A Select Collection of Old English Plays Volume Vii Part 28

CORNELIA. How fares my lord? How doth my gentle Sylla.

SYLLA. Ah, my Cornelia! pa.s.sing happy now: Free from the world, allied unto the heavens: Not curious of incertain chances now.

CORNELIA. Words full of woe, still adding to my grief, A cureless cross of many hundred harms.

O, let not Rome and poor Cornelia lose, The one her friend, the other her delight.

SYLLA. Cornelia, man hath power by some instinct And gracious revolution of the stars, To conquer kingdoms, not to master fate: For when the course of mortal life is run, Then Clotho ends the web her sister spun.

Pompey, Lord Flaccus, fellow-senators, In that I feel the faintful dews of death Steeping mine eyes within their chilly wet, The care I have of wife and daughter both, Must on your wisdom happily rely.

With equal distribution see you part My lands and goods betwixt these lovely twain: Only bestow a hundred thousand sesterces Upon my friends and fellow-soldiers.

Thus, having made my final testament, Come, Fulvia, let thy father lay his head Upon thy lovely bosom, and entreat A virtuous boon and favour at thy hands.

Fair Roman maid, see that thou wed thy fairness[167]

To modest, virtuous, and delightful thoughts: Let Rome, in viewing thee, behold thy sire.

Honour Cornelia, from whose fruitful womb Thy plenteous beauties sweetly did appear; And with this lesson, lovely maid, farewell.

FULVIA. O tedious and unhappy chance for me.

SYLLA. Content thee, Fulvia, for it needs must be.

Cornelia, I must leave thee to the world; And by those loves that I have lent thee oft, In mutual wedlock-rites and happy war, Remember Sylla in my Fulvia still.

Consul, farewell! my Pompey, I must hence: And farewell, Rome: and, Fortune, now I bless thee, That both in life and death would'st not oppress me!

[_Dies_.

CORNELIA. O hideous storms of never-daunted fate!

Now are those eyes, whose sweet reflections cool'd The smother'd rancours of rebellious thoughts, Clad with the sable mantles of the night; And like the tree that, robb'd of sun and showers, Mourns desolate withouten leaf or sap, So poor Cornelia, late bereft of love, Sits sighing, hapless, joyless, and forlorn.

FULVIA. Gone is the flow'r that did adorn our fields; Fled are those sweet reflections of delight: Dead is my father! Fulvia, dead is he In whom thy life, for whom thy death, must be.

FLACCUS. Ladies, to tire the time in restless moan Were tedious unto friends and nature too.

Sufficeth you, that Sylla so is dead, As fame shall sing his power, though life be fled.

POMPEY. Then to conclude his happiness, my lords, Determine where shall be his funeral.

LEPIDUS. Even there where other n.o.bles are interr'd.

POMPEY. Why, Lepidus, what Roman ever was, That merited so high a name as he?

Then why with simple pomp and funeral Would you entomb so rare a paragon?

CORNELIA. An urn of gold shall hem his ashes in: The vestal virgins with their holy notes Shall sing his famous, though too fatal, death.

I and my Fulvia with dispersed hair Will wait upon this n.o.ble Roman's hea.r.s.e.

FULVIA. And Fulvia, clad in black and mournful pall, Will wait upon her father's funeral.

POMPEY. Come, bear we hence this trophy of renown, Whose life, whose death, was far from fortune's frown.

[_Exeunt omnes.

The funerals of_ SYLLA _in great pomp.

Deo juvante, nil nocet livor malus: Et non juvante nil juvat labor gravis_.

FINIS.

MUCEDORUS.

_EDITIONS.

A Most pleasant Comedie of Mucedorus the kings sonne of Valentia and Amadine the Kings daughter of Arragon, with the merie conceites of Mouse. Newly set foorth, as it hath bin sundrie times plaide in the honorable Cittie of London. Very delectable and full of mirth. London Printed for William Iones, dwelling at Holborne conduit, at the signe of the Gunne_. 1598. 4.

_A Most pleasant Comedie of Mucedorus the Kings sonne of Valentia, and Amadine the Kings daughter of Aragon. With the merry conceites of Mouse.

Amplified with new additions, as it was acted before the Kings Maiestie at White-hall on Shroue-Sunday night. By his Highnes Seruants vsually playing at the Globe. Very delectable, and full of conceited Mirth.

Imprinted at London for William Iones, dwelling neare Holborne Conduit, at the signe of the Gunne_. 1610. 4.

An edition of 1606 is mentioned in "Beauclerc's Catalogue," 1781, as noticed by Hazlitt. There were others in 1613, 1615, 1619, 1668, and without date, all in 4.

This drama, at one time conjecturally given to Shakespeare, is now first reprinted from the original copy of 1598, collated with that of 1610; and the additions are inserted between brackets. Whether the additions and corrections were the work of the original writer, or of some one else, is uncertain; but it does not appear improbable that they were the author's.

From the play of "Mucedorus" was formed a ballad ent.i.tled "The Wandering Prince and Princess, or Mucedorus and Amadine."

THE PROLOGUE.[168]

Most sacred Majesty, whose great deserts Thy subject England, nay, the world, admires: Which heaven grant still increase! O, may your praise Multiplying with your hours, your fame still raise.

Embrace your Council: love with faith them guide, That both at one bench, by each other's side.

So may your life pa.s.s on, and run so even, That your firm zeal plant you a throne in heaven, Where smiling angels shall your guardians be From blemish'd traitors, stain'd with perjury.

And, as the night's inferior to the day, So be all earthly regions to your sway!

Be as the sun to day, the day to night, For from your beams Europe shall borrow light.

Mirth drown your bosom, fair delight your mind, And may our pastime your contentment find.

[_Exit_ Prologue.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

_Eight[169] persons may easily play it.

The_ KING _and_ RUMBELO. _For one_.

MUCEDORUS, _the Prince of Valencia. For one_.

AMADINE, _the_ KING'S _daughter of Arragon. For one_.

SEGASTO, _a n.o.bleman. For one_.