Enter Leucippus and Urania. Leuc. Alas, poor boy, why dost thou follow me ? [art. What canst thou hope for? I am poor as thou Ura. In good feth, I shall be weel and rich enough If you will love me, and not put me from you! Alas, for pity, take another master, not [able, Look for rewards at my hands: 'would I were My pretty knave, to do thee any kindness! Truly, good boy, I would, upon my faith; Thy harmless innocence moves me at heart. Wilt thou go save thyself? Why dost thou Alas, I do not chide thee. Ura. I cannot tell; [weep? more: If I go from you, sir, I shall ne'er draw day [iil-willers; Leuc. Such harmless souls are ever pro- Th' hast tasted nothing: go into the cave, [I'll eat [him. A fine man should live, and no gay lady love Ura. Yes sure, till I die; and when I am in Heaven, I'll e'en wish for you. I never yet heard tell of.-Come, thou'rt Shouldst comfort ine, and art far worse than I! Ura. La', master, there is one; look to Leuc. What art thou, that into this disinal Tim. I come to you (for, if I not mistake, $2 Corncts. Cupid from above.] Seward, seeing no propriety' in the cornets belonging to Cupid,' places that direction at the end of the foregoing scene; but why displace the cornets here, since he inserts them on Cupid's other appearances? We have made this direction like the former. 53 Cupid. The time now, &c.] This speech, till Seward very properly introduced it here, was placed at the end of the play, notwithstanding the direction quoted in the last note tood where it now does. 54 Well, I take thy wpish.] The measure and sense both require us to expunge the I. Seward. Leuca Leuc. How dost thou, my child ?— Alas! look on this; It may make thee repentant, to behold Those innocent drops that thou hast drawn from thence. Ura. 'Tis nothing, sir, an you be well. Know you me now, sir? Leuc. How couldst thou find me out? A letter from Ismenus, and the bearer Leuc. Stand A nobler trial than thou dost deserve, How thou dost cast away thyself! I must [or no? If thou confess it: speak once again! is't so, Acquit thee! here it is. [Gives him his sword. Leuc. At thy peril then! [Timantus draws his sword, they fight, Timantus falls. Tim. I do beseech you, sir, Let me not fight. Leuc. Up, up again, Timantus! There is no way but this, believe me. Now if- Leuc. I think thou art not; yet trust me, For life. Yet tell me, ere thy breath be gone, Know'st of any other plots against me? Tim. Of none. Leuc. What course wouldst thou have taken, when thou hadst kill'd me? Tim. I would have ta'en your page, and married her. Leuc. What page? Tim. Your boy there— 55 To purge thee or condemn thee; therefore Leuc. Is he fall'n mad in death? what does he mean? [dost thou? Some good god help me at the worst! How Let not thy misery vex me; thou shalt have What thy poor heart can wish: I am a prince, And I will keep thee in the gayest cloaths, And the finest things, that ever pretty boy Had given him. Ura. I know you well enough. Feth, I am dying; and now you know all too. Leuc. But stir up thyself: look what a jewel here is, See how it glisters! what a pretty show Will this make in thy little ear! ha, speak! Eat but a bit, and take it. Ura. Do you not know me? [well said; Leuc. I prithee mind thy health! why, that's My good boy, smile still. Ura. I shall smile 'till death, An I see you! I am Urania, Your sister-in-law. I would not let you know 'till I was dying; For you could not love me, my mother was So naught. Leuc. I will love thee, or any thing! What, wilt thou leave me as soon as I know thee? Speak one word to me! Alas, she's past it! She will never speak more. What noise is that? it is no matter who Enter Ismenus with the Lords. Comes on me now.-What worse than mad are you, That seek out sorrows? if you love delights, Begone from hence! [suffer'd Ism. Sir, for you we come, As soldiers to revenge the wrongs you've Under this naughty creature: what shall be Say; I am ready. [done with her? Leuc. Leave her to Heav'n, brave cousin! They shall tell her how sh' has sinn'd against 'em; [blood. My hand shall ne'er be stain'd with such base Live, wicked mother! that reverend title be Your pardon! for I'll use no extremity Against you, but leave you to Heav'n. Bacha. Hell take you all! or, if there be a place Of torment that exceeds that, get you thither! And 'till the devils have you, may your lives Be one continu'd plague, and such a one That knows no friends nor ending! may all ages That shall succeed curse you, as I do! and A nobler trial than thou dost deserve] Here a verb is evidently left out, being equally necessary to the sense and measure, Seward, If it be possible, I ask it Heav'n, As might become a mother! Look you there! Ism. Monstrous woman! Mars would weep at this, and yet she cannot. Leuc. Here lies your minion too, slain by my hand: I will not say you are the cause; yet certain, I know you were to blame: the gods forgive you! Ism. See, she stands as if she were inventing • Some new destruction for the world. Leuc. Ismenus, Thou'rt welcome yet to my sad company. sir. Leuc. I thought so; Heav'n be with him! Baha. Now let Heav'n fall! I'm at the A thing so miserably wretched, that I will not be so base and cold to live, And wait the mercies of these men I hate : I've soul enough to guide; and let all know, 'As I stood a queen, the same I'll fall, [Stabs the Prince, then herself. Leuc. Oh! Ism. How do you, sir? [here. Leuc. Nearer my health than I think any My tongue begins to falter: what is man? Or who would be one, when he sees a poor Weak woman can in an instant make him、 Dor. She's dead already. [none? Ism. Let her be damn'd Already, as she is! Post all for surgeons! Leuc. Let not a man stir! for I am but dead. I've some few words which I would have you hear, L'em: And am afraid I shall want breath to speak When I am dead, to shew your duties to him. Leuc. I thank you. Next to you, Cousin Ismenus, that shall be the duke, pray you let the broken images 59 I Of Cupid be re-edified! I know All this is done by him. Ism. It shall be so. Dor. There's a full point! [in-law [Dies. [burial Ism. I will interpret for him: she shall have According to her own deserts, with dogs! Dor. I would your majesty would haste Of the people. Ism. I'm ready. [for settling 56 Would I had breath to poison you.] Some editions (Seward's among the number) read, Would I had breath to please you. 57 My step descent attends me.] Corrected in 1750. 58 Undoubtedly heir.] Varied by Seward. 59 I pray you let the broken image of Cupid.] Altered in 1750. In the course of Mr. Seward's notes on this play, he remarks, that Had this whole plot, 'a father marrying his son's whore, the son's penitence and distress, and her plots for his 'destruction, been wrought into a tragedy, without the idle machinery of Cupid and his Revenge, it would have afforded sufficient matter to such geniuses as our authors:' and afterwards says, I cannot take leave of this play without again regretting the farcical inter' mixture of the machinery of Cupid, from whence it takes its name. Without this, and the ' ridiculous death of the princess, what a noble tragedy would our authors have left us! The 'character of the king, from his ridiculous dotage on his children, to a still more ridiculous dotage on a wanton wife; the misfortunes of a virtuous young prince, from taking one vicious step, and endeavouring to conceal it by a falsity, are finely describ'd; but how is the just moral arising from thence spoil'd, by making this only Cupid's Revenge! In our opinion, the plot and the machinery are equally ridiculous; and we cannot avoid expressing our concern, that so much admirable poetry should be bestowed on so absurd a drama. VOL. III. 3 D THE THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN. This Play was first printed in quarto, anno 1634, under the following title: 'The Two Noble 'Kinsmen: presented at the Blackfriers by the Kings Maiesties Servants, with great ap'plause: written by the memorable Worthies of their time, Mr. John Fletcher, and 'Mr. William Shakspeare, Gent.;' and has always been received as the production of those Poets. In the year 1668, it was altered by Sir William Davenant, who gave it the title of The Rivals; when it appears to have been acted with great success. PROLOGUE. [Flourish. NEW plays and maidenheads are near a-kin; Much follow'd both, for both much money gi'n, If they stand sound, and well: and a good play (Whose modest scenes blush on his marriageday, And shake to lose his honour) is like her And the first sound this child hear be a hiss, How will it shake the bones of that good man, And make him cry from under-ground, 'Oh, fan From me the witless chaff of such a writer, That blasts my bays, and my fam'd works make lighter [bring; 'Than Robin Hood!' This is the fear we For, to say truth, it were an endless thing, And too ambitious, to aspire to him. Weak as we are, and almost breathless swim, In this deep water, do but you hold out Your helping hands, and we shall tack about! And something do to save us, you shall hear Scenes, tho' below his art, may yet appear Worth two hours' travel. To his bones sweet sleep! Content to you!--If this play do not keep Hymen has hitherto stood as a personage of this drama, and even the first: as he only appears in the dumb-show, we have expunged the name. The Wooer, though a character of some consideration, has always been omitted; and so has Valerius. 3D 2 ACT |