Christopher Marlowe - The Tragedy of Dido Queene of Carthage

Venus. Fortune hath fauord thee what ere thou be,
In sending thee vnto this curteous Coast:
A Gods name on and hast thee to the Court,
Where Dido will receiue ye with her smiles:
And for thy ships which thou supposest lost,
Not one of them hath perisht in the storme,
But are ariued safe not farre from hence:
And so I leaue thee to thy fortunes lot,
Wishing good lucke vnto thy wandring steps. Exit .

Æn. Achates , tis my mother that is fled,
I know her by the mouings of her feete:
Stay gentle Venus , flye not from thy sonne,
Too cruell, why wilt thou forsake me thus?
Or in these shades deceiu'st mine eye so oft?
Why talke we not together hand in hand?
And tell our griefes in more familiar termes:
But thou art gone and leau'st me here alone,
To dull the ayre with my discoursiue moane. Exit .

Iar. Why, what are you, or wherefore doe you sewe?

Illio. Wretches of Troy , enuied of the windes,
That craue such fauour at your honors feete,
As poore distressed miserie may pleade:
Saue, saue, O saue our ships from cruell fire,
That doe complaine the wounds of thousand waues,
And spare our liues whom euery spite pursues.
We come not we to wrong your Libian Gods,
Or steale your houshold lares from their shrines:
Our hands are not prepar'd to lawles spoyle,
Nor armed to offend in any kind:
Such force is farre from our vnweaponed thoughts,
Whose fading weale of victorie forsooke,
Forbids all hope to harbour neere our hearts.

Cloan. There is a place Hesperia term'd by vs,
An ancient Empire, famoused for armes,
And fertile in faire Ceres furrowed wealth,
Which now we call Italia of his name,
That in such peace long time did rule the same:
Thither made we,
When suddenly gloomie Orion rose,
And led our ships into the shallow sands,
Whereas the Southerne winde with brackish breath,
Disperst them all amongst the wrackfull Rockes:
From thence a fewe of vs escapt to land,
The rest we feare are foulded in the flouds.

Serg. I but the barbarous sort doe threat our ships,
And will not let vs lodge vpon the sands:
In multitudes they swarme vnto the shoare,
And from the first earth interdict our feete.

Iar. My selfe will see they shall not trouble ye,
Your men and you shall banquet in our Court,
And euery Troian be as welcome here,
As Iupiter to sillie Vausis house:
Come in with me, Ile bring you to my Queene,
Who shall confirme my words with further deedes.

Serg. Thankes gentle Lord for such vnlookt for grace,
Might we but once more see Æneas face,
Then would we hope to quite such friendly turnes,
As shall surpasse the wonder of our speech.

Æn. Where am I now? these should be Carthage walles.

Acha. Why stands my sweete Æneas thus amazde?

Æn. O my Achates , Theban Niobe ,
Who for her sonnes death wept out life and breath,
And drie with griefe was turnd into a stone,
Had not such passions in her head as I.
Me thinkes that towne there should be Troy , yon Idas hill,
There Zanthus streame, because here's Priamus ,
And when I know it is not, then I dye.

Ach. And in this humor is Achates to,
I cannot choose but fall vpon my knees,
And kisse his hand: O where is Hecuba ,
Here she was wont to sit, but sauing ayre
Is nothing here, and what is this but stone?

Æn. O yet this stone doth make Æneas weepe,
And would my prayers (as Pigmalions did)
Could giue it life, that vnder his conduct
We might saile backe to Troy and be reuengde
On these hard harted Grecians; which reioyce
That nothing now is left of Priamus :
O Priamus is left and this is he,
Come, come abourd, pursue the hatefull Greekes.

Acha. What means Æneas ?

Æn. Lords of this towne, or whatsoeuer stile
Belongs vnto your name, vouchsafe of ruth
To tell vs who inhabits this faire towne,
What kind of people, and who gouernes them:
For we are strangers driuen on this shore,
And scarcely know within what Clime we are.

Serg. You are Achates , or I deciu'd.

Acha. Æneas see Sergestus or his ghost.

Illio. He meanes Æneas , let vs kisse his feete.

Cloan. It is our Captaine, see Ascanius .

Serg. Liue long Æneas and Ascanius .

Æn. Achates , speake, for I am ouerioyed.

Acha. O Illioneus , art thou yet aliue?

Illio. Blest be the time I see Achates face.

Cloan. Why turnes Æneas from his trustie friends?

Æn. Sergestus , Illioneus and the rest,
Your sight amazde me, O what destinies
Haue brought my sweete companions in such plight?
O tell me, for I long to be resolu'd.

Illio. Louely Æneas , these are Carthage walles,
And here Queene Dido weares th'imperiall Crowne,
Who for Troyes sake hath entertaind vs all,
And clad vs in these wealthie robes we weare.
Oft hath she askt vs vnder whom we seru'd,
And when we told her she would weepe for griefe,
Thinking the sea had swallowed vp thy ships,
And now she sees thee how will she reioyce?