Of proudest savages to save herself.
Feed then and faint not, fair Calipolis;*
For rather than fierce famine shall prevail
To gnaw thy entrails with her thorny teeth,
The conquering lioness shall attend on thee,
And lay huge heaps of slaughter'd carcases,
As bulwarks in her way, to keep her back.
I will provide thee of a princely osprey,
That as she flieth over fish in pools, †
The fish shall turn their glistering bellies up,
And thou shalt take thy liberal choice of all :
Jove's stately bird with wide-commanding wings
Shall hover still about thy princely head,
And beat down fowl by shoals into thy lap:
Feed then and faint not, fair Calipolis.

CALIP. Thanks, good my lord, and though my stomach be

Too queasy to disgest‡ such bloody meat,
Yet strength I it with virtue of my mind,

I doubt no whit but I shall live, my lord.

MOOR. Into the shades then, fair Calipolis, And make thy son and negros here good cheer: Feed and be fat that we may meet the foe, With strength and terror, to revenge our wrong. [Exeunt.

* Feed then and faint not, fair Calipolis] The reader need scarcely be reminded that Shakespeare ridicules this line and the last line but one of the scene, in the rants of Pistol, Henry IV. part 2nd. act II. sc. 4.

That as she fiieth over fish, &c.] The osprey was said to have the power of fascinating the fish on which it preyed.

disgest] For digest, a form common in our old writers.

Enter SEBASTIAN, king of Portugal, the DUKE OF AVERO, the DUKE OF BARCELES, LEWES DE SILVA, CHRISTOPHERO DE TAVERA.

SEB. Call forth those Moors, those men of Barbary,

That came with letters from the king of Fesse.

[Exit one [and brings in the Embass.]

Ye warlike lords, and men of chivalry,
Honourable embassadors of this high regent,
Hark to Sebastian king of Portugal :
These letters sent from your distressed lord,
Torn from his throne by Abdilmelec's hand,
Strengthen'd and rais'd by furious Amurath,
Import* a kingly favour at our hands,
For aid to re-obtain his royal seat,
And place his fortunes in their former height.
For 'quital of which honourable arms,
By these his letters he doth firmly vow
Wholly to yield and to surrender up
The kingdom of Maroccus to our hands,
And to become to us contributary;

And to content himself with the realm of Fesse.
These lines, my lords, writ in extremity,

Contain therefore but during fortune's date;

How shall Sebastian then believe the same?

EMB. Viceroys, and most Christian king of Por

To satisfy thy doubtful mind herein,

Command forthwith a blazing brand of fire

import] Old copy "imports."

Be brought in presence of thy majesty;
Then shalt thou see by our religious vows,
And ceremonies most inviolate,

How firm our sovereign's protestations are.
Behold, my lord, this binds our faith to thee,
In token that great Muly Mahamet's hand
Hath writ no more than his stout heart allows,
And will perform to thee and to thine heirs;
We offer here our hands into this flame,
And as this flame doth fasten on this flesh,
So from our souls we wish it may consume
The heart of our great lord and sovereign,
Muly Mahamet king of Barbary,

If his intent agree not with his words!

SEB. These ceremonies and protestations
Sufficeth us, ye lords of Barbary,

Therefore return this answer to your king:
Assure him by the honour of my crown,
And by Sebastian's true unfeigned faith,
He shall have aid and succour to recover,
And seat him in his former empery.
Let him rely upon our princely word:
Tell him by August we will come to him

With such a power of brave impatient minds,
As Abdilmelec and great Amurath

Shall tremble at the strength of Portugal.

EMB. Thanks to the renowned king of Portugal, On whose stout promises our state depends. SEB. Barbarians, go glad your distressed king, And say Sebastian lives to right his wrong.

[Exeunt Embass.

i

Duke of Avero, call in those Englishmen," top sit
Don Stukeley, and those captains of the fleet,
That lately landed in our bay of Lisbon.

Now breathe, Sebastian, and in breathing blow
Some gentle gale of thy new formed joys.
Duke of Avero, it shall be your charge
To take the muster of the Portugals,
And bravest bloods of all our country.
Lewes de Silva, you shall be dispatch'd
With letters unto Philip king of Spain:
Tell him we crave his aid in this behalf;
I know our brother Philip nill* deny
His furtherance in this holy Christian war.
Duke of Barceles, as thy ancestors
Have always loyal been to Portugal,
So now in honour of thy toward youth,
Thy charge shall be to Antwerp speedily,
To hire us mercenary men at arms :
Promise them princely pay; and be thou sure
Thy word is ours, Sebastian speaks the word.
CHRISTO. I beseech your majesty, employ me in

this war.

SEB. Christopher de Tavera, next unto myself, My good Hephaestion, and my bedfellow,+

Thy cares and mine shall be alike in this,

*nill]· See note p. 6, vol. i.

+ bedfellow] We must remember that formerly the custom of of) men sleeping together, and terming each other bedfellow, was very common. Princes used occasionally to admit their favourite noblemen or gentlemen to the high honour of sharing their beds.)₤ VOĽNTI. 19 A

I

I

Enter STUKELEY and the rest.
And thou and I will live and die together.
And now, brave Englishmen, to you
Whom angry storms have put into our bay,
Hold not your fortune e'er the worse in this:
We hold our strangers' honours in our hand,
And for distressed frank and free relief.

Tell me then, Stukeley, for that's thy name I trow,
Wilt thou in honour of thy country's fame,
Hazard thy person in this brave exploit,

And follow us to fruitful Barbary,

With these six thousand soldiers thou hast brought,

And choicely pick'd through wanton Italy?

Thou art a man of gallant personage,

Proud in thy looks, and famous every way:

Frankly tell me, wilt thou go with me?

STUK. Courageous king, the wonder of my thoughts;

And yet, my lord, with pardon understand
Myself and these whom weather hath inforc'd
To lie at road upon thy gracious coast,

Did bend our course and made amain for Ireland. SEB. For Ireland, Stukeley, (thou mistak'st me wondrous much ;)

With seven ships, two pinnaces, and six thousand men?

I tell thee, Stukeley, they are far too weak

To violate the queen of Ireland's right;

For Ireland's queen commandeth England's force. Were every ship ten thousand on the seas,