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_ [
Enter Dido and Anna.]
DIDO.
O Anna, run unto the water side,
They say Aeneas men are going aboard,
It may be he will steal away with them:
Stay not to answere me, run Anna run.
O foolish Trojans that would steal from hence,
And not let Dido understand their drift:
I would have given Achates store of gold,
And Illioneus gum and Libian spice,
The common soldiers rich imbrodered coates,
And silver whistles to controule the winds,
Which Circes sent Sicheus when he lived:
unworthie are they of a Queens reward:
See where they come, how might I do to chide?
[Enter Anna, with AEneas, Achates, Illioneus, and Sergestus.]
ANNA.
Twas time to run, Aeneas had been gone,
The sails were hoysing up, and he aboard.
DIDO.
Is this thy love to me?
AENEAS.
O princely Dido, give me leave to speak,
I went to take my farewell Achates.
DIDO.
How haps Achates bid me not farewell?
ACHATES.
Because I feard your grace would keep me here.
DIDO.
To rid thee of that doubt, aboard again,
I charge thee put to sea and stay not here.
ACHATES.
Then let Aeneas go aboard with us.
DIDO.
Get you aboard, Aeneas means to stay.
AENEAS.
The sea is rough, the winds blow to the shore.
DIDO.
O false Aeneas, now the sea is rough,
But when you were aboard twas calme enough,
Thou and Achates meant to sail away.
AENEAS.
Hath not the Carthage Queen mine onely son?
thinks Dido I will go and leave him here?
DIDO.
Aeneas pardon me, for I forgot
That yong Ascanius lay with me this night:
Love made me jealous, but to make amends,
Wear the emperiall Crown of Libia,
Sway thou the Punike Scepter in my stead,
And punish me Aeneas for this crime.
AENEAS.
This kisse shall be fair Dido's punishment.
DIDO.
O how a Crown becomes Aeneas head!
Stay here Aeneas, and command as King.
AENEAS. How vain am I to wear this Diadem,
And bear this golden Scepter in my hand?
A Burgonet of steel, and not a Crown,
A Sword, and not a Scepter fits Aeneas.
DIDO.
O keep them still, and let me gaze my fill:
Now looks Aeneas like immortall Jove,
O where is Ganymede to hold his cup,
And Mercury to fly for what he calls,
Ten thousand Cupids hover in the air,
And fanne it in Aeneas lovely face,
O that the clouds were here wherein thou fleest,
That thou and I unseen might sport our selves:
Heavens envious of our joys is waxen pale,
And when we whisper, then the starres fall down,
To be partakers of our honey talk.
AENEAS.
O Dido, patronesse of all our lives,
When I leave thee, death be my punishment,
Swell raging seas, frown wayward destinies,
Blow winds, threaten ye Rocks and sandy shelves,
This is the harbour that Aeneas seeks,
Lets see what tempests can anoy me now.
DIDO.
Not all the world can take thee from mine arms,
Aeneas may command as many Moores,
As in the Sea are little water drops:
And now to make experience of my love,
Fair sister Anna leade my lover forth,
And seated on my Gennet, let him ride
As Dido's husband through the punicke streets,
And will my guard with Mauritanian darts,
To waite upon him as their sovereign Lord.
ANNA.
What if the Citizens repine thereat?
DIDO.
Those that dislike what Dido gives in charge,
Command my guard to slay for their offence:
Shall vulgar pesants storm at what I do?
The ground is mine that gives them sustenance,
The air wherein they breathe, the water, fire,
All that they have, their lands, their goods, their lives,
And I the goddess of all these, command
Aeneas ride as Carthaginian King.
ACHATES.
Aeneas for his parentage deserves
As large a kingdom as is Libia.
AENEAS.
I, and unlesse the destinies be false,
I shall be planted in as rich a land.
DIDO.
speak of no other land, this land is thine,
Dido is thine, henceforth I'll call thee Lord:
do as I bid thee, sister leade the way,
And from a turret I'll behold my love.
AENEAS.
Then here in me shall flourish Priams race,
And thou and I Achates, for revenge,
For Troy, for Priam, for his fifty sons,
Our kinsmens loves, and thousand guiltles souls,
Will leade an hoste against the hateful Greeks,
And fire proud Lacedemon ore their heads.
[Exit.]
DIDO.
speaks not Aeneas like a Conqueror?
O blessed tempests that did drive him in,
O happy sand that made him run aground:
Henceforth you shall be our Carthage Gods:
I, but it may be he will leave my love,
And seek a forraine land calde Italy:
O that I had a charm to keep the winds
Within the closure of a golden ball,
Or that the Tyrrhen sea were in mine arms,
That he might suffer shipwracke on my breast,
As oft as he attempts to hoyst up sail:
I must prevent him, wishing will not serve:
go, bid my Nurse take young Ascanius,
And bear him in the countrey to her house,
Aeneas will not go without his son:
Yet left he should, for I am full of fear,
Bring me his oares, his tackling, and his sails;
What if I sink his ships? O he'll frown.
Better he frown, then I should die for grief:
I cannot see him frown, it may not be:
Armies of foes resolved to winne this town,
Or impious traitors vowde to have my life,
Affright me not, onely Aeneas frown
Is that which terrifies poor Dido's heart:
Nor bloody spears appearing in the air,
Presage the downfall of my Emperie,
Nor blazing Commets threatens Dido's death,
It is Aeneas frown that ends my daies:
If he forsake me not, I never die,
For in his looks I see eternity,
And he'll make me immortal with a kiss.
[Enter a Lord.]
Your Nurse is gone with yong Ascanius,
And heres Aeneas tackling, oares and sails.
DIDO.
Are these the sails that in despight of me,
Packt with the winds to bear Aeneas hence?
I'll hang ye in the chamber where I lie,
Drive if you can my house to Italy:
I'll set the casement open that the winds
May enter in, and once again conspire
Against the life of me poor Carthage Queen:
But though he go, he stayes in Carthage still,
And let rich Carthage fleet upon the seas,
So I may have Aeneas in mine arms.
Is this the wood that grew in Carthage plaines,
And would be toyling in the watrie billows,
To rob their mistresse of her Trojan guest?
O cursed tree, hadst thou but wit or sense,
To measure how I prize Aeneas love,
Thou wouldst have leapt from out the sailrs hands,
And told me that Aeneas meant to go:
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 back, knowing my love was there?
The water is an Element, no Nimph,
Why should I blame Aeneas for his flight?
O Dido, blame not him, but break his oares,
These were the instruments that launched him forth,
Theres not so much as this base tackling too,
But dares to heap up sorrowe to my heart:
Was it not you that hoysed up these sails?
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 serve to chastise shipboys for their faults,
Ye shall no more offend the Carthage Queen,
Now let him hang my favours on his masts,
And see if those will serve in steed of sails:
For tackling, let him take the chains of gold,
Which I bestowd upon his followers:
In steed of oares, let him use his hands,
And swim to Italy, I'll keep these sure:
Come bear them in.
[Exit.] _
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