Até.
In poenam sectatur et umbra.
A mighty lion, ruler of the woods,
Of wond'rous strength and great proportion,

With hideous noise scaring the trembling trees,
With yelling clamours shaking all the earth,
Travers'd the groves, and chas'd the wand'ring beasts:
Long did he range amid the shady trees,
And drave the silly beasts before his face;
When suddenly from out a thorny bush
A dreadful archer with his bow y-bent,
Wounded the lion with a dismal shaft:

So he him struck, that it drew forth the blood,
And fill'd his furious heart with fretting ire.
But all in vain he threatneth teeth and paws,
And sparkleth fire from forth his flaming eyes,
For the sharp shaft gave him a mortal wound:
So valiant Brute, the terror of the world,
Whose only looks did scare his enemies,
The archer Death brought to his latest end.
O, what may long abide above this ground,
In state of bliss and healthful happiness! [Exit. 2 ^note. SCENE I Enter Brutus, carried in a chair; Locrine, Camber, Albanact, Corineus, Guendolen, Assaracus, Debon, and Thrasimachus.

Bru.
Most loyal lords, and faithful followers,
That have with me, unworthy general,
Passed the greedy gulf of Ocean* ^note,
Leaving the confines of fair Italy,
Behold, your Brutus draweth nigh his end,
And I must leave you, though against my will.
My sinews shrink, my numbed senses fail^{3 note},
A chilling cold possesseth all my bones;

Black ugly Death with visage pale and wan
Presents himself before my dazled eyes,
And with his dart prepared is to strike^{4 note}



.
These arms, my lords, these never-daunted arms,
That oft have quell'd the courage of my foes,
And eke dismay'd my neighbours' arrogance,
Now yield to death, o'erlaid with crooked age,
Devoid of strength and of their proper force.
Even as the lusty cedar worn with years,
That far abroad her dainty odour throws,
'Mongst all the daughters of proud Lebanon,
This heart, my lords, this ne'er-appalled heart,
That was a terror to the bordering lands,
A doleful scourge unto my neighbour kings,
Now by the weapons of unpartial death
Is clove asunder, and bereft of life:
As when the sacred oak with thunderbolts,
Sent from the firy circuit of the heavens,
Sliding along the air's celestial vaults,
Is rent and cloven to the very roots.
In vain therefore I struggle with this foe;
Then welcome death, since God will have it so.

Assar.
Alas! my lord, we sorrow at your case,
And grieve to see your person vexed thus.
But whatsoe'er the Fates determin'd have,
It lieth not in us to disannul;
And he that would annihilate their minds* ^note

Soaring with Icarus too near the sun,
May catch a fall with young Bellerophon.
For when the fatal Sisters have decreed
To separate us from this earthly mould,
No mortal force can countermand their minds.
Then, worthy lord, since there's no way but one ^{5 note},
Cease your laments, and leave your grievous moan.

Cor.
Your highness knows how many victories,
How many trophies I erected have
Triumphantly in every place we came.
The Grecian monarch, warlike Pandrasus,
And all the crew of the Molossians;
Goffarius the arm-strong king of Gauls,
Have felt the force of our victorious arms,
And to their cost beheld our chivalry.
Where-e'er Aurora, handmaid of the sun,
Where-e'er the sun, bright guardian of the day,
Where-e'er the joyful day with cheerful light,
Where-e'er the light illuminates the world,
The Trojans' glory flies with golden wings,
Wings that do soar beyond fell Envy's flight^{6 note}

The fame of Brutus and his followers
Pierceth the skies, and, with the skies, the throne
Of mighty Jove, commander of the world.
Then, worthy Brutus, leave these sad laments;
Comfort yourself with this your great renown,
And fear not Death, though he seem terrible.

Bru.
Nay, Corineus, you mistake my mind,
In construing wrong the cause of my complaints,
I fear'd to yield myself to fatal death;
God knows it was the least of all my thought.
A greater care torments my very bones,
And makes me tremble at the thought of it;
And in you, lordings, doth the substance lie.

Thra.
Most noble lord, if aught your loyal peers
Accomplish may, to ease your lingring grief,
I, in the name of all, protest to you,
That we will boldly enterprise the same,
Were it to enter to black Tartarus,
Where triple Cerberus, with his venomous throat,
Scareth the ghosts with high-resounding noise.
We'll either rent the bowels of the earth,
Searching the entrails of the brutish earth,
Or, with Ixion's over-daring son^{7 note},
Be bound in chains of ever-during steel.

Bru.
Then hearken to your sovereign's latest words,
In which I will unto you all unfold
Our royal mind and resolute intent.
When golden Hebe, daughter to great Jove,
Cover'd my manly cheeks with youthful down,
The unhappy slaughter of my luckless sire
Drove me and old Assaracus, mine eame^{8 note}

,
As exiles from the bounds of Italy;

So that perforce we were constrain'd to fly
To Græcia's monarch, noble Pandrasus.
There I alone did undertake your cause,
There I restor'd your antique liberty,
Though Græcia frown'd, and all Molossia storm'd;
Though brave Antigonus, with martial band,
In pitched field encounter'd me and mine;
Though Pandrasus and his contributaries,
With all the rout of their confederates,
Sought to deface our glorious memory,
And wipe the name of Trojans from the earth:
Him did I captivate with this mine arm,
And by compulsion forc'd him to agree
To certain articles we did propound.
From Græcia through the boisterous Hellespont
We came unto the fields of Lestrygon,
Whereas our brother Corineus was^{9 note};
Since when we passed the Cilician gulf,
And so transfreting^{1 note} the Illyrian sea,
Arrived on the coasts of Aquitain;
Where, with an army of his barbarous Gauls,
Goffarius and his brother Gathelus
Encountring with our host, sustain'd the foil;
And for your sakes my Turinus there I lost,
Turinus, that slew six hundred men at arms,
All in an hour, with his sharp battle-axe.
From thence upon the stronds of Albion
To Corus' haven happily we came,
And quell'd the giants, come of Albion's race,
With Gogmagog, son to Samotheus,
The cursed captain of that damned crew;

And in that isle at length I placed you.
Now let me see, if my laborious toils,
If all my care, if all my grievous wounds,
If all my diligence, were well employ'd.

Cor.
When first I follow'd thee and thine, brave king,
I hazarded my life and dearest blood
To purchase favour at your princely hands;
And for the same, in dangerous attempts,
In sundry conflicts, and in divers broils,
I shew'd the courage of my manly mind.
For this I combated with Gathelus,
The brother to Goffarius of Gaul;
For this I fought with furious Gogmagog,
A savage captain of a savage crew;
And for these deeds brave Cornwall I receiv'd,
A grateful gift given by a gracious king;
And for this gift, his life and dearest blood
Will Corineus spend for Brutus' good.

Deb.
And what my friend, brave prince, hath vow'd to you,
The same will Debon do unto his end.

Bru.
Then, loyal peers, since you are all agreed,
And resolute to follow Brutus' hests,
Favour my sons, favour these orphans, lords,
And shield them from the dangers of their foes.
Locrine, the column of my family,
And only pillar of my weaken'd age,
Locrine, draw near, draw near unto thy sire,
And take thy latest blessings at his hands:
And, for thou art the eldest of my sons,
Be thou a captain to thy brethren,
And imitate thy aged father's steps,
Which will conduct thee to true honour's gate:
For if thou follow sacred virtue's lore^{2 note},
Thou shalt be crowned with a laurel branch,

And wear a wreath of sempiternal fame,
Sorted amongst the glorious happy ones^{3 note}.

Loc.
If Locrine do not follow your advice,
And bear himself in all things like a prince
That seeks to amplify the great renown
Left unto him for an inheritage
By those that were his glorious ancestors,
Let me be flung into the ocean,
And swallow'd in the bowels of the earth:
Or let the ruddy lightning of great Jove
Descend upon this my devoted head.

Bru.
But for I see you all to be in doubt,
Who shall be matched with our royal son,
Locrine, receive this present at my hand; [Taking Guendolen by the hand.
A gift more rich than are the wealthy mines
Found in the bowels of America^{4 note}
.
Thou shalt be spoused to fair Guendolen:
Love her, and take her, for she is thine own,
If so thy uncle and herself do please.

Cor.
And herein how your highness honours me,
It cannot now be in my speech express'd;
For careful parents glory not so much
At their own honour and promotion,
As for to see the issue of their blood
Seated in honour and prosperity.

Guen.
And far be it from any maiden's thoughts^{5 note}

I will not stand aloof from off the lure^{6 note}

,
Like crafty dames that most of all deny
That which they most desire to possess.

Bru.
Then now, my son, thy part is on the stage, [Turning to Locrine, who kneels.
For thou must bear the person of a king. [Puts the crown on his head.
Locrine stand up, and wear the regal crown,
And think upon the state of majesty,
That thou with honour well may'st wear the crown:
And, if thou tend'rest these my latest words,
As thou requir'st my soul to be at rest,
As thou desir'st thine own security,
Cherish and love thy new-betrothed wife.

Loc.
No longer let me well enjoy the crown,
Than I do honour peerless Guendolen^{7 note}.

Bru.
Camber.

Cam.
My lord.

Bru.
The glory of mine age,
And darling of thy mother Innogen^{8 note},
Take thou the South for thy dominion.
From thee there shall proceed a royal race,
That shall maintain the honour of this land,
And sway the regal scepter with their hands.
And Albanact, thy father's only joy,
Youngest in years, but not the young'st in mind,
A perfect pattern of all chivalry,
Take thou the North for thy dominion;

A country full of hills and ragged rocks,
Replenished with fierce, untamed, beasts,
As correspondent to thy martial thoughts.
Live long, my sons, with endless happiness,
And bear firm concordance among yourselves.
Obey the counsels of these fathers grave,
That you may better bear out violence.—
But suddenly, through weakness of my age,
And the defect of youthful puissance,
My malady increaseth more and more,
And cruel Death hasteneth his quickned pace,
To dispossess me of my earthly shape.
Mine eyes wax dim, o'er-cast with clouds of age,
The pangs of death compass my crazed bones;
Thus to you all my blessings I bequeath,
And, with my blessings, this my fleeting soul.
My soul in haste flies to the Elysian fields;
My glass is run, and all my miseries
Do end with life; death closeth up mine eyes. [Dies.

Loc.
Accursed stars, damn'd and accursed stars,
To abbreviate my noble father's life!
Hard-hearted gods, and too envíous fates* ^note
,
Thus to cut off my father's fatal thread!
Brutus, that was a glory to us all,
Brutus, that was a terror to his foes,
Alas! too soon by Demogorgon's knife
The martial Brutus is bereft of life:
No sad complaints may move just Æacus.

Cor.
No dreadful threats can fear judge Rhadamanth^{9 note}

Wert thou as strong as mighty Hercules,
That tam'd the hugy monsters of the world,
Play'dst thou as sweet on the sweet-sounding lute
As did the spouse of fair Eurydice,
That did enchant the waters with his noise,
And made stones, birds, and beasts, to lead a dance,
Constrain'd the hilly trees to follow him,
Thou could'st not move the judge of Erebus,
Nor move compassion in grim Pluto's heart;
For fatal Mors expecteth all the world,
And every man must tread the way of death^{1 note}.
Brave Tantalus, the valiant Pelops' sire,
Guest to the gods, suffer'd untimely death;
And old Tithonus, husband to the morn,
And eke grim Minos, whom just Jupiter
Deign'd to admit unto his sacrifice.
The thundring trumpets of blood-thirsty Mars,
The fearful rage of fell Tisiphone,
The boisterous waves of humid ocean,
Are instruments and tools of dismal death.
Then, noble cousin, cease to mourn his chance,
Whose age and years were signs that he should die,
It resteth now that we inter his bones,
That was a terror to his enemies.
Take up the corse, and princes hold him dead,
Who while he liv'd upheld the Trojan state.
Sound drums and trumpets; march to Troynovant,
There to provide our chieftain's funeral. [Exeunt. SCENE II. Enter Strumbo above, in a gown, with ink and paper in his hand.

Strum.

Either the four elements, the seven planets, and all the particular stars of the pole antastick, are adversative against me, or else I was begotten

and born in the wane of the moon, when every thing, as Lactantius in his fourth book of Constultations^{2 note} doth say, goeth arseward. Ay, masters, ay, you may laugh, but I must weep; you may joy, but I must sorrow; shedding salt tears from the watry fountains of my most dainty-fair eyes along my comely and smooth cheeks, in as great plenty as the water runneth from the bucking-tubs, or red wine out of the hogs-heads. For trust me, gentlemen and my very good friends, and so forth, the little god, nay the desperate god, Cuprit, with one of his vengible bird-bolts^{3 note}, hath shot me into the heel: so not only, but also, (oh fine phrase!) I burn, I burn, and I burn-a; in love, in love, and in love-a* ^note. Ah! Strumbo, what hast thou seen? not Dina with the ass Tom^{4 note}

So it is, mistress Dorothy, and the sole essence of my soul, that the little sparkles of affection kindled in me towards your sweet self, hath now increas'd to a great flame, and will, ere it be long, consume my poor heart, except you with the pleasant water of your secret fountain quench the furious heat of the same. Alas, I am a gentleman of good fame and name, in person majestical, in 'parel comely, in gait portly^{8 note}. Let not therefore your gentle heart be so hard as to despise a proper tall young man of a handsome life; and by despising him, not only but also, to kill him. Thus expecting time and tide, I bid you farewell.

Your servant,

Signior Strumbo.

O wit! O pate! O memory! O hand! O ink! O paper! Well, now I will send it away. Trompart, Trompart. What a villain is this? Why sirrah, come when your master calls you. Trompart.

Trom.

Anon, sir.

Strum.

Thou knowest, my pretty boy, what a good master I have been to thee ever since I took thee into my service^{9 note}.

Trom.

Ay, sir.

Strum.

And how I have cherished thee always, as if thou hadst been the fruit of my loins, flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bone.

Trom.

Ay, sir.

Strum.

Then shew thyself herein a trusty servant; and carry this letter to mistress Dorothy, and tell her—

Strum.

Nay, masters, you shall see a marriage by and by. But here she comes. Now must I frame my amorous passions.

Dor.

Signior Strumbo, well met. I receiv'd your letters by your man here, who told me a pitiful story of your anguish; and so understanding your passions were so great, I came hither speedily.

Strum.

Oh, my sweet and pigsney, the fecundity of my ingeny is not so great that may declare unto you the sorrowful sobs and broken sleeps that I suffer'd for you sake; and therefore I desire you to receive me into your familiarity:

For your love doth lie
As near and as nigh
  Unto my heart within,
As mine eye to my nose,
My leg unto my hose,
  And my flesh unto my skin.

Dor.

Truly, Master Strumbo, you speak too learnedly for me to understand the drift of your mind; and therefore tell your tale in plain terms, and leave off your dark riddles.

Strum.

Alas, mistress Dorothy, this is my luck, that when I most would, I cannot be understood; so that my great learning is an inconvenience unto me. But to speak in plain terms, I love you, mistress Dorothy, if you like to accept me into your familiarity.

Dor.

If this be all, I am content.

Strum.

Say'st thou so, sweet wench, let me lick thy toes. Farewel, mistress. If any of you be in love, [Turning to the audience] provide ye a cap-case full of new-coin'd words, and then shall you soon have the succado de labres^{1 note}, and something else.