Thou'rt slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, And better than thy stroke. Why swell'st thou then? And death shall be no more; Death thou shalt die. LYLY (OUTLINE HISTORY, §§ 29, 36) (From Endymion) (Act I,, Scene IV.-Tellus, in love with Endymion, seeks the help of the witch Dipsas.) [Enter at one side FLOSCULA (friend of Tellus) and TELLUS, at the other DIPSAS.] Tellus.-Behold, Floscula, we have met with the woman by chance that we sought for by travel. I will break my mind to her without ceremony or circumstance, lest we lose that time in advice that should be spent in execution. Flosc.-Use your discretion; I will in this case neither give counsel nor consent, for there cannot be a thing more monstrous than to force affection by sorcery, neither do I imagine anything more impossible. Tellus. Tush, Floscula, in obtaining of love, what impossibilities will I not try? And for the winning of Endymion, what impieties will I not practise? [Crossing to DIPSAS.] Dipsas, whom as many honour for age as wonder at for cunning, listen in few words to my tale, and answer in one word to the purpose, for that neither my burning desire can afford long speech, nor the short time I have to stay many delays. Is it possible by herbs. stones, spells, incantations, enchantment, coercions, fire, metals, planets, or any practice, to plant affection where it is not, and to supplant it where it is? Dipsas. Fair lady, you may imagine that these hoary hairs are not void of experience, nor the great name that goeth of my cunning to be without cause. I can darken the sun by my skill, and remove the moon out of her course; I can restore youth to the aged and make hills without bottoms; there is nothing that I cannot do but that only which you would have me do: and therein I differ from the gods, that I am not able to rule hearts; for were it in my power to place affection by appointment, I would make such evil appetites, such inordinate lusts, such cursed desires, as all the world should be filled both with superstitious heats and extreme love. Tellus. Unhappy Tellus, whose desires are so desperate that they are neither to be conceived of any creature, nor to be cured by any art! Dipsas.-This I can: breed slackness in love, though never root it out. What is he whom you love, and what she that he honoureth? Tellus. Endymion, sweet Endymion, is he that hath my heart; and Cynthia-too, too fair Cynthia-the miracle of nature, of time, of fortune, is the lady that he delights in, and dotes on every day, and dies for ten thousand times a day. Dipsas.-Would you have his love either by absence or sickness aslaked ?1 Would you that Cynthia should mistrust him, or be jealous of him without colour ? Tellus. It is the only thing I crave, that, seeing my love to Endymion, unspotted, cannot be accepted, his truth to Cynthia, though it be unspeakable, may be suspected. Dipsas. I will undertake it, and overtake 2 him, that3 all his love shall be doubted of, and therefore become desperate but this will wear out with time that treadeth all things down but truth. Tellus.-Let us go. Dipsas.—I follow. [Exeunt TELLUS and FLOSCULA, DIPSAS following them.] 1 Abated. • Overcome. 3 So that. SONG (From Alexander and Campaspe) WHAT bird so sings, yet so does wail ? Jug, jug, jug, jug, tereu ! she cries. Brave prick-song! Who is't now we hear? EUPHUES (From Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit) THERE dwelt in Athens a young gentleman of great patrimony, and of so comelye a personage, that it was doubted whether he were more bound to Nature for the liniaments of his person, or to Fortune for the increase of his possessions. But Nature, impatient of comparisons, and as it were disdaining a companion or copartner in his working, added to this comelynesse of his body such a sharpe capacity of minde, that not onely she proved Fortune counterfaite, but was halfe of that opinion that she herselfe was onely currant.1 This young gallaunt of more witte than wealth, and yet of more wealth than wisedome, seeing himselfe inferiour to none in pleasant conceits, though himselfe superiour to all in honest conditions, insomuch that he thought himselfe so apt to all thinges that he gave himselfe almost to nothing but practising of those thinges commonly which are incident to these sharpe wittes, fine phrases, smooth quippes, merry tauntes, using jestinge without meane, and abusing mirth without measure. She only was genuine. 2 Moderation. As therefore the sweetest Rose hath his prickell,1 the finest velvet his bracke,2 the fairest flower his branne,3 so the sharpest wit hath his wanton will, and the holiest head his wicked way. And true it is that some men write and most men believe, that in all perfect shapes a blemish bringeth rather a lyking every way to the eyes, than a loathing any way to the minde. Venus had hir mole in hir cheeke which made hir more amiable: Helen hir scarre in hir chinne, which Paris called Cos Amoris, the whetstone of love: Aristippus his wart, Lycurgus his wen: so likewise in the disposition of the minde, either vertue is overshadowed with some vice, or vice overcast with some vertue. Alexander valyant in warre, yet given to wine. Tullie eloquent in his gloses, yet vaineglorious. Solomon wise, yet too wanton. David holy, but yet an homicide. None more wittie than Euphues, yet at the first none more wicked. The freshest colours soonest fade, the teenest1 razor soonest tourneth his edge, the finest cloth is soonest eaten with the moathes, and the cambrick sooner stayned than the coarse canvas: which appeareth well in this Euphues, whose wit beeing like waxe, apt to receive any impression, and bearing the head in his owne hand, either to use the raine or the spurre, disdaining counsaile, leaving his country, loathinge his olde acquaintance, thought either by wit to obteyne some conquest, or by shame to abyde some conflict, who preferring fancy before friends, and his present humour before honour to come, laid reason in water being too salt for his tast, and followed unbridled affection, most pleasant for his tooth. When parents have more care how to leave their children wealthy than wise, and are more desirous to have them maintaine the name, than the nature of gentleman: when they put gold into the hands of youth, where they should put a rod under their gyrdle, when in steed of awe they make them past grace, and leave them rich executors of goods, and poore executors of godlynes, then it is no mervaile, that the son being left rich by his father's will, become retchless by his owne will. But it hath bene an olde sayde sawe, 1 Thorn. • Sharpness. • Flaw. • Careless. • Husk. and not of lesse truth than antiquitie, that wit is the better if it be the deerer bought: as in the sequele of this history shall most manifestly appeare. It happened this young Impe1 to arive at Naples (a place of more pleasure than profit, and yet of more profit than pietie), the very walles and windowes whereof shewed it rather to be the tabernacle of Venus than the temple of Vesta. There was all things necessary and in redynes, that might either allure the mind to lust or entice the heart to folly: a court more meete for an Atheyst, than for one of Athens: for Ovid, than for Aristotle : for a gracelesse lover, than for a godly liver: more fitter for Paris than Hector, and meeter for Flora than Diana. Heere my youth (whether for wearenesse he could not, or for wantonnes would not go any farther) determined to make his abode, whereby it is evidently seene that the fleetest fish swalloweth the delicatest bait: that the highest soaring Hauke traineth to the lure: and that the wittiest braine is invegled with the sudden view of alluring vanities. Heere he wanted2 no companyons, which courted him continually with sundrye kindes of devises, whereby they might either soake his pursse to reape commoditie,3 or soothe1 his person to winne credit: for he had guests and companions of all sorts. MARLOWE (OUTLINE HISTORY, § 29) THE PASSIONATE SHEPHERD TO HIS LOVE COME live with me, and be my love; And we will sit upon the rocks, Scion, lad. • Lacked. Profit. • Flatter. |