William Shakespeare - Ultimate Collection: Complete Plays & Poetry in One Volume. William Shakespeare
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you. What are those? [Exeunt
Queenes.]
HERALD.
Men of great quality, as may be judgd
By their appointment; Sone of Thebs have told’s
They are Sisters children, Nephewes to the King.
THESEUS.
By’th Helme of Mars, I saw them in the war,
Like to a paire of Lions, smeard with prey,
Make lanes in troopes agast. I fixt my note
Constantly on them; for they were a marke
Worth a god’s view: what prisoner was’t that told me
When I enquired their names?
HERALD.
Wi’leave, they’r called Arcite and Palamon.
THESEUS.
Tis right: those, those. They are not dead?
HERALD.
Nor in a state of life: had they bin taken,
When their last hurts were given, twas possible [3. Hearses
ready.]
They might have bin recovered; Yet they breathe
And haue the name of men.
THESEUS.
Then like men use ‘em.
The very lees of such (millions of rates)
Exceede the wine of others: all our Surgions
Convent in their behoofe; our richest balmes
Rather then niggard, waft: their lives concerne us
Much more then Thebs is worth: rather then have ‘em
Freed of this plight, and in their morning state
(Sound and at liberty) I would ‘em dead;
But forty thousand fold we had rather have ‘em
Prisoners to us then death. Beare ‘em speedily
From our kinde aire, to them unkinde, and minister
What man to man may doe—for our sake more,
Since I have knowne frights, fury, friends beheastes,
Loves provocations, zeale, a mistris Taske,
Desire of liberty, a feavour, madnes,
Hath set a marke which nature could not reach too
Without some imposition: sicknes in will
Or wrastling strength in reason. For our Love
And great Appollos mercy, all our best
Their best skill tender. Leade into the Citty,
Where having bound things scatterd, we will post [Florish.]
To Athens for(e) our Army [Exeunt. Musicke.]
Scaena 5. (Another part of the same.) [Enter the Queenes with the Hearses of their Knightes, in a
Funerall Solempnity, &c.]
Vrnes and odours bring away,
Vapours, sighes, darken the day;
Our dole more deadly lookes than dying;
Balmes, and Gummes, and heavy cheeres,
Sacred vials fill’d with teares,
And clamors through the wild ayre flying.
Come all sad and solempne Showes,
That are quick-eyd pleasures foes;
We convent nought else but woes.
We convent, &c.
3. QUEEN.
This funeral path brings to your housholds grave:
Ioy ceaze on you againe: peace sleepe with him.
2. QUEEN.
And this to yours.
1. QUEEN.
Yours this way: Heavens lend
A thousand differing waies to one sure end.
3. QUEEN.
This world’s a Citty full of straying Streetes, And Death’s the market place, where each one meetes. [Exeunt severally.]
Actus Secundus.
Scaena 1. (Athens. A garden, with a prison in the background.)
[Enter Iailor, and Wooer.]
IAILOR.
I may depart with little, while I live; some thing I may cast to you, not much: Alas, the Prison I keepe, though it be for great ones, yet they seldome come; Before one Salmon, you shall take a number of Minnowes. I am given out to be better lyn’d then it can appeare to me report is a true Speaker: I would I were really that I am deliverd to be. Marry, what I have (be it what it will) I will assure upon my daughter at the day of my death.
WOOER.
Sir, I demaund no more then your owne offer, and I will estate
your
Daughter in what I have promised.
IAILOR.
Wel, we will talke more of this, when the solemnity is past. But have you a full promise of her? When that shall be seene, I tender my consent.
[Enter Daughter.]
WOOER.
I have Sir; here shee comes.
IAILOR.
Your Friend and I have chanced to name you here, upon the old busines: But no more of that now; so soone as the Court hurry is over, we will have an end of it: I’th meane time looke tenderly to the two Prisoners. I can tell you they are princes.
DAUGHTER.
These strewings are for their Chamber; tis pitty they are in prison, and twer pitty they should be out: I doe thinke they have patience to make any adversity asham’d; the prison it selfe is proud of ‘em; and they have all the world in their Chamber.
IAILOR.
They are fam’d to be a paire of absolute men.
DAUGHTER.
By my troth, I think Fame but stammers ‘em; they stand a greise above the reach of report.
IAILOR.
I heard them reported in the Battaile to be the only doers.
DAUGHTER.
Nay, most likely, for they are noble suffrers; I mervaile how they would have lookd had they beene Victors, that with such a constant Nobility enforce a freedome out of Bondage, making misery their Mirth, and affliction a toy to jest at.
IAILOR.
Doe they so?
DAUGHTER.
It seemes to me they have no more sence of their Captivity, then I of ruling Athens: they eate well, looke merrily, discourse of many things, but nothing of their owne restraint, and disasters: yet sometime a devided sigh, martyrd as ‘twer i’th deliverance, will breake from one of them; when the other presently gives it so sweete a rebuke, that I could wish my selfe a Sigh to be so chid, or at least a Sigher to be comforted.
WOOER.
I never saw ‘em.
IAILOR.
The Duke himselfe came privately in the night,
[Enter Palamon, and Arcite, above.]
and so did they: what the reason of it is, I know not: Looke, yonder they are! that’s Arcite lookes out.
DAUGHTER.