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 II.

Enter2JunotoAscanius, who lies asleep.

Juno.

• Here lies my hate, Æneas' cursèd brat,
• The boy wherein false Destiny delights,
• The heir of Fury,3 the favourite of the Fates,4
• That ugly imp that shall outwear my wrath,
• And wrong my deity with high disgrace.
• But I will take another order now,
• And raze th' eternal register of Time:
• Troy shall no more call him her second hope,
• Nor Venus triumph in his tender youth;
• For here, in spite of Heaven, I'll murder him,

  10

• And feed infection with his let-out5 life.
• Say, Paris, now shall Venus have the ball?
• Say, vengeance, now shall her Ascanius die?
• O no! God wot, I cannot watch my time,
• Nor quit good turns with double fee down told:
• Tut, I am simple, without mind1 to hurt,
• And have no gall at all to grieve my foes!
• But lustful Jove and his adulterous child
• Shall find it written on confusion's front,
• That only Juno rules in Rhamnus town.2

  20

• EnterVenus.

Ven.

• What should this mean? my doves are back return'd
• Who warn me of such danger prest3 at hand
• To harm my sweet Ascanius' lovely life.—
• Juno, my mortal foe, what make you here?

Juno.

• Fie, Venus, that such causeless words of wrath
• Should e'er defile so fair a mouth as thine!
• Are not we both sprung of celestial race,
• And banquet, as two sisters, with the gods?
• Why is it, then, displeasure should disjoin

  30

• Whom kindred and acquaintance co-unites?

Ven.

• Out, hateful hag! thou wouldst have slain my son,
• Had not my doves discovered thy intent:
• But I will tear thy eyes fro forth thy head,
• And feast the birds with their blood-shotten balls,
• If thou but lay thy fingers on my boy.

Juno.

• Is this, then, all the thanks that I shall have
• For saving him from snakes' and serpents' stings,
• That would have killed him, sleeping, as he lay?
• What, though I was offended with thy son,

  40

• And wrought him mickle woe on sea and land,
• When, for the hate of Trojan Ganymede,1
• That was advancèd by my Hebe's shame,
• And Paris' judgment of the heavenly ball,
• I mustered all the winds unto his wreck,
• And urg'd each element to his annoy?
• Yet now I do repent me of his ruth,
• And wish that I had never wrong'd him so.
• Bootless, I saw, it was to war with fate
• That hath so many unresisted2 friends:

  50

• Wherefore I changed3 my counsel with the time,
• And planted love where envy erst had sprung.

Ven.

• Sister of Jove, if that thy love be such
• As these thy protestations do paint forth,
• We two, as friends, one fortune will divide:
• Cupid shall lay his arrows in thy lap,
• And to a sceptre change his golden shafts;
• Fancy4 and modesty shall live as mates,
• And thy fair peacocks by my pigeons perch:
• Love my Æneas, and desire is thine;

  60

• The day, the night, my swans, my sweets, are thine.

Juno.

• More than melodious are these words to me,
• That overcloy my soul with their content.
• Venus, sweet Venus, how may I deserve
• Such amorous favours at thy beauteous hand?
• But, that thou mayst more easily perceive
• How highly I do prize this amity,
• Hark to a motion of eternal league,
• Which I will make in quittance of thy love.
• Thy son, thou know'st, with Dido now remains,

  70

• And feeds his eyes with favours of her court;
• She, likewise, in admiring spends her time,
• And cannot talk nor think of aught but him:
• Why should not they, then, join in marriage,
• And bring forth mighty kings to Carthage-town,
• Whom casualty of sea hath made such friends?
• And, Venus, let there be a match confirm'd
• Betwixt these two, whose loves are so alike;
• And both our deities, conjoin'd in one,
• Shall chain felicity unto their throne.

  80

Ven.

• Well could I like this reconcilement's means;
• But much I fear my son will ne'er consent,
• Whose armèd soul, already on the sea,
• Darts forth her light [un]to Lavinia's shore.

Juno.

• Fair queen of love, I will divorce these doubts,
• And find my way to weary such fond thoughts.
• This day they both a-hunting forth will ride
• Into the1 woods adjoining to these walls;
• When, in the midst of all their gamesome sports,
• I'll make the clouds dissolve their watery works,

  90

• And drench Silvanus' dwellings with their showers;
• Then in one cave the queen and he shall meet,
• And interchangeably discourse their thoughts,
• Whose short conclusion will seal up their hearts
• Unto the purpose which we now propound.

Ven.

• Sister, I see you savour of my wiles:
• Be it as you will have [it] for this once.
• Meantime Ascanius shall be my charge;
• Whom I will bear to Ida in mine arms,
• And couch him in Adonis' purple down.

  100

• [Exeunt.

[2]Scene: a grove.

[3]“Heir of Fury” is certainly a strange expression, but I dare not adopt Cunningham's emendation, “heir of Troy.”

[4]Old ed. “face.”

[5]Old ed. “left out.”

[1]Old ed. “made.”—The correction is Dyce's.

[2]See vol. i. p. 35, note 4.

[3]Ready.

[1]A Virgilian passage. Cf. Æn. 1. 26–8.—

• “Manet alta mente repostum
• Judicium Paridis spretæque injuria formæ,
• Et genus invisum, et rapti Ganimedis honores.”

[2]Irresistible.

[3]Old ed. “change.

[4]Love.

[1]Old ed, “these.”