The youngest daughter to the queen entreats you
To give this privately to captain Junius;
This for your pains.

Judas. I rest her humble servant;

Commend me to thy lady. Keep your files, boys. Serv. I must instruct you further.

Judas. Keep your files there!

Hengo. Thou darest as well

skin of man?

Uncle, I will not hear this.

Judas. Tie up your whelp.

a sword

Judas. Bless the founders, I say!

For thy sake, thou dried dog!

Car. What a mettle

This little vermin carries!

Hengo. Kill mine uncle?

Car. He shall not, child.

Hengo. He cannot; he is a rogue,

An only cating rogue! kill my sweet uncle?
Oh, that I were a man!

Judas. By this wine, which I

Will drink to captain Junius, who loves

The queen's most excellent majesty's little daugh

ter

Most sweetly, and most fearfully, I'll do it. Hengo. Uncle, I'll kill him with a great pin. Car. No more, boy!

I'll pledge thy captain. To ye all, good fellows! 2 Daugh. In love with me? that love shall cost your lives all.

Come, sister, and advise me; I have here
A way to make an easy conquest of them,
If fortune favour me. [Exeunt daughters.

Car. Let's see you sweat,
Tomorrow, blood and spirit, boys; this wine
Turned to stern valour.

1 Sold. Hark you, Judas;

If he should hang us after all this?

Judas. Let him:

boys!

SCENE IV.

[Exeunt.

Enter SUETONIUS, PETILLIUS, DEMETRIUS, DECIUS, and MACER.

Suet. Bid me be wise, and keep me where I

am,

And so be safe? not come, because commanded? Was it not thus?

Macer. It was, sir.

Pet. What now think you?

Suet. Must come so heinous to him, so distasteful?

Pet. Give me my money. Dem. I confess 'tis due, sir, And presently I'll pay it.

Suet. His obedience

So blind at his years and experience,
It cannot find where to be tendered?
Macer. Sir,

The regiment was willing, and advanced too, The captains at all points steeled up; their pre parations

Full of resolve and confidence; youth and fire,
Like the fair breaking of a glorious day,
Gilded their phalanx; when the angry Penius
Stept, like a stormy cloud, betwixt them and hopes.
Suet. And stopped their resolutions?
Macer. True; his reason

To them was odds, and odds so infinite,
Discretion durst not look upon.

Suet. Well, Penius,

I cannot think thee coward yet; and treacherous I dare not think; thou hast lopt a limb off from

me;

And let it be thy glory, thou was stubborn,
Thy wisdom, that thou left'st thy general naked!
Yet, ere the sun set, I shall make thee see
All valour dwells not in thee, all command
In one experience. Thou wilt too late repent this,
And wish I must come up' had been thy blessing.
Pet. Let's force him.

Suet. No, by no means; he's a torrent

We cannot easily stem.

Pet. I think, a traitor.

Suct. No ill words! let his own shame first re

vile him.

That wine I have, sce it, Demetrius,

Distributed amongst the soldiers,

To make them high and lusty; when that's done,
Petillius, give the word through, that the eagles
May presently advance; no man discover,
Upon his life, the enemies' full strength,
But make it of no value. Decius,

Are your starved people yet come home?
Dec. I hope so.

Suet. Keep them in more obedience: This is no time

To chide, I could be angry else, and say more to

Manet DECIUS. Enter JUDAS and his company.

Judas. Captain, captain, I've brought them off again;

The drunkennest slaves!

Dec. Pox confound your rogueships!

I'll call the general, and have ye hanged all.
Judas. Pray who will you command, then?
Dec. For you, sirrah, ́

That are the ringleader to these devices,

Whose maw is never crammed, I'll have an engine

Judas. A wench, sweet captain.

Dec. Sweet Judas, even the forks,

Where you shall have two lictors, with two whips, Hammer your hide.

Judas. Captain, good words, fair words, Sweet words, good captain; if you like not us, Farewell! we have employment.

Dec. Where hast thou been?

Judas. There, where you dare not be, with all your valour,

Dec. Where's that?

Judas. I think will do all;

I cannot tell; I think so.

Dec. How! to Junius?

I'll more enquire of this. You'll fight now?
Judas. Promise,

Take heed of promise, captain!

Dec. Away, and rank then.

Judas. But, hark you, captain; there is wine distributing;

I would fain know what share I have.
Dec. Be gone;

You have too much.

Judas. Captain, no wine, no fighting:
There's one called Caratach, that has wine.
Dec. Well, sir,

If you'll be ruled now, and do well-
Judas. Do excellent.

Dec. You shall have wine, or any thing. Go

file;

I'll see you have your share. Drag out your dor

mice,

And stow them somewhere, where they may sleep handsomely;

They'll hear a hunts-up shortly.
Judas. Now I love thee:
But no more forks nor whips!

Dec. Deserve them not then.
Up with your men ; I'll meet you presently;
And get them sober quickly.

Judas. Arm, arm, bullies!

All's right again and straight; and, which is more, More wine, more wine. Awake, ye men of Memphis!

Be sober and discreet; we've much to do, boys. [Exeunt.

SCENE I.

Enter a Messenger.

2 Daugh. See, Heaven,

Unroot, and reel to ruin!

1 Daugh. Oh, thou god,

Thou feared god, if ever to thy justice Insulting wrongs, and ravishments of women, (Women derived from thee) their shames, the :sufferings

Of those that daily filled thy sacrifice

With virgin incense, have access, now hear me ! Now snatch thy thunder up, now on these Roinans,

Despisers of thy power, of us defacers;
Revenge thyself; take to thy killing anger,
To make thy great work full, the justice spoken,
An utter rooting, from this blessed isle,
Of what Rome is, or has been!

Bond. Give more incense!

The gods are deaf and drowsy, no happy flame Rises to raise our thoughts. Pour on.

No incense-offering, will I hang mine eyes;
And as I wear these stones with hourly weeping,
So will I melt your powers into compassion.
This tear for Prosutagus, my brave father;
|(Ye gods, now think on Rome!) this for my mo-
ther,

And all her miseries; yet see, and save us!
But now ye must be open-eyed. See, heaven,
Oh, see thy showers stolen from thee; our dis-
honours,

[A smoke from the altar. Oh, sister, our dishonours! Can ye be gods, And these sins smothered? ·

Bond. The fire takes. Car. It does so,

But no flame rises. Cease your fretful prayers,
Your whinings, and your tame petitions!
The gods love courage armed with confidence,
And prayers fit to pull them down: Weak tears
And troubled hearts, the dull twins of cold spirits,
They sit and smile at. Hear how I salute them:
Divine Andate! thou, who holdst the reins
Of furious battles, and disordered war,
And proudly roll'st thy swarty chariot-wheels
Over the heaps of wounds and carcasses,
Sailing through seas of blood; thou sure-steeled
sternness,

Give us this day good hearts, good enemies, Good blows of both sides, wounds, that fear or flight

Can claim no share in; steel us both with angers
And warlike executions, fit thy viewing;
Let Rome put on her best strength, and thy Bri-
tain,

Thy little Britain, but as great in fortune,
Meet her as strong as she, as proud, as daring!
And then look on, thou red-eyed god! who does
best,

Reward with honour; who despair makes fly,
Unarm for ever, and brand with infamy!
Grant this, divine Andate! 'tis but justice;
And my first blow, thus, on thy holy altar
I sacrifice unto thee.

Bond. It flames out.
Car. Now sing, ye Druids.
Bond. It is out again.

[A flame rises Music. [Song

Car. He has given us leave to fight yet; we ask no more;

The rest hangs on our resolutions:
Tempt him no more.

Bond. I would know further, cousin.

Car. His hidden meaning dwells in our endea

vours,

Our valours are our best gods. Chear the soldier, And let him eat.

Mes. He is at it, sir. Car. Away then;

When he has done, let us march. Come, fear not, lady;

This day the Roman gains no more ground here, But what his body lies in.

Bond. Now I am confident. [Exeunt. Recorders.

SCENE II.

Enter JUNIUS, CURIUS, and DECIUS. Dec. We dare not hazard it; beside our lives, It forfeits all our understandings. Jun. Gentlemen,

Can ye forsake me in so just a service,

A service for the commonwealth, for honour?
Read but the letter; you may love too.
Dec. Read it.

If there be any safety in the circumstance,
Or likelihood 'tis love, we will not fail you:
Read it, good Curius.

Cur. Willingly.

Jun. Now mark it.

Cur. [reading.] "Health to thy heart, my honoured Junius,

All thy love requited! I am thine,
Thine everlastingly; thy love has won me;
And led it breed no doubt, our new acquaintance
Compels this; 'tis the gods' decree to bless us.
The times are dangerous to meet, yet fail not;
By all the love thou bear'st me I conjure thee,
Without distrust of danger, to come to me!
For I have purposed a delivery

Both of myself and fortune this blessed day
Into thy hands, if thou thinkest good. To shew thee
How infinite my love is, even my mother
Shall be thy prisoner, the day yours without
hazard;

For I beheld your danger like a lover,
A just affecter of thy faith: Thy goodness,
I know, will use us nobly; and our marriage,
If not redeem, vet lessen Rome's ambition:
I'm weary of these miseries. Use my mother
(If you intend to take her) with all honour;
And let this disobedience to my parent
Be laid on love, not me. Bring with thee, Junius,
Spirits resolved to fetch me off, the noblest;
Fry will serve the turn, just at the joining
Of both the battles; we will be weakly guarded,
And for a guide, within this hour, shall reach thee
A faithful friend of mine. The gods, my Junius,
Keep thee, and me to serve thee! Young Bon-
vica.”

Cur. This letter carries much belief, and most objections

Answered, we must have doubted.

Dec. Is that fellow

Come to you for a guide yet?

Jun. Yes.

Dec. And examined?

He vows he knows no more than this truth, Dec. Strange!

Cur. If she mean what she writes, as it may
be probable,

Twill be the happiest vantage we can lean to.
Jun. I'll pawn my soul she means truth.
Dec. Think an hour more;

Then if your confidence grow stronger on you,
We'll set in with you.

Jun. Nobly done! I thank ye. Ye know the time.

Cur. We will be either ready

To give you present counsel, or join with you.

Enter SUETONIUS, PETILLIUS, DEMETRIUS, and MACER.

Jun. No more, as ye are gentlemen. The general !

Suet. Draw out apace; the enemy waits for us. Are ye all ready?

Jun. All our troops attend, sir.

Suet. I am glad to hear you say so, Junius; I hope you are dispossessed.

Jun. I hope so too, sir.

Suet. Continue so. And, gentlemen, to you now !

To bid you fight is needless; ye are Romans;
The name will fight itseif: To tell ye who
You go to fight against, his power, and nature,
But loss of time; ye know it, know it poor,
And oft have made it so: To tell ye further,
His body shews more dreadful than it has done,
To him that fears, less possible to deal with,
Is but to stick more honour on your actions,
Load ye with virtuous names, and to your me-

mories

vet VOL. I.

May he die fameless and forgot! N

Car. Very likely;

He shews no less than general. See how bravely
The body moves, and in the head how proudly
The captains stick like plumes; he come apace on.
Good Nennius, go, and bid my stout lieutenant
Bring on the first square body to oppose them,
And, as he charges, open to enclose them;
The queen move next with her's, and wheel about,
To gain their backs, in which I'll lead the van-
guard.

We shall have bloody crowns this day, I see by it.
Haste thee, good Nennius; I'll follow instantly.
[Exit Nennius.
How close they march, as if they grew together,
[March.

No place but lined alike, sure from oppression! They will not change this figure; we must charge them,

And charge them home at both ends, van and rear; [Drums in another place afar off. They never totter else. I hear our music, And must attend it: Hold, good sword, but this day,

And bite hard, where I hound thee! and here

after

I'll make a relic of thee, for young soldiers
To come like pilgrims to, and kiss for conquests.
[Exit.
SCENE IV.

Enter JUNIUS, CURIUS, and DECIUS.
Jun. Now is the time; the fellow stays.
Dec. What think ye?

Cur. I think it is true.

Jun. Alas, if it were a question, If any doubt or hazard fell into it, Do ye think mine own discretion so self-blind, My care of ye so naked, to run headlong? Dec. Let us take Petillius with us! Jun. By no means;

He is never wise but to himself, nor courteous, But where the end is his own: we are strong enough,

If not too many. Behind yonder hill,
The fellow tells mc, she attends, weak guarded,
Her mother and her sister.

Cur. I would venture.

Jun. We shall not strike five blows for it.
Weigh the good,

The general good may come.
Dec. Away! I'll with ye;

But with what doubt

Jun. Fear not; my soul for all!

[Exeunt. Alarms, drums and trumpets in several places afar off, as at a main battle.

SCENE V.

Enter DRUSIUS and PENIUS above. Drus. Here you may see them all, sir; from this hill

The country shews off level.

Pen. Gods defend me,

What multitudes they are, what infinites!
The Roman power shews like a little star,
Hedged with a double halo.--Now the knell rings:
Loud shouts.

Hark, how they shout to the battle! how the air
Totters and reels, and rends apieces, Drusias,
With the huge-vollied clamours!
Drus. Now they charge

(Oh, gods!) of all sides, fearfully.
Pen. Little Rome,

Stand but this growing hydra one short hour,
And thou hast out-done Hercules !

Drus. The dust

Hides them; we cannot see what follows.
Pen. They are gone,

Gone, swallowed, Drusius; this eternal sun
Shall never see them march more.

Drus. Oh, turn this way,

And see a model of the field! some forty,
Against four hundred!

Pen. Well fought, bravely followed!
Oh, nobly charged again, charged home too!
Drusius,

They seem to carry it. Now they charge all;
[Loud shouts
Close, close, I say! they follow it. Ye gods,
Can there be more in men? more daring spirits
Still they make good their fortunes. Now they