William Shakespeare - The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

THESEUS.

Never Fortune

Did play a subtler Game: The conquerd triumphes,

The victor has the Losse: yet in the passage

The gods have beene most equall: Palamon,

Your kinseman hath confest the right o’th Lady

Did lye in you, for you first saw her, and

Even then proclaimd your fancie: He restord her

As your stolne Iewell, and desir’d your spirit

To send him hence forgiven; The gods my justice

Take from my hand, and they themselves become

The Executioners: Leade your Lady off;

And call your Lovers from the stage of death,

Whom I adopt my Frinds. A day or two

Let us looke sadly, and give grace unto

The Funerall of Arcite; in whose end

The visages of Bridegroomes weele put on

And smile with Palamon; for whom an houre,

But one houre, since, I was as dearely sorry,

As glad of Arcite: and am now as glad,

As for him sorry. O you heavenly Charmers,

What things you make of us! For what we lacke

We laugh, for what we have, are sorry: still

Are children in some kind. Let us be thankefull

For that which is, and with you leave dispute

That are above our question. Let’s goe off,

And beare us like the time. [Florish. Exeunt.]

EPILOGVE

I would now aske ye how ye like the Play,

But, as it is with Schoole Boyes, cannot say,

I am cruell fearefull: pray, yet stay a while,

And let me looke upon ye: No man smile?

Then it goes hard, I see; He that has

Lov’d a yong hansome wench, then, show his face—

Tis strange if none be heere—and if he will

Against his Conscience, let him hisse, and kill

Our Market: Tis in vaine, I see, to stay yee;

Have at the worst can come, then! Now what say ye?

And yet mistake me not: I am not bold;

We have no such cause. If the tale we have told

(For tis no other) any way content ye

(For to that honest purpose it was ment ye)

We have our end; and ye shall have ere long,

I dare say, many a better, to prolong

Your old loves to us: we, and all our might

Rest at your service. Gentlemen, good night. [Florish.]

THE END

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