The Two Noble Kinsmen | Page 7

to the king, who, were he
A quarter carrier of that honour which

His Enemy come in, the blood we venture
Should be as for our
health, which were not spent,
Rather laide out for purchase: but, alas,

Our hands advanc'd before our hearts, what will
The fall o'th stroke
doe damage?
ARCITE.
Let th'event,
That never erring Arbitratour, tell us
When we know
all our selves, and let us follow
The becking of our chance. [Exeunt.]
Scaena 3. (Before the gates of Athens.)
[Enter Pirithous, Hipolita, Emilia.]
PERITHOUS.
No further.
HIPPOLITA.
Sir, farewell; repeat my wishes
To our great Lord, of whose succes I
dare not
Make any timerous question; yet I wish him
Exces and
overflow of power, and't might be,
To dure ill-dealing fortune: speede
to him,
Store never hurtes good Gouernours.
PERITHOUS.
Though I know
His Ocean needes not my poore drops, yet they

Must yeild their tribute there. My precious Maide,
Those best
affections, that the heavens infuse
In their best temperd peices, keepe
enthroand
In your deare heart.
EMILIA.
Thanckes, Sir. Remember me
To our all royall Brother, for whose
speede
The great Bellona ile sollicite; and
Since in our terrene State

petitions are not
Without giftes understood, Ile offer to her
What I
shall be advised she likes: our hearts
Are in his Army, in his Tent.
HIPPOLITA.
In's bosome:
We have bin Soldiers, and wee cannot weepe
When
our Friends don their helmes, or put to sea,
Or tell of Babes broachd
on the Launce, or women
That have sod their Infants in (and after
eate them)
The brine, they wept at killing 'em; Then if
You stay to
see of us such Spincsters, we
Should hold you here for ever.
PERITHOUS.
Peace be to you,
As I pursue this war, which shall be then
Beyond
further requiring. [Exit Pir.]
EMILIA.
How his longing
Followes his Friend! since his depart, his sportes

Though craving seriousnes, and skill, past slightly
His careles
execution, where nor gaine
Made him regard, or losse consider; but

Playing one busines in his hand, another
Directing in his head, his
minde, nurse equall
To these so diffring Twyns--have you observ'd
him,
Since our great Lord departed?
HIPPOLITA.
With much labour,
And I did love him fort: they two have Cabind

In many as dangerous, as poore a Corner,
Perill and want contending;
they have skift
Torrents whose roring tyranny and power
I'th least
of these was dreadfull, and they have
Fought out together, where
Deaths-selfe was lodgd,
Yet fate hath brought them off: Their knot of
love,
Tide, weau'd, intangled, with so true, so long,
And with a
finger of so deepe a cunning,
May be outworne, never undone. I
thinke
Theseus cannot be umpire to himselfe,
Cleaving his

conscience into twaine and doing
Each side like Iustice, which he
loves best.
EMILIA.
Doubtlesse
There is a best, and reason has no manners
To say it is
not you: I was acquainted
Once with a time, when I enjoyd a
Play-fellow;
You were at wars, when she the grave enrichd,
Who
made too proud the Bed, tooke leave o th Moone
(Which then lookt
pale at parting) when our count
Was each eleven.
HIPPOLITA.
Twas Flaui(n)a.
EMILIA.
Yes.
You talke of Pirithous and Theseus love;
Theirs has more
ground, is more maturely seasond,
More buckled with strong
Iudgement and their needes
The one of th'other may be said to water
[2. Hearses ready with Palamon: and Arcite: the 3. Queenes. Theseus:
and his Lordes ready.]
Their intertangled rootes of love; but I
And
shee I sigh and spoke of were things innocent,
Lou'd for we did, and
like the Elements
That know not what, nor why, yet doe effect
Rare
issues by their operance, our soules
Did so to one another; what she
lik'd,
Was then of me approov'd, what not, condemd,
No more
arraignment; the flowre that I would plucke
And put betweene my
breasts (then but beginning
To swell about the blossome) oh, she
would long
Till shee had such another, and commit it
To the like
innocent Cradle, where Phenix like
They dide in perfume: on my
head no toy
But was her patterne; her affections (pretty,
Though,
happely, her careles were) I followed
For my most serious decking;
had mine eare
Stolne some new aire, or at adventure humd on
From
musicall Coynadge, why it was a note
Whereon her spirits would
sojourne (rather dwell on)
And sing it in her slumbers. This rehearsall


(Which ev'ry innocent wots well comes in
Like old importments
bastard) has this end,
That the true love tweene Mayde, and mayde,
may be
More then in sex idividuall.
HIPPOLITA.
Y'are out of breath
And this high speeded pace, is but to say
That
you shall never like the Maide Flavina
Love any that's calld Man.
EMILIA.
I am sure I shall not.
HIPPOLITA.
Now, alacke, weake Sister,
I must no more beleeve thee in this point

(Though in't I know thou dost beleeve thy selfe,)
Then I will trust a
sickely appetite,
That loathes even as it longs; but, sure, my Sister,

If I were ripe for your perswasion, you
Have saide enough to shake
me from the Arme
Of the all noble Theseus, for whose fortunes
I
will now in, and kneele with great assurance,
That we, more then his
Pirothous, possesse
The high throne in his heart.
EMILIA.
I am not
Against your