THE MAID'S TRAGEDY. BY FRANCIS BEAUMONT, AND JOHN FLETCHER. Amintor, a noble Gentleman, promises marriage to Aspatia, and forsakes her by the King's command to wed Evadne.—— The grief of Aspatia at being forsaken, described. This lady Walks discontented, with her watry eyes The marriage-night of Amintor and Evadne. Evad. Would thou could'st instill (To Dula) Asp. Asp. It were a timeless smile should prove my cheek; This should have been My night, and all your hands have been employ'd To young Amintor's bed, as we are now Were great as yours, or that the King, or he, (These credulous ears) he pour'd the sweetest words Evad. Nay, leave this sad talk, madam. Asp. Would I could, then should I leave the cause, Evad. How is it, madam? Asp. Lay a garland on my hearse of the dismal yew ; Madam, good night;-may no discontent Come all and watch one night about my hearse ; " (Amintor enters.) Evad. Alas, I pity thee. (To Amintor.) May all the wrongs that you have done to me, I'll trouble you no more, yet I will take Aspatia wills her Maidens to be sorrowful, because she is so. Asp. Come let's be sad my girls; Asp. Yes that piece. This should be Theseus, h'as a cousening face; Ant. He was so, madam. Asp. Why then 'tis well enough. Never look back, You have a full wind, and a false heart, Theseus. Does Does not the story say, his keel was split, Or his masts spent, or some kind rock or other Ant. Not as I remember. Asp. It should ha' been so; could the gods know this, And not of all their number raise a storm? But they are all as ill. This false smile was well exprest, Just such another caught me; you shall not go so, Antiphila, In this place work a quick sand, And over it a shallow smiling water, And his ship ploughing it, and then a fear. Do that fear to the life wench. Ant. "Twill wrong the story. Asp. 'Twill make the story, wrong'd by wanton poets, Live long and be believ'd; but where's the lady? Ant. There, madam. Asp. Fie, you have miss'd it here, Antiphila, These colours are not dull and pale enough, As this sad lady's was; do it by me, Do it again by me the lost Aspatia, And you shall find all true but the wild island. I stand upon the sea beach now, and think Mine arms thus, and mine hair blown with the wind, Tell that I am forsaken, do my face (If thou hadst ever feeling of a sorrow) Thus, thus, Antiphila, strive to make me look Like Sorrow's monument; and the trees about me, Asp. I have done, sit down, and let us Upon that point fix all our eyes, that point there; Make Make a dull silence, till you feel a sudden sadness Evadne implores forgiveness of Amintor for marrying him while she was the King's Mistress. Evad. O my lord. Amin. How now! Evad. My much abused lord! Amin. This cannot be. (Kneels.) Evad. I do not kneel to live, I dare not hope it; The 94 One characteristic of the excellent old poets is their being able to bestow grace upon subjects which naturally do not seem susceptible of any. I will mention two instances: Zelmane in the Arcadia of Sidney, and Helena in the All's Well that Ends Well of Shakspeare. What can be more unpromising at first sight than the idea of a young man disguising himself in woman's attire, and passing himself off for a woman among women? and that too for a long space of time? yet Sir Philip has preserved such a matchless decorum, that neither does Pyrocles' manhood suffer any stain for the effeminacy of Zelmane, nor is the respect due to the princesses at all diminished when the deception comes to be known. In the sweetly constituted mind of Sir Philip Sidney it seems as if no ugly thought nor unhandsome meditation could find a harbour. He turned all that he touched into images of honour and virtue. Helena in Shakspeare, is a young woman seeking a man in marriage. The ordinary laws of courtship are reversed; the habitual feelings are violated. Yet with such exquisite address this dangerous subject is handled, that Helena's forwardness loses her no honour; delicacy dispenses with her laws in her favour, and Nature in her single case seems content to suffer a sweet violation. Aspatia in this Tragedy, is a character equally difficult with Helena of being managed with grace. She too is a slighted woman, refused by the man who had once engaged to marry her. Yet it is artfully contrived that while we pity her, we respect her, and she descends without degradation. So much true poetry and passion can do to confer dignity upon subjects which do not seem capable of it. But Aspatia must not be compared at all points with Helena; she does not so absolutely predominate over her situation but she suffers some diminution, some abatement of the full lustre of the female character; which Helena never does: her character has many degrees of sweetness, some of delicacy, but it has weakness which if we do not despise, we are sorry for. After all, Beaumont and Fletcher were but an inferior sort of Shakspeares and Sidneys. · |