The Tragedy of Dido Queene of Carthage

Enters Iarbus to Sacrifice.

Iar. Come seruants, come bring forth the Sacrifize,That I may pacifie that gloomie Ioue,Whose emptie Altars haue enlarg'd our illes.Eternall Ioue, great master of the Clowdes,Father of gladnesse, and all frollicke thoughts,That with thy gloomie hand corrects the heauen,When ayrie creatures warre amongst themselues:Heare, heare, O heare Iarbus plaining prayers,Whose hideous ecchoes make the welkin howle,And all the woods Eliza to resound:The woman that thou wild vs entertaine,Where straying in our borders vp and downe,She crau'd a hide of ground to build a towne,With whom we did deuide both lawes and land,And all the fruites that plentie els sends forth,Scorning our loues and royall marriage rites,Yeelds vp her beautie to a strangers bed,Who hauing wrought her shame, is straight way fled:Now if thou beest a pitying God of power,On whom ruth and compassion euer waites,Redresse these wrongs, and warne him to his ships,That now afflicts me with his flattering eyes.

Enter Anna.

Anna. How now Iarbus, at your prayers so hard?Iar. I Anna, is there ought you would with me?Anna. Nay, no such waightie busines of import,But may be slackt vntill another time:Yet if you would partake with me the causeOf this deuotion that detaineth you,I would be thankfull for such curtesie.

Iar. Anna, against this Troian doe I pray, Who seekes to rob me of thy Sisters loue, And dive into her heart by coloured lookes.

Anna. Alas poore King that labours so in vaine.For her that so delighteth in thy paine:Be rul'd by me, and seeke some other loue,Whose yeelding heart may yeeld thee more reliefe.Iar. Mine eye is fixt where fancie cannot start,O leaue me, leaue me to my silent thoughts,That register the numbers of my ruth,And I will either moue the thoughtles flint,Or drop out both mine eyes in drisling teares,Before my sorrowes tide haue any stint.

Anna. I will not leaue Iarbus whom I loue, In this delight of dying pensiuenes: Away with Dido, Anna be thy song, Anna that doth admire thee more then heauen.

Iar. I may nor will list to such loathsome chaunge,That intercepts the course of my desire:Seruants, come fetch these emptie vessels here,For I will flye from these alluring eyes,That doe pursue my peace where ere it goes. Exit.Anna. Iarbus stay, louing Iarbus stay,For I haue honey to present thee with:Hard hearted, wilt not deigne to heare me speake,Ile follow thee with outcryes nere the lesse,And strewe thy walkes with my discheueld haire. Exit.

Enter Æneas alone.

Æn. Carthage, my friendly host adue, Since destinie doth call me from the shoare: Hermes this night descending in a dreame, Hath summond me to fruitfull Italy: Ioue wils it so, my mother wils it so: Let my Phenissa graunt, and then I goe: Graunt she or no, Æneas must away, Whose golden fortunes clogd with courtly ease, Cannot ascend to Fames immortall house, Or banquet in bright honors burnisht hall, Till he hath furrowed Neptunes glassie fieldes, And cut a passage through his toples hilles: Achates come forth, Sergestus, Illioneus, Cloanthus, haste away, Æneas calles.

Enter Achates, Cloanthus, Sergestus, and Illioneus.

Acha. What willes our Lord, or wherefore did he call?Æn. The dreames (braue mates) that did beset my bed,When sleepe but newly had imbrast the night,Commaunds me leaue these vnrenowmed beames,Whereas Nobilitie abhors to stay,And none but base Æneas will abide:Abourd, abourd, since Fates doe bid abourd,And slice the Sea with sable coloured ships,On whom the nimble windes may all day waight,And follow them as footemen through the deepe:Yet Dido casts her eyes like anchors out,To stay my Fleete from loosing forth the Bay:Come backe, come backe, I heare her crye a farre,And let me linke my bodie to my lips,That tyed together by the striuing tongues,We may as one saile into Italy.Acha. Banish that ticing dame from forth your mouth,And follow your foreseeing starres in all;This is no life for men at armes to liue,Where daliance doth consume a Souldiers strength,And wanton motions of alluring eyes,Effeminate our mindes inur'd to warre.Illio. Why, let vs build a Citie of our owne,And not stand lingering here for amorous lookes:Will Dido raise old Priam forth his graue,And build the towne againe the Greekes did burne?No no, she cares not how we sinke or swimme,So she may haue Æneas in her armes.

Cloan. To Italy, sweete friends to Italy, We will not stay a minute longer here.

Æn. Troians abourd, and I will follow you,I faine would goe, yet beautie calles me backe:To leaue her so and not once say farewell,Were to transgresse against all lawes of loue:But if I vse such ceremonious thankes,As parting friends accustome on the shoare,Her siluer armes will coll me round about,And teares of pearle, crye stay, Æneas, stay:Each word she sayes will then containe a Crowne,And euery speech be ended with a kisse:I may not dure this female drudgerie,To sea Æneas, finde out Italy. Exit.

Enter Dido and Anna.

Dido. O Anna, runne vnto the water side,They say Æneas men are going abourd,It may be he will steale away with them:Stay not to answere me, runne Anna runne.O foolish Troians that would steale from hence,And not let Dido vnderstand their drift:I would haue giuen Achates store of gold,And Illioneus gum and Libian spice,The common souldiers rich imbrodered coates,And siluer whistles to controule the windes,Which Circes sent Sicheus when he liued:Vnworthie are they of a Queenes reward:See where they come, how might I doe to chide?

Enter Anna, with Æneas, Achates, Illioneus, and Sergestus.

Anna. Twas time to runne, Æneas had been gone, The sailes were hoysing vp, and he abourd.

Dido. Is this thy loue to me?

Æn. O princely Dido, giue me leaue to speake, I went to take my farewell Achates.

Dido. How haps Achates bid me not farewell?Acha. Because I feard your grace would keepe me here.

Dido. To rid thee of that doubt, abourd againe, I charge thee put to sea and stay not here.

Acha. Then let Æneas goe abourd with vs.Dido. Get you abourd, Æneas meanes to stay.Æn. The sea is rough, the windes blow to the shoare.

Dido. O false Æneas, now the sea is rough, But when you were abourd twas calme enough, Thou and Achates ment to saile away.

Æn. Hath not the Carthage Queene mine onely sonne? Thinkes Dido I will goe and leaue him here?

Dido. Æneas pardon me, for I forgotThat yong Ascanius lay with me this night:Loue made me iealous, but to make amends,Weare the emperiall Crowne of Libia,Sway thou the Punike Scepter in my steede,And punish me Æneas for this crime.Æn. This kisse shall be faire Didos punishment.

Dido. O how a Crowne becomes Æneas head! Stay here Æneas, and commaund as King.

Æn. How vaine am I to weare this Diadem,And beare this golden Scepter in my hand?A Burgonet of steele, and not a Crowne,A Sword, and not a Scepter fits Æneas.Dido. O keepe them still, and let me gaze my fill:Now lookes Æneas like immortall Ioue,O where is Ganimed to hold his cup,And Mercury to flye for what he calles,Ten thousand Cupids houer in the ayre,And fanne it in Æneas louely face,O that the Clowdes were here wherein thou fleest,That thou and I vnseene might sport our selues:Heauens enuious of our ioyes is waxen pale,And when we whisper, then the starres fall downe,To be partakers of our honey talke.Æn. O Dido, patronesse of all our liues,When I leaue thee, death be my punishment,Swell raging seas, frowne wayward destinies,Blow windes, threaten ye Rockes and sandie shelfes,This is the harbour that Æneas seekes,Lets see what tempests can anoy me now.Dido. Not all the world can take thee from mine armes,Æneas may commaund as many Moores,As in the Sea are little water drops:And now to make experience of my loue,Faire sister Anna leade my louer forth,And seated on my Gennet, let him rideAs Didos husband through the punicke streetes,And will my guard with Mauritanian darts,To waite vpon him as their soueraigne Lord.Anna. What if the Citizens repine thereat?Dido. Those that dislike what Dido giues in charge,Commaund my guard to slay for their offence:Shall vulgar pesants storme at what I doe?The ground is mine that giues them sustenance,The ayre wherein they breathe, the water, fire,All that they haue, their lands, their goods, their liues,And I the Goddesse of all these, commaundÆneas ride as Carthaginian King.

Acha. Æneas for his parentage deserues As large a kingdome as is Libia.

Æn. I, and vnlesse the destinies be false, I shall be planted in as rich a land.

Dido. Speake of no other land, this land is thine, Dido is thine, henceforth Ile call thee Lord: Doe as I bid thee, sister leade the way, And from a turret Ile behold my loue.

Æn. Then here in me shall flourish Priams race,And thou and I Achates, for reuenge,For Troy, for Priam, for his fiftie sonnes,Our kinsmens loues, and thousand guiltles soules,Will leade an hoste against the hatefull Greekes,And fire proude Lacedemon ore their heads. Exit.Dido. Speakes not Æneas like a Conqueror?O blessed tempests that did driue him in,O happie sand that made him runne aground:Henceforth you shall be our Carthage Gods:I, but it may be he will leaue my loue,And seeke a forraine land calde Italy:O that I had a charme to keepe the windesWithin the closure of a golden ball,Or that the Tyrrhen sea were in mine armes,That he might suffer shipwracke on my breast,As oft as he attempts to hoyst vp saile:I must preuent him, wishing will not serue:Goe, bid my Nurse take yong Ascanius,And beare him in the countrey to her house,Æneas will not goe without his sonne:Yet left he should, for I am full of feare,Bring me his oares, his tackling, and his sailes;What if I sinke his ships? O heele frowne.Better he frowne, then I should dye for griefe:I cannot see him frowne, it may not be:Armies of foes resolu'd to winne this towne,Or impious traitors vowde to haue my life,Affright me not, onely Æneas frowneIs that which terrifies poore Didos heart:Nor bloudie speares appearing in the ayre,Presage the downfall of my Emperie,Nor blazing Commets threatens Didos death,It is Æneas frowne that ends my daies:If he forsake me not, I neuer dye,For in his lookes I see eternitie,And heele make me immortall with a kisse.

Enter a Lord.

Your Nurse is gone with yong Ascanius,And heres Æneas tackling, oares and sailes.Dido. Are these the sailes that in despight of me,Packt with the windes to beare Æneas hence?Ile hang ye in the chamber where I lye,Driue if you can my house to Italy:Ile set the casement open that the windesMay enter in, and once againe conspireAgainst the life of me poore Carthage Queene:But though he goe, he stayes in Carthage still,And let rich Carthage fleete vpon the seas,So I may haue Æneas in mine armes.Is this the wood that grew in Carthage plaines,And would be toyling in the watrie billowes,To rob their mistresse of her Troian guest?O cursed tree, hadst thou but wit or sense,To measure how I prize Æneas loue,Thou wouldst haue leapt from out the Sailers hands,And told me that Æneas ment to goe:And yet I blame thee not, thou art but wood.The water which our Poets terme a Nimph,Why did it suffer thee to touch her breast,And shrunke not backe, knowing my loue was there?The water is an Element, no Nimph,Why should I blame Æneas for his flight?O Dido, blame not him, but breake his oares,These were the instruments that launcht him forth,Theres not so much as this base tackling too,But dares to heape vp sorrowe to my heart:Was it not you that hoysed vp these sailes?Why burst you not, and they fell in the seas?For this will Dido tye ye full of knots,And sheere ye all asunder with her hands:Now serue to chastize shipboyes for their faults,Ye shall no more offend the Carthage Queene,Now let him hang my fauours on his masts,And see if those will serue in steed of sailes:For tackling, let him take the chaines of gold,Which I bestowd vpon his followers:In steed of oares, let him vse his hands,And swim to Italy, Ile keepe these sure:Come beare them in. Exit.

Enter the Nurse with Cupid for Ascanius.

Nurse. My Lord Ascanius, ye must goe with me.Cupid. Whither must I goe? Ile stay with my mother.Nurse. No, thou shalt goe with me vnto my house,I haue an Orchard that hath store of plums,Browne Almonds, Seruises, ripe Figs and Dates,Dewberries, Apples, yellow Orenges,A garden where are Bee hiues full of honey,Musk-roses, and a thousand sort of flowers,And in the midst doth run a siluer streame,Where thou shalt see the red gild fishes leape,White Swannes, and many louely water fowles:Now speake Ascanius, will ye goe or no?Cupid. Come come Ile goe, how farre hence is your house?Nurse. But hereby child, we shall get thither straight.Cupid. Nurse I am wearie, will you carrie me?Nurse. I, so youle dwell with me and call me mother.Cupid. So youle loue me, I care not if I doe.Nurse. That I might liue to see this boy a man,How pretilie he laughs, goe ye wagge,Youle be a twigger when you come to age.Say Dido what she will I am not old,Ile be no more a widowe, I am young,Ile haue a husband, or els a louer.Cupid. A husband and no teeth!Nurse. O what meane I to haue such foolish thoughts!Foolish is loue, a toy, O sacred loue,If there be any heauen in earth, tis loue:Especially in women of your yeares.Blush blush for shame, why shouldst thou thinke of loue?A graue, and not a louer fits thy age:A graue, why? I may liue a hundred yeares,Fourescore is but a girles age, loue is sweete:My vaines are withered, and my sinewes drie,Why doe I thinke of loue now I should dye?Cupid. Come Nurse.

Nurse. Well, if he come a wooing he shall speede, O how vnwise was I to say him nay!

Exeunt

Actus 5

Enter Æneas with a paper in his hand, drawing the platforme of the citie, with him Achates, Cloanthus, and Illieneus.

Æn. Triumph my mates, our trauels are at end,Here will Æneas build a statelier Troy,Then that which grim Atrides ouerthrew:Carthage shall vaunt her pettie walles no more,For I will grace them with a fairer frame,And clad her in a Chrystall liuerie,Wherein the day may euermore delight:From golden India Ganges will I fetch,Whose wealthie streames may waite vpon her towers,And triple wise intrench her round about:The Sunne from Egypt shall rich odors bring,Wherewith his burning beames like labouring Bees,That loade their thighes with Hyblas honeys spoyles,Shall here vnburden their exhaled sweetes,And plant our pleasant suburbes with her fumes.Acha. What length or bredth shal this braue towne cōtaine?Æn. Not past foure thousand paces at the most.Illio. But what shall it be calde, Troy as before?Æn. That haue I not determinde with my selfe.Cloan. Let it be term'd Ænea by your name.Serg. Rather Ascania by your little sonne.Æn. Nay, I will haue it calde Anchisaon, Of my old fathers name.

Enter Hermes with Ascanius.

Hermes. Æneas stay, Ioues Herald bids thee stay.

Æn. Whom doe I see, Ioues winged messenger? Welcome to Carthage new erected towne.

Hermes. Why cosin, stand you building Cities here,And beautifying the Empire of this Queene,While Italy is cleane out of thy minde?To too forgetfull of thine owne affayres,Why wilt thou so betray thy sonnes good hap?The king of Gods sent me from highest heauen,To sound this angrie message in thine eares.Vaine man, what Monarky expectst thou here?Or with what thought sleepst thou in Libia shoare?If that all glorie hath forsaken thee,And thou despise the praise of such attempts:Yet thinke vpon Ascanius prophesie,And yong Iulus more then thousand yeares,Whom I haue brought from Ida where he slept,And bore yong Cupid vnto Cypresse Ile.Æn. This was my mother that beguild the Queene,And made me take my brother for my sonne:No maruell Dido though thou be in loue,That daylie danlest Cupid in thy armes:Welcome sweet child, where hast thou been this long?

Asca. Eating sweet Comfites with Queene Didos maide, Who euer since hath luld me in her armes.

Æn. Sergestus, beare him hence vnto our ships, Lest Dido spying him keepe him for a pledge.

Hermes. Spendst thou thy time about this little boy,And giuest not care vnto the charge I bring?I tell thee thou must straight to Italy,Or els abide the wrath of frowning Ioue.Æn. How should I put into the raging deepe,Who haue no sailes nor tackling for my ships?What would the Gods haue me Deucalion like,Flote vp and downe where ere the billowes driue?Though she repairde my fleete and gaue me ships,Yet hath she tane away my oares and masts,And left me neither saile nor sterne abourd.

Enter to them Iarbus.

Iar. How now Æneas, sad, what meanes these dumpes?

Æn. Iarbus, I am cleane besides my selfe, Ioue hath heapt on me such a desperate charge, Which neither art nor reason may atchieue, Nor I deuise by what meanes to contriue.

Iar. As how I pray, may I entreat you tell.

Æn. With speede he bids me sail to Italy. When as I want both rigging for my fleete, And also furniture for these my men.

Iar. If that be all, then cheare thy drooping lookes,For I will furnish thee with such supplies:Let some of those thy followers goe with me,And they shall haue what thing so ere thou needst.

Æn. Thankes good Iarbus for thy friendly ayde, Achates and the rest shall waite on thee, Whil'st I rest thankfull for this curtesie.

Exit Iarbus and Æneas traine.

Now will I haste vnto Lauinian shoare,And raise a new foundation to old Troy,Witnes the Gods, and witnes heauen and earth,How loth I am to leaue these Libian bounds,But that eternall Iupiter commands.

Enter Dido and Æneas.

Dido. I feare I sawe Æneas little sonne,Led by Achates to the Troian fleete:If it be so, his father meanes to flye:But here he is, now Dido trie thy wit.Æneas, wherefore goe thy men abourd?,Why are thy ships new rigd? or to what endLauncht from the hauen, lye they in the Rhode?Pardon me though I aske, loue makes me aske.

Æn. O pardon me, if I resolue thee why: Æneas will not faine with his deare loue, I must from hence: this day swift Mercury When I was laying a platforme for these walles, Sent from his father Ioue, appeard to me, And in his name rebukt me bitterly, For lingering here, neglecting Italy.

Dido. But yet Æneas will not leaue his loue.

Æn. I am commaunded by immortal Ioue, To leaue this towne and passe to Italy, And therefore must of force.

Dido. These words proceed not from Æneas heart.

Æn. Not from my heart, for I can hardly goe, And yet I may not stay, Dido farewell.

Dido. Farewell: is this the mends for Didos loue?Doe Troians vse to quit their Louers thus?Fare well may Dido, so Æneas stay,I dye, if my Æneas say farewell.

Æn. Then let me goe and neuer say farewell, Let me goe, farewell, I must from hence.

Dido. These words are poyson to poore Didos soule,O speake like my Æneas, like my loue:Why look'st thou toward the sea? the time hath beenWhen Didos beautie chaungd thine eyes to her;Am I lesse faire then when thou sawest me first?O then Æneas, tis for griefe of thee:Say thou wilt stay in Carthage with my Queene,And Didos beautie will returne againe:Æneas, say, how canst thou take thy leaue?Wilt thou kisse Dido? O thy lips haue sworneTo stay with Dido: canst thou take her hand?Thy Hand and mine haue plighted mutuall faith,Therefore vnkinde Æneas, must thou say,Then let me goe, and neuer say farewell.

Æn. O Queene of Carthage, wert thou vgly blacke, Æneas could not choose but hold thee deare, Yet must he not gainsay the Gods behest.

Dido. The Gods, what Gods be those that seeke my death?Wherein haue I offended Iupiter,That he should take Æneas from mine armes?O no, the Gods wey not what Louers doe,It is Æneas calles Æneas hence,And wofull Dido by these blubbred cheekes,By this right hand, and by our spousall rites,Desires Æneas to remaine with her:Si bene quid de te merui, fuit aut tibi quidquamDulce meum, miserere domus labentis: & istamOro, si quis ad hac precibus locus, exue mentem.

Æn. Desine meque tuis incendere teque querelis, Italiam non sponte sequor.

Dido. Hast thou forgot how many neighbour kingsWere vp in armes, for making thee my loue?How Carthage did rebell, Iarbus storme,And all the world calles me a second Helen,For being intangled by a strangers lookes:So thou wouldst proue as true as Paris did,Would, as faire Troy was, Carthage might be sackt,And I be calde a second Helena.Had I a sonne by thee, the griefe were lesse,That I might see Æneas in his face:Now if thou goest, what canst thou leaue behind,But rather will augment then ease my woe?

Æn. In vaine my loue thou spendst thy fainting breath, If words might moue me I were ouercome.

Dido. And wilt thou not be mou'd with Didos words?Thy mother was no Goddesse periurd man,Nor Dardanus the author of thy stocke:But thou art Sprung from Scythian Caucasus,And Tygers of Hircania gaue thee sucke:Ah foolish Dido to forbeare this long!Wast thou not wrackt vpon this Libian shoare,And cam'st to Dido like a Fisherswaine?Repairde not I thy ships, made thee a King,And all thy needie followers Noblemen?O Serpent that came creeping from the shoare,And I for pitie harbord in my bosome,Wilt thou now slay me with thy venomed sting,And hisse at Dido for preseruing thee?Goe goe and spare not, seeke out Italy,I hope that that which loue forbids me doe,The Rockes and Sea-gulfes will performe at large,And thou shalt perish in the billowes waies,To whom poore Dido doth bequeath reuenge,I traytor, and the waues shall cast thee vp,Where thou and false Achates first set foote:Which if it chaunce, Ile giue ye buriall,And weepe vpon your liueles carcases,Though thou nor he will pitie me a whit.Why star'st thou in my face? if thou wilt stay,Leape in mine armes, mine armes are open wide:If not, turne from me, and Ile turne from thee;For though thou hast the heart to say farewell,I haue not power to stay thee: is he gone?I but heele come againe, he cannot goe,He loues me to too well to serue me so:Yet he that in my sight would not relent,Will, being absent, be abdurate still.By this is he got to the water side,And, see the Sailers take him by the hand,But he shrinkes backe, and now remembring me,Returnes amaine: welcome, welcome my loue:But wheres Æneas? ah hees gone hees gone!Anna. What meanes my sister thus to raue and crye?Dido. O Anna, my Æneas is abourd,And leauing me will saile to Italy.Once didst thou goe, and he came backe againe,Now bring him backe, and thou shalt be a Queene,And I will liue a priuate life with him.Anna. Wicked Æneas.Dido. Call him not wicked, sister speake him faire,And looke vpon him with a Mermaides eye,Tell him, I neuer vow'd at Aulis gulfeThe desolation of his natiue Troy,Nor sent a thousand ships vnto the walles,Nor euer violated faith to him:Request him gently (Anna) to returne,I craue but this, he stay a tide or two,That I may learne to beare it patiently,If he depart thus suddenly, I dye:Run Anna, run, stay not to answere me.Anna. I goe faire sister, heauens graunt good successe.

Exit Anna.