________________________________________________
_ [
Enter Cupid solus.]
CUPID.
Now Cupid cause the Carthaginian Queen,
To be inamourd of thy brothers looks,
Convey this golden arrowe in thy sleeve,
Lest she imagine thou art Venus son:
And when she strokes thee softly on the head,
Then shall I touch her breast and conquer her.
[Enter Iarbus, Anna, and Dido.]
IARBUS
How long fair Dido shall I pine for thee?
Tis not enough that thou doest grant me love,
But that I may enjoy what I desire:
That love is childish which consists in words.
DIDO.
Iarbus, know that thou of all my wooers
(And yet have I had many mightier Kings)
Hast had the greatest favours I could give:
I fear me Dido hath been counted light,
In being too familiar with Iarbus:
Albeit the Gods do know no wanton thought
Had ever residence in Dido's breast.
IARBUS
But Dido is the favour I request.
DIDO.
Feare not Iarbus, Dido may be thine.
ANNA.
Look sister how Aeneas little son
Playes with your garments and imbraceth you.
CUPID.
No Dido will not take me in her arms,
I shall not be her son, she loves me not.
DIDO.
Weep not sweet boy, thou shalt be Dido's son,
Sit in my lap and let me hear thee sing.
No more my child, now talk another while,
And tell me where learnst thou this pretty song?
CUPID.
My cousin Helen taught it me in Troy .
DIDO.
How lovely is Ascanius when he smiles?
CUPID.
Will Dido let me hang about her neck?
DIDO.
I wagge, and give thee leave to kisse her to.
CUPID.
What will you give me? now I'll have this Fanne.
DIDO.
Take it Ascanius, for thy fathers sake.
IARBUS
Come Dido, leave Ascanius, let us walk.
DIDO.
go thou away, Ascanius shall stay.
IARBUS
ungentle Queen, is this thy love to me?
DIDO.
O stay Iarbus, and I'll go with thee.
CUPID.
And if my mother go, I'll follow her.
DIDO.
Why stayest thou here? thou art no love of mine?
IARBUS
Iarbus die, seeing she abandons thee.
DIDO.
No, live Iarbus, what hast thou deserved,
That I should say thou art no love of mine?
Something thou hast deserved, away I say,
Depart from Carthage, come not in my sight.
IARBUS
Am I not King of rich Getulia?
DIDO.
Iarbus pardon me, and stay a while.
CUPID.
Mother, Look here.
DIDO.
What telst thou me of rich Getulia?
Am not I Queen of Libia? then depart.
IARBUS
I go to feed the humour of my Love,
Yet not from Carthage for a thousand worlds.
DIDO.
Iarbus.
IARBUS
Doth Dido call me back?
DIDO.
No, but I charge thee never Look on me.
IARBUS
Then pull out both mine eyes, or let me die.
[Exit Iarb.]
ANNA.
Wherefore doth Dido bid Iarbus go?
DIDO.
Because his lothsome sight offends mine eye,
And in my thoughts is shrin'd another love:
O Anna, didst thou know how sweet love were,
Full soon wouldst thou abjure this single life.
ANNA.
poor soul I know too well the sower of love,
O that Iarbus could but fancy me.
DIDO.
Is not Aeneas fair and beautifull?
ANNA.
Yes, and Iarbus foul and favourless.
DIDO.
Is he not eloquent in all his speech?
ANNA.
Yes, and Iarbus rude and rusticall.
DIDO.
Name not Iarbus, but sweet Anna say,
Is not Aeneas worthy Dido's love?
ANNA.
O sister, were you Empress of the world,
Aeneas well deserves to be your love,
So lovely is he that where ere he goes,
The people swarme to gaze him in the face.
DIDO.
But tell them none shall gaze on him but I,
Lest their grosse eye-beams taint my lover's cheeks:
Anna, good sister Anna go for him,
Lest with these sweet thoughts I melt cleane away.
ANNA.
Then sister you'll abjure Iarbus love?
DIDO.
Yet must I hear that lothsome name again?
run for Aeneas, or I'll fly to him.
[Exit Anna.]
CUPID.
You shall not hurt my father when he comes.
DIDO.
No, for thy sake I'll love thy father well.
O dull conceipted Dido, that till now
Didst never think Aeneas beautifull:
But now for quittance of this oversight,
I'll make me bracelets of his golden hair,
His glistering eyes shall be my looking glass,
His lips an altar, where I'll offer up
As many kisses as the Sea hath sands,
In stead of music I will hear him speak,
His looks shall be my only Library,
And thou AEneas, Didos treasury,
In whose fair bosome I will locke more wealth,
Then twenty thousand Indiaes can affoord:
O here he comes, love, love, give Dido leave
To be more modest then her thoughts admit,
Lest I be made a wonder to the world.
Achates, how doth Carthage please your Lord?
ACHATES.
That will Aeneas show your majesty.
DIDO.
Aeneas art thou there?
AENEAS.
I understand your highnesse sent for me.
DIDO.
No, but now thou art here, tell me in sooth,
In what might Dido highly pleasure thee.
AENEAS.
So much have I received at Dido's hands,
As without blushing I can ask no more:
Yet Queen of Affricke, are my ships unrigd,
My Sails all rent in sunder with the wind,
My Oares broken, and my Tackling lost,
Yea all my Navy split with Rocks and Shelfes:
Nor Sterne nor Anchor have our maimed Fleet,
Our Masts the furious winds struck overboard:
Which piteous wants if Dido will supply,
We will account her author of our lives.
DIDO.
Aeneas, I'll repair thy Trojan ships,
Conditionally that thou wilt stay with me,
And let Achates sail to Italy:
I'll give thee tackling made of riveld gold,
Wound on the barkes of odoriferous trees,
Oares of massie ivory full of holes,
Through which the water shall delight to play:
Thy Anchors shall be hewed from Christall Rocks,
Which if thou lose shall shine above the waves;
The Masts whereon thy swelling sails shall hang,
Hollow Pyramides of silver plate:
The sails of folded Lawn, where shall be wrought
The wars of Troy, but not Troyes overthrow:
For ballace, empty Dido's treasury,
Take what ye will, but leave Aeneas here.
Achates, thou shalt be so meanly clad,
As Seaborne Nymphes shall swarme about thy ships,
And wanton Mermaids court thee with sweet songs,
Flinging in favours of more sovereign worth,
Then Thetis hangs about Apollo's neck,
So that Aeneas may but stay with me.
AENEAS.
Wherefore would Dido have Aeneas stay?
DIDO.
To war against my bordering enemies:
Aeneas, think not Dido is in love:
For if that any man could conquer me,
I had been wedded ere Aeneas came:
See where the pictures of my suiters hang,
And are not these as fair as fair may be?
ACHATES.
I saw this man at Troy ere Troy was sacked.
AENEAS.
I this in _Greece_ when Paris stole fair Helen.
ILIONEUS.
This man and I were at Olympus games.
SERGESTUS.
I know this face, he is a Persian borne,
I traveld with him to AEtolia.
Cloan.
And I in Athens with this gentleman,
unlesse I be deceiv'd disputed once.
DIDO.
But speak Aeneas, know you none of these?
AENEAS.
No Madam, but it seemes that these are Kings.
DIDO.
All these and others which I never saw,
Have been most vrgent suiters for my love,
Some came in person, others sent their Legats:
Yet none obtaind me, I am free from all,
And yet God knows intangled unto one.
This was an Orator, and thought by words
To compasse me, but yet he was deceiv'd:
And this a Spartan Courtier vain and wilde,
But his fantastick humours pleasde not me:
This was Alcion, a Musition,
But playd he nere so sweet, I let him go:
This was the wealthy King of Thessaly,
But I had gold enough and cast him off:
This Meleagers son, a warlike Prince,
But weapons gree not with my tender years:
The rest are such as all the world well knows,
Yet how I swear by heaven and him I love,
I was as farre from love, as they from hate.
AENEAS.
O happy shall he be whom Dido loves.
DIDO.
Then never say that thou art miserable,
Because it may be thou shalt be my love:
Yet boast not of it, for I love thee not,
And yet I hate thee not: O if I speak
I shall betray myself: Aeneas speak,
We two will go a hunting in the woods,
But not so much for thee, thou art but one,
As for Achates, and his followers.
[Exeunt.] _
Read next: Act 3 - Scena 2
Read previous: Act 2 - Scena 1
Table of content of Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage
GO TO TOP OF SCREEN
Post your review
Your review will be placed after the table of content of this book
