should not. Me thinks yet you out of your strength and power, Should not disdain that weakness, but should think It rather is your virtue, as indeed It is, that makes me thus against my kind, Unlock my thoughs, and to let out my mind, When I should rather die and burst with love Then once to let my tongue to say, I love. And if your worthy parts be of that power To vanquish nature, and I must be won Do not disdain the work when you have done, For in contemmig me you do despise That power of yours which makes me to be thus. Why there is no such odds betwixt her and me, I am a Nymph, 'tis known as well as she. There is no other difference betwixt us twain But that I love, and she does thee disdain. No other reason can induce thy mind, But only that which should divert thy mind. I will attend thy flocks better then she, And dress thy Bower more sweet, more daintily, And cherish thee with Salads, and with Fruits, And all fresh dainties as the season suits; I have more skill in heat bes, then she, by far, I know which nourish, which restoring are: And I will find Dictamnus for thy Goats, And seek out Claver for thy little Lambs, And Tetrifoll to cherish up their Dammes. And this I know, I have a better voice Then she, though she perhaps may have more art, But which is best; I have the faithfullest heart. Beside Amyntas hath her love, I know, And she begins to manifest it now. Oh deer Carinus, let me rest upon That blessed word of thine, and I have done. And I am glad Carinus hath but herd So much this day, for he may hap thereby To have some feeling of my misery, But for Dorinda never doubt at all, She is more yours Mirtillus then you think.