THE TWO NOBLE KINSMEN PROLOGUE Flourish. NEW plays and maidenheads are near akin; A learned, and a poet never went More famous yet 'twixt Po and silver Trent: If we let fall the nobleness of this, And the first sound this child hear be a hiss, And make him cry from under ground, O, fan That blasts my bays, and my fam'd works makes Than Robin Hood! This is the fear we bring; And too ambitious, to aspire to him, you hold out Weak as we are, and almost breathless swim 20 PRO LOGUE Content to you!-If this Play do not keep 30 [Flourish. ACT I SCENE I. Athens. Before a Temple. Enter HYMEN with a torch burning; a Boy, in a white robe, before, singing and strewing flowers; after HYMEN, a Nymph, encompassed in her tresses, bearing a wheaten garland; then THESEUS, between two other Nymphs with wheaten chaplets on their heads ; then HIPPOLYTA, the bride, led by PIRITHOUs, and another holding a garland over her head, her tresses likewise hanging; after her, EMILIA, holding up her train; ARTESIUS and Attendants. The crow, the slanderous cuckoo, nor Nor chatt'ring pie, May on our bride-house perch or sing, But from it fly! 20 Enter three Queens, in black, with veils stained, and wearing imperial crowns. The first Queen falls down at the foot of THESEUS; the second falls down at the foot of HIPPOLYTA; the third before EMILIA. FIRST QUEEN. For pity's sake and true gentility's, Hear, and respect me! SEC. QUEEN. And as you wish your For your mother's sake, womb may thrive with fair ones, THIRD QUEEN. Now, for the love of him whom Jove hath mark'd The honour of your bed, and for the sake For us and our distresses! This good deed THES. Sad Lady, rise. THES. What's your request? deliver you for all. 30 FIRST QUEEN. We are three Queens, whose Sovereigns fell before The wrath of cruel Creon; who endure 40 The beaks of ravens, talents of the kites, And pecks of crows, in the foul fields of Thebes : He will not suffer us to burn their bones, To urn their ashes, nor to take the offence Of mortal loathsomeness from the blest eye Of holy Phoebus, but infects the winds With stench of our slain Lords. O, pity, Duke! ACT I Sc. I ACT I Sc. I That does good turns to the world; give us the bones THES. 50 Pray you, kneel not: 60 Of He tumbled down upon his Nemean hide, And swore his sinews thaw'd. O, Grief and Time, FIRST QUEEN. O, I hope some God, Some God hath put his mercy in your manhood, Our undertaker!1 THES. press you forth Unto the helmeted Bellona use them, 70 O, no knees, none, Widow! [turns away. And pray for me, your soldier. Troubled I am. SEC. QUEEN. Honour'd Hippolyta, Most dreaded Amazonian, that hast slain The scythe-tusk'd boar; that, with thy arm as strong As it is white, wast near to make the male 1 supporter. 80 Thy force and thy affection; Soldieress, The tenor1 of thy speech; dear Glass of Ladies, Lend us a knee; But touch the ground for us no longer time HIP. Poor Lady, say no more: THIRD QUEEN [to EMILIA.] O, my petition was Is press'd with deeper matter. EMI. Pray, stand up: O, woe! Your grief is written in your cheek. You cannot read it there; there, through my tears, You may behold 'em. Lady, Lady, alack, He that will all the treasure know o' the Earth EMI. ACT I Sc. I |