Good Charomonte hath broken, in his care
To build me up a man, you must confess
Chiron, the tutor to the great Achilles,
Compared with him, deserves not to be named.
And if my gracious uncle, the great duke,
Still holds me worthy his consideration,
Or finds in me aught worthy to be loved,
That little rivulet flowed from this spring;
And so from me report him.

Con. Fame already

Hath filled his highness' ears with the true story
Of what you are, and how much bettered by him.
And 'tis his purpose to reward the travail
Of this grave sir, with a magnificent hand.
For, though his tenderness hardly could consent
To have you one hour absent from his sight,
For full three years he did deny himself
The pleasure he took in you, that you, here,
From this great master, might arrive unto
The theory of those high mysteries

Which you by action must make plain in court.
Tis, therefore, his request (and that, from him,
Your excellence must grant a strict command),
That instantly (it being not five hours riding)
You should take horse, and visit him. These his
letters

Will yield you further reasons.

Cal. To the court?

Farewell the flower, then, of the country's garland!

This is our sun, and, when he's set, we must not Expect or spring or summer; but resolve

For a perpetual winter.

Car. Pray you observe

[GIOVANNI reading the letter. The frequent changes in his face.

Con. As if

His much unwillingness to leave your house Contended with his duty.

Car. Now he appears Collected and resolved

Giov. It is the duke!

The duke, upon whose favour all my hopes
And fortunes do depend. Nor must I check
At his commands, for any private motives
That do invite my stay here, though they are
Almost not to be mastered. My obedience,
In my departing suddenly, shall confirm
I am his highness's creature. Yet, I hope
A little stay, to take a solemn farewell
For all those ravishing pleasures I have tasted
In this my sweet retirement from my guardian,
And his incomparable daughter, cannot meet
An ill construction?

Con. I will answer that;

Use your own will.

Gior. I would speak to you, sir,

In such a phrase as might express the thanks My heart would gladly pay; but

Car. I conceive you :

And something I would say; but I must do it In that dumb rhetoric which you make use of;

VOL. II.

Giov. Why thou shalt to court with me.
Cal. To see you worried?

Con. Worried, Calandrino?

Cal. Yes, sir. For, bring this sweet face to the court,

There will be such longing among the madams, Who shall ingross it first, nay, fight and scratch for it,

That, if they be not stopped, for entertainment
They'll kiss his lips off. Nay, if you'll scape so,
And not be tempted to a farther danger,
These succuba are so sharp set, that you must
Give out you are an eunuch.

Esteemed a blessing, is to me a curse;
And we, whom, for our high births, they con-
clude

The only free men, are the only slaves.
Happy the golden mean! had I been born
In a poor sordid cottage, not nursed up
With expectation to command a court,
I might, like such of your condition, sweetest,
Have took a safe and middle course, and not,
As I am now, against my choice compelled,
Or to lie grovelling on the earth, or raised
So high upon the pinnacles of state,

That I must either keep my height with danger,
Or fall with certain ruin.

Lyd. Your own goodness

Will be your faithful guard.
Giov. O Lydia!

Con. So passionate?

Giov. For, had I been your equal,

you,

I might have seen and liked with mine own eyes,
And not, as now, with other's; I might still,
And without observation or envy,
As I have done, continued my delights
With that are alone, in my esteem,
The abstract of society: We might walk
In solitary groves, or in choice gardens;
From the variety of curious flowers
Contemplate Nature's workmanship and won-
ders;

And then, for change, near to the murmur of
Some bubbling fountain, I might hear you sing,
And, from the well-tuned accents of your tongue,
In my imagination conceive

With what melodious harmony a quire
Of angels sing, above, their maker's praises.
And then, with chaste discourse, as we returned,
Imp feathers to the broken wings of time;
And all this I must part from!

Con. You forget

The haste imposed upon us.

Giov. One word more,

And, then, I come. And, after this, when with
Continued innocence of love and service,
I had grown ripe for hymeneal joys,
Embracing you, but with a lawful flame,
I might have been your husband!
Lyd. Sir, I was,

And ever am, your servant; but it was,

And 'tis, far from me, in a thought, to cherish Such saucy hopes. If I had been the heir

Security and rest, not trouble to me.
For here you grieve, that my firm resolution
Continues me a widower; and that

My want of issue to succeed me in

My government, when I am dead, may breed
Distraction in the state, and make the name
And family of the Medicis, now admired,
Contemptible.

Hip. And, with strong reasons, sir.
Alph. For, were you old, and past hope to be-
get

Hier. But, being in your height and pride of

The service I should pay.

Acknowledge you their absolute lord.

Coz. You press us

With solid arguments, we grant; and, though
We stand not bound to yield account to any,
Why we do this or that (the full consent
Of our subjects being included in our will),
We, out of our free bounties, will deliver
The motives that divert us. You well know,
That three years since, to our much grief, we
lost

Our dutchess; such a dutchess, that the world,
In her whole course of life, yields not a lady
That can, with imitation, deserve

To be her second. In her grave we buried
All thoughts of women: Let this satisfy
For any second marriage. Now, whereas
You name the heir of Urbin, as a princess
Of great revenues, 'tis confessed she is so :
But for some causes, private to ourself,
We have disposed her otherwise. Yet despair
not;

For you, ere long, with joy, shall understand,
That, in our princely care, we have provided
One worthy to succeed us.

Hip. We submit,

And hold the counsels of great Cozimo
Oraculous.

Enter LODOVICO and SANAZARRO,
Coz. My Sanazarro-Nay,

Forbear all ceremony. You look sprightly, friend, And promise, in your clear aspect, some novel That may delight us.

San. O sir, I would not be

The harbinger of aught that might distaste you.
And, therefore, know (for 'twere a sin to torture
Your highness' expectation) your vice-admiral,
By my directions, bath surprised the gallies
Appointed to transport the Asian tribute
Of the great Turk; a richer prize was never
Brought into Florence.

Coz. Still my nightingale,

That with sweet accents dost assure me, that
My spring of happiness comes fast upon me.
Embrace me boldly. I pronounce that wretch
An enemy to brave and thriving action,
That dares believe, but in a thought, we are
Too prodigal in our favours to this man,
Whose merits, though with him we should divide
Our dukedom, still continue us his debtor.
Hip. Tis far from me.
Alph. We all applaud it.

Coz. Nay, blush not, Sanazarro; we are proud
Of what we build up in thee; nor can our
Election be disparaged, since we have not
Received into our bosom and our grace
A glorious lazy drone, grown fat with feeding
On other's toil, but an industrious bee,
That crops the sweet flowers of our enemies,
And every happy evening returns
Loaden with wax and honey to our hive.

San. My best endeavours never can discharge

Coz. Thou art too modest;

But we will study how to give, and when,

Enter GIOVANNI and CONTARINO.
Giovanni!

Before it be demanded.

My nephew! Let me eye thee better, boy.
In thee, methinks, my sister lives again:
For her love I will be a father to thee,
For thou art my adopted son.

Giov. Your servant,
And humblest subject.

Coz. Thy hard travel, nephew,
Requires soft rest; and, therefore, we forbear,
For the present, an account how thou hast spent
Thy absent hours. See, signiors, see, our care,
Without a second bed, provides you of

A hopeful prince! Carry him to his lodgings,
And, for his farther honour, Sanazarro,
With the rest, do you attend him.

Giov. All true pleasures
Circle your highness.

San. As the rising sun, We do receive you.

Giov. May this never set, But shine upon you ever.

[Exeunt GIOVANNI, SANAZARRO, HierqNIMO, ALPHONSO, LODOVICO.

Coz. Contarino!

Con. My gracious lord.

Coz. What entertainment found you From Carolo de Charamonte?

Coz. She is delivered,

And feelingly, to us by Contarino,

For a master-piece in nature. I would have you
Ride suddenly thither, to behold this wonder:
But not as sent by us, that's our first caution.
The second is, and carefully observe it,
That, though you are a bachelor, and endowed
with

All those perfections that may take a virgin,
On forfeit of our favour, do not tempt her.
It may be her fair graces do concern us.
Pretend what business you think fit, to gain
Access into her father's house, and there
Make full discovery of her, and return me
A true relation. I have some ends in it,
With which we will acquaint you.

San. This is, sir,

An easy task.

heard

We would not be abused. Who have we here? Cal. How the fool stares!

Fio. And looks as if he were

Conning his neck-verse.

Caland. If I now prove perfect

In my A. B. C. of courtship, Calandrino

Is made for ever. I am sent-let me see,

On a how d'ye, as they call it.

Cal. What would'st thou say?

To carry musk-cats.

Fio. Now the ceremony

Is passed, what is the substance? Caland. I'll peruse

My instructions, and then tell you. Her skirt kissed,

Inform her highness, that your lord

Cal. Who's that?

Caland. Prince Giovanni, who entreats your

grace,

That he, with your good favour, may have leave To present his service to you. I think I have nicked it,

For a courtier of the first form.
Fio. To my wonder.

Enter GIOVANNI and a Gentleman.
Return unto the prince. But he prevents
My answer. Calaminta, take him off;
And, for the neat delivery of his message,
Give him ten ducats; such rare parts as yours
Are to be cherished.

Caland. We will share: I know

It is the custom of the court, when ten

Are promised, five is fair. Fie! fie! the prin

cess

Shall never know it, so you dispatch me quickly, And bid me not come to-morrow.

Cal. Very good, sir.

lodgings. Well.

Cal. Art thou an ass?

Caland. Peace! thou art a court wag-tail,

[CALANDRINO still looking on his instruc

tions.

To interrupt me.

Fio. He has given it you.

What he commanded.

Gent. I am proud to be employed, sir. [Exit gentleman. Giov. Madam, that, without warrant, I pre

sume

To 'trench upon your privacies, may argue Rudeness of manners: but the free access

Giov. You continue,

As you were ever, the greatest mistress of
Fair entertainment.

Fio. You are, sir, the master,

And in the country have learnt to out-do

All that in court is practised. But why should wo
Talk at such a distance? You are welcome, sir.
We have been more familiar; and since
You will impose the province you should govern,
Of boldness on me, give me leave to say
You are too punctual. Sit, sir, and discourse
As we were used.

Giov. Your excellence knows so well
How to command, that I can never err
When I obey you.