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Cloe. Ye had my maidenhead, my youth, my

sweetness;

Is it not justice, then?

I see it must be ;

Syph.
But, by this hand, I'll hang a lock upon thee.

Cloe. You shall not need; my honesty shall do it.
Syph. If there be wars in all the world-
Cloe.

For you know I have been a soldier.

Come, curse on.

Syph.

200

I'll with ye;

205

When I need another oracle

Chi. Send for me, Syphax; I'll fit ye with a princess :

And so, to both your honours!

Fool.

Syph. The devil grace ye all !

Cloe.

Chi. Shall we laugh half an hour now?

Stre.

And all the train.

Chi.

And your graces!

God-a-mercy, Chilax!

No; the king comes, 210

[Exeunt.

Away, then! our act's ended.

Re-enter KING, CALIS, MEMNON, and CLEANthe,

Lords.

King. You know he does deserve ye, loves ye dearly;
You know what bloody violence h'ad used
Upon himself, but that his brother cross'd it;

You know the same thoughts still inhabit in him,

215

And covet to take birth: look on him, lady;

The wars have not so far consumed him yet,
Cold age disabled him, or sickness sunk him,
To be abhorr'd: look on his honour, sister;
That bears no stamp of time, no wrinkles on it;
No sad demolishment nor death can reach it :

220

206 When I need another oracle] Both Ff give these as well as three preceding words to Cloe. Seward, with Sympson's concurrence, assigned the whole line to Syphax. First printed as here by Colman.

211 s.d. King... Lords] So Ff, FI adding Curtisan,' followed by Weber only. Dyce substituted for 'Curtisan' 'Lucippe,' who was mentioned in the Ff s.d. on the princess's first arrival, V. i. 12; but see l. 112.

213 had used] Seward and Dyce. Ff had used. Colm. h' had used. Weber he had used. Opposite these words both Ff have s.d. 'The Hearse ready, Polidor, Eumenes, and Captains.'

Look with the eyes of Heaven, that nightly waken

To view the wonders of the glorious Maker,

And not the weakness: look with your virtuous eyes;

And then, clad royally in all his conquests,

225

His matchless love hung with a thousand merits,
Eternal youth attending, fame and fortune;
Time and oblivion vexing at his virtues ;-

He shall appear a miracle: look on our dangers,
Look on the public ruin.

Calis.

Oh, dear brother!

230

King. Fie! let us not, like proud and greedy waters,

Gain to give off again: this is our sea,

And you, his Cynthia, govern him; take heed:

His floods have been as high and full as any,
And gloriously now's got up to girdle

235

The kingdoms he hath purchased: noble sister,

Take not your virtue from him; oh, take heed

We ebb not now to nothing; take heed, Calis!

Calis. The will of Heaven (not mine) which must

not alter,

And my eternal doom, for aught I know,
Is fix'd upon me. Alas, I must love nothing;
Nothing that loves again must I be bless'd with!
The gentle vine climbs up the oak, and clips him,
And when the stroke comes, yet they fall together.
Death, death must I enjoy, and live to love him!
Oh, noble sir!

Mem.

Those tears are some reward yet :

Pray, let me wed your sorrows.
Calis.

Take 'em, soldier;

They are fruitful ones; lay but a sigh upon 'em,

223 of the] F2. F1 of my.

240

245

224 And not the weakness] Weber's explanation is the best-Look upon the virtues of Memnon, not upon his faults; as the eyes of heaven, the stars, awake nightly to behold the miraculous parts of creation, not to search out the little weaknesses and vices of those who live upon the world.' Seward proposed to make the sense clearer by reading 'And see no weakness.' 225 royally] Mason's correction, for royaltie of Ff, a meaningless locution which Seward and Colman printed without comment.

235 now's got up to girdle] Ff now is got up to the girdle,. Seward threw out the the and the comma, restoring the true sense, though he gave he's now for now is. 243 clips] i. e. embraces.-Dyce.

248 sigh] The correction of F2 for sight of F1, a recognized variant, found in England's Helicon (p. 217 ed. Bullen) as a rhyme to 'delight,' and in Q1 of Lyly's Sapho and Phao, III. iv. 71.

And straight they will conceive to infinites :
I told ye what ye would find 'em.
Attendant. [Within.]

Room before there! 250

Enter Attendants bearing a hearse, upon which POLYDORE is laid, covered; EUMENES, POLYBIUS, and PELIUS following.

King. How now! what's this? more drops to th'

ocean!

[blocks in formation]

Oh, goddess!

Read aloud.-Farewell, my follies! 255

Oh, cruel, cruel Venus! here's my fortune!
King. Read, captain.

Mem.

Eum. [Reads.]

To the excellent princess Calis.

Be wise as you are beauteous; love with judgment,
And look with clear eyes on my noble brother;
Value desert and virtue; they are jewels

Fit for your worth and wearing. Take heed, lady;
The gods reward ingratitude most grievous.
Remember me no more; or, if you must,

Seek me in noble Memnon's love; I dwell there.
I durst not live, because I durst not wrong him.
I can no more; make me eternal happy
With looking down upon your loves. Farewell.
Mem. And didst thou die for me?—
King.

Excellent virtue !—

260

265

250 I told ye what ye would find 'em] F1 has could for would. refer to the funeral procession which Calis sees approaching, though she is The words ignorant as yet of Polydore's death.

250 Attendant [Within]] So Dyce; Colman and Weber having inserted 'Eum. (within)': for Room before there was om. F2 and Seward, appearing in F1 as part of Calis' speech, followed by s.d. 'Knock.'

250 s.d. Enter Attendants bearing a hearse, etc.] Weber and Dyce. Ff merely "Enter Funerall, Captaines following, and Eumenes"; but see note on 1. 213.

253 s.d. Shewing, etc.] Added Weber.

256 s.d. Eum. [Reads] To etc.] So F1, adding 'I. Cap.' as prefix before 1. 257. F2 Eumen. reads to,' etc., with Eum.' before 1. 257. Weber' Polybius (reading) To, etc.

Dwell for ever here, sir.

What will ye now do?
Calis.

[Goes up to the hearse.

Mem. For me, dear Polydore? oh, worthy young man!
Oh, love, love, love! love above recompense!
Infinite love, infinite honesty!-

Good lady, leave; you must have no share here;
Take home your sorrows: here's enough to store me,
Brave glorious griefs. Was ever such a brother?
Turn all the stories over in the world yet,

270

275

And search through all the memories of mankind,
And find me such a friend! h'as outdone all,

Outstripp'd 'em sheerly; all, all: thou hast, Polydore !
To die for me! why, as I hope for happiness,

'Twas one of the rarest-thought-on things, the bravest, 280 And carried beyond compass of our actions!

I wonder how he hit it; a young man too,
In all the blossoms of his youth and beauty,
In all the fulness of his veins and wishes,

Woo'd by that paradise, that would catch Heaven!
It starts me extremely. Thou blest ashes,
Thou faithful monument, where love and friendship
Shall, while the world is, work new miracles!
Calis. Oh, let me speak too!
Mem.
No, not yet. Thou man,
(For we are but man's shadows,) only man-
Ì have not words to utter him.-Speak, lady;
I'll think a while.

Calis.

The goddess grants me this yet,

I shall enjoy the dead: no tomb shall hold thee

But these two arms, no trickments but my tears;

...

285

290

268 s.d. Goes . . . hearse] Dyce, after Weber had added 'kneels before the hearse.'

276 memories] i. e. memorials, Mason; and so twice in The Humorous Lieutenant, e. g. I. i. 198, 'on the same file hang their memories.'

286 It starts me extremely] Altered by Seward to It startles me extremely; so his successors; and, doubtless, to the improvement of the metre: but we have already had in this play, "Does it start ye?" (III. iv. 31): and compare Macbeth

"Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts,
Cannot once start me.' V. v. Dyce.

293 the dead] So Ff. Colman changed the to thee, followed by Weber and Dyce; but the latter's correspondent "T.H." pointed out that Calis is quoting the goddess's promise, V. iii. 55, I shall please thee with the dead.' 294 trickments] i. e. decorations.

Over thy hearse my sorrows, like sad arms,
Shall hang for ever; on the toughest marble
Mine eyes shall weep thee out an epitaph;
Love at thy feet shall kneel, his smart bow broken,
Faith at thy head, Youth and the Graces mourners.
Oh, sweet young man!

King.

Now I begin to melt too.

295

Mem. Have ye enough yet, lady? room for a

gamester!

To my fond love, and all those idle fancies,

A long farewell! Thou diedst for me, dear Polydore ;
To give me peace, thou hast eternal glory!—

I stay and talk here :-I will kiss thee first;
And now I'll follow thee.

[Offers to kill himself. POLYDORE rises.
Hold, for Heaven's sake!

Mem. Ha! does he live ?-Dost thou deceive me?

Polyd.

Polyd.

Yet for your good and honour.

300

305

Thus far;

Now, dear sister

You are mine, then?

310

Your consent, sir!

King.

Calis. The oracle is ended; noble sir,

Dispose me now as you please.

Polyd.

Calis. With all the joys that may be.
Polyd.

King. Ye have it freely.
Polyd.

And, as you love me, love

Calis.

Walk along with me then,

my will.

[Leads her to MEMNON.
I will so.

Polyd. Here, worthy brother, take this virtuous

princess;

Ye have deserved her nobly; she will love ye :
And when my life shall bring ye peace, as she does,
Command it, ye shall have it.

Mem.

295 sad arms] hatchment.

Sir, I thank ye.

315

301 room for a gamester] Evidently proverbial. Cf. 'Roome for a royster' at the opening of Lyly's Pappe with a Hatchet, 1589.

[blocks in formation]

himself] Added Colman. Ff have 'Polydore rises.'

309 noble sir] Addressed to Polydore.

313 s.d. Leads . . . Memnon] Added Weber.

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