VENUS
Fair child, stay thou with Dido’s waiting-maid,
I’ll give thee sugar-almonds, sweet conserves,
A silver girdle and a golden purse,
And this young prince shall be thy playfellow.
ASCANIUS
Are you Queen Dido’s son?
CUPID
Ay, and my mother gave me this fine bow.
ASCANIUS
310 Shall I have such a quiver and a bow?
VENUS
Such bow, such quiver, and such golden shafts,
Will Dido give to sweet Ascanius.
For Dido’s sake I take thee in my arms
And stick these spangled feathers in thy hat;
Eat comfits in mine arms, and I will sing.
Now is he fast asleep, and in this grove,
Amongst green brakes, I’ll lay Ascanius,
And strew him with sweet-smelling violets,
Blushing roses, purple hyacinth;
320 These milk-white doves shall be his sentinels,
Who, if that any seek to do him hurt,
Will quickly fly to Cytherea’s fist.
Now, Cupid, turn thee to Ascanius’ shape,
And go to Dido, who, instead of him,
Will set thee on her lap and play with thee;
Then touch her white breast with this arrow head,
That she may dote upon Aeneas’ love,
And by that means repair his broken ships,
Victual his soldiers, give him wealthy gifts,
330 And he at last depart to Italy,
Or else in Carthage make his kingly throne.
CUPID
I will, fair mother, and so play my part
As every touch shall wound Queen Dido’s heart.
[Exit.]
VENUS
Sleep, my sweet nephew, in these cooling shades,
Free from the murmur of these running streams,
The cry of beasts, the rattling of the winds,
Or whisking of these leaves. All shall be still,
And nothing interrupt thy quiet sleep
Till I return and take thee hence again.
Exit.
ACT 3
Scene 1
Enter CUPID alone [disguised as ASCANIUS].
CUPID
Now, Cupid, cause the Carthaginian queen
To be enamoured of thy brother’s looks;
Convey this golden arrow in thy sleeve,
Lest she imagine thou art Venus’ son;
And when she strokes thee softly on the head,
Then shall I touch her breast and conquer her.
Enter IARBAS, ANNA and DIDO.
IARBAS
How long, fair Dido, shall I pine for thee?
’Tis not enough that thou dost grant me love,
But that I may enjoy what I desire:
10 That love is childish which consists in words.
DIDO
Iarbas, know that thou of all my wooers –
And yet have I had many mightier kings –
Hast had the greatest favours I could give.
I fear me Dido hath been counted light
In being too familiar with Iarbas,
Albeit the gods do know no wanton thought
Had ever residence in Dido’s breast.
IARBAS
But Dido is the favour I request.
DIDO
Fear not, Iarbas, Dido may be thine.
ANNA
20 Look, sister, how Aeneas’ little son
Plays with your garments and embraceth you.
CUPID
No, Dido will not take me in her arms,
I shall not be her son, she loves me not.
DIDO
Weep not, sweet boy, thou shalt be Dido’s son.
Sit in my lap and let me hear thee sing.
[CUPID sings.]
No more, my child. Now talk another while,
And tell me where learn’dst thou this pretty song?
CUPID
My cousin Helen taught it me in Troy.
DIDO
How lovely is Ascanius when he smiles!
CUPID
30 Will Dido let me hang about her neck?
DIDO
Ay, wag, and give thee leave to kiss her too.
CUPID
What will you give me? Now I’ll have this fan.
DIDO
Take it, Ascanius, for thy father’s sake.
IARBAS
Come, Dido, leave Ascanius! Let us walk!
DIDO
Go thou away, Ascanius shall stay.
IARBAS
Ungentle queen, is this thy love to me?
DIDO
O stay, Iarbas, and I’ll go with thee.
CUPID
And if my mother go, I’ll follow her.
DIDO [to IARBAS]
Why stay’st thou here? Thou art no love of mine.
IARBAS
40 Iarbas, die, seeing she abandons thee!
DIDO
No, live Iarbas; what hast thou deserved,
That I should say ‘Thou art no love of mine’?
Something thou hast deserved. Away, I say!
Depart from Carthage! Come not in my sight!
IARBAS
Am I not king of rich Gaetulia?
DIDO
Iarbas, pardon me, and stay a while.
CUPID
Mother, look here.
DIDO
What tell’st thou me of rich Gaetulia?
Am not I queen of Libya? Then depart!
IARBAS
50 I go to feed the humour of my love,
Yet not from Carthage for a thousand worlds.
DIDO
Iarbas!
IARBAS Doth Dido call me back?
DIDO
No, but I charge thee never look on me.
IARBAS
Then pull out both mine eyes, or let me die.
Exit IARBAS.
ANNA
Wherefore doth Dido bid Iarbas go?
DIDO
Because his loathsome sight offends mine eye,
And in my thoughts is shrined another love.
O Anna, didst thou know how sweet love were,
Full soon wouldst thou abjure this single life.
ANNA
60 Poor soul, I know too well the sour of love.
[Aside] O that Iarbas could but fancy me!
DIDO
Is not Aeneas fair and beautiful?
ANNA
Yes, and Iarbas foul and favourless.
DIDO
Is he not eloquent in all his speech?
ANNA
Yes, and Iarbas rude and rustical.
DIDO
Name not Iarbas! But, sweet Anna, say,
Is not Aeneas worthy Dido’s love?
ANNA
O sister, were you empress of the world,
Aeneas well deserves to be your love;
70 So lovely is he that where’er he goes
The people swarm to gaze him in the face.
DIDO
But tell them none shall gaze on him but I,
Lest their gross eye-beams taint my lover’s cheeks.
Anna, good sister Anna, go for him,
Lest with these sweet thoughts I melt clean away.
ANNA
Then, sister, you’ll abjure Iarbas’ love?
DIDO
Yet must I hear that loathsome name again?
Run for Aeneas, or I’ll fly to him.
Exit ANNA.
CUPID
You shall not hurt my father when he comes.
DIDO
80 No, for thy sake I’ll love thy father well.
O dull-conceited Dido, that till now
Didst never think Aeneas beautiful!
But now, for quittance of this oversight,
I’ll make me bracelets of his golden hair;
His glistering eyes shall be my looking-glass,
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bsp; His lips an altar, where I’ll offer up
As many kisses as the sea hath sands.
Instead of music I will hear him speak,
His looks shall be my only library;
90 And thou, Aeneas, Dido’s treasury,
In whose fair bosom I will lock more wealth
Than twenty thousand Indias can afford.
O, here he comes! Love, love, give Dido leave
To be more modest than her thoughts admit,
Lest I be made a wonder to the world.
[Enter AENEAS, ACHATES, SERGESTUS, ILIONEUS and CLOANTHUS.]
Achates, how doth Carthage please your lord?
ACHATES
That will Aeneas show your majesty.
DIDO
Aeneas, art thou there?
AENEAS
I understand your highness sent for me.
DIDO
100 No, but now thou art here, tell me, in sooth,
In what might Dido highly pleasure thee?
AENEAS
So much have I received at Dido’s hands
As, without blushing, I can ask no more.
Yet, Queen of Afric, are my ships unrigged,
My sails all rent in sunder with the wind,
My oars broken and my tackling lost,
Yea, all my navy split with rocks and shelves;
Nor stern nor anchor have our maimèd fleet;
Our masts the furious winds struck overboard:
110 Which piteous wants if Dido will supply,
We will account her author of our lives.
DIDO
Aeneas, I’ll repair thy Trojan ships,
Conditionally that thou wilt stay with me,
And let Achates sail to Italy.
I’ll give thee tackling made of rivelled gold,
Wound on the barks of odoriferous trees;
Oars of massy ivory, full of holes,
Through which the water shall delight to play.
Thy anchors shall be hewed from crystal rocks,
120 Which if thou lose shall shine above the waves;
The masts whereon thy swelling sails shall hang,
Hollow pyramides of silver plate;
The sails of folded lawn, where shall be wrought
The wars of Troy, but not Troy’s overthrow;
For ballast, empty Dido’s treasury,
Take what ye will, but leave Aeneas here.
Achates, thou shalt be so manly clad
As sea-born nymphs shall swarm about thy ships,
And wanton mermaids court thee with sweet songs,
130 Flinging in favours of more sovereign worth
Than Thetis hangs about Apollo’s neck,
So that Aeneas may but stay with me.
AENEAS
Wherefore would Dido have Aeneas stay?
DIDO
To war against my bordering enemies.
Aeneas, think not Dido is in love;
For if that any man could conquer me,
I had been wedded ere Aeneas came.
See where the pictures of my suitors hang;
And are not these as fair as fair may be?
[Showing pictures.]
ACHATES
140 I saw this man at Troy, ere Troy was sacked.
AENEAS
I this in Greece when Paris stole fair Helen.
ILIONEUS
This man and I were at Olympus games.
SERGESTUS
I know this face, he is a Persian born.
I travelled with him to Aetolia.
CLOANTHUS
And I in Athens with this gentleman,
Unless I be deceived, disputed once.
DIDO
But speak, Aeneas, know you none of these?
AENEAS
No, madam, but it seems that these are kings.
DIDO
All these and others which I never saw
150 Have been most urgent suitors for my love;
Some came in person, others sent their legates;
Yet none obtained me. I am free from all,
[aside] And yet, God knows, entangled unto one.
This was an orator, and thought by words
To compass me, but yet he was deceived;
And this a Spartan courtier, vain and wild,
But his fantastic humours pleased not me;
This was Alcion, a musician,
But played he ne’er so sweet, I let him go;
160 This was the wealthy king of Thessaly,
But I had gold enough and cast him off;
This, Meleager’s son, a warlike prince,
But weapons ’gree not with my tender years;
The rest are such as all the world well knows,
Yet now I swear, by heaven and him I love,
I was as far from love as they from hate.
AENEAS
O happy shall he be whom Dido loves!
DIDO
Then never say that thou art miserable,
Because it may be thou shalt be my love.
170 Yet boast not of it, for I love thee not.
And yet I hate thee not. [Aside] O, if I speak,
I shall betray myself. [To AENEAS] Aeneas, speak!
We two will go a-hunting in the woods,
But not so much for thee – thou art but one –
As for Achates and his followers.
Exeunt.
Scene 2
Enter JUNO to ASCANIUS asleep.
JUNO
Here lies my hate, Aeneas’ cursèd brat,
The boy wherein false Destiny delights,
The heir of Fame, the favourite of the Fates,
That ugly imp that shall outwear my wrath,
And wrong my deity with high disgrace.
But I will take another order now,
And raze th’eternal register of time;
Troy shall no more call him her second hope,
Nor Venus triumph in his tender youth;
10 For here, in spite of heaven, I’ll murder him,
And feed infection with his let-out life.
Say, Paris, now shall Venus have the ball?
Say, vengeance, now shall her Ascanius die?
O no! God wot, I cannot watch my time,
Nor quit good turns with double fee down told!
Tut, I am simple, without mind to hurt,
And have no gall at all to grieve my foes;
But lustful Jove and his adulterous child
Shall find it written on confusion’s front,
20 That only Juno rules in Rhamnus town.
Enter VENUS.
VENUS
What should this mean? My doves are back returned,
Who warn me of such danger prest at hand
To harm my sweet Ascanius’ lovely life.
Juno, my mortal foe, what make you here?
Avaunt, old witch, and trouble not my wits!
JUNO
Fie, Venus, that such causeless words of wrath
Should e’er defile so fair a mouth as thine!
Are not we both sprung of celestial race,
And banquet as two sisters with the gods?
30 Why is it, then, displeasure should disjoin
Whom kindred and acquaintance co-unites?
VENUS
Out, hateful hag! Thou wouldst have slain my son
Had not my doves discovered thy intent;
But I will tear thy eyes from forth thy head,
And feast the birds with their blood-shotten balls,
If thou but lay thy fingers on my boy.
JUNO
Is this, then, all the thanks that I shall have
For saving him from snakes’ and serpents’ stings,
That would have killed him sleeping as he lay?
What though I was offended with thy son
40 And wrought him mickle woe on sea and land,
When, for the hate of Trojan Ganymede,
That was advanced by my Hebe’s shame,
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And Paris’ judgement of the heavenly ball,
I mustered all the winds unto his wrack
And urged each element to his annoy?
Yet now I do repent me of his ruth,
And wish that I had never wronged him so.
Bootless I saw it was to war with fate,
That hath so many unresisted friends:
50 Wherefore I changed my counsel with the time,
And planted love where envy erst had sprung.
VENUS
Sister of Jove, if that thy love be such
As these protestations do paint forth,
We two as friends one fortune will divide.
Cupid shall lay his arrows in thy lap,
And to a sceptre change his golden shafts;
Fancy and modesty shall live as mates,
And thy fair peacocks by my pigeons perch.
Love my Aeneas, and desire is thine;
60 The day, the night, my swans, my sweets, are thine.
JUNO
More than melodious are these words to me,
That overcloy my soul with their content.
Venus, sweet Venus, how may I deserve
Such amorous favours at thy beauteous hand?
But that thou mayst more easily perceive
How highly I do prize this amity,
Hark to a motion of eternal league,
Which I will make in quittance of thy love:
70 Thy son, thou know’st, with Dido now remains,
And feeds his eyes with favours of her court;
She likewise in admiring spends her time
And cannot talk nor think of aught but him.
Why should not they then join in marriage
And bring forth mighty kings to Carthage town,
Whom casualty of sea hath made such friends?
And, Venus, let there be a match confirmed
Betwixt these two, whose loves are so alike,
And both our deities, conjoined in one,
80 Shall chain felicity unto their throne.
VENUS
Well could I like this reconcilement’s means,
But much I fear my son will ne’er consent,
Whose armed soul, already on the sea,
Darts forth her light to Lavinia’s shore.
JUNO
Fair Queen of Love, I will divorce these doubts,
And find the way to weary such fond thoughts:
This day they both a-hunting forth will ride
Into these woods adjoining to these walls,
When, in the midst of all their gamesome sports,
90 I’ll make the clouds dissolve their wat’ry works
And drench Silvanus’ dwellings with their showers;
Then in one cave the queen and he shall meet,
And interchangeably discourse their thoughts,
Whose short conclusion will seal up their hearts
Unto the purpose which we now propound.
VENUS
Sister, I see you savour of my wiles;
Be it as you will have it for this once.
Meantime, Ascanius shall be my charge,
The Complete Plays Page 7