Fret in their tears; whilst every wond'ring eye Shall crave none other brightness but thy pre

sence.

Choose thine own recreations; be a queen

Of what delights thou fanciest best, what company,

What place, what times; do any thing, do all things Youth can command, so thou wilt chase these clouds

From the pure firmament of thy fair looks.

Grau. Now, 'tis well said, my lord. What, lady! laugh,

Be merry; time is precious.

Bass. Furies whip thee!

[Aside.

Pen. Alas, my lord! this language to your hand

maid

Sounds as would music to the deaf; I need

No braveries, nor cost of art, to draw

The whiteness of my name into offence:
Let such, if any such there are, who covet
A curiosity of admiration,

By laying out their plenty to full view,
Appear in gaudy outsides; my attires
Shall suit the inward fashion of my mind;
From which, if your opinion, nobly placed,
Change not the livery your words bestow,
My fortunes with my hopes are at the highest.
Bass. This house, methinks, stands somewhat
too much inward,

It is too melancholy; we'll remove

Nearer the court: or what thinks my Penthea

Of the delightful island we command?
Rule me as thou canst wish.

Pen. I am no mistress:

Whither you please, I must attend; all ways
Are alike pleasant to me.

Grau. " Island!" prison;

A prison is as gaysome: we'll no islands;
Marry, out upon 'em! whom shall we see there?
Sea-gulls, and porpoises, and water-rats,

And crabs, and mews, and dog-fish; goodly gear
For a young lady's dealing,-or an old one's!
On no terms, islands; I'll be stew'd first.

Bass. (aside to GRAU.) Grausis,

You are a juggling bawd.--This sadness, sweetest, Becomes not youthful blood;-I'll have you pounded

For my sake put on a more cheerful mirth; Thou'lt mar thy cheeks, and make me old in griefs. Damnable bitch-fox!

Grau. I am thick of hearing,

[To GRAU.

Still, when the wind blows southerly. - What

If

think you,

your fresh lady breed young bones, my lord! Would not a chopping boy do you good at heart? But, as you said

Bass. I'll spit thee on a stake,

Or chop thee into collops!

Grau. Pray, speak louder.

[Aside to GRAU.

Sure, sure the wind blows south still.

Pen. Thou prat'st madly.

Bass. 'Tis very hot; I sweat extremely.-Now?

Enter PHULAS.

Phu. A herd of lords, sir.

Bass. Ha!

Phu. A flock of ladies.

Bass. Where?

Phu. Shoals of horses.

Bass. Peasant, how?

Phu. Caroches

In drifts-th' one enter, th' other stand without,

sir;

And now I vanish.

Enter PROPHILUS, HEMOPHIL, GRONEAS,

CHRISTALLA and PHILEMA.

Pro. Noble Bassanes!

[Exit.

Bass. Most welcome, Prophilus; ladies, gentle

men,

To all, my heart is open; you all honour me,--
(A tympany swells in my head already) [Aside.
Honour me bountifully.-How they flutter,
Wagtails and jays together!

Pro. From your brother,

By virtue of your love to him, I require

Your instant presence, fairest.

Pen. He is well, sir?

[Aside.

Pro. The gods preserve him ever! Yet, dear beauty,

I find some alteration in him lately,

Since his return to Sparta.-My good lord,
I pray, use no delay.

Bass. We had not needed

An invitation, if his sister's health

Had not fallen into question.-Haste, Penthea, Slack not a minute; lead the way, good Prophilus, I'll follow step by step.

Pro. Your arm, fair madam.

[Exeunt all but BASS. and GRAU. Bass. One word with your old bawdship: 'thou hadst better

Rail'd at the saints thou worshipp'st than have thwarted

My will; I'll use thee cursedly.

Grau. You doat,

You are beside yourself. A politician

In jealousy? no, you're too gross, too vulgar.
Pish, teach not me my trade; I know my cue:
My crossing you sinks me into her trust,
By which I shall know all; my trade's a sure one.
Bass. Forgive me, Grausis, 'twas consideration
I relish'd not; but have a care now.

Grau. Fear not,

I am no new-come-to't.

Bass. Thy life's upon it,

And so is mine. My agonies are infinite. [Exeunt.

Rail'd at the saints thou worshipp'st, &c.]

So I venture to give the text. The 4to reads-the sinnes thou worshipp'st; which is manifestly wrong, because pure nonsense. If I am asked where Grausis found her saints, I can only reply, where Phulas found his dancing bears. In the preceding verse, been is dropt.

SCENE II.

The Palace. ITHOCLES' Apartment.

Enter ITHOCLES.

Ith. Ambition! 'tis of viper's breed; it gnaws A passage through the womb that gave it motion. Ambition, like a seeled dove, mounts upward, Higher and higher still, to perch on clouds, But tumbles headlong down with heavier ruin. So squibs and crackers fly into the air, Then, only breaking with a noise, they vanish In stench and smoke. Morality, applied To timely practice, keeps the soul in tune, At whose sweet music all our actions dance: But this is form['d] of books, and school-tradition; It physics not the sickness of a mind

Broken with griefs: strong fevers are not eased With counsel, but with best receipts, and means; Means, speedy means, and certain; that's the cure.

6 Ambition, like a secled dove, mounts upward,

Higher and higher still, &c.]

There is a simi

To seel, is to blind, by sewing up the eye-lids. lar allusion to that in the text, in the Arcadia. "Now she brought them to see a seeled dove, who the blinder she was the higher she strove to reach." It is told in the Gentleman's Recreation, that this wanton piece of cruelty is sometimes resorted to for sport! The poor dove, in the agonies of pain, soars, like the lark, as soon as dismissed from the hand, almost perpendicularly, and continues mounting till strength and life are totally exhausted, when she drops at the feet of her inhuman persecutors.