The Two Noble Kinsmen | Page 4

absent hence.
The Crow, the slaundrous Cuckoe, nor
The boding Raven, nor
Chough hore
Nor chattring Pie,
May on our Bridehouse pearch or
sing,
Or with them any discord bring,
But from it fly.
[Enter 3. Queenes in Blacke, with vailes staind, with imperiall Crownes.
The 1. Queene fals downe at the foote of Theseus; The 2. fals downe at
the foote of Hypolita. The 3. before Emilia.]
0. QUEEN.
For pitties sake and true gentilities,
Heare, and respect me.
2. QUEEN.
For your Mothers sake,
And as you wish your womb may thrive with
faire ones,
Heare and respect me.
3. QUEEN
Now for the love of him whom Iove hath markd
The honour of your
Bed, and for the sake
Of cleere virginity, be Advocate
For us, and
our distresses. This good deede
Shall raze you out o'th Booke of
Trespasses
All you are set downe there.
THESEUS.
Sad Lady, rise.

HIPPOLITA.
Stand up.
EMILIA.
No knees to me.
What woman I may steed that is distrest,
Does
bind me to her.
THESEUS.
What's your request? Deliver you for all.
0. QUEEN.
We are 3. Queenes, whose Soveraignes fel before
The wrath of cruell
Creon; who endured
The Beakes of Ravens, Tallents of the Kights,

And pecks of Crowes, in the fowle feilds of Thebs.
He will not suffer
us to burne their bones,
To urne their ashes, nor to take th' offence

Of mortall loathsomenes from the blest eye
Of holy Phoebus, but
infects the windes
With stench of our slaine Lords. O pitty, Duke:

Thou purger of the earth, draw thy feard Sword
That does good
turnes to'th world; give us the Bones
Of our dead Kings, that we may
Chappell them;
And of thy boundles goodnes take some note
That
for our crowned heades we have no roofe,
Save this which is the
Lyons, and the Beares,
And vault to every thing.
THESEUS.
Pray you, kneele not:
I was transported with your Speech, and
suffer'd
Your knees to wrong themselves; I have heard the fortunes

Of your dead Lords, which gives me such lamenting
As wakes my
vengeance, and revenge for'em,
King Capaneus was your Lord: the
day
That he should marry you, at such a season,
As now it is with
me, I met your Groome,
By Marsis Altar; you were that time faire,

Not Iunos Mantle fairer then your Tresses,
Nor in more bounty spread
her. Your wheaten wreathe
Was then nor threashd, nor blasted;

Fortune at you
Dimpled her Cheeke with smiles: Hercules our
kinesman
(Then weaker than your eies) laide by his Club,
He
tumbled downe upon his Nemean hide
And swore his sinews thawd:
O greife, and time,
Fearefull consumers, you will all devoure.
0. QUEEN.
O, I hope some God,
Some God hath put his mercy in your manhood

Whereto heel infuse powre, and presse you forth
Our undertaker.
THESEUS.
O no knees, none, Widdow,
Vnto the Helmeted Belona use them,

And pray for me your Souldier.
Troubled I am. [turnes away.]
2. QUEEN.
Honoured Hypolita,
Most dreaded Amazonian, that hast slaine
The
Sith-tuskd Bore; that with thy Arme as strong
As it is white, wast
neere to make the male
To thy Sex captive, but that this thy Lord,

Borne to uphold Creation in that honour
First nature stilde it in,
shrunke thee into
The bownd thou wast ore-flowing, at once subduing

Thy force, and thy affection: Soldiresse
That equally canst poize
sternenes with pitty,
Whom now I know hast much more power on
him
Then ever he had on thee, who ow'st his strength
And his Love
too, who is a Servant for
The Tenour of thy Speech: Deere Glasse of
Ladies,
Bid him that we, whom flaming war doth scortch,
Vnder
the shaddow of his Sword may coole us:
Require him he advance it
ore our heades;
Speak't in a womans key: like such a woman
As
any of us three; weepe ere you faile;
Lend us a knee;
But touch the
ground for us no longer time
Then a Doves motion, when the head's
pluckt off:
Tell him if he i'th blood cizd field lay swolne,
Showing
the Sun his Teeth, grinning at the Moone,
What you would doe.
HIPPOLITA.

Poore Lady, say no more:
I had as leife trace this good action with
you
As that whereto I am going, and never yet
Went I so willing
way. My Lord is taken
Hart deepe with your distresse: Let him
consider:
Ile speake anon.
3. QUEEN.
O my petition was [kneele to Emilia.]
Set downe in yce, which by hot
greefe uncandied
Melts into drops, so sorrow, wanting forme,
Is
prest with deeper matter.
EMILIA.
Pray stand up,
Your greefe is written in your cheeke.
3. QUEEN.
O woe,
You cannot reade it there, there through my teares--
Like
wrinckled peobles in a glassie streame
You may behold 'em. Lady,
Lady, alacke,
He that will all the Treasure know o'th earth
Must
know the Center too; he that will fish
For my least minnow, let him
lead his line
To catch one at my heart. O pardon me:
Extremity, that
sharpens sundry wits,
Makes me a Foole.
EMILIA.
Pray you say nothing, pray you:
Who cannot feele nor see the raine,
being in't,
Knowes neither wet nor dry: if that you were
The
ground-peece of some Painter, I would buy you
T'instruct me gainst a
Capitall