Dancing, one enters to inform her that the King her Father, is Dead; a second brings the News that Penthea (Sister to Ithocles) is Starved; and a third comes to tell that Ithocles himself (to whom the Princess is contracted) is cruelly Murdered.

CALANTHA. PROPHILUS. EUPHRANEA. NEARCHUS. CROTOLON. CHRISTALLA. PHILEMA, and others.

Cal. We miss our servant Ithocles, and Orgilus ; On whom attend they?

Crot. My son, gracious princess,

Whisper'd some new device, to which these revels
Should be but usher: wherein, I conceive,

Lord Ithocles and he himself are actors.

Cal. A fair excuse for absence: as for Bassanes, Delights to him are troublesome; Armostes

Is with the King.

Crot. He is.

Cal. On to the dance:

(To NEARCHUS.) Dear cousin, hand you the bride; the bridegroom must be

Intrusted to my courtship: be not jealous,

Euphranea; I shall scarcely prove a temptress.

Fall to our dance.

They Dance the first Change, during which ARMOSTES

enters.

Arm. The King your Father's dead.

Cal. To the other change.

Arm. Is it possible?

They Dance again: BASSANES enters.

Bass. O Madam,

Penthea, poor Penthea's starv'd.

Cal. Beshrew thee.

Lead to the next.

Bass. Amazement dulls my senses.

They Dance again: ORGILUS enters.

Org. Brave Ithocles is murder'd, murder'd cruelly. Cal. How dull this music sounds!

sprightly:

Our footings are not active like our heart,

Which treads the nimbler measure.

Org. I am thunder-struck.

Strike up more

They Dance the last Change. The Music ceases.

Cal. So, let us breathe awhile: hath not this motion Rais'd fresher colour on your cheeks? (To NEARCHUS.) Near. Sweet Princess,

A perfect purity of blood enamels
The beauty of your white.

Cal. We all look chearfully:

And, cousin, 'tis methinks a rare presumption

In any, who prefers our lawful pleasures

Before their own sour censure, to interrupt

The custom of this ceremony bluntly.

Near. None dares, Lady.

Cal. Yes, yes; some hollow voice deliver'd to me

How that the King was dead.

Arm. The King is dead:

That fatal news was mine; for in mine arms

He breath'd his last, and with his crown bequeath'd you Your Mother's wedding-ring, which here I tender.

Crot. Most strange.

Cal. Peace crown his ashes: we are Queen then. Near. Long live Calantha, Sparta's sovereign Queen. All. Long live the Queen.

Cal. What whisper'd Bassanes?

Bass. That my Penthea*, miserable soul, Was starv'd to death.

Cal. She's happy; she hath finish'd

A long and painful progress.—A third murmur
Pierc'd mine unwilling ears.

Org. That Ithocles

Was murder'd.

Cal. By whose hand?

Org. By mine: this weapon

Was instrument to my revenge. The reasons t
Are just and known. Quit him of these, and then
Never liv'd gentleman of greater merit,

Hope, or abiliment to steer a kingdom.

Cal. We begin our reign

With a first act of justice: thy confession,
Unhappy Orgilus, dooms thee a sentence;
But yet thy father's or thy sister's presence
Shall be excus'd: give, Crotolon ‡, a blessing
To thy lost son; Euphranea §, take a farewell:
And both begone.

(To ORGILUS.) Bloody relater of thy stains in blood;
For that thou hast reported him (whose fortunes
And life by thee are both at once snatch'd from him)
With honorable mention, make thy choice

Of what death likes thee best; there's all our bounty.
But to excuse delays, let me, dear cousin,
Intreat you and these lords see execution
Instant, before ye part.

Near. Your will commands us.

Org. One suit, just Queen; my last. Vouchsate your clemency,

Wife to Bassanes.

Penthea (sister to Ithocles) was betrothed at first to Orgilus, but compelled by her brother to marry Bassanes: by which forced match she becoming miserable, refused to take food, and died.

His Father.

§ His Sister.

That by no common hand I be divided
From this my humble frailty.

Cal. To their wisdoms,

Who are to be spectators of thine end,

I make the reference. Those that are dead,
Are dead; had they not now died, of necessity
They must have paid the debt they owed to nature
One time or other. Use dispatch, my lords.-

We'll suddenly prepare our Coronation.

[Exit.

Arm. 'Tis strange these tragedies should never touch

on

Her female pity.

Bass. She has a masculine spirit.

The Coronation of the Princess takes place after the execution of Orgilus. She enters the Temple, dressed in White, having a Crown on her Head. She kneels at the Altar. The dead Body of Ithocles (whom she should have married) is borne on a Hearse, in rich Robes, having a Crown on his Head; and placed by the side of the Altar, where she kneels. Her devotions ended, she rises.-

CALANTHA.

NEARCHUS.

PROPHILUS. CROTOLON.

BASSANES. ARMOSTES. EUPHRANEA. AMELUS.
CHRISTALLA. PHILEMA, and others.

Cal. Our orisons are heard, the gods are merciful.
Now tell me, you, whose loyalties pay tribute
To us your lawful sovereign, how unskilful
Your duties, or obedience is, to render
Subjection to the sceptre of a virgin;
Who have been ever fortunate in princes
Of masculine and stirring composition.
A woman has enough to govern wisely
Her own demeanours, passions, and divisions.
A nation warlike, and inured to practice
Of policy and labour, cannot brook

A feminate authority: we therefore

Command your counsel, how you may advise us
In chusing of a husband, whose abilities
Can better guide this kingdom.

Near. Royal Lady,
Your law is in your will.

Arm. We have seen tokens

Of constancy too lately to mistrust it.

Crot. Yet if your Highness settle on a choice
By your own judgment both allow'd and liked of,
Sparta may grow in power and proceed
To an increasing height.

Cal. Cousin of Argos.

Near. Madam.

Cal. Were I presently

To chuse you for my Lord, I'll open freely
What articles I would propose to treat on,
Before our marriage.

Near. Name them, virtuous Lady.

Cal. I would presume you would retain the royalty
Of Sparta in her own bounds: then in Argos
Armostes might be viceroy; in Messene
Might Crotolon bear sway; and Bassanes
Be Sparta's marshall:

The multitudes of high employments could not
But set a peace to private griefs. These gentlemen,
Groneas and Lemophil, with worthy pensions,
Should wait upon your person in your chamber.

I would bestow Christalla on Amelus;

She'll prove a constant wife: and Philema
Should into Vesta's Temple.

Bass. This is a testament;

It sounds not like conditions on a marriage.
Near. All this should be perform'd.
Cal. Lastly, for Prophilus,