King. My son! Blest be the time, that I have leave to call That I have wrong'd thee, and as much of joy Phi. Sir, it is blotted from my memory, Past and forgotten. For you, Prince of Spain, Whom I have thus redeem'd, you have full To make an honourable voyage home. [leave And if you would go furnish'd to your realm With fair provision, I do see a lady, Methinks, would gladly bear you company: How like this piece? you Meg. Sir, he likes it well; For he hath tried it, and found it worth Meg. You must get another ship, [him Meg. Others took me, and I took her and At that all women may be ta'en some time. Ship us all four, my lord; we can endure Weather and wind alike. [for father. King. Clear thou thyself, or know not me Are. This earth, how false it is! What means is left For me to clear myself? It lies in your belief. My lords, believe me; and let all things else Struggle together to dishonour me. Bel. Oh, stop your ears, great king, that I may speak. As freedom would; then I will call this lady As base as be her actions! Hear me, Sir: Believe your heated blood when it rebels Against your reason, sooner than this lady. Meg. By this good light, he bears it handsomely. [wind Phi. This lady? I will sooner trust the King. Forget her, Sir, since all is knit 49 Phi. By the pow'rs above, Let it not be the death of her or him, King. Bear away that boy To torture: I will have her clear'd or buried. Phi. Oh, let me call my words back, worthy Sir! Ask something else! Bury my life and right In one poor grave; but do not take away My life and fame at once. [cable. King Away with him! It stands irrevoPhi. Turn all your eyes on me: Here stands and will sadly be denied.] i. e. shall be very sorry to be denied. Mr. Theobald. 50 Of truth outweigh'd it: All these jealousies Bel. My father oft would speak 50 I My birth no match for you, I was past hope eyes, For other than I seem'd, that I might ever King. Search out a match Bel. Never, Sir, will I Marry; it is a thing within my vow: But if I may have leave to serve the princess, Are. I, Philaster, Cannot be jealous, though you had a lady Phi. I grieve such virtues should be laid in My father oft would speak, &c.] The beauty, the innocence, of Euphrasia's character is finely depicted in this narration from her own mouth. Our poets, when they intended it, seldom failed in the art of moving the passions. The young lady, from her father's encomiums first, had fallen in love with Philaster; though she knew she could have no pretensions to his bed. But as her next, and only, happiness was to live in his sight, she disguised her sex, and entered into his service. Her resolution, and vow, never to marry any other, is a fine heightening of the character. Mr. Theobald. Her malice cannot hurt us. Set her free This is no place for such! You, Pharamond, Remember, 'twas your faults that lost you her, And not my purpos'd will. Pha. I do confess, Renowned Sir. 1 King. Last, join your hands in one. Enjoy, Philaster, This kingdom, which is yours, and after me Whatever I call mine. My blessing on you! All happy hours be at your marriage-joys, That you may grow yourselves over all lands, And live to see your plenteous branches spring Where-ever there is sun! Let princes learn By this, to rule the passions of their blood, For what Heav'n wills can never be withstood. [Exeunt omnes. A KING AND NO KING. The Commendatory Verses by Howard and Herrick ascribe this Play to Fletcher; by Earle, to Beaumont. The first edition bears date 1619. Notwithstanding its prodigious merit, it has not been performed for many years past; nor do we find that it ever received any alterations. The sudden bursts, and quick transitions of passion, in the character of Arbaces, are, however, supposed to have given rise to a burlesque drama, or parody (by Tate) sometimes represented, under the title of "Duke and No Duke." PERSONS REPRESENTED. MEN. ARBACES, king of Iberia. TIGRANES, king of Armenia. GOBRIAS, { WOMEN. ARANE, the queen mother.' PANTHEA, her daughter. lord protector, and futher of SPACONIA, a lady, daughter of Ligones. Arbaces. BACURIUS, another lord. MARDONIUS, BESSUS, } two captains. MANDANE, a waiting-woman; and other Three men and a woman. attendants. PHILIP, a servant, and two citizens' wives. A boy. LIGONES, father of Spaconia. Two Gentlemen. Two Sword-men. A servant to BACURIUS. SCENE, on the frontiers of ARMENIA; and, afterwards, in the metropolis of Iberia.2 Enter Mardonius and Bessus.3 ACT I. Mar. BESSUS, the king has made a fair hand on't; he has ended the wars at a blow. 'Would my sword had a close basket hilt, to hold wine, and the blade would make knives; for we shall have nothing but eating and drinking. Bes. We that are commanders shall do well enough. Mar. Faith, Bessus, such commanders as thou I had as lieve set thee perdue for a may: pudding i'th' dark, as Alexander the Great. Bes. I love these jests exceedingly. Mar. I think thou lov'st 'em better than quarrelling, Bessus; I'll say so much in thy 1 Arane, the queen's mother.] The trifling alteration we have here made is not only necessary, but warranted by different passages in the play. In the beginning of the third act we find, And the queen-mother and the princess wait.' 2 Scene, on the frontiers, &c.] For this information we are indebted to Mr. Theobald. 3 The character of Bessus, I think, must be allowed in general a fine copy from Shakespeare's inimitable Falstaffe. He is a coward, yet would fain set up for a hero; ostentatious, without any grain of merit to support his vain-glory; a liar throughout, to exalt his assumed qualifications; and lewd, without any countenance from the ladies to give him an umbrage for it. As to his wit and humour, the precedence must certainly be adjudged to Falstaffe, the great original. Mr. Theobald. To these remarks on the character of Bessus, it may not be improper to add, that it has a strong Bobadilian tincture, and that, in all probability, the Miles Gloriosus of Plautus, and Thrase of Terence, furnished both Jonson and our Authors with hints for the respective characters. Falstaffe is more an original. |