SCENE I.--_The Palace of_ RASNI.

_Enter_ RASNI _with his_ Kings, Magi, Lords, _and_ Attendants; ALVIDA _and her_ Ladies; _to a banquet._

_Rasni._ So, viceroys, you have pleas'd me passing well; These curious cates are gracious in mine eye, But these borachios of the richest wine Make me to think how blithesome we will be.-- Seat thee, fair Juno, in the royal throne, And I will serve thee to see thy face, That, feeding on the beauty of thy looks, My stomach and mine eyes may both be fill'd.-- Come, lordings, seat you, fellow-mates at feast, And frolic, wags; this is a day of glee: This banquet is for brightsome Alvida. I'll have them skink[118] my standing bowls with wine, And no man drink but quaff a whole carouse Unto the health of beauteous Alvida: For whoso riseth from this feast not drunk, As I am Rasni, Nineveh's great king, Shall die the death as traitor to myself, For that he scorns the health of Alvida.

_K. of Cil._ That will I never do, my lord; Therefore with favour, fortune to your grace, Carouse unto the health of Alvida.

_Rasni._ Gramercy, lording, here I take thy pledge:-- And, Crete, to thee a bowl of Greekish wine, Here to the health of Alvida.

_K. of Crete._ Let come, my lord. Jack skinker, fill it full, A pledge unto the health of heavenly Alvida.

_Rasni._ Vassals, attendant on our royal feasts, Drink you, I say, unto my lover's health: Let none that is in Rasni's royal court Go this night safe and sober to his bed.

_Enter_ ADAM.

_Adam._ This way he is, and here will I speak with him.

_First Lord._ Fellow, whither pressest thou?

_Adam._ I press nobody, sir; I am going to speak with a friend of mine.

_First Lord._ Why, slave, here is none but the king, and his viceroys.

_Adam._ The king! marry, sir, he is the man I would speak withal.

_First Lord._ Why, callest him a friend of thine?

_Adam._ Ay, marry, do I, sir; for if he be not my friend, I'll make him my friend, ere he and I pass.

_First Lord._ Away, vassal, begone! thou speak unto the king!

_Adam._ Ay, marry, will I, sir; an if he were a king of velvet, I will talk to him.

_Rasni._ What's the matter there? what noise is that?

_Adam._ A boon, my liege, a boon, my liege!

_Rasni._ What is it that great Rasni will not grant, This day, unto the meanest of his land, In honour of his beauteous Alvida? Come hither, swain; what is it that thou cravest?

_Adam._ Faith, sir, nothing, but to speak a few sentences to your worship.

_Rasni._ Say, what is it?

_Adam._ I am sure, sir, you have heard of the spirits that walk in the city here.

_Rasni._ Ay, what of that?

_Adam._ Truly, sir, I have an oration to tell you of one of them; and this it is.

_Alvi._ Why goest not forward with thy tale?

_Adam._ Faith, mistress, I feel an imperfection in my voice, a disease that often troubles me; but, alas, easily mended; a cup of ale or a cup of wine will serve the turn.

_Alvi._ Fill him a bowl, and let him want no drink.

_Adam._ O, what a precious word was that, "And let him want no drink!" [_Drink given to_ ADAM.] Well, sir, now I'll tell you forth my tale. Sir, as I was coming alongst the port-royal of Nineveh, there appeared to me a great devil, and as hard-favoured a devil as ever I saw; nay, sir, he was a cuckoldly devil, for he had horns on his head. This devil, mark you now, presseth upon me, and, sir, indeed, I charged him with my pike-staff; but when that would not serve, I came upon him with _Spritus santus_,--why, it had been able to have put Lucifer out of his wits: when I saw my charm would not serve, I was in such a perplexity, that sixpenny-worth of juniper would not have made the place sweet again.

_Alvi._ Why, fellow, wert thou so afraid?

_Adam._ O, mistress, had you been there and seen, his very sight had made you shift a clean smock! I promise you, though I were a man, and counted a tall fellow, yet my laundress called me slovenly knave the next day.

_Rasni._ A pleasant slave.--Forward, sirrah, on with thy tale.

_Adam._ Faith, sir, but I remember a word that my mistress your bed-fellow spoke.

_Rasni._ What was that, fellow?

_Adam._ O, sir, a word of comfort, a precious word--"And let him want no drink."

_Rasni._ Her word is law; and thou shalt want no drink. [_Drink given to_ ADAM.

_Adam._ Then, sir, this devil came upon me, and would not be persuaded, but he would needs carry me to hell. I proffered him a cup of ale, thinking, because he came out of so hot a place, that he was thirsty; but the devil was not dry, and therefore the more sorry was I. Well, there was no remedy but I must with him to hell: and at last I cast mine eye aside; if you knew what I spied you would laugh, sir; I looked from top to toe, and he had no cloven feet. Then I ruffled up my hair, and set my cap on the one side, and, sir, grew to be a justice of peace to the devil: at last in a great fume, as I am very choleric, and sometimes so hot in my fustian fumes that no man can abide within twenty yards of me, I start up, and so bombasted the devil, that, sir, he cried out and ran away.

_Alvi._ This pleasant knave hath made me laugh my fill. Rasni, now Alvida begins her quaff, And drinks a full carouse unto her king.

_Rasni._ A pledge, my love, as hearty as great Jove Drunk when his Juno heav'd a bowl to him.-- Frolic, my lords; let all the standards walk,[119] Ply it till every man hath ta'en his load.-- How now, sirrah, what cheer? we have no words of you.

_Adam._ Truly, sir, I was in a brown study about my mistress.

_Alvi._ About me! for what?

_Adam,_ Truly, mistress, to think what a golden sentence you did speak: all the philosophers in the world could not have said more:--"What, come, let him want no drink." O, wise speech!

_Alvi._ Villains, why skink you unto this fellow? He makes me blithe and merry in my thoughts: Heard you not that the king hath given command, That all be drunk this day within his court In quaffing to the health of Alvida? [_Drink given to_ ADAM.

_Enter_ JONAS.

_Jonas._ Repent, repent, ye men of Nineveh, repent! The Lord hath spoke, and I do cry it out, There are as yet but forty days remaining, And then shall Nineveh be overthrown: Repent, ye men of Nineveh, repent!

_Rasni._ What fellow's this, that thus disturbs our feast With outcries and alarums to repent?

_Adam._ O sir, 'tis one Goodman Jonas, that is come from Jericho; and surely I think he hath seen some spirit by the way, and is fallen out of his wits, for he never leaves crying night nor day. My master heard him, and he shut up his shop, gave me my indenture, and he and his wife do nothing but fast and pray.

_Jonas._ Repent, ye men of Nineveh, repent!

_Rasni._ Come hither, fellow: what art, and from whence comest thou?

_Jonas._ Rasni, I am a prophet of the Lord, Sent hither by the mighty God of hosts, To cry destruction to the Ninevites. O Nineveh, thou harlot of the world, I raise thy neighbours round about thy bounds, To come and see thy filthiness and sin! Thus saith the Lord, the mighty God of hosts: Your king loves chambering and wantonness; Whoredom and murder do distain his court; He favoureth covetous and drunken men; Behold, therefóre, all like a strumpet foul, Thou shalt be judg'd and punish'd for thy crime; The foe shall pierce the gates with iron ramps, The fire shall quite consume thee from above, The houses shall be burnt, the infants slain, And women shall behold their husbands die. Thine eldest sister is Samaria,[120] And Sodom on thy right hand seated is. Repent, ye men of Nineveh, repent! The Lord hath spoke, and I do cry it out, There are as yet but forty days remaining, And then shall Nineveh be overthrown. [_Offers to depart._

_Rasni._ Stay, prophet, stay.

_Jonas._ Disturb not him that sent me; Let me perform the message of the Lord. [_Exit._

_Rasni._ My soul is buried in the hell of thoughts.-- Ah, Alvida, I look on thee with shame!-- My lords on sudden fix their eyes on ground, As if dismay'd to look upon the heavens.-- Hence, Magi, who have flattered me in sin! [_Exeunt_ Magi. Horror of mind, disturbance of my soul, Make me aghast for Nineveh's mishap. Lords, see proclaim'd, yea, see it straight proclaim'd, That man and beast, the woman and her child, For forty days in sack and ashes fast: Perhaps the Lord will yield, and pity us.-- Bear hence these wretched blandishments of sin, [_Taking off his crown and robe._ And bring me sackcloth to attire your king: Away with pomp! my soul is full of woe.-- In pity look on Nineveh, O God! [_Exeunt all except_ ALVIDA _and_ Ladies.

_Alvi._ Assail'd with shame, with horror overborne, To sorrow sold, all guilty of our sin, Come, ladies, come, let us prepare to pray. Alas, how dare we look on heavenly light, That have despis'd the maker of the same? How may we hope for mercy from above, That still despise the warnings from above? Woe's me, my conscience is a heavy foe. O patron of the poor oppress'd with sin, Look, look on me, that now for pity crave! Assail'd with shame, with horror overborne, To sorrow sold, all guilty of our sin, Come, ladies, come, let us prepare to pray. [_Exeunt._