Enters RADAGON, with REMILIA, sister to Rasni, ALVIDA, wife to Paphlagon, and other ladies, bringing a globe seated in a ship.
REMIL. Victorious monarch, second unto Jove,
Mars upon earth, and Neptune on the seas,
Whose frown strows + all the ocean with a calm,
Whose smile draws Flora to display her pride,
Whose eye holds wanton Venus at a gaze,
Rasni, the regent of great Nineveh :
For thou hast foil'd proud Jeroboam's force,
And like the mustering breath of Æolus,
That overturns the pines of Lebanon,
Hast scatter'd Jewry and her upstart grooms,
Winning from Cades to Samaria,
Remilia greets thee with a kind salute,
And for a present to thy mightiness
Gives thee a globe folded within a ship,
As king on earth, and lord of all the seas,
With such a welcome unto Nineveh,
As may thy sister's humble love afford.
RASNI. Sister! the title fits not thy degree,
A higher state of honour shall be thine.
The lovely trull that Mercury entrapt
Within the curious pleasure of his tongue,
And she that bash'd the sun-god with her eyes,
Fair Semele, the choice of Venus' maids,
Were not so beauteous as Remilia.
Then, sweeting, sister shall not serve the turn,
But Rasni's wife, his leman, and his love;
Thou shalt, like Juno, wed thyself to Jove,
And fold me in the richess of thy fair : ‡
*bringing] The two first 4tos. "bring."
† strows] The 4tos. “ stroyes."
fair] i.e. beauty so again our author, in one of his prose tracts; though she [Helen] were false to Menelaus, yet her faire made him brook her follies." Second Part of Never too Late. Sig. K, ed. n. d.
Remilia shall be Rasni's paramour.
For why, if I be Mars for warlike deeds,
And thou bright Venus for thy clear aspect,
Why should not from our loins issue a son,
That might be lord of royal sovereignty,
Of twenty worlds, if twenty worlds might be?
What say'st, Remilia, art thou Rasni's wife?
REMIL. My heart doth swell with favour of thy The love of Rasni maketh me as proud [thoughts; As Juno when she wore heaven's diadem.
Thy sister born was for thy wife by love:
Had I the riches nature locketh up,
To deck her darling beauty when she smiles,
Rasni should prank him in the pride of all.
RASNI. Remilia's love is far more either priz'd
Than Jeroboam's or the world's subdue.
Lordings, I'll have my weddings sumptuous,
Made glorious with the treasures of the world:
I'll fetch from Albia shelves of margarites, t
And strip the Indies of their diamonds,
And Tyre shall yield me tribute of her gold,
To make Remilia's wedding glorious.
I'll send for all the damosel queens that live
Within the reach of Rasni's government,
To wait as handmaids on ‡ Remilia,
That her attendant train may pass the troop
That gloried Venus at her wedding day.
K. OF CRETE. O my lord, not sister to thy love! § 'Tis incest, and too foul a fact for kings;
Nature allows no limits to such lust.
RADAG. Presumptuous viceroy, dar'st thou check thy lord,,
*by] The 4to. of 1602 "my."
I'll fetch from Albia shelves of margarites] See note ‡ p. 8. ton] The 4to. of 1598 “to.'
§ O my lord, &c.] Perhaps the author wrote;
"My lord, take not thy sister to thy love."
Or twit him with the laws that nature loves?
Is not great Rasni above nature's reach,
God upon earth, and all his will is law?
K. OF CRETE. O flatter not, for hateful is his And sister's love will blemish all his worth.
RADAG. Doth not the brightness of his majesty
Shadow his deeds from being counted faults?
RASNI. Well hast thou answer'd with him, Ra-
I like thee for thy learned sophistry. [dagon,*
But thou of Crete, that countercheck'st thy king,
Pack hence in exile, give Radagon thy + crown.
Be thou ¶ vicegerent of his royalty,
And fail me not in what my thoughts may please,
For from a beggar have I brought thee up,
And grac'd thee with the honour of a crown.
Ye quondam king, what, feed ye on delays?
K. OF CRETE. Better no king than viceroy under
That hath no virtue to maintain his crown. [him,
RASNI. Remilia, what fair dames be those that
Attendant on thy matchless royalty? [wait
REMIL. 'Tis Alvida, the fair wife to the King of
Paphlagonia.
[a jewel,
RASNI. Trust me, she is fair:§ th'ast, || Paphlagon,
To fold thee in so bright a sweeting's arms.
RADAG. Like you her, my lord?
RASNI. What if I do, Radagon?
RADAG. Why then she is yours, my lord, for mar
Makes no exception, where Rasni doth command. K. OF PAPH. Ill dost thou counsel him to fancy wives.
* with him, Radagon] The 4tos. " within Radon.”
+ Pack hence, &c.] The 4to. of 1594;
"Pack hence in exile, Radagon the crown."
¶ thou] The 4tos. "thee."
thy] The 4to. of 1598 "my."
fair] The 4to. of 1598 "
th'ast] The 4to. of 1598 "thou hast."
RADAG. Wife or not wife, what so he likes is his.
RASNI. Well answer'd, Radagon; thou art for me:
Feed thou mine humour, and be still a king.
Lords, go in triumph of my happy loves,
And for to feast us after all our broils,
Frolic and revel it in Nineveh.
Whatsoever befitteth your conceited thoughts,
Or good or ill, love or not love, my boys,
In love, or what may satisfy your lust,
Act it, my lords, for no man dare say no.
Divisum imperium cum Jove nunc teneo.*
[Exeunt. Enters, brought in by an ANGEL, OSEAS the Prophet, and let down over the stage in a throne. ANGEL. Amaze not, man of God, if in the spirit Th'art brought from Jewry unto Nineveh; So was Elias wrapt within a storm,
And set upon Mount Carmel by the Lord:
For thou hast preach'd long to the stubborn Jews,
Whose flinty hearts have felt no sweet remorse,
But lightly valuing all the threats of God,
Have still persever'd in their wickedness.
Lo, I have brought thee unto Nineveh,
The rich and royal city of the world,
Pamper'd in wealth, and overgrown with pride,
As Sodom and Gomorrah full of sin.
The Lord looks down and cannot see one good,
Not one that covets to obey his will;
But wicked all from cradle to the crutch.‡
Note then, Oseas, all their grievous sins,
And see the wrath of God that pays revenge;
*Divisum, &c.] Prefixed to this line, in the 4tos., is the word Smith: by what mistake it happened to be inserted here, as the Smith has not yet appeared on the scene, I know not.
+ let] The 4tos. of 1594, 1598, and 1617 "set." crutch] The 4to. of 1598 "church."
And when the ripeness of their sin is full,
And thou hast written all their wicked through,
I'll carry thee to Jewry back again,
And seat thee in the great Jerusalem.
There shalt thou publish in her open streets,
That God sends down his hateful wrath for sin
On such as never heard his prophets speak:
Much more will he inflict a world of plagues
On such as hear the sweetness of his voice,
And yet obey not what his prophets speak.
Sit thee, Oseas, pondering in the spirit
The mightiness of these fond people's sins.
OSEAS. The will of the Lord be done!
Enters the CLOWN and his Crew of Ruffians, to go to drink.
FIRST RUFF. Come on, smith, thou shalt be one of the crew, because thou knowest where the best ale in the town is.
ADAM.* Come on, in faith, my colts: I have left my master striking of a heat, and stole away because I would keep you company.
CLOWN. Why, what, shall we have this paltry smith with us?
ADAM. Paltry smith! why, you incarnative knave, what are you that you speak petty treason against the smith's trade?
CLOWN. Why, slave, I am a gentleman of Nineveh.
ADAM. A gentleman! good sir, I remember you
* Adam] The 4to. of 1602, throughout the scene, SMITH; so the other 4tos. in part of the scene, but in part of it they do not appropriate his speeches to any one: it is plain that the speaker is the Smith's man, ADAM, by which name he is distinguished in the latter part of the play.
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