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_ [
Enter Illioneus, and Cloanthes.]
ILIONEUS.
Follow ye Trojans, follow this brave Lord,
And plaine to him the summe of your distresse.
IARBUS
Why, what are you, or wherefore do you sewe?
ILIONEUS.
Wretches of Troy, envied of the winds,
That crave such favour at your honors feete,
As poor distressed misery may pleade:
Save, save, O save our ships from cruell fire,
That do complain the wounds of thousand waves,
And spare our lives whom every spite pursues.
We come not we to wrong your Libian Gods,
Or steal your houshold lares from their shrines:
Our hands are not prepar'd to lawless spoil,
Nor armed to offend in any kind:
Such force is farre from our unweaponed thoughts,
Whose fading weale of victory forsooke,
Forbids all hope to harbour near our hearts.
IARBUS
But tell me Trojans, Trojans if you be,
unto what fruitfull quarters were ye bound,
Before that Boreas buckled with your sails?
Cloan.
There is a place Hesperia term'd by us,
An ancient Empire, famoused for arms,
And fertile in fair Ceres furrowed wealth,
Which now we call Italia of his name,
That in such peace long time did rule the same:
Thither made we,
When suddenly gloomy Orion rose,
And led our ships into the shallow sands,
Whereas the Southern wind with brackish breath,
Disperst them all amongst the wrackfull Rocks:
From thence a fewe of us escaped to land,
The rest we fear are folded in the floods.
IARBUS
Brave men at arms, abandon fruitles fears,
Since Carthage knows to entertaine distresse.
SERGESTUS.
I but the barbarous sort do threat our ships,
And will not let us lodge upon the sands:
In multitudes they swarme unto the shore,
And from the first earth interdict our feete.
IARBUS
My selfe will see they shall not trouble ye,
Your men and you shall banquet in our Court,
And every Trojan be as welcome here,
As Jupiter to silly Vausis house:
Come in with me, I'll bring you to my Queen,
Who shall confirme my words with further deedes.
SERGESTUS.
Thanks gentle Lord for such unlooked for grace,
Might we but once more see Aeneas's face,
Then would we hope to quite such friendly turns,
As shall surpasse the wonder of our speech. _
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