SCENE III.
A Temple.

An Altar, covered with white; two lights of virgin war upon it.-Recorders, during which enter Attendants, bearing ITHOCLES on a Hearse, in a rich robe, with a Crown on his head; and place him on the one side of the Altar. After which, enter CALANTHA in white, crowned, attended by EUPHRANEA, PHILEMA, and CHRISTALLA, also in white; NEARCHUS, ARMOSTES, CROTOLON, PROPHILUS, AMELUS, BASSANES, HEMOPHIL, and GRONEAS.

CALANTHA kneels before the Altar, the Ladies kneeling behind her, the rest stand off. The Recorders cease during her devotions. Soft Music. CALANTHA and the rest rise, doing obeisance to the Altar. Cal. Our orisons are heard; the gods are merciful.

Now tell me, you, whose loyalties pay tribute
To us your lawful sovereign, how unskilful
Your duties, or obedience is, to render.
Subjection to the sceptre of a virgin,
Who have been ever fortunate in princes
Of masculine and stirring composition?
A woman has enough to govern wisely
Her own demeanors, passions, and divisions.
A nation warlike, and enured to practice
Of policy and labour, cannot brook
A feminate authority; we therefore

Command your counsel, how you may advise us
In choosing of a husband, whose abilities
Can better guide this kingdom.

Near. Royal lady,

Your law is in your will.

Arm. We have seen tokens

Of constancy too lately, to mistrust it.

Crot. Yet, if your highness settle on a choice, By your own judgment both allow'd and liked of, Sparta may grow in power, and proceed To an increasing height.

Cal. Hold you the same mind?

Bass. Alas, great mistress! reason is so clouded
With the thick darkness of my infinite woes,
That I forecast nor dangers, hopes, or safety.
Give me some corner of the world to wear out
The remnant of the minutes I must number,
Where I may hear no sounds, but sad complaints
Of virgins, who have lost contracted partners;
Of husbands howling that their wives were ra-
vish'd

By some untimely fate; of friends divided
By churlish opposition; or of fathers

Weeping upon their children's slaughter'd car

casses;

Or daughters, groaning o'er their fathers' hearses, And I can dwell there, and with these keep con

sort

As musical as their's. What can you look for
From an old, foolish, peevish, doting man,
But craziness of age?

Cal. Cousin of Argos.

Near. Madam.

Cal. Were I presently

To choose you for my lord, I'll open freely
What articles I would propose to treat on,
Before our marriage.

Near. Name them, virtuous lady.

Cal. I would presume you would retain the royalty

Of Sparta in her own bounds; then in Argos
Armostes might be viceroy; in Messene
Might Crotolon bear sway; and Bassanes—
Bass. I, queen? alas! what I?

Cal. Be Sparta's marshal ;

The multitudes of high employments could not But set a peace to private griefs. These gentle

men,

Groneas and Hemophil, with worthy pensions,
Should wait upon your person, in your chamber:
I would bestow Christalla on Amelus,

She'll prove a constant wife; and Philema
Should into Vesta's temple.

Bass. This is a testament!

It sounds not like conditions on a marriage.
Near. All this should be perform'd.
Cal. Lastly, for Prophilus ;

He should be, cousin, solemnly invested
In all those honours, titles, and preferments
Which his dear friend, and my neglected husband,
Too short a time enjoy'd.

Pro. I am unworthy.

To live in your remembrance.

Euph. Excellent lady!

lected husband ?".

Of

Near. Madam, what means that word, "

neg

Cal. Forgive me :-now I turn to thee, thou

shadow

my contracted lord! Bear witness all, I put my mother's wedding-ring upon His finger; "'twas my father's last bequest.

[Places a ring on the finger of ITHOCLES. . Thus I new-marry him, whose wife I am; Death shall not separate us. Oh, my lords, I but deceiv'd your eyes with antick gesture, When one news straight came huddling on another, Of death! and death! and death! still I danced

forward;

But it struck home, and here, and in an instant. Be such mere women, who, with shrieks and out

cries,

Can vow a present end to all their sorrows,

Yet live to [court] new pleasures, and outlive them:"

They are the silent griefs which cut the heartstrings;

Let me die smiling.

Near. "Tis a truth too ominous.

Yet live to [court] new pleasures, &c.] For court, which I have ventured to introduce, the old copy reads vow; evidently an erroneous repetition of the word which occurs in the verse immediately above it.

Cal. One kiss on these cold lips, my last!—

(kisses ITH.)-crack, crack—

Argos now 's Sparta's king. Command the voices Which wait at th' altar, now to sing the song

I fitted for my end.

Near. Sirs, the song!

Cho.

DIRGE.

Glories, pleasures, pomps, delights and

ease,

Can but please

[The] outward senses, when the mind
Is [or] untroubled,' or by peace refined.

First voice. Crowns may flourish and decay,
Beauties shine, but fade away.

Second.

Youth may revel, yet it must

Lie down in a bed of dust.

This fine dirge has sustained some injury from the press. The old copy shews that a word has dropt from the commencement of the third verse, and there is an evident confusion in that which follows it. I can only reduce it to some tolerable meaning by reading or before untroubled, instead of not. There are few situations on the stage, so dramatically striking as this, or wrought up with such heart-rending pathos; but it is purchased at the expense of nature and probability, which are wantonly violated in the preparatory scene. No audience of the present day would support a sight so dreadfully fantastic, as the continuance of the Revels, amidst such awful intelligence as reaches Calantha in quick succession. Those of the poet's age, however, had firmer nerves,and they needed them: the caterers for their amusements were mighty in their profession, and cared little how highly the passions of the spectators were wound up by the tremendous exhibitions, to which they accustomed them, as they had ever some powerful stroke of nature or of art at command, to compose or justify them.