By hurting it; or when to the lute
She sung, and made the night-bird mute,
That still records with moan; or when
She would with rich and constant pen
Vail 2 to her mistress Dian; still
This Philoten contends in skill
With absolute 3 Marina; so

With the dove of Paphos might the crow
Vie feathers white. Marina gets
All praises, which are paid as debts,
And not as given. This so darks
In Philoten all graceful marks,
That Cleon's wife, with envy rare,
A present murderer does

prepare
For good Marina, that her daughter
Might stand peerless by this slaughter.
The sooner her vile thoughts to stead,
Lychorida, our nurse, is dead;
And cursed Dionyza hath

4

The pregnant instrument of wrath

Prest for this blow. The unborn event

I do commend to your content;

Only I carry winged time

5

Post on the lame feet of my rhyme;

Which never could I so convey,

Unless your thoughts went on my way.—

Dionyza does appear,

With Leonine, a murderer.

[Exit.

SCENE 1. Tharsus. An open Place near the Sea

shore.

Enter DIONYZA and LEONINE.

Dion. Thy oath remember; thou hast sworn to do it; 'Tis but a blow, which never shall be known.

1 To record anciently signified to sing.

2 Vail is probably a misprint. Steevens suggests that we should read "Hail." Malone proposes to substitute " Wail."

3 i. e. highly accomplished, perfect.

4 Pregnant, in this instance, means apt, quick. Prest is ready.

5 Steevens conjectures that the Poet wrote consent instead of content

Thou canst not do a thing i' the world so soon,
To yield thee so much profit. Let not conscience,
Which is but cold, inflaming love, thy bosom
Inflame too nicely; nor let pity, which

Even women have cast off, melt thee, but be
A soldier to thy purpose.

Leon. I'll do't; but yet she is a goodly creature. Dion. The fitter then the gods should have her. Here

Weeping she comes for her old nurse's death."

Thou art resolved?

Enter MARINA, with a basket of flowers.

Mar. No, no, I will rob Tellus of her weed,

3

To strew thy green with flowers; the yellows, blues,
The purple violets, and marigolds,

Shall, as a chaplet, hang upon thy grave,
While summer days do last.

Ah me! poor maid,

Born in a tempest, when my mother died,

Steevens proposed to omit the words "Inflame too nicely," and "which even," adding the pronoun that, in the following manner:—

Which is but cold, inflame love in thy bosom;

Nor let that pity women have cast off

Melt thee, but be a soldier to thy purpose."

The reading here given is sufficiently intelligible, and deviates less from the old copy. Nicely here means tenderly, fondly.

2 The old copy reads:

"Here she comes weeping for her onely mistresse death.”

The suggestion and emendation are Dr. Percy's.

3 This is the reading of the quarto copy; the folio reads grave. Weed, in old language, meant garment.

The old copy reads, "Shall as a carpet hang," &c. The emendation is by Steevens.

This world to me is like a lasting storm,

Whirring me from my friends.

Dion. How now, Marina! why do you keep alone? How chance my daughter is not with you? Do not Consume your blood with sorrowing; you have A nurse of me. Lord! how your favor's changed With this unprofitable woe! Come, come; Give me your wreath of flowers. Ere the sea mar it, Walk forth with Leonine; the air is quick there, Piercing, and sharpens well the stomach. Come; Leonine, take her by the arm, walk with her. Mar. No, I pray you;

I'll not bereave you of your servant.

Dion.

Come, come; I love the king your father, and yourself, With more than foreign heart. We every day Expect him here; when he shall come, and find Our paragon to all reports, thus blasted, He will repent the breadth of his great voyage; Blame both my lord and me, that we have ta'en No care to your best courses. Go, I pray you, Walk, and be cheerful once again; reserve That excellent complexion, which did steal The eyes of young and old. Care not for me; I can go home alone.

Mar.

Well, I will go ; But yet I have no desire to it.

Dion. Come, come, I know 'tis good for you. Walk half an hour, Leonine, at the least;

Remember what I have said.

3

Leon.

I warrant you, madam

1 Thus the earliest copy. The second quarto, and all subsequent impressions, read:

"Hurrying me from my friends."

Whirring or whirrying had formerly the same meaning; a bird that flies with a quick motion is still said to whirr away.

2 Countenance, look.

3 i. e. ere the sea, by the coming in of the tide, mar your walk.

4 That is, with the same warmth of affection as if I was his countryman. 5 Our fair charge, whose beauty was once equal to all that fame said of it.

6 Reserve has here the force of preserve.

Dion. I'll leave you, my sweet lady, for a while; Pray you walk softly, do not heat your blood. What! I must have a care of you.

Mar.

Thanks, sweet madam.

Is this wind westerly that blows?

Leon.

[Exit DIONYZA.

South-west.

Mar. When I was born, the wind was north.
Leon.

Was❜t so?

Mar. My father, as nurse said, did never fear,
But cried, Good seamen! to the sailors, galling
His kingly hands with hauling of the ropes;
And, clasping to the mast, endured a sea
That almost burst the deck.

Leon. When was this?
Mar.

When I was born.

Never was waves nor wind more violent;
And from the ladder-tackle washes off
A canvass-climber.1 Ha! says one, wilt out?
And with a dropping industry they skip

From stem to stern; the boatswain whistles, and
The master calls, and trebles their confusion.2

Leon. Come, say your prayers.

Mar.

What mean you?

Leon. If you require a little space for prayer,
I grant it. Pray! but be not tedious,

For the gods are quick of ear, and I am sworn
To do my work with haste.

Mar.

Leon. To satisfy my lady.

Why will you

kill me?

1 i. e. a sailor, one who climbs the mast to furl or unfurl the canvass or

sails.

2 Mr. Steevens thus regulates and reads this passage:

"That almost burst the deck, and from the ladder-tackle
Washed off a canvass-climber. Ha! says one,

Wilt out? and, with a dropping industry,

They skip from stem to stern: The boatswain whistles,
The master calls, and trebles their confusion.

Leon. And when was this?

Mar.

It was when I was born:

Never was waves nor wind more violent.
Leon. Come, say your prayers speedily."

VOL. VI.

61

Mar. Why would she have me killed?
Now, as I can remember, by my troth,
I never did her hurt in all my life;
I never spake bad word, nor did ill turn
To any living creature: believe me, la,
I never killed a mouse, nor hurt a fly;
I trod upon a worm against my will,
But I wept for it. How have I offended,
Wherein my death might yield her profit, or
My life imply her danger?

Leon.

My commission Is not to reason of the deed, but do it.

Mar. You will not do't for all the world, I hope. You are well-favored, and your looks foreshow You have a gentle heart. I saw you lately, When you caught hurt in parting two that fought. Good sooth, it showed well in you; do so now. Your lady seeks my life; come you between, And save poor me, the weaker.

Leon.

And will despatch.

I am sworn,

Enter Pirates, whilst MARINA is struggling

1 Pirate. Hold, villain !

2 Pirate. A prize! a prize!

[LEONINE runs away.

3 Pirate. Half-part, mates, half-part. Come, let's

have her aboard suddenly.

[Exeunt Pirates with MARINA.

SCENE II. The same..

Enter LEONINE.

Leon, These roving1 thieves serve the great pirate Valdes;

1 Old copy reads "roguing thieves."

2 The Spanish armada, perhaps, furnished this name. Don Pedro de Valdes was an admiral in that fleet, and had the command of the great