The Two Noble Kinsmen | Page 5

greefe indeed--
Such heart peirc'd demonstration; but, alas,

Being a naturall Sifter of our Sex
Your sorrow beates so ardently
upon me,
That it shall make a counter reflect gainst
My Brothers
heart, and warme it to some pitty,
Though it were made of stone: pray,
have good comfort.
THESEUS.

Forward to'th Temple, leave not out a Iot
O'th sacred Ceremony.
0. QUEEN.
O, This Celebration
Will long last, and be more costly then
Your
Suppliants war: Remember that your Fame
Knowles in the eare o'th
world: what you doe quickly
Is not done rashly; your first thought is
more
Then others laboured meditance: your premeditating
More
then their actions: But, oh Iove! your actions,
Soone as they mooves,
as Asprayes doe the fish,
Subdue before they touch: thinke, deere
Duke, thinke
What beds our slaine Kings have.
2. QUEEN.
What greifes our beds,
That our deere Lords have none.
3. QUEEN.
None fit for 'th dead:
Those that with Cordes, Knives, drams
precipitance,
Weary of this worlds light, have to themselves
Beene
deathes most horrid Agents, humaine grace
Affords them dust and
shaddow.
0. QUEEN.
But our Lords
Ly blistring fore the visitating Sunne,
And were good
Kings, when living.
THESEUS.
It is true, and I will give you comfort,
To give your dead Lords
graves: the which to doe,
Must make some worke with Creon.
0. QUEEN.
And that worke presents it selfe to'th doing:
Now twill take forme, the
heates are gone to morrow.
Then, booteles toyle must recompence it
selfe
With it's owne sweat; Now he's secure,
Not dreames we stand
before your puissance
Wrinching our holy begging in our eyes
To

make petition cleere.
2. QUEEN.
Now you may take him, drunke with his victory.
3. QUEEN.
And his Army full of Bread, and sloth.
THESEUS.
Artesius, that best knowest
How to draw out fit to this enterprise

The prim'st for this proceeding, and the number
To carry such a
businesse, forth and levy
Our worthiest Instruments, whilst we
despatch
This grand act of our life, this daring deede
Of Fate in
wedlocke.
0. QUEEN.
Dowagers, take hands;
Let us be Widdowes to our woes: delay

Commends us to a famishing hope.
ALL.
Farewell.
2. QUEEN.
We come unseasonably: But when could greefe
Cull forth, as
unpanged judgement can, fit'st time
For best solicitation.
THESEUS.
Why, good Ladies,
This is a service, whereto I am going,
Greater
then any was; it more imports me
Then all the actions that I have
foregone,
Or futurely can cope.
0. QUEEN.

The more proclaiming
Our suit shall be neglected: when her Armes

Able to locke Iove from a Synod, shall
By warranting Moone-light
corslet thee, oh, when
Her twyning Cherries shall their sweetnes fall

Vpon thy tastefull lips, what wilt thou thinke
Of rotten Kings or
blubberd Queenes, what care
For what thou feelst not? what thou
feelst being able
To make Mars spurne his Drom. O, if thou couch

But one night with her, every howre in't will
Take hostage of thee for
a hundred, and
Thou shalt remember nothing more then what
That
Banket bids thee too.
HIPPOLITA.
Though much unlike [Kneeling.]
You should be so transported, as
much sorry
I should be such a Suitour; yet I thinke,
Did I not by
th'abstayning of my joy,
Which breeds a deeper longing, cure their
surfeit
That craves a present medcine, I should plucke
All Ladies
scandall on me. Therefore, Sir,
As I shall here make tryall of my
prayres,
Either presuming them to have some force,
Or sentencing
for ay their vigour dombe:
Prorogue this busines we are going about,
and hang
Your Sheild afore your Heart, about that necke
Which is
my ffee, and which I freely lend
To doe these poore Queenes service.
ALL QUEENS.
Oh helpe now,
Our Cause cries for your knee.
EMILIA.
If you grant not [Kneeling.]
My Sister her petition in that force,

With that Celerity and nature, which
Shee makes it in, from
henceforth ile not dare
To aske you any thing, nor be so hardy
Ever
to take a Husband.
THESEUS.

Pray stand up.
I am entreating of my selfe to doe
That which you
kneele to have me. Pyrithous,
Leade on the Bride; get you and pray
the Gods
For successe, and returne; omit not any thing
In the
pretended Celebration. Queenes,
Follow your Soldier. As before,
hence you [to Artesius]
And at the banckes of Aulis meete us with

The forces you can raise, where we shall finde
The moytie of a
number, for a busines
More bigger look't. Since that our Theame is
haste,
I stamp this kisse upon thy currant lippe;
Sweete, keepe it as
my Token. Set you forward,
For I will see you gone. [Exeunt towards
the Temple.]
Farewell, my beauteous Sister: Pyrithous,
Keepe the
feast full, bate not an howre on't.
PERITHOUS.
Sir,
Ile follow you at heeles; The Feasts solempnity
Shall want till
your returne.
THESEUS.
Cosen, I charge you
Boudge not from Athens; We shall be returning

Ere you can end this Feast, of which, I pray you,
Make no
abatement; once more, farewell all.
0. QUEEN.
Thus do'st thou still make good the tongue o'th world.
2. QUEEN.
And earnst a Deity equal with Mars.
3. QUEEN.
If not above him, for
Thou being but mortall makest affections bend

To Godlike honours; they themselves, some say,
Grone under such
a Mastry.

THESEUS.