William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

To give your dead Lords graves: the which to doe,

Must make some worke with Creon.

1. QUEEN.

And that worke presents it selfe to’th doing:

Now twill take forme, the heates are gone to morrow.

Then, booteles toyle must recompence it selfe

With it’s owne sweat; Now he’s secure,

Not dreames we stand before your puissance

Wrinching our holy begging in our eyes

To make petition cleere.

2. QUEEN.

Now you may take him, drunke with his victory.

3. QUEEN.

And his Army full of Bread, and sloth.

THESEUS.

Artesius, that best knowest

How to draw out fit to this enterprise

The prim’st for this proceeding, and the number

To carry such a businesse, forth and levy

Our worthiest Instruments, whilst we despatch

This grand act of our life, this daring deede

Of Fate in wedlocke.

1. QUEEN.

Dowagers, take hands;

Let us be Widdowes to our woes: delay

Commends us to a famishing hope.

ALL.

Farewell.

2. QUEEN.

We come unseasonably: But when could greefe

Cull forth, as unpanged judgement can, fit’st time

For best solicitation.

THESEUS.

Why, good Ladies,

This is a service, whereto I am going,

Greater then any was; it more imports me

Then all the actions that I have foregone,

Or futurely can cope.

1. QUEEN.

The more proclaiming

Our suit shall be neglected: when her Armes

Able to locke Iove from a Synod, shall

By warranting Moone-light corslet thee, oh, when

Her twyning Cherries shall their sweetnes fall

Vpon thy tastefull lips, what wilt thou thinke

Of rotten Kings or blubberd Queenes, what care

For what thou feelst not? what thou feelst being able

To make Mars spurne his Drom. O, if thou couch

But one night with her, every howre in’t will

Take hostage of thee for a hundred, and

Thou shalt remember nothing more then what

That Banket bids thee too.

HIPPOLITA.

Though much unlike [Kneeling.]

You should be so transported, as much sorry

I should be such a Suitour; yet I thinke,

Did I not by th’abstayning of my joy,

Which breeds a deeper longing, cure their surfeit

That craves a present medcine, I should plucke

All Ladies scandall on me. Therefore, Sir,

As I shall here make tryall of my prayres,

Either presuming them to have some force,

Or sentencing for ay their vigour dombe:

Prorogue this busines we are going about, and hang

Your Sheild afore your Heart, about that necke

Which is my ffee, and which I freely lend

To doe these poore Queenes service.

ALL QUEENS.

Oh helpe now,

Our Cause cries for your knee.

EMILIA.

If you grant not [Kneeling.]

My Sister her petition in that force,

With that Celerity and nature, which

Shee makes it in, from henceforth ile not dare

To aske you any thing, nor be so hardy

Ever to take a Husband.

THESEUS.

Pray stand up.

I am entreating of my selfe to doe

That which you kneele to have me. Pyrithous,

Leade on the Bride; get you and pray the Gods

For successe, and returne; omit not any thing

In the pretended Celebration. Queenes,

Follow your Soldier. As before, hence you [to Artesius]

And at the banckes of Aulis meete us with

The forces you can raise, where we shall finde

The moytie of a number, for a busines

More bigger look’t. Since that our Theame is haste,

I stamp this kisse upon thy currant lippe;

Sweete, keepe it as my Token. Set you forward,

For I will see you gone. [Exeunt towards the Temple.]

Farewell, my beauteous Sister: Pyrithous,

Keepe the feast full, bate not an howre on’t.

PERITHOUS.

Sir,

Ile follow you at heeles; The Feasts solempnity

Shall want till your returne.

THESEUS.

Cosen, I charge you

Boudge not from Athens; We shall be returning

Ere you can end this Feast, of which, I pray you,

Make no abatement; once more, farewell all.

1. QUEEN.

Thus do’st thou still make good the tongue o’th world.

2. QUEEN.

And earnst a Deity equal with Mars.

3. QUEEN.

If not above him, for

Thou being but mortall makest affections bend

To Godlike honours; they themselves, some say,

Grone under such a Mastry.

THESEUS.

As we are men,

Thus should we doe; being sensually subdude,

We loose our humane tytle. Good cheere, Ladies. [Florish.]

Now turne we towards your Comforts. [Exeunt.]

Scaena 2. (Thebs).

[Enter Palamon, and Arcite.]

ARCITE.

Deere Palamon, deerer in love then Blood

And our prime Cosen, yet unhardned in

The Crimes of nature; Let us leave the Citty

Thebs, and the temptings in’t, before we further

Sully our glosse of youth:

And here to keepe in abstinence we shame

As in Incontinence; for not to swim

I’th aide o’th Current were almost to sincke,

At least to frustrate striving, and to follow

The common Streame, twold bring us to an Edy

Where we should turne or drowne; if labour through,

Our gaine but life, and weakenes.

PALAMON.

Your advice

Is cride up with example: what strange ruins

Since first we went to Schoole, may we perceive

Walking in Thebs? Skars, and bare weedes

The gaine o’th Martialist, who did propound

To his bold ends honour, and golden Ingots,

Which though he won, he had not, and now flurted

By peace for whom he fought: who then shall offer

To Marsis so scornd Altar? I doe bleede

When such I meete, and wish great Iuno would

Resume her ancient fit of Ielouzie

To get the Soldier worke, that peace might purge

For her repletion, and retaine anew

Her charitable heart now hard, and harsher

Then strife or war could be.

ARCITE.

Are you not out?

Meete you no ruine but the Soldier in

The Cranckes and turnes of Thebs? you did begin

As if you met decaies of many kindes:

Perceive you none, that doe arowse your pitty

But th’un-considerd Soldier?

PALAMON.

Yes, I pitty

Decaies where ere I finde them, but such most

That, sweating in an honourable Toyle,

Are paide with yce to coole ‘em.

ARCITE.

Tis not this

I did begin to speake of: This is vertue

Of no respect in Thebs; I spake of Thebs

How dangerous if we will keepe our Honours,

It is for our resyding, where every evill

Hath a good cullor; where eve’ry seeming good’s

A certaine evill, where not to be ev’n Iumpe

As they are, here were to be strangers, and

Such things to be, meere Monsters.

PALAMON.

Tis in our power,

(Vnlesse we feare that Apes can Tutor’s) to

Be Masters of our manners: what neede I

Affect anothers gate, which is not catching

Where there is faith, or to be fond upon

Anothers way of speech, when by mine owne

I may be reasonably conceiv’d; sav’d too,

Speaking it truly? why am I bound

By any generous bond to follow him

Followes his Taylor, haply so long untill

The follow’d make pursuit? or let me know,

Why mine owne Barber is unblest, with him

My poore Chinne too, for tis not Cizard iust

To such a Favorites glasse: What Cannon is there

That does command my Rapier from my hip

To dangle’t in my hand, or to go tip toe

Before the streete be foule? Either I am

The forehorse in the Teame, or I am none

That draw i’th sequent trace: these poore sleight sores

Neede not a plantin; That which rips my bosome

Almost to’th heart’s—