The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Publisher's Notice
• To My Worthy Friend , Master Thomas Hammon, of Gray's Inn , &c.
• Persons Represented.
• The Jew of Malta.
• Act the First.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Act the Second.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Act the Third.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI.
• Act the Fourth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI.
• Act the Fifth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Edward the Second.
• Act the First.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Act the Second.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Act the Third.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Act the Fourth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI.
• Act the Fifth.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI.
• The Massacre At Paris.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Scene V.
• Scene VI.
• Scene VII.
• Scene VIII.
• Scene IX.
• Scene X.
• Scene XI.
• Scene XII.
• Scene XIII.
• Scene XIV.
• Scene XV.
• Scene XVI.
• Scene XVII.
• Scene XVIII.
• Scene XIX.
• Scene XX.
• Scene XXI.
• Scene XXII.
• Scene XXIII.
• Scene XXIV.
• The Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage.
• Act I.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Act II.
• Scene I.
• Act III.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene III.
• Scene IV.
• Act IV.
• Scene I.
• Scene II.
• Scene Iii
• Scene IV.
• Scene V
• Act V.
• Scene I.

SCENE I.

Enter1CupidasAscanius.

Cup.

• Now, Cupid, cause the Carthaginian queen
• To be enamour'd of thy brother's looks:
• Convey this golden arrow in thy sleeve,
• Lest she imagine thou art Venus' son;
• And when she strokes thee softly on the head,
• Then shall I touch her breast and conquer her.
• EnterDido, Anna, andIarbas.

Iar.

• How long, fair Dido, shall I pine for thee?
• 'Tis not enough that thou dost grant me love,
• But that I may enjoy what I desire:
• That love is childish which consists in words.

  10

Dido.

• Iarbas, know, that thou, of all my wooers,—
• And yet have I had many mightier kings,—
• Hast had the greatest favours I could give.
• I fear me, Dido hath been counted light
• In being too familiar with Iarbas;
• Albeit the gods do know, no wanton thought

Iar.

• But Dido is the favour I request.

Dido.

• Fear not, Iarbas; Dido may be thine.

Anna.

• Look, sister, how Æneas' little son

  20

• Plays with your garments and embraceth you.

Cup.

• No, Dido will not take me in her arms;
• I shall not be her son, she loves me not.

Dido.

• Weep not, sweet boy; thou shalt be Dido's son:
• Sit in my lap, and let me hear thee sing.
• [Cupidsings
• No more, my child; now talk another while,
• And tell me where learn'dst thou this pretty song.

Cup.

• My cousin Helen taught it me in Troy.

Dido.

• How lovely is Ascanius when he smiles!

Cup.

• Will Dido let me hang about her neck?

  30

Dido.

• Ay, wag; and give thee leave to kiss her too.

Cup.

• What will you give me now? I'll have this fan.

Dido.

• Take it, Ascanius, for thy father's sake.

Iar.

• Come, Dido, leave Ascanius; let us walk.

Dido.

• Go thou away; Ascanius shall stay.

Iar.

• Ungentle queen, is this thy love to me?

Dido.

• O, stay, Iarbas, and I'll go with thee!

Cup.

• An if my mother go, I'll follow her.

Dido.

• Why stay'st thou here? thou art no love of mine.

Iar.

• Iarbas, die, seeing she abandons thee!

  40

Dido.

• No; live, Iarbas: What hast thou deserved,
• That I should say thou art no love of mine?
• Something thou hast deserved.—Away, I say!
• Depart from Carthage; come not in my sight.

Iar.

• Am I not king of rich Gætulia?

Dido.

• Iarbas, pardon me, and stay a while.

Cup.

• Mother, look here.

Dido.

• What tell'st thou me of rich Gætulia?
• Am not I queen of Libya? then depart.

Iar.

• I go to feed the humour of my love,

  50

• Yet not from Carthage for a thousand worlds.

Dido.

• Iarbas!

Iar.

• Doth Dido call me back?

Dido.

• No; but I charge thee never look on me.

Iar.

• Then pull out both mine eyes, or let me die.
• [Exit.

Anna.

• Wherefore doth Dido bid Iarbas go?

Dido.

• Because his loathsome sight offends mine eye,
• And in my thoughts is shrined another love.

Anna.

• Poor soul, I know too well the sour of love:

  60

• O, that Iarbas could but fancy me!
• [Aside

Dido.

• Is not Æneas fair and beautiful?

Anna.

• Yes; and Iarbas foul and favourless.

Dido.

• Is he not eloquent in all his speech?

Anna.

• Yes; and Iarbas rude and rustical.

Dido.

• Name not Iarbas: but, sweet Anna, say,
• Is not Æneas worthy Dido's love?

Anna.

• O sister, were you empress of the world,
• Æneas well deserves to be your love!
• So lovely is he, that, where'er he goes,

  70

• The people swarm to gaze him in the face.

Dido.

• But tell them, none shall gaze on him but I,
• Lest their gross eye-beams taint my lover's cheeks.
• Anna, good sister Anna, go for him,
• Lest with these sweet thoughts I melt clean away.

Anna.

• Then, sister, you'll abjure Iarbas' love?

Dido.

• Yet must I hear that loathsome name again?
• Run for Æneas, or I'll fly to him.
• [ExitAnna.

Cup.

• You shall not hurt my father when he comes.

Dido.

• No; for thy sake I'll love thy father well.—

  80

• O dull-conceited Dido, that till now
• Didst never think Æneas beautiful!
• But now, for quittance of this oversight,
• I'll make me bracelets of his golden hair;
• His glistering eyes shall be my looking-glass;
• His lips an altar, where I'll offer up1
• As many kisses as the sea hath sands;
• Instead of music I will hear him speak;
• His looks shall be my only library;
• And thou, Æneas, Dido's treasury,

  90

• In whose fair bosom I will lock more wealth
• Than twenty thousand Indias can afford.
• O, here he comes! Love, love, give Dido leave
• To be more modest than her thoughts admit,
• Lest I be made a wonder to the world.
• Enteræneas, Achates, Sergestus, Ilioneus, andCloanthus.
• Achates, how doth Carthage please your lord?

Ach.

• That will Æneas show your majesty.

Dido.

• Æneas, art thou there?

Æn.

• I understand your highness sent for me.

Dido.

• No; but, now thou art here, tell me, in sooth,

  100

• In what might Dido highly pleasure thee.

Æn.

• So much have I receiv'd at Dido's hands,
• As, without blushing, I can ask no more:
• Yet, queen of Afric, are my ships unrigg'd,
• My sails all rent in sunder with the wind,
• My oars broken, and my tackling lost,
• Yea, all my navy split with rocks and shelves;
• Nor stern nor anchor have our maimèd fleet;
• Our masts the furious winds struck overboard.
• Which piteous wants if Dido will supply,

  110

• We will account her author of our lives.

Dido.

• Æneas, I'll repair thy Trojan ships,
• Conditionally that thou wilt stay with me,
• And let Achates sail to Italy:
• I'll give thee tackling made of rivelled1 gold,
• Wound on the barks of odoriferous trees;2
• Oars of massy ivory, full of holes,
• Through which the water shall delight to play;
• Thy anchors shall be hewed from crystal rocks,
• Which, if thou lose, shall shine above the waves;

  120

• The masts, whereon thy swelling sails shall hang,
• Hollow pyramides of silver plate;
• The sails of folded lawn, where shall be wrought
• The wars of Troy,—but not Troy's overthrow;
• For ballace,1 empty Dido's treasury:
• Take what ye will, but leave Æneas here.
• Achates, thou shalt be so seemly2 clad,
• As sea-born nymphs shall swarm about thy ships.
• And wanton mermaids court thee with sweet songs,
• Flinging in favours of more sovereign worth

  130

• Than Thetis hangs about Apollo's neck,
• So that Æneas may but stay with me.

Æn.

• Wherefore would Dido have Æneas stay?

Dido.

• To war against my bordering enemies.
• Æneas, think not Dido is in love;
• For, if that any man could conquer me,
• I had been wedded ere Æneas came
• See, where the pictures of my suitors hang;
• And are not these as fair as fair may be?

Ach.

• I saw this man at Troy, ere Troy was sack'd.

  140

Æn.3

• I this in Greece, when Paris stole fair Helen.

Ili.

• This man and I were at Olympia's4 games,

Serg.

• I know this face; he is a Persian born:
• I travell'd with him to Ætolia.

Cloan.

• And I in Athens with this gentleman,
• Unless I be deceived, disputed once.

Dido.

• But speak, Æneas; know you none of these?

Æn.

• No, madam; but it seems that these are kings.

Dido.

• All these, and others which I never saw,
• Have been most urgent suitors for my love;

  150

• Some came in person, others sent their legates,
• Yet none obtained me: I am free from all;
• And yet, God knows, entangled unto one.
• This was an orator, and thought by words
• To compass me: but yet he was deceiv'd:
• And this a Spartan courtier, vain and wild;
• But his fantastic humours pleased not me:
• This was Alcion, a musician;
• But, play'd he ne'er so sweet, I let him go.
• This was the wealthy king of Thessaly;

  160

• But I had gold enough, and cast him off:
• This, Meleager's son, a warlike prince;
• But weapons gree not with my tender years:
• The rest are such as all the world well knows:
• Yet now1 I swear, by heaven and him I love,
• I was as far from love as they from hate.

Æn.

• O, happy shall he be whom Dido loves!

Dido.

• Then never say that thou art miserable,
• Because, it may be, thou shalt be my love;
• Yet boast not of it, for I love thee not,—

  170

• And yet I hate thee not.—O, if I speak,
• I shall betray myself! [Aside.]—Æneas, come:1
• We two will go a-hunting in the woods;
• But not so much for thee,—thou art but one,—
• As for Achates and his followers.
• [Exeunt

[1]Scene: a room in Dido's palace.

[1]The same form of expression occurs in the Jew of Malta, iii. Il. 32, 33:—

• “Upon which altar I will offer up
• My daily sacrifice of sighs and tears.'

[1]“I.e. (I suppose) twisted.”—Dyce.

[2]“The blank verse, falling in couplets, seems to cry aloud for rhymes.”—Symonds.

[1]Ballast.

[2]I have adopted Dyce's emendation. The old ed. gives “meanly.” (Collier suggested “newly.”)

[3]Dyce gives this line to Sergestus, arguing that the prefix Æn. is “proved to be wrong by the next speech of Dido.” But we may suppose that Dido is there calling Æneas' attention to another set of pictures on the opposite side of the stage.

[4]Old ed. “Olympus.”

[1]Old ed. “how.”

[1]Old ed. “speak” (repeated from the line above).