Org. With manly courage Please then to follow me.

Bass. Where'er, I fear not.

[Exeunt.

SCENE II.

A State Room in the Palace.

A Flourish.-Enter EUPHRANEA, led by GRONEAS and HEMOPHIL; PROPHILUS, led by CHRISTALLA and PHILEMA; NEARCHUS supporting CALANTHA; CROTOLON and AMELUS.

Cal. We miss our servant Ithocles, and Orgilus; On whom attend they?

Crot. My son, gracious princess,

Whisper'd some new device, to which these revels Should be but usher; wherein I conceive

Lord Ithocles and he himself are actors.

Cal. A fair excuse for absence: as for Bassanes, Delights to him are troublesome; Armostes Is with the king?

Crot. He is.

Cal. On to the dance!

Cousin, hand you the bride; the bridegroom must be

Entrusted to my courtship. Be not jealous, Euphranea; I shall scarcely prove a temptress.— Fall to our dance.

Cousin, hand you the bride.] I have omitted dear, before Cousin, which reduced the line to mere prose, and could scarcely therefore come from the author.

THE REVELS.

Music.-NEARCHUS dances with EUPHRANEA,
PROPHILUS with CALANTHA, CHRISTALLA with
HEMOPHIL, PHILEMA with GRONEAS.

They DANCE the first change; during which ARMOSTES

enters.

Arm. (whispers CAL.) The king your father's

dead.

Cal. To the other change.

Arm. Is't possible?

They DANCE the second change.
Enter BASSANES.

Bass. (whispers CAL.) Oh madam !
Penthea, poor Penthea 's starv'd.

Cal. Beshrew thee!

Lead to the next.

Bass. Amazement dulls

my senses.

They DANCE the third change.

Enter ORGILUS.

Org. (whispers CAL.) Brave Ithocles is murder'd, murder'd cruelly.

Cal. How dull this music sounds! Strike up more sprightly;

Our footings are not active like our heart,

Which treads the nimbler measure.

Org. I am thunderstruck!

The last CHANGE.

Cal. So! let us breathe a while.-(music ceases.)
-Hath not this motion

Rais'd fresher colours on our cheeks?

Near. Sweet princess,

A perfect purity of blood enamels
The beauty of your white.

Cal. We all look cheerfully:

And, cousin, 'tis methinks a rare presumption
In any who prefer our lawful pleasures.
Before their own sour censure, to interrupt
The custom of this ceremony bluntly.

Near. None dares, lady.

Cal. Yes, yes; some hollow voice deliver'd to

me

How that the king was dead.

Arm. The king is dead:

That fatal news was mine; for in mine arms He breath'd his last, and with his crown bequeath'd you

Your mother's wedding ring; which here I tender. Crot. Most strange!

Cal. Peace crown his ashes! We are queen

then.

Near. Long live Calantha! Sparta's sovereign queen!

All. Long live the queen!

Cal. What whisper'd Bassanes?

Bass. That my Penthea, miserable soul, Was starv'd to death.

Cal. She's happy; she hath finish'd

A long and painful progress.-A third murmur
Pierced mine unwilling ears.

Org. That Ithocles

Was murther'd;-rather butcher'd, had not bra

very

Of an undaunted spirit, conquering terror,
Proclaim'd his last act triumph over ruin.
Arm. How! murther'd!

Cal. By whose hand?

Org. By mine; this weapon

Was instrument to my revenge; the reasons
Are just, and known: quit him of these, and then
Never lived gentleman of greater merit,

Hope or abiliment to steer a kingdom.

Crot. Fye, Orgilus!

Euph. Fye, brother!

Cal. You have done it?

Bass. How it was done, let him report, the forfeit

Of whose allegiance to our laws doth covet
Rigour of justice; but, that done it is,
Mine eyes have been an evidence of credit
Too sure to be convinced.' Armostes, rend not
Thine arteries with hearing the bare circumstances
Of these calamities; thou hast lost a nephew,

7 Mine eyes have been an evidence of credit

Too sure to be convinced.] It may be necessary to observe, that convince is used here in the primitive sense of conquered, overthrown. In modern terms, "my evidence is too true to be confuted."

A niece, and I a wife: continue man still;
Make me the pattern of digesting evils,

Who can outlive my mighty ones, not shrinking
At such a pressure as would sink a soul

Into what's most of death, the worst of horrors.
But I have sealed a covenant with sadness,
And enter'd into bonds without condition,
To stand these tempests calmly; mark me, nobles,
I do not shed a tear, not for Penthea!
Excellent misery!

Cal. We begin our reign

With a first act of justice: thy confession,
Unhappy Orgilus, dooms thee a sentence;
But yet thy father's or thy sister's presence
Shall be excus'd. Give, Crotolon, a blessing
To thy lost son; Euphranea, take a farewell,
And both be gone.

Crot. (to ORG.) Confirm thee, noble sorrow, In worthy resolution!

Euph. Could my tears speak,

My griefs were slight.

Org. All goodness dwell amongst ye! Enjoy my sister, Prophilus; my vengeance

Aim'd never at thy prejudice.

Cal. Now withdraw.

[Exeunt CROT. PRO. and EUPH.

Bloody relater of thy stains in blood,

For that thou hast reported him, whose fortunes And life by thee are both at once snatch'd from

him,

With honourable mention, make thy choice.