Thou art run mad with injury, indeed; Amin. She's wanton: I am loth to say, a Though it be true. [grow Mel. Speak yet again, before thine anger Up, beyond throwing down: What are thy griefs? Amin. By all our friendship, these. After mine actions, shall the name of Friend Thy rashness to repentance. Draw thy sword! Amin. Not on thee, did thine anger swell as high As the wild surges. Thou shouldst do me case Here, and eternally, if thy noble hand Would cut me from my sorrows. Mel. This is base And then rage at it. I shall be at ease, Mel. Stay awhile. The name of Friend is more than family, This sad dishonour! Pardon me, my friend! A leprous one! Put up thy sword, young man. Amin. How should I bear it then, she being so? I fear, my friend, that you will lose me shortly; Mel. Better half the land Were buried quick together. No, Amintor; Thou shalt have ease. Oh, this adult'rous king, That drew her to it! Where got he the spirit To wrong me so? Amin. What is it then to me, If it be wrong to you? Mel. Why, not so much: The credit of our house is thrown away. Amin. I have quite undone my fame. And cast a inanly look upon my face; My share of credit equal with thine, Amin. No; for it will be call'd Honour in thee to spill thy sister's blood, Amin. I dare not do a sin, or else I would. again, And to thyself pronounce the name of Friend, And see what that will work. I will not fight. Amin. You must. [sions Mel. I will be kill'd first. Though my pasOffer'd the like to you, 'tis not this earth Shall buy my reason to it. Think awhile, For you are (I must weep, when I speak that) Almost besides yourself. Amin. Oh, my soft temper! So many sweet words from thy sister's mouth, I am afraid would make me take her [deed, To embrace, and pardon her. I am mad, inAnd know not what I do. Yet, have a care Of me in what thou dost. Mel. Why, thinks my friend I will forget his honour? or, to save The brav'ry of our house, will lose his fame, And fear to touch the throne of majesty? Amin. A curse will follow that; but rather live And suffer with me. [no more. Mel. I'll do what worth shall bid me, and Amin. 'Faith, I am sick, and desp'rately, I hope; Yet, leaning thus, I feel a kind of ease. [you. Mel. Come, take again your mirth about Amin. I shall never do't. [together; Mel. I warrant you; look up; we'll walk Put thine arm here; all shall be well again. Amin. Thy love (oh, wretched!) ay, thy love, Melantius! Why, I have nothing else. Mel. Be merry then. Enter Melantius again. [Exeunt. Mel. This worthy young man may do violence Upon himself; but I have cherish'd him To my best pow'r, and sent him smiling from me, To counterfeit again. Sword, hold thine edge; My heart will never fail me. Diphilus! Thou com'st as sent.40 Enter Diphilus. Diph. Yonder has been such laughing. Diph. Why, our sister and the king; I thought their spleens would break; they laugh'd us all out of the room. Mel. They must weep, Diphilus. Mel. They must. Thou art my brother; and if I did believe Thou hadst a base thought, I would rip it out, Lie where it durst. Diph. You should not; I would first mangle myself, and find it. Mel. That was spoke according to our strain. Come, join thy hands to mine, And swear a firmness to what project I Diph. You do wrong us both: Mel. It is as nobly said as I would wish. Anon I'll tell you wonders: We are wrong'd. Diph. But I will tell you now, we'll right ourselves. Mel, Stay not: Prepare the armour in my house; And what friends you can draw unto our side, Not knowing of the cause, make ready too. Haste, Diphilus, the time requires it, haste! [Exit Diphilus. blood I hope my cause is just; I know my Thou com'st as sent.] This is, as Horace says of himself, Brevis esse laboro, obscurus fio. The meaning is, thou com'st as critically, as if I had sent for thee. Mr. Theobald. Melantius means, you come at such a juncture, it seems as if Heaven had sent you to aid my scheme of vengeance. 41 You shall, if you command me;] Thus all the editions: i. e. If you bid me blush, I shall. Evadne is very obsequious in this condescension: but this, I dare say, was not the Poets' intentions. They meant she should say; Nay, if you commend me, I am bashful, and shall blush at your praises:' And this is confirmed by what Melantius immediately subjoins to it. Mr. Theobald. 42 Thy body is too little for the story, The lust of which would fill another woman, Though she had twins within her.] This is mock-reasoning, and prima facie shews its absurdity. Surely, if a woman has twins within her, she can want very little more to fill her up. I dare be confident, I have restored the Poets' genuine reading. The propriety of the reasoning is a conviction of the certainty of the emendation. Mr, Theobald. Mr. Evad. What truth is that Rather to grapple with the plague, or stand Do it without enforcement, and take heed Evad. They and their seconds of it are base Believe them not, they ly'd. [wretch! Mel. Do not play with mine anger, do not, I come to know that desperate fool that drew thee From thy fair life: Be wise, and lay him open. Forgetfulness forfeits your life. Mel. Quench me this mighty humour, and then tell me [it. Whose whore you are; for you are one, I know Let all mine honours perish, but I'll find him, Though he lie lock'd up in thy blood! Be sudden; There is no facing it, and be not flatter'd! Than thy contagious name, 'till thy repentance Mel. I'll be a wolf first! "Tis, to be thy A goat is cooler. Will you tell me yet? Mr. Theobald reads, [here. Let 'em lie sweet still in the earth; they'll stink Mel. Do you raise mirth out of my easiness? Or, by the dear soul of thy sleeping father, Mel. No; 'tis a justice, and a noble one, would fill another woman, As though sh'ad twins within herz from which it is evident, he has misunderstood our Authors: They do not mean an internal, but an external filling. Your whole body, says Melantius, is so far from being large enough to contain an account of your lusts, that, if it were wrote all over, there would still remain enough of the story to cover the body of another woman, even though she were swelled with twins. Either way, however, it must be allowed, the thought and expression are rather uncouth. 43 Thou'st death about thee: Has undone thine honour.] The latter editions read, he has undone;' that it should be who, and that Melantius is still questioning Evadne about the destroyer of her innocence, is not, we think, to be doubted. That on thy branded flesh the world Mel. Up, and begin your story. may read Wilt thou [bend yet? Mel. 'Tis true, thou art. Speak truth still. Evad. I have offended: Noble Sir, forgive me. Mel. With what secure slave? Mel. Do not fall back again: My sword's unsheathed yet. Mel. Be true, and make your fault less. Mel. Tell, or I'll be this day a-killing thee. [nature Mine honour first.-I've too much foolish In me: Speak. Evad. Is there none else here? [too many. Mel. None but a fearful conscience; that's Who is't? Evad. Oh, hear me gently. It was the king. Mel. No more. My worthy father's and my services Are lib'rally rewarded. King, I thank thee! For all my dangers and my wounds, thou hast paid me In my own metal: These are soldiers' thanks! How long have you liv'd thus, Evadne? Evad. Too long. Mel. Too late you find it. Can you be sorry? Evad. 'Would I were half as blameless." Mel. Evadne, thou wilt to thy trade again! Evad. First to my grave. Mel. 'Would gods th' hadst been so blest. Too many sad confusions here, to let in Evad. All the gods forbid it! Mel. No; all the gods require it, they are dishonour'd in him. Evad. 'Tis too fearful. [enough Mel. You're valiant in his bed, and bold To be a stale whore, and have your madam's name What noble minds shall make thee, see thyself When I shall call thee to it; or by all [wealth And, both to Heav'n held up, swear, by that This lustful thief stole from thee, when I say it, To let his foul soul out. Evad. Here I swear it; Mel. Enough. This must be known to none disgrace! ['friended, Oh, where have I been all this time? how That I should lose myself thus desp'rately, And none for pity shew me how I'wand'red? There is not in the compass of the light A more unhappy creature: Sure, I am monstrous! [chiefs, For I have done those follies, those mad misWould dare a woman.+5 Oh, my loaden soul, Be not so cruel to me; choke not up 44 Give me thy hand.] Thus say all the editions; but the sense of the following lines requires us to read hands, in the plural- both to Heaven held up.' 45 Would dare a woman.] i, e. would scare, would fright her out of her wits to commit. Mr. Theobald. 46 This is no new way, &c.] This is the reading of the majority of the copies. It is undoubtedly sense; but that which we have followed is more elegant. |