Our armes againe, and feele our fyry horses

Like proud seas under us! Our good swords now,—
Better the red-eyd god of war nev'r [wore]—
[Ravishd] our fides, like age, must run to rust,
And decke the temples of thofe gods that hate us;
Thefe hands fhall never draw 'em out like lightning,
To blaft whole armies, more!

No, Palamon,

Arc.
Thofe hopes are prifoners with us: here we are,
And here the graces of our youthes muft wither,
Like a too-timely spring; here age must finde us,
And, which is heavieft, Palamon, unmarried;
The sweete embraces of a loving wife,
Loden with kiffes, armd with thousand cupids,
Shall never clafpe our neckes; no iffue know us,
No figures of our felves fhall we e'er see,
To glad our age, and like young eagles teach 'em
Boldly to gaze against bright armes, and say

Remember what your fathers were, and conquer!'
The faire-eyd maides fhall weepe our banishments,
And in their fongs curfe ever-blinded fortune,
Till thee for shame see what a wrong she has done
To youth and nature: this is all our world;
We shall know nothing here but one another;
Heare nothing but the clocke that tels our woes;
The vine fhall grow, but we shall never see it;
Sommer fhall come, and with her all delights,
But dead-cold winter muft inhabite here ftill.

[II. 2]

20

24

28

32

36

40

44

Pal. 'Tis too true, Arcite. To our Theban houndes,

That shooke the aged forreft with their ecchoes,
No more now must we halloa; no more shake
Our pointed javelyns, whilft the angry fwine
Flyes like a Parthian quiver from our rages,
Strucke with our well-fteeld darts: all valiant uses-

21. wore] S. sqq. K.('41). O.Edd. were D. K.('67) ware

22. Ravish'd S. sqq. Q. Bravishd F.

T. Ty. Bravish'd

48

51. Strucke] Q. F. T. S. C. W. K.('41) Ty. Struck Heath, D. K.('67) Stuck

[II. 2] The foode and nourishment of noble mindes―
In us two here fhall perish; we shall die-
Which is the curfe of honour-lastly,

Children of greife and ignorance.

Arc.

Yet, cofen,
56 Even from the bottom of these miseries,
From all that fortune can inflict upon us,

I fee two comforts ryfing, two meere bleffings,
If the gods pleafe, to hold here a brave patience,
60 And the enjoying of our greefes together.
Whilft Palamon is with me, let me perish
If I thinke this our prison!

'Tis a maine goodnes, cofen, that our fortunes
64 Were twynn'd together: 'tis moft true, two foules
Put in two noble bodies, let 'em suffer

The gaule of hazard, fo they grow together,

Will never fincke; they must not, fay they could:
68 A willing man dies fleeping, and all's done.

Arc. Shall we make worthy ufes of this place,
That all men hate fo much?

Pal.

How, gentle cofen?
Arc. Let's thinke this prifon holy fanctuary,

72 To keepe us from corruption of worse men:
We 're young, and yet defire the waies of honour;

That, liberty and common conversation,

The poyfon of pure fpirits, might, like women,

76 Wooe us to wander from. What worthy bleffing
Can be, but our imaginations

May make it ours? And heere being thus together,
We are an endles mine to one another;

80 We are one another's wife, ever begetting

54. lastly] O.Edd. etc. S. C. (Ingleby,

L., quer.) lazily

59. please, to hold here a
(Sk. conj.) F. T. please
S. please to hold here, a

brave] Q. Ty.
to hold here
C. W. please

to hold here; a brave D. K. Sk. please

to hold here,- -a brave

64. twynn'd] L.

Q. twyn'd F. T. D.

K.('67) Sk. twin'd S. C. K.('41) twinn'd
W. Ty. twined

New birthes of love; we are father, friends, acquaintance;

[II. 2]

We are, in one another, families,

I am your heire, and you are mine: this place

Is our inheritance; no hard oppreffour

84

Dare take this from us: here, with a little patience,

We fhall live long, and loving; no furfeits feeke us;

The hand of war hurts none here, nor the seas
Swallow their youth. Were we at liberty,
A wife might part us lawfully, or bufines;
Quarrels confume us; envy of ill men
Crave our acquaintance; I might ficken, cofen,
Where you should never know it, and so perish
Without your noble hand to close mine eies,
Or praiers to the gods; a thousand chaunces,
Were we from hence, would feaver us.

Pal.

You've made me

I thanke you, cofen Arcite-almost wanton
With my captivity: what a mifery

It is to live abroade, and every where!

'Tis like a beaft, me thinkes: I finde the court here, I am fure, a more content; and all those pleasures That wooe the wils of men to vanity

I fee through now; and am fufficient

To tell the world, 'tis but a gaudy fhaddow,
That old time, as he paffes by, takes with him.
What had we bin, old in the court of Creon,
Where fin is justice, luft and ignorance
The vertues of the great ones? Cofen Arcite,
Had not the loving gods found this place for us,
We had died as they doe, ill old men, unwept,
And had their epitaphes, the people's curses.
Shall I fay more?

88

92

96

100

104

108

91. Crave] O.Edd. C. W. K.('41) Ty. S. Reave Th. conj. Craze Sy. conj. Carve

Heath, Raze Mason, Cleave D. K.('67)
Sk. Grave

[II. 2] Is there record of any two that lov'd

Better then we doe, Arcite?

Arc.

Sure there cannot.

Pal. I doe not thinke it poffible our friendship
Should ever leave us.

Arc.

Till our deathes it cannot;

[Enter Emilia and her Woman [below].

116 And after death our fpirits fhall be led

120

To thofe that love eternally. Speake on, fir.

[Emil.] This garden has a world of pleasures in't.

What flowre is this?

Wom.

'Tis calld Narciffus, madam.
Emil. That was a faire boy certaine, but a foole
To love himfelfe: were there not maides enough?
Arc. Pray forward.

Pal.

Emil.

Yes.

Or were they all hard hearted?
Wom. They could not be to one so faire.
Emil.

Thou wouldst not.

124

Wom. I thinke I fhould not, madam.
Emil.

That's a good wench:

Why, madam?

128

132

But take heede to your kindnes though!
Wom.

Emil. Men are mad things.
Arc.

Will ye goe forward, cofen?

Emil. Canft not thou worke fuch flowers in filke, wench?

Arc. Cofen, Cofen! how doe you, Sir? Why, Palamon!

Pal. Never till now I was in prison, Arcite.

Arc. Why, what's the matter, man?

Pal.

Behold, and wonder!

118. Emi. This garden] S. sqq. O.Edd. Ty. give this as part of Arcite's speech.

Emil. It is the very embleme of a maide:

For when the weft wind courts her gently

How modeftly fhe blowes, and paints the fun

With her chafte blushes! When the north comes neere her, 140

Rude and impatient, then, like chastity,

Shee lockes her beauties in her bud againe,

And leaves him to base briers.

Arc. She is wondrous faire !
Pal.

She is all the beauty extant!
Emil. The fun grows high; lets walk in. Keep these flowers.
Wee'le fee how neere art can come neere their colours.

I am wondrous merry-hearted; I could laugh now.
Wom. I could lie downe, I am fure.
Emil.

148

152

And take one with you?

Pal. Might not a man well lose himselfe, and love her?

156

138. gently] O. Edd. etc. S. Farmer, gentily Th. conj. her Beauties gently