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Iolas. True; but the King, Sifter!

Toli. But Love, Brother!

Iolas. Thou fay'ft well; 'tis fine, 'tis wondrous fine. Diana's Grove

Ioli. Yes, Diana's Grove.

But, Brother, if you fhou'd fpeak of this now.

Tolas. Why, thou know'ft a drowning Man holds not a thing fo faft.

Enter Semanthe, fhe fees Iolas, and

Semanthe! fhe fhuns me too.

Ioli. The Wound feftred fure!

The Hurt the Boy gave her, when first

goes in again.

She look'd abroad into the World, is not yet cur'd.
Iolas. What Hurt?

Ioli. Why, know you not

She was in Love long fince with young Zorannes,
(Aglaura's Brother) and the now Queen's betroth'd?
Iolas. Some fuch flight Tale I've heard.

Ioli. Slight! She yet does weep, when the but hears him nam'd,

And tells the prettieft, and the faddeft Stories

Of all thofe civil Wars, and thofe Amours,
That, trust me, both my Lady and my felf

Turn weeping Statues ftill.

Iolas. Pith, 'tis not that.

'Tis Ziriff, and his fresh Glories here

Have rob'd me of her.

Since he thus appear'd in Court,

My Love has langifh'd worse than Plants in Drought.
But Time's a good Phyfician. Come, let's in:

The King and Queen by this time are come forth.

[Exeunt.

Enter Servingmen to Ziriff. 1 Serv. Yonder's a Crowd without, as if fome ftrange Sight were to be feen to Day here.

2 Serv. Two or three, with Carbonadoes afore inftead of Faces, miftook the Door for a Breach; and at the opening of it, are ftriving ftill which fhou'd enter first.

3. Serv.

3 Serv. Is my Lord bufie?

Enter Ziriff as in his Study.

[Knocks.

1. Serv. My Lord, there are fome Soldiers without Zir. Well! I will dispatch them presently.

2 Serv. Th' Ambaffadors from the Cadufians too— Zir, Shew them the Gallery.

3 Serv. One from the KingZir. Again; I come, I come.

Ziriff folus.

[Exeunt Servingmen.

Greatness, thou vainer Shadow of the Princes Beams,
Begot by mere Reflection, nourish'd in Extreams;
First taught to creep, and live upon the Glance,
Poorly to fare, 'till thine own proper Strength
Bring thee to furfeit of thy self at last.

How dull a Pageant wou'd this States-Play feem
To me now, were not my Love and my Revenge
Mix'd with it?.

Three tedious Winters have I waited here,
Like patient Chymifts blowing ftill the Coals,
And ftill expecting when the bleffed Hour
Wou'd come fhou'd make me Master of
The Court Elixir, Power, for that turns all:
'Tis in Projection now; down, Sorrow, down,

And fwell my Heart no more; and thou wrong'd Ghoft
Of my dead Father, to thy Bed again,

And fleep fecurely;

It cannot now be long, for fure Fate muft,

As't has been cruel, fa a while be just.

[Exit.

Enter King and Lords, the Lords entreating for Prifoners.

King. I fay they fhall not live; our Mercy

Wou'd turn Sin, fhou'd we but use it e'er;

Pity and Love the Boffes only be

Of Government, meerly for Show and Ornament;
Fear is the Bit that Man's proud Will reftrains,
And makes its Vice its Virtue

See it done.

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Enter to them the Queen, Aglaura, and Ladies: The King addreffes bimfelf to Aglaura.

So early, and fo curious in your Dress, Fair Mistress?
These pretty Ambushes and Traps for Hearts,
Set with fuch Care to Day, look like Defign:
Speak, Lady, is't a Maffacre refolv'd?

Is conquering one by one grown tedious Sport?
Or is the number of the taken fuch,

That for your Safety you must kill out-right?

Agl. Did none do greater Mischief, Sir, than I,
Heav'n would not much be troubled with fad Story,
Nor would the quarrel Man has to the Stars
Be kept alive fo strongly.

King. When he does leav't
Woman must take it up, and juftly too,

For robbing of the Sex, and giving all to you.

Agl. Their Weakneffes you mean, and I confess, Sir. King. The greatest Subjects of their Power or Glory. Such gentle Rape thou act'ft upon my Soul,

And with fuch pleafing Violence doft force it ftill,
That when it fhou'd refift, it tamely yields,
Making a kind of hafte to be undone,

As if the way to Victory were loss,
And Conqueft came by Overthrow.

Enter an Express delivering a Packet upon his Knee.
The King reads.

Qu. Pretty!

[Looking upon a Flower in one of the Lady's Heads. Is it the Child of Nature, or of fome fair Hand? La. 'Tis as the Beauty, Madam, of some Faces: Art's iffue only.

King. Therfames,

This concerns you moft; brought you her Picture?
Exp. Something made up for her in hafte I have.

[Prefents the Picture. King. If he does owe no part of this fair Dower Unto the Painter, fhe is rich enough.

Agl.

Agl. A kind of merry Sadness in this Face Becomes it much.

King. There is indeed, Aglaura,

A pretty Sullenness dress'd up in Smiles,
That fays this Beauty can both kill and fave.
How like you her, Therfames?

Ther. As well as any Man can do a House
By seeing of the Portal; here's but a Face,
And Faces, Sir, are things I have not studied;
I have my Duty, and may boldly fwear,
What you like beft will ever please me most.
King. Spoke like Therfames, and my Son.
Come! the Day holds fair,

Let all the Huntsmen meet us in the Vale,
We will uncouple there.

Ariafpes ftays behind.

Ari. How odd a thing a Crowd is unto me! Sure Nature intended I thou'd be alone;

Had not that old doting Man-Midwife Time

[Exeunt.

Slept, when he shou'd have brought me forth, I had

Been fo too

[Studies and Scratches his Head.

To be Born near, and only near a Crown

Enter Iolas.

Iolas. How now my Lord?

What? walking o'th' tops of Pyramids?

Whispering your felf away

Like a deny'd Lover? Come! to Horfe, to Horse,
And I will fhew you ftreight a Sight will please you,
More than kind Looks from her you dote upon

After a falling out.

Ari. Prethee what is't?

Iolas. I'll tell you as I go.

Enter Huntfmen bollowing and whooping.

Hunt Which Way? which Way?

Enter Therfames, and Aglaura muffled.

[Exeunt.

Ther. This is the Grove, 'tis fomewhere here within.

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Enter, dogging of them, Ariafpes and Iolas. Iolas. Gently! gently!

Enter Orfames, Philan, a Huntsman, and two Courtiers. Huntf. No hurt, my Lord, I hope?

Orfa. None, none,

Thou wou'dft have warranted it to another,

If I had broke my Neck:

What? doft think my Horse and I fhew Tricks?

That which way foever he throws me,

Like a Tumbler's Boy, I muft fall safe?

Was there a Bed of Rofes there? would I were Eunuch if I had not as lief h'a fallen in the State, as where I did; the Ground was as hard, as if it had been pav'd with Platonick Ladies Hearts, and this unconscionable Fellow asks whether I have no hurt. Where's my Horfe?

1 Court. Making Love to the next Mare, I think. 2 Court. Not the next I affure you,

He's gallop't away, as if all the Spurs i' th' Field

Were in his Sides.

Orfa. Why there's it: the Jade's in the Fashion too. Now h'as done me an Injury, he will not come near me, Well, when I hunt next, may it be upon a ftarv'd Cow, Without a Saddle too.

And may I fall into a Saw-pit, and not be taken up, but with fufpicion of having been private with my own Beast there. Now I better confider on't too Gentlemen, 'tis but the fame thing we do at Court; here's every Man ftriving who fhall be foremost, and hotly pursuing of what he feldom overtakes, or if he does, it's no great matter.

Phi. He that's beft hors'd, that is, beft friended, gets in fooneft; and then all he has to do is to laugh at those that are behind. Shall we help you, my Lord?

Orfa. Prithee do

stay!

To be in view, is to be in favour,

Is it not?

Phi. Right.

And he that has a strong Fashion against him, hunts upon a cold Scent, and may in time come to a lofs.

Orfa.

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