William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Hipolita the Bride, lead by Pirithous, and another holding a

Garland over her head (her Tresses likewise hanging.) After

her Emilia holding up her Traine. (Artesius and Attendants.)]

The Song, [Musike.]

Roses their sharpe spines being gon,

Not royall in their smels alone,

But in their hew.

Maiden Pinckes, of odour faint,

Dazies smel-lesse, yet most quaint

And sweet Time true.

Primrose first borne child of Ver,

Merry Spring times Herbinger,

With her bels dimme.

Oxlips, in their Cradles growing,

Mary-golds, on death beds blowing,

Larkes-heeles trymme.

All deere natures children sweete,

Ly fore Bride and Bridegroomes feete, [Strew Flowers.]

Blessing their sence.

Not an angle of the aire,

Bird melodious, or bird faire,

Is absent hence.

The Crow, the slaundrous Cuckoe, nor

The boding Raven, nor Chough hore

Nor chattring Pie,

May on our Bridehouse pearch or sing,

Or with them any discord bring,

But from it fly.

[Enter 3. Queenes in Blacke, with vailes staind, with imperiall

Crownes. The 1. Queene fals downe at the foote of Theseus; The

2. fals downe at the foote of Hypolita. The 3. before Emilia.]

1. QUEEN.

For pitties sake and true gentilities,

Heare, and respect me.

2. QUEEN.

For your Mothers sake,

And as you wish your womb may thrive with faire ones,

Heare and respect me.

3. QUEEN

Now for the love of him whom Iove hath markd

The honour of your Bed, and for the sake

Of cleere virginity, be Advocate

For us, and our distresses. This good deede

Shall raze you out o’th Booke of Trespasses

All you are set downe there.

THESEUS.

Sad Lady, rise.

HIPPOLITA.

Stand up.

EMILIA.

No knees to me.

What woman I may steed that is distrest,

Does bind me to her.

THESEUS.

What’s your request? Deliver you for all.

1. QUEEN.

We are 3. Queenes, whose Soveraignes fel before

The wrath of cruell Creon; who endured

The Beakes of Ravens, Tallents of the Kights,

And pecks of Crowes, in the fowle feilds of Thebs.

He will not suffer us to burne their bones,

To urne their ashes, nor to take th’ offence

Of mortall loathsomenes from the blest eye

Of holy Phoebus, but infects the windes

With stench of our slaine Lords. O pitty, Duke:

Thou purger of the earth, draw thy feard Sword

That does good turnes to’th world; give us the Bones

Of our dead Kings, that we may Chappell them;

And of thy boundles goodnes take some note

That for our crowned heades we have no roofe,

Save this which is the Lyons, and the Beares,

And vault to every thing.

THESEUS.

Pray you, kneele not:

I was transported with your Speech, and suffer’d

Your knees to wrong themselves; I have heard the fortunes

Of your dead Lords, which gives me such lamenting

As wakes my vengeance, and revenge for’em,

King Capaneus was your Lord: the day

That he should marry you, at such a season,

As now it is with me, I met your Groome,

By Marsis Altar; you were that time faire,

Not Iunos Mantle fairer then your Tresses,

Nor in more bounty spread her. Your wheaten wreathe

Was then nor threashd, nor blasted; Fortune at you

Dimpled her Cheeke with smiles: Hercules our kinesman

(Then weaker than your eies) laide by his Club,

He tumbled downe upon his Nemean hide

And swore his sinews thawd: O greife, and time,

Fearefull consumers, you will all devoure.

1. QUEEN.

O, I hope some God,

Some God hath put his mercy in your manhood

Whereto heel infuse powre, and presse you forth

Our undertaker.

THESEUS.

O no knees, none, Widdow,

Vnto the Helmeted Belona use them,

And pray for me your Souldier.

Troubled I am. [turnes away.]

2. QUEEN.

Honoured Hypolita,

Most dreaded Amazonian, that hast slaine

The Sith-tuskd Bore; that with thy Arme as strong

As it is white, wast neere to make the male

To thy Sex captive, but that this thy Lord,

Borne to uphold Creation in that honour

First nature stilde it in, shrunke thee into

The bownd thou wast ore-flowing, at once subduing

Thy force, and thy affection: Soldiresse

That equally canst poize sternenes with pitty,

Whom now I know hast much more power on him

Then ever he had on thee, who ow’st his strength

And his Love too, who is a Servant for

The Tenour of thy Speech: Deere Glasse of Ladies,

Bid him that we, whom flaming war doth scortch,

Vnder the shaddow of his Sword may coole us:

Require him he advance it ore our heades;

Speak’t in a womans key: like such a woman

As any of us three; weepe ere you faile;

Lend us a knee;

But touch the ground for us no longer time

Then a Doves motion, when the head’s pluckt off:

Tell him if he i’th blood cizd field lay swolne,

Showing the Sun his Teeth, grinning at the Moone,

What you would doe.

HIPPOLITA.

Poore Lady, say no more:

I had as leife trace this good action with you

As that whereto I am going, and never yet

Went I so willing way. My Lord is taken

Hart deepe with your distresse: Let him consider:

Ile speake anon.

3. QUEEN.

O my petition was [kneele to Emilia.]

Set downe in yce, which by hot greefe uncandied

Melts into drops, so sorrow, wanting forme,

Is prest with deeper matter.

EMILIA.

Pray stand up,

Your greefe is written in your cheeke.

3. QUEEN.

O woe,

You cannot reade it there, there through my teares—

Like wrinckled peobles in a glassie streame

You may behold ‘em. Lady, Lady, alacke,

He that will all the Treasure know o’th earth

Must know the Center too; he that will fish

For my least minnow, let him lead his line

To catch one at my heart. O pardon me:

Extremity, that sharpens sundry wits,

Makes me a Foole.

EMILIA.

Pray you say nothing, pray you:

Who cannot feele nor see the raine, being in’t,

Knowes neither wet nor dry: if that you were

The ground-peece of some Painter, I would buy you

T’instruct me gainst a Capitall greefe indeed—

Such heart peirc’d demonstration; but, alas,

Being a naturall Sifter of our Sex

Your sorrow beates so ardently upon me,

That it shall make a counter reflect gainst

My Brothers heart, and warme it to some pitty,

Though it were made of stone: pray, have good comfort.

THESEUS.

Forward to’th Temple, leave not out a Iot

O’th sacred Ceremony.

1. QUEEN.

O, This Celebration

Will long last, and be more costly then

Your Suppliants war: Remember that your Fame

Knowles in the eare o’th world: what you doe quickly

Is not done rashly; your first thought is more

Then others laboured meditance: your premeditating

More then their actions: But, oh Iove! your actions,

Soone as they mooves, as Asprayes doe the fish,

Subdue before they touch: thinke, deere Duke, thinke

What beds our slaine Kings have.

2. QUEEN.

What greifes our beds,

That our deere Lords have none.

3. QUEEN.

None fit for ‘th dead:

Those that with Cordes, Knives, drams precipitance,

Weary of this worlds light, have to themselves

Beene deathes most horrid Agents, humaine grace

Affords them dust and shaddow.

1. QUEEN.

But our Lords

Ly blistring fore the visitating Sunne,

And were good Kings, when living.

THESEUS.

It is true, and I will give you comfort,