Chapter 4

_Æn._ How should I put into the raging deepe, Who haue no sailes nor tackling for my ships? What would the Gods haue me _Deucalion_ like, Flote vp and downe where ere the billowes driue? Though she repairde my fleete and gaue me ships, Yet hath she tane away my oares and masts, And left me neither saile nor sterne abourd.

_Enter to them Iarbus._

_Iar._ How now _Æneas_, sad, what meanes these dumpes?

_Æn._ _Iarbus_, I am cleane besides my selfe, _Ioue_ hath heapt on me such a desperate charge, Which neither art nor reason may atchieue, Nor I deuise by what meanes to contriue.

_Iar._ As how I pray, may I entreat you tell.

_Æn._ With speede he bids me sail to _Italy_. When as I want both rigging for my fleete, And also furniture for these my men.

_Iar._ If that be all, then cheare thy drooping lookes, For I will furnish thee with such supplies: Let some of those thy followers goe with me, And they shall haue what thing so ere thou needst.

_Æn._ Thankes good _Iarbus_ for thy friendly ayde, _Achates_ and the rest shall waite on thee, Whil'st I rest thankfull for this curtesie.

_Exit Iarbus and Æneas traine._

Now will I haste vnto _Lauinian_ shoare, And raise a new foundation to old _Troy_, Witnes the Gods, and witnes heauen and earth, How loth I am to leaue these _Libian_ bounds, But that eternall _Iupiter_ commands.

_Enter Dido and Æneas._

_Dido._ I feare I sawe _Æneas_ little sonne, Led by _Achates_ to the Troian fleete: If it be so, his father meanes to flye: But here he is, now _Dido_ trie thy wit. _Æneas_, wherefore goe thy men abourd?, Why are thy ships new rigd? or to what end Launcht from the hauen, lye they in the Rhode? Pardon me though I aske, loue makes me aske.

_Æn._ O pardon me, if I resolue thee why: _Æneas_ will not faine with his deare loue, I must from hence: this day swift _Mercury_ When I was laying a platforme for these walles, Sent from his father _Ioue_, appeard to me, And in his name rebukt me bitterly, For lingering here, neglecting _Italy_.

_Dido._ But yet _Æneas_ will not leaue his loue.

_Æn._ I am commaunded by immortal _Ioue_, To leaue this towne and passe to _Italy_, And therefore must of force.

_Dido._ These words proceed not from _Æneas_ heart.

_Æn._ Not from my heart, for I can hardly goe, And yet I may not stay, _Dido_ farewell.

_Dido._ Farewell: is this the mends for _Didos_ loue? Doe Troians vse to quit their Louers thus? Fare well may _Dido_, so _Æneas_ stay, I dye, if my _Æneas_ say farewell.

_Æn._ Then let me goe and neuer say farewell, Let me goe, farewell, I must from hence.

_Dido._ These words are poyson to poore _Didos_ soule, O speake like my _Æneas_, like my loue: Why look'st thou toward the sea? the time hath been When _Didos_ beautie chaungd thine eyes to her; Am I lesse faire then when thou sawest me first? O then _Æneas_, tis for griefe of thee: Say thou wilt stay in _Carthage_ with my Queene, And _Didos_ beautie will returne againe: _Æneas_, say, how canst thou take thy leaue? Wilt thou kisse _Dido_? O thy lips haue sworne To stay with _Dido_: canst thou take her hand? Thy Hand and mine haue plighted mutuall faith, Therefore vnkinde _Æneas_, must thou say, Then let me goe, and neuer say farewell.

_Æn._ O Queene of _Carthage_, wert thou vgly blacke, _Æneas_ could not choose but hold thee deare, Yet must he not gainsay the Gods behest.

_Dido._ The Gods, what Gods be those that seeke my death? Wherein haue I offended _Iupiter_, That he should take _Æneas_ from mine armes? O no, the Gods wey not what Louers doe, It is _Æneas_ calles _Æneas_ hence, And wofull _Dido_ by these blubbred cheekes, By this right hand, and by our spousall rites, Desires _Æneas_ to remaine with her: _Si bene quid de te merui, fuit aut tibi quidquam Dulce meum, miserere domus labentis: & istam Oro, si quis ad hac precibus locus, exue mentem._

_Æn. Desine meque tuis incendere teque querelis, Italiam non sponte sequor._

_Dido._ Hast thou forgot how many neighbour kings Were vp in armes, for making thee my loue? How _Carthage_ did rebell, _Iarbus_ storme, And all the world calles me a second _Helen_, For being intangled by a strangers lookes: So thou wouldst proue as true as _Paris_ did, Would, as faire _Troy_ was, _Carthage_ might be sackt, And I be calde a second _Helena_. Had I a sonne by thee, the griefe were lesse, That I might see _Æneas_ in his face: Now if thou goest, what canst thou leaue behind, But rather will augment then ease my woe?

_Æn._ In vaine my loue thou spendst thy fainting breath, If words might moue me I were ouercome.

_Dido._ And wilt thou not be mou'd with _Didos_ words? Thy mother was no Goddesse periurd man, Nor _Dardanus_ the author of thy stocke: But thou art Sprung from _Scythian Caucasus_, And Tygers of _Hircania_ gaue thee sucke: Ah foolish _Dido_ to forbeare this long! Wast thou not wrackt vpon this _Libian_ shoare, And cam'st to _Dido_ like a Fisherswaine? Repairde not I thy ships, made thee a King, And all thy needie followers Noblemen? O Serpent that came creeping from the shoare, And I for pitie harbord in my bosome, Wilt thou now slay me with thy venomed sting, And hisse at _Dido_ for preseruing thee? Goe goe and spare not, seeke out _Italy_, I hope that that which loue forbids me doe, The Rockes and Sea-gulfes will performe at large, And thou shalt perish in the billowes waies, To whom poore _Dido_ doth bequeath reuenge, I traytor, and the waues shall cast thee vp, Where thou and false _Achates_ first set foote: Which if it chaunce, Ile giue ye buriall, And weepe vpon your liueles carcases, Though thou nor he will pitie me a whit. Why star'st thou in my face? if thou wilt stay, Leape in mine armes, mine armes are open wide: If not, turne from me, and Ile turne from thee; For though thou hast the heart to say farewell, I haue not power to stay thee: is he gone? I but heele come againe, he cannot goe, He loues me to too well to serue me so: Yet he that in my sight would not relent, Will, being absent, be abdurate still. By this is he got to the water side, And, see the Sailers take him by the hand, But he shrinkes backe, and now remembring me, Returnes amaine: welcome, welcome my loue: But wheres _Æneas_? ah hees gone hees gone!

_Anna._ What meanes my sister thus to raue and crye?

_Dido._ O _Anna_, my _Æneas_ is abourd, And leauing me will saile to _Italy_. Once didst thou goe, and he came backe againe, Now bring him backe, and thou shalt be a Queene, And I will liue a priuate life with him.

_Anna._ Wicked _Æneas_.

_Dido._ Call him not wicked, sister speake him faire, And looke vpon him with a Mermaides eye, Tell him, I neuer vow'd at _Aulis_ gulfe The desolation of his natiue _Troy_, Nor sent a thousand ships vnto the walles, Nor euer violated faith to him: Request him gently (_Anna_) to returne, I craue but this, he stay a tide or two, That I may learne to beare it patiently, If he depart thus suddenly, I dye: Run _Anna_, run, stay not to answere me.

_Anna._ I goe faire sister, heauens graunt good successe.

_Exit Anna._

_Enter the Nurse._

_Nurse._ O _Dido_, your little sonne _Ascanius_ Is gone! he lay with me last night, And in the morning he was stolne from me, I thinke some Fairies haue beguiled me.

_Dido._ O cursed hagge and false dissembling wretch! That slayest me with thy harsh and hellish tale, Thou for some pettie guift hast let him goe, And I am thus deluded of my boy: Away with her to prison presently, Traytoresse too keend and cursed Sorceresse.

_Nurse._ I know not what you meane by treason, I, I am as true as any one of yours. _Exeunt the Nurse._

_Dido._ Away with her, suffer her not to speake. My sister comes, I like not her sad lookes.

_Enter Anna._

_Anna._ Before I came, _Æneas_ was abourd, And spying me, hoyst vp the sailes amaine: But I cride out, _Æneas_, false _Æneas_ stay. Then gan he wagge his hand, which yet held vp, Made me suppose he would haue heard me speake: Then gan they driue into the Ocean, Which when I viewd, I cride, _Æneas_ stay, _Dido_, faire _Dido_ wils _Æneas_ stay: Yet he whose heart of adamant or flint, My teares nor plaints could mollifie a whit: Then carelesly I rent my haire for griefe, Which seene to all, though he beheld me not, They gan to moue him to redresse my ruth, And stay a while to heare what I could say, But he clapt vnder hatches saild away.

_Dido._ O _Anna_, _Anna_, I will follow him.

_Anna._ How can ye goe when he hath all your fleete?

_Dido._ Ile frame me wings of waxe like _Icarus_, And ore his ships will soare vnto the Sunne, That they may melt and I fall in his armes: Or els Ile make a prayer vnto the waues, That I may swim to him like _Tritons_ neece: O _Anna_, fetch _Orions_ Harpe, That I may tice a Dolphin to the shoare, And ride vpon his backe vnto my loue: Looke sister, looke louely _Æneas_ ships, See see, the billowes heaue him vp to heauen, And now downe falles the keeles into the deepe: O sister, sister, take away the Rockes, Theile breake his ships, O _Proteus_, _Neptune_, _Ioue_, Saue, saue _Æneas_, _Didos_ leefest loue! Now is he come on shoare safe without hurt: But see, _Achates_ wils him put to sea, And all the Sailers merrie make for ioy, But he remembring me shrinkes backe againe: See where he comes, welcome, welcome my loue.

_Anna._ Ah sister, leaue these idle fantasies, Sweet sister cease, remember who you are.

_Dido. Dido_ I am, vnlesse I be deceiu'd, And must I raue thus for a renegate? Must I make ships for him to saile away? Nothing can beare me to him but a ship, And he hath all thy fleete, what shall I doe? But dye in furie of this ouersight? I, I must be the murderer of my selfe: No but I am not, yet I will be straight. _Anna_ be glad, now haue I found a meane To rid me from these thoughts of Lunacie: Not farre from hence there is a woman famoused for arts, Daughter vnto the Nimphs _Hesperides_, Who wild me sacrifice his ticing relliques: Goe _Anna_, bid my seruants bring me fire. _Exit Anna._

_Enter Iarbus._

_Iar._ How long will _Dido_ mourne a strangers flight, That hath dishonord her and _Carthage_ both? How long shall I with griefe consume my daies, And reape no guerdon for my truest loue?

_Dido._ _Iarbus_, talk not of _Æneas_, let him goe, Lay to thy hands and helpe me make a fire, That shall consume all that this stranger left, For I entend a priuate Sacrifize, To cure my minde that melts for vnkind loue.

_Iar._ But afterwards will _Dido_ graunt me loue?

_Dido._ I, I, _Iarbus_, after this is done, None in the world shall have my loue but thou: So, leaue me now, let none approach this place. _Exit Iarbus._ Now _Dido_, with these reliques burne thy selfe, And make _Æneas_ famous through the world, For periurie and slaughter of a Queene: Here lye the Sword that in the darksome Caue He drew, and swore by to be true to me, Thou shalt burne first, thy crime is worse then his: Here lye the garment which I cloath'd him in, When first he came on shoare, perish thou to: These letters, lines, and periurd papers all, Shall burne to cinders in this prectious flame. And now ye Gods that guide the starrie frame, And order all things at your high dispose; Graunt, though the traytors land in _Italy_, They may be still tormented with vnrest, And from mine ashes let a Conquerour rise, That may reuenge this treason to a Queene, By plowing vp his Countries with the Sword: Betwixt this land and that be neuer league, _Littora littoribus contraria, fluctibus undas Impresor: arma armis: pugnent ipsig nepotes_: Liue false _Æneas_, truest _Dido_ dyes, _Sic sic inuat ire sub umbras_.

_Enter Anna._

_Anna._ O helpe _Iarbus_, _Dido_ in these flames Hath burnt her selfe, aye me, vnhappie me!

_Enter Iarbus running._

_Iar._ Cursed _Iarbus_, dye to expiate The griefe that tires vpon thine inward soule, _Dido_ I come to thee, aye me _Æneas_.

_Anna._ What can my teares or cryes preuaile me now? _Dido_ is dead, _Iarbus_ slaine, _Iarbus_ my deare loue, O sweet _Iarbus_, _Annas_ sole delight, What fatall destinie enuies me thus, To see my sweet _Iarbus_ slay himselfe? But _Anna_ now shall honor thee in death, And mixe her bloud with thine, this shall I doe, That Gods and men may pitie this my death, And rue our ends senceles of life or breath; Now sweet _Iarbus_ stay, I come to thee.

_FINIS._