THE ARRAIGNMENT OF PARIS. A DRAMATIC Flora dresses Ida Hill, to honour the coming of the Three Flora. Not Iris in her pride and bravery Nor doth the Milk-white Way in frosty night Appear so fair and beautiful in sight, As done these fields, and groves, and sweetest bowers, Ye may ne see (for peeping flowers) the grass.1- Juno hath left her chariot long ago, And hath return'd her peacocks by her Rainbow They march, like to the pomp of heav'n above, [Act i., Sc. 1.] The Muses, and Country Girls, assemble to welcome the Goddesses. Pomona. with country store like friends we venture forth. Think'st, Faunus, that these Goddesses will take our gifts in worth? [Forty and a half lines omitted.] [Peele's Works, ed. Bullen, 1888, vol. i.] Faun. Nay, doubtless; for, 'shall tell thee, Dame, 'twere better give a thing, A sign of love, unto a mighty person, or a King, Than to a rude and barbarous swain both bad and basely born:" FOR GENTLY TAKES THE GENTLEMAN THAT OFT THE CLOWN WILL SCORN. [Act i., Sc. 1.] The Welcoming Song. Country Gods. O Ida, O Ida, O Ida, happy hill ! For honour done to Ida. Gods. Behold in sign of joy we sing, For honour done to Ida. Pan. The God of Shepherds, and his mates, And thank the gracious Ladies Three, Par. Enone, while we bin disposed to walk, Use thou thy pipe, and I will use my voice; So shall thy just request not be denied, And time well spent, and both be satisfied. Par. Well, gentle nymph, although thou do me wrong, This idle task on me to undertake. (They sit under a tree together.) En. And whereon then shall be my roundelay; To Jove, to Neptune, and to Dis below: A piece of cunning, trust me for the nonce, Turns men to women all thro' wantonness : Of Daphne turn'd into the Laurel Tree, What force in love, what wit in sorrow, dwells: How Danaus' daughters ply their endless task; All these are old, and known, I know; yet, if thou wilt have any, Begin some toy that I can play upon this pipe of mine. En. There is a pretty Sonnet then, we call it CUPID'S CURSE: "They that do change old love for new, pray Gods they change for worse." (They sing.) En. Fair, and fair, and twice so fair, As fair as any may be, The fairest shepherd on our green, A love for any Lady. Par. Fair, and fair, and twice so fair, As fair as any may be, 1[Four lines omitted.] Thy Love is fair for thee alone, En. My Love is fair, my Love is gay, Both. {Fair, and fair, &c. } (repeated.) En. My Love can pipe, my Love can sing, And of his lovely praises ring My merry, merry, merry roundelays. They that do change old love for new, Both. { Fair, and fair, &c. } (repeated.)1 [Act i., Sc. 2.] To my esteemed Friend, and excellent Musician, V. N., Esq. DEAR SIR, I conjure you, in the name of all the Sylvan Deities, and of the Muses, whom you honour, and they reciprocally love and honour you,-rescue this old and passionate Ditty-the very flower of an old forgotten Pastoral, which had it been in all parts equal, the Faithful Shepherdess of Fletcher had been but a second name in this sort of Writing--rescue it from the profane hands of every common Composer: and in one of your tranquillest moods, when you have most leisure from those sad thoughts, which sometimes unworthily beset you; yet a mood, in itself not unallied to the better sort of melancholy; laying by for once the lofty Organ, with which you shake the Temples; attune, as to the Pipe of Paris himself, to some milder and more loveaccording instrument, this pretty Courtship between Paris and his (then-not as yetforsaken) Enone. Oblige me; and all more knowing Judges of Music and of Poesy; by the adaptation of fit musical numbers, which it only wants to be the rarest Love Dialogue in our language. Your Implorer, 1 [For other extracts from Peele see note to page 13.] C. L. THE CITY NIGHT-CAP. A TRAGI-COMEDY [PUBLISHED 1661: LICENSED 1624]. BY ROBERT DAVENPORT Lorenzo Medico suborns three Slaves to swear falsely to an adultery between his virtuous Wife Abstemia, and his Friend Philippo. They give their testimony before the Duke of Verona, and the Senators. Phil. -how soon Two souls, more precious than a pair of worlds, Abst. Oh hark! did you not hear it? Sen. What, Lady? Abst. This hour a pair of glorious towers is fallen. Beneath the grave: you all have seen this day To the accuser, that I might not appear The following sentence: but as Lorenzo stands Phil. Misery of goodness! Abst. Oh Lorenzo Medico, Abstemia's Lover once, when he did vow, And when I did believe; then when Abstemia Denied so many princes for Lorenzo, Then when you swore :-Oh maids, how men can weep, Print protestations on their breasts, and sigh, And look so truly, and then weep again, And then protest again, and again dissemble! When once enjoy'd, like strange sights, we grow stale; Look upon tears, each one of which well-valued Lor. Please your Grace, proceed to censure. Duke. Thus 'tis decreed, as these Lords have set down, Against all contradiction: Signor Philippo, |