1. Herds.

Good morrow, Brother, you have heard the News.

2. Herds.

News, quoth a? trim News truly.

1. Herds.

Why, they say our Lord and Master's stept a one sides there any thing in't trow?

2. Herds.

Any thing in't? alas aday! alas aday! sad times! sad times, Brother! not a penny of money stirring.

1. Herds.

Nay, I thought there was no good Weather towards, when my bald-fac'd Heifer stuck up her Tail Eastward, and ran back into a new Quick-set, which I had just made to keep the Swine from the Beans.

2. Herds.

And t'other night, as I was at Supper, in the Chimny-corner, a whole Family of Swallows, that had occupy'd the Tenement these seven years, fell down, Nest and all, into the Porridge-pot, and spoil'd the Broath. Sad times! sad times, Brother!

3. Herds.

Did you meet no Troupers this way?

2. Herds.

Troupers? I saw a parcel of Raggooners, I think they call 'em, trotting along yon Wood-side upon ragged Hide-bound Jades. I warrant they came for no goodness.....

1. Herds.

'Twas to seek for Lord Marius, as sure as Eggs be Eggs. These-Bitious folk make more stir in the world then a thousand men. Would my Kine were all in their Stalls.

1. Sould.

This is the way. How now, you pack of Boobies? whose Fools are you?

2. Herds.

Why, we are such Fools as you are; any bodie's Fools that will pay us our Wages.

2. Sould.

Do you belong to the Traitour Marius?

1. Herds.

We belong to Caius Marius, an't like your Worship.

1. Sould.

Why, this is a civil Fellow. But you, Rogue, you are witty and be hang'd, are you?

2. Herds.

I's poor enough to be witty, as you'r poor enough to be valiant. Had I but Money enough, I'd no more be a Wit then you'd be a Souldier.

2. Sould.

Let the hungry Churl alone.

1. Sould.

Hark you, you Dog; where's your Lord, the Traitour Marius?

2. Herds.

In a whole Skin, if he be wise.....

2. Sould.

Where is he, you Pultroon?

2. Herds.

Look you, I keep his Cows and his Oxen here at Salonium, but I keep none of him. If you must needs know where he is, then I must needs tell you I don't know.

1. Sould.

Let's to his house hard by, and ransack that. Sirrah, If we miss of him, you may repent this.

1. Herds.

'Tis all one to me, I must pay my Rent to some body.

2. Herds.

Why, this 'tis now to be a Great man. Heav'n keep me a Cow-keeper still.... I say....

Enter Marius senior and Granius.

Mar. sen.
Where are we? are we yet not near Salonium?
Lead me to yonder shady Poplar, where
The poor old Marius a while may sit,
And joy in Rest. Oh my distemper'd Head!
The Sun has beat his Beams so hard upon me,
That my Brain's hot as molten Gold. My Skull!
Oh my tormented Skull! Oh Rome! Rome! Rome!
Hah! what are those?

Gran.
They seem, Sir, Rural Swains,
Who tend the Herds that graze beneath these Woods.

Mar. sen.
Who are you? to what Lord do ye belong?

2. Herds.

We did belong to Caius Marius once: but they say he's gone a Journey: and now we belong to one another.

Mar. sen.
Have ye forgot me then? ungratefull Slaves!
Are you so willing to disown your Master?
Who would have thought t' have found such Baseness here,
Where Innocence seems seated by the Gods,
As in her Virgin-nakedness untainted?
Confusion on ye, ye sordid Earthlings. [Ex. all but one.

1. Herds.
Oh fly, my Lord, your Foes are thick abroad:
Just now a Troup of Murtherers past this way,
And ask'd with horrour for the Traitour Marius.
By this time at Salonium, at your House,
They are in search of you. Fly, fly, my Lord.... [Exit.

Mar. sen.
I shall be hounded up and down the World,
Now every Villain, that is Wretch enough
To take the price of Bloud, dreams of my Throat.
Help and support me till I reach the Wood,
Then go and find thy wretched Brother out.
Asunder we may dodge our Fate, and lose her.
In some old hollow Tree or o'regrown Brake
I'd rest my weary Lims, till Danger pass me. [Goes into the Wood. Enter Souldiers again.

1. Sould.
A thousand Crowns? 'tis a Reward might buy
As many Lives, for they are cheap in Rome;
And 'tis too much for one.

2. Sould.
Let's set this Wood
A flaming, if you think he's here, and then
Quickly you'll see th'old Droan crawl humming out.

1. Sould.

Thou always lov'st to ride full speed to Mischief. There's no consideration in thee. Look you, when I cut a Throat, I love

to doe it with as much Deliberation and Decency as a Barber cuts a Beard. I hate a slovenly Murther done hand over head: a man gets no credit by it.

3. Sould.

The man that spoke last spoke well. Therefore let us to yon adjacent Village, and sowce our selves in good Falernum....

Mar. sen.
O Villains! not a Slave of those
But has serv'd under me, has eat my Bread,
And felt my Bounty.... Drought! parching Drought!
Was ever Lion thus by Dogs emboss'd?
Oh! I could swallow Rivers: Earth yield me Water;
Or swallow Marius down where Springs first flow. Enter Marius junior and Granius.

Mar. jun.
My Father!

Mar. sen.
Oh my Sons!

Mar. jun.
Why thus forlorn? stretcht on the Earth?

Mar. sen.
Oh! get me some Refreshment, cooling Herbs,
And Water to allay my ravenous Thirst.
I would not trouble you if I had Strength:
But I'm so faint that all my Lims are useless.
Now have I not one Drachma to buy Food,
Must we then starve? no, sure the Birds will feed us.

Mar. jun.
There stands a House on yonder side o'th' Wood,
It seems the Mansion of some Man of note:
I'll go and turn a Beggar for my Father.

Mar. sen.
Oh my Soul's comfort! do. Indeed I want it.
I, who had once the plenty of the Earth,
Now want a Root and Water. Go, my Boy,
And see who'll give a Morsell to poor Marius.
Nay, I'll not starve: no, I will plunge in Riot,
Wallow in Plenty. Drink? I'll drink, I'll drink.
Give me that Goblet hither.... Here's a Health
To all the Knaves and Senators in Rome.

Mar jun.
Repose your self a while, till we return.

Mar. sen.
I will, but prithee let me rave a little.
Go, prithee go, and don't delay. I'll rest; [Ex. Mar. jun.
As thou shalt, Rome, if e're my Fortune raise me..... Enter Lavinia.
Another Murth'rer? this brings smiling Fate:
A deadly Snake cloath'd in a dainty Skin.

Lavin.
I've wander'd up and down these Woods and Meadows,
Till I have lost my way.....

Against a tall, young, slender, well-grown Oak
Leaning, I found Lavinia in the Bark.
My Marius should not be far hence.

Mar. sen.
What art Thou,
That dar'st to name that wretched Creature Marius?

Lavin.
Do not be angry, Sir, what e're thou art;
I am a poor unhappy Woman, driven
By Fortune to pursue my banish'd Lord.

Mar. sen.
By thy dissembling Tone thou shouldst be Woman,
And Roman too.

Lavin.
Indeed I am.

Mar. sen.
A Roman?
If thou art so, be gone, lest Rage with Strength
Assist my Vengeance, and I rise and kill thee.

Lavin.
My Father, is it you?

Mar. sen.
Now thou art Woman;
For Lies are in thee. I? am I thy Father?
I ne'r was yet so curst; none of thy Sex
E're sprung from me. My Offspring all are Males,
The Nobler sort of Beasts entit'led Men.

Lavin.
I am your Daughter, if your Son's my Lord.
Have you ne'r heard Lavinia's name in Rome,
That wedded with the Son of Marius?

Mar. sen.
Hah!
Art thou that fond, that kind and doting thing,
That left her Father for a banisht Husband?
Come near—
And let me bless thee, though thy Name's my Foe.

Lavin.
Alas! my Father, you seem much opprest:
Your Lips are parcht, bloud-shot your Eyes and sunk.
Will you partake such Fruits as I have gather'd?
Taste, Sir, this Peach, and this Pomegranate; both are
Ripe and refreshing.

Mar. sen.
What? all this from Thee,
Thou Angel, whom the Gods have sent to aid me?
I don't deserve thy Bounty.

Lavin.
Here, Sir,'s more.
I found a Crystall Spring too in the Wood,
And took some Water; 'tis most soft and cool.

Mar. sen.
An Emperour's Feast! but I shall rob thee.

Lavin.
No, I've eat, and slak'd my Thirst. But where's my Lord,
My dearest Marius?

Mar. sen.
To th' neighbouring Village
He's gone, to beg his Father's Dinner, Daughter.

Lavin.
Will you then call me Daughter? will you own it?
I'm much o'repaid for all the Wrongs of Fortune.

But surely Marius can't be brought to want.
I've Gold and Jewels too, and they'l buy Food. Enter Marius junior.

Mar. sen.
See here, my Marius, what the Gods have sent us.
See thy Lavinia.

Mar. jun.
Hah! [They run and embrace.

Mar. sen.
What? dumb at meeting?

Mar. jun.
Why weeps my Love?

Lavin.
I cannot speak, Tears so obstruct my Words,
And choak me with unutterable Joy.

Mar. jun.
Oh my Heart's Joy!

Lavin.
My Soul!

Mar. jun.
But hast thou left
Thy Father's House, the Pomp and State of Rome,
To follow desart Misery?

Lavin.
I come
To bear a part in every thing that's thine,
Be 't Happiness or Sorrow. In these Woods,
Whilst from pursuing Enemies you're safe,
I'll range about, and find the Fruits and Springs,
Gather cool Sedges, Daffadills and Lillies,
And softest Camomill to make us Beds,
Whereon my Love and I at night will sleep,
And dream of better Fortune. Enter Granius and Servant with Wine and Meat.

Mar. sen.
Yet more Plenty?
Sure Comus, the God of Feasting, haunts these Woods,
And means to entertain us as his Guests.

Servant.
I am sent hither, Marius, from my Lord,
Sextilius the Prætor, to relieve thee,
And warn thee that thou straight depart this place,
Else he the Senate's Edict must obey,
And treat thee as the Foe of Rome.

Mar. sen.
But did he,
Did he, Sextilius, bid thee say all this?
Was he too proud to come and see his Master,
That rais'd him out of nothing? Was he not
My menial Servant once, and wip'd these Shoes,
Ran by my Chariot-wheels, my Pleasures watcht,
And fed upon the Voidings of my Table?
Durst he affront me with a sordid Alms?
And send a saucy Message by a Slave?

Hence with thy Scraps: back to thy Teeth I dash 'em.
Be gone whilst thou art safe. Hold, stay a little.

Serv.
What Answer would you have me carry back?

Mar. sen.
Go to Sextilius, tell him thou hast seen
Poor Caius Marius banish'd from his Country,
Sitting in Sorrow on the naked Earth,
Amidst an ample Fortune once his own,
Where now he cannot claim a Turf to sleep on. [Ex. Servant.
How am I fallen! Musick? sure, the Gods [Soft Musick.
Are mad, or have design'd to make me so. Enter Martha.
Well, what art Thou?

Marth.
Am I a Stranger to thee?
Martha's my name, the Syrian Prophetess,
That us'd to wait upon thee with good Fortune;
Till banish'd out of Rome for serving Thee.
I've ever since inhabited these Woods,
And search'd the deepest Arts of wise Foreknowledge.

Mar. sen.
I know thee now most well. When thou wert gone,
All my good Fortune left me. My lov'd Vulturs,
That us'd to hover o're my happy Head,
And promise Honour in the day of Battel,
Have since bin seen no more. Ev'n Birds of prey
Forsake unhappy Marius: Men of prey
Pursue him still. Hast thou no Hopes in store?

Marth.
A hundred Spirits wait upon my will,
To bring me Tidings, from th' Earth's farthest Corners,
Of all that happens out in States and Councils.
I tell thee therefore, Rome is once more thine.
The Consuls have had Blows, and Cinna's beaten,
Who with his Army comes to find thee out,
To lead him back with Terrour to that City.

Mar. sen.
Speak on.

Marth.
Nay, e're thou think'st it he will be with thee.
But let thy Sons and these fair Nymphs retire,
Whilst I relieve thy wearied Eyes with Sleep,
And chear thee in a Dream with promis'd Fate.

Mar. jun.
Come, my Lavinia, Granius, wee'll withdraw
To some cool Shade, and wonder at our Fortune. [Ex. Martha waves her Wand.... [A Dance.

Mar. sen.
O Rest, thou Stranger to my Senses, welcome.

Enter Servant and a Ruffian.

Serv.
Ten Attick Talents shall be thy Reward,
Sextilius gives 'em thee. Dispatch him safely.

Ruff.
Fear not, he never wakes agen.

Mar. sen.
No more,
I'll hear no more. Metellus live? no, no;
He dies, he dies. So bear him to the Tiber,
And plunge him to the bottom. Hah Antonius!
Where are my Guards? dispatch that talking Knave,
That when he should be doing publick Service,
Consumes his time in Speeches to the Rabble,
And sows Sedition in a City. Down,
Down with Pompeius too, that call'd me Traitour.
Hah! art thou there? welcome once more, old Marius,
To Rome's Tribunall.

Ruff.
Now's the time.

Mar. sen.
Stand off.
Secure that Gaul.... Dar'st thou kill Caius Marius? [Wakes.
Hah! speak? what art thou?

Ruff.
By Sextilius hired
I hither came to take your Life. Spare mine,
And I'll for ever serve you at your feet.

Mar. sen.
What barb'rous Slaves are these, that envy me
The open Air; set Prices on my Head,
As they would doe on Wolves that slay their Flock! Enter Sulpitius. [Trumpets.
Trumpets! Sulpitius, where hast thou bin wand'ring
Since the late Storm that drove us from each other?

Sulpit.
Why, doing Mischief up and down the City,
Picking up discontented Fools, belying
The Senatours and Government, destroying
Faith amongst honest men, and praising Knaves.

Mar. sen.
Oh, but where's Cinna?

Sulpit.
Ready to salute you..... Enter Cinna attended with Lictors and Guards.

Cinn.
Romans, once more behold your Consul; see,
Is that a Fortune fit for Caius Marius?
Advance your Axes and your Rods before him,
And give him all the Customs of his Honour.

Mar. sen.
Away: such Pomp becomes not wretched Marius.

Here let me pay Obedience to my Consul.
Lead me, great Cinna, where thy Foes have wrong'd thee,
And see how thy old Souldier will obey.

Cinn.
O Marius, be our Hearts united ever,
To carry Desolation into Rome,
And waste that Den of Monsters to the Earth.

Mar. sen.
Shall we?

Cinn.
We'll do't. That godly Soothsaying Fool,
That sacrificing Dolt, that Sot Octavius,
When we were chosen Consuls in the Forum,
Disown'd me for his Collegue; said, the Gods
Had told him I design'd Tyrannick pow'r;
Provok'd the Citizens, who took up Arms,
And drove me forth the Gates.

Mar. sen.
Excellent Mischief!
What's to be done?

Cinn.
No sooner was I gone,
But a large part of that great City follow'd me.
There's not an honest Spirit left in Rome,
That does not own my Cause, and wish for Marius.

Mar. sen.
Bring me my Horse, my Armour, and the Laurel
With which, when I'd o'recome three barb'rous Nations,
I enter'd crown'd with Triumph into Rome.
I go to free her now from greater Mischiefs. Enter Marius junior and Granius.
O my young Warriour!

Mar. jun.
Curst be the Light,
And ever curst be all these Regions round us.
Lavinia's lost, born back with force to Rome,
By Ruffians headed by her Father's Kinsmen;
And like a Coward too I live, yet saw it. [Exit.

Mar. sen.
Oh Marius! Marius! let not 'Plaints come from thee,
Nor cloud the Joy that's breaking on thy Father.
If she be back in Rome, Lavinia's thine.
To morrow's Dawn restores her to thy Arms.
For that fair Mistriss Fortune, which has cost
So dear, for which such Hardships I have past,
Is coy no more, but crowns my Hopes at last.
I long t' embrace her, any, 'tis Death to stay.
I'm mad as promis'd Bridegrooms, born away
With thoughts of nothing but the joyfull day. [Exeunt.

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