ÆäÀÌÁö À̹ÌÁö
PDF
ePub

No. IV.

SPECIMENS OF PETOWE'S CONTINUATION OF MARLOWE'S HERO AND LEANDER.

[CONCERNING this piece and its author see Account of Marlowe and his Writings. old ed. is,

The title-page of the

The Second Part of Hero and Leander conteyning their further Fortunes by Henry Petove. Sat cito, si sit bene. London. Printed by Thomas Purfoot, for Andrew Harris, and are to be sould at his shop under the Popes head next to the Royall Exchange. 1598, 4to.]

MARLOWE'S fragment ends where Leander becomes "lord of his desires." Petowe's continuation (after some mythological matter, and the encomium on Marlowe already cited) informs us that

"Dvke Archilaus, cruell, voyd of pitie,

Where Hero dwelt was regent of that citie."

He conceives a violent passion for her: but she, true to Leander, is moved neither by his "thundering threates" nor his soothing words. Upon this, Archilaus, expecting to have better success with the lady if Leander were away, accuses him of treason, and banishes him from Sestos. The lovers take a very tender farewell of each other; and Leander sets out with all speed for Delphi, to consult the oracle of Apollo concerning his

future fortunes.

"True loue quite bannisht, lust began to pleade
To Hero, like a scholler deepely reade.

The flaming sighes that boyle within my brest,
Faire loue,' quoth he, ' are cause of my vnrest;
Vnrest I entertaine for thy sweet sake,
And in my tent choose sorrow for my make.+
Why dost thou frowne?' quoth he;-and then

she turn'd;

'Oh, coole the fainting soule that flaming burn'd,
Forc't by desire, to touch thy matchles beautie,
To whome thy seruant vowes all reuerent dutie.'
With that, her irefull browes, clowded with
frownes,

His soule, already drencht, in woe's sea drownes:
But, floating on the waues, thus he gan say;
'Flint-harted lady, canst thou be so coy?

*See note 1, p. 289.

† make] i. e. mate.

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

"The angry Duke lay listning to her words,
And, till she ends, no speech at all affords ;
Vntill at length, exclaiming 'gainst her kinde,
Thus he breath'd foorth the venome of his minde:
'Oh, timerous taunters, that delights in toyes,
Iangling iesters, depriuers of sweete joyes,
Tumbling cock-boats tottering too and fro,
Grownd of the graft whence all my griefe doth
grow,

Sullen serpents enuiron'd with despight,
That ill for good at all times doth requite!
As cypresse-tree that rent is by the roote,
As well-sowen seede for drought that cannot
sprout,

As braunch or slip bitter from whence it growes,
As gaping ground that raineles cannot close,
As fish on lande to whome no water flowes,
As flowers doe fade when Phoebus rarest showes,
As Salamandra repuls'd from the fier,-
Wanting my wish, I die for my desire.'
Speaking those words, death seiz'd him for his

[blocks in formation]

She is, however, altogether mistaken; for Euristippus, the brother and successor to Archilaus, in great fury accuses her of having poisoned the last-mentioned personage, and is resolved to make her feel his vengeance.

'Oft haue I read that stone relents at raine, And I impleat their barren wombe with store; Teares streaming downe, they wet and wet againe; Yet pittilesse they harden more and more; And when my longing soule lookes they should sonder,

"Her doome was thus: ere three moneths' date I touch the flintie stone, and they seeme stronger;

tooke end,

If she found none that would her cause defend,
Vntimely death should seize her as a pray,
And vnresisting life should death obay.
Meane-time within a rocke-fram'd castle strong
She was imprison'd, traytors vile among.
Where, discontented when she should haue rested,
Her foode bad fare, with sighes and teares she
feasted

And when the breathlesse horses of the Sunne
Had made their stay, and Luna had begun
With cheerefull smyling browes to grace darke
night

Clad in blacke sable weedes, for want of light,
This all-alone sad lady gan to play,
Framing sweet musick to her well-a-day;
Th' effect whereof this sonnet plainely showes,
The fountaine whence springs Hero's heauie woes.

HERO'S LAMENTATION IN PRISON.
'NIGHT'S mourning blacke and mistie vailing hew
Shadowes the blessed comfort of the sunne,
At whose bright gaze I wonted to renew

My liueles life, when life was almost done.
Done is my life, and all my pleasure done,
For he is gone in whome my life begun :
Vnhappie I, poore I, and none as I,
But pilgrim he, poore he, that should be by.

'My loue exil'd, and I in prison fast,

Out-streaming teares breake into weeping raine : He too soone banisht, I in dungeon cast,

He for me mourneth, I for him complaine. He's banished, yet liues at libertie,

And I exil'd, yet liue in miserie;

He weepes for me far off, I for him here:
I would I were with him, and he more nere !

'Bvt this imprisoning caue, this woefull cell,

This house of sorrow and increasing woe, Griefe's tearie chamber where sad care doth dwell,

Where liquid teares, like top-fil'd seas, doe flow, Beating their waues 'gainst still relentles stone, Still still they smile on me, and I still mone; I weepe to stone, and stone of stone I finde, Colde stone colde comfort yeilds,-oh, most

vnkinde !

They stronge, I weake,-alas, what hope haue I! Hero wants comfort, Hero needs must die.'

When the melodious shrill-toung'd nightingale
With heauie cheere had warbled this sad tale,
Night's drowsie god an iuorie cannopie
Curtaines before the windowes of faire beautie:
Drown'd thus in sleepe, she spent the wearie
night:

There leaue I Hero in a heauie plight.
Now to the woefull pilgrime I returne,
Whose passions force the gentle birdes to mourne:
They see Leander weepe, with heauie note
They faintly singe, as when they singe by rote;
While he gan descant on his miserie,
The pretie fowles doe make him melodie.

LEANDER'S COMPLAINT OF HIS RESTLES ESTATE. 'BRIGHT heauen's immortall mouing sphcares, And Phoebus all diuine,

Rue on lowe earth's vnfained teares
That issue from earth's eyne.

Eyes were these no-eyes whilst eies' eye-sight lasted,

But these darke eyes' cleere sight sad sorrow wasted.

'What creature liuing liues in griefe

That breathes on Tellus' soile, But heauens pitie with reliefe,

Saue me, a slaue to spoyle?

Spoyle doe his worst; spoyle cannot spoile me

more;

Spoyle neuer spoyl'd so true a loue before.

The stricken deere stands not in awe

Of blacke grym irefull death,

For he findes hearbes* that can withdrawe
The shaft, to saue his breath;

The chased deere hath soile † to coole his heate;
The toyled steed is vp in stable set;

*For he findes hearbes, &c.] See note *, p. 212.

† soile] See note †, p. 264.

The sillie owles lurke in the leaues,

Shine sunne or night's queene whether; The sparrowe shrowdes her in the eaues From stormes of huffing weather; Fowles comfort finde; Leander findes no friend: Then, comfortlesse, Leander's life must end.'"

By this time, "the smiling browes of Heauen" being pleased "to set a period to Leander's toyle," he reaches Delphi in safety:

"He craues long-lookt-for rest, or else to die: To whome the Oracle gan thus reply.

THE ORACLE.

He loueth thine, that loues not thee:
His loue to thine shall fatall bee:
Vpon suspect she shalbe slaine,
Vales thou doe returne againe."

Such a response could not fail to "renewe Leander's woes againe." He, however, thinks it best to return to Sestos, that he may prevent, if possible, the threatened danger; and presently he arrives there.

"This backe-retired pilgrime liu'd secure, And in vnknowen disguise he did indure

Yet, since her lord Leander was not nie,
She was resolu'd eyther to liue or die.
But her Leander, carefull of his loue,
Intending loue's firme constancie to proue,
(Yf to his lot the honour did befall,)
Withdrew himselfe into the pallaice-hall,
Where he was armed to his soules content,
And priuily conducted to a tent,
From whence he issu'd foorth at trumpet's sound;
Who, at the first encounter, on the ground
Forced the mazed Duke sore panting lie,
Drown'd in the ryuer of sad extacie.
At length reuiuing, he doth mount againe;
Whome young Leander in short time had slaine.
The Duke quite dead, this all-vnknowne young
knight

Was foorthwith made the heire of Sestos' right;
The princesse Hero set at libertie,
Kept by the late dead Duke in miserie;
Whose constancie Leander gan to proue,
And now anew begins to court his loue."

Hero, having no idea who he is, concludes an answer to his addresses by saying,

"But rest content and satisfied with this,
Whilst true Leander liues, true Hero's his.'-
'And thy Leander liues, sweete soule,' sayde he,

Full two moneths' space, vntill the time drew nie 'Praysing thy all-admired chastitie:
To free faire Hero or inforce her die."

On that day there is a great assembly of knights and ladies. Hero, at the Duke's command, is brought forth from her dungeon; and her beauty excites much admiration among the crowd.

Though by the sterne Duke she was dishonored, Yet of the people she was honored; Mongst whome exil'd Leander, all vnscene And all vnknowne, attended on his queene. When to the neere-adioyning pallaice-gate, The place appointed for the princely combate, They did approch, there might all eies behold The Duke in armour of pure beaten gold, Mounted vpon a steed as white as snow, The proud Duke Euristippus, Hero's foe. Hero being seated in rich maiestie, A seruile hand-mayd to captiuitie, From whence she might behold that gentle knight, That for her sake durst hazard life in fight; For this was all the comfort Hero had, So many eyes shed teares to see her sad; Her hand-maide Hope perswaded her, some one Vndaunted knight would be her champion ;

Though thus disguis'd, I am that banisht knight
That for affecting thee was put to flight;
Hero, I am Leander, thy true phere,*

As true to thee as life to me is deere.'
When Hero all-amazed gan reuiue,
And she that then seem'd dead was now aliue,
With kinde imbracements, kissing at each straine,
She welcoms him and kisses him againe :
'By thee my ioyes haue shaken of dispaire,
All stormes be past, and weather waxeth faire;
By thy returne Hero receaues more ioye
Then Paris did when Hellen was in Troy;
By thee my heauy doubts and thoughts are fled,
And now my wits with pleasant thoughts are

fed.'

'Feed, sacred sainct, on nectar all diuine, While these my eyes,' quoth he, 'gaze on thy

eyne;

And ever after may these eyes beware
That they on strangers' beautie neuer stare :
My wits I charme henceforth they take such
heede

They frame no toyes, my fancies new to feede;

. phere] See note ¶, p. 297.

Deafe be my eares to heare another voice,
To force me smile or make my soule reioyce;
Lame be my feete when they presume to moue,
To force Leander seeke another loue;

And when thy faire,* sweet faire, I gin disgrace,
Heauen to my soule afford no resting-place!'
What he to her, she vow'd the like to him;
All sorrowes fled, their ioyes anew begin.

faire] i. e. beauty.

Full many yeares those louers liu'd in fame,
That all the world did much admire the same.
Their liues' spent date, and vnresisted death
At hand to set a period to their breath,
They were transform'd by all-diuine decrees
Into the forme and shape of two pine-trees,
Whose nature's such, the female pine will die,
Vnles the male be euer planted by;

A map for all succeeding times to come,
To view true loue, which in their loues begun."
And so the poem concludes.

DD

« ÀÌÀü°è¼Ó »