In whose defence he fought so valiantly:

Looke vp and speake.

En. Then speake Eneas with Achilles tongue, And Dido and you Carthaginian Peeres

415

Heare me, but yet with Mirmidons harsh eares,

Daily inur'd to broyles and Massacres,

Lest you be mou'd too much with my sad tale.

420

The Grecian souldiers tired with ten yeares warre,
Began to crye, let vs vnto our ships,

Troy is inuincible, why stay we here?

With whose outcryes Atrides being apal'd,
Summoned the Captaines to his princely tent,
Who looking on the scarres we Troians gaue,
Seeing the number of their men decreast,
And the remainder weake and out of heart,
Gaue vp their voyces to dislodge the Campe,
And so in troopes all marcht to Tenedos :
Where when they came, Vlysses on the sand
Assayd with honey words to turne them backe:
And as he spoke to further his entent,

The windes did driue huge billowes to the shoare,

425

430

And heauen was darkned with tempestuous clowdes: 435
Then he alleag'd the Gods would haue them stay,
And prophecied Troy should be ouercome:

And therewithall he calde false Sinon forth,

A man compact of craft and periurie,

Whose ticing tongue was made of Hermes pipe,
To force an hundred watchfull eyes to sleepe :
And him, Epeus hauing made the horse,

440

With sacrificing wreathes vpon his head,
Vlysses sent to our vnhappie towne :

Who groueling in the mire of Zanthus bankes,

Lookes so remorcefull, vowes so forcible,
As therewithall the old man ouercome,

Our Phrigian shepherds haled within the gates,
And brought vnto the Court of Priamus:
To whom he vsed action so pitifull,

His hands bound at his backe, and both his eyes
Turnd vp to heauen as one resolu'd to dye,

445

450

Kist him, imbrast him, and vnloosde his bands,
And then-O Dido, pardon me.

Dido. Nay leaue not here, resolue me of the rest. En. O th' inchaunting words of that base slaue, 448 shepherds Hurst etc.: shepherd 1594

455

456 th' the Hurst

Made him to thinke Epeus pine-tree Horse
A sacrifize t'appease Mineruas wrath:
The rather for that one Laocoon

Breaking a speare vpon his hollow breast,
Was with two winged Serpents stung to death.
Whereat agast, we were commanded straight
With reuerence to draw it into Troy.

In which vnhappie worke was I employd,
These hands did helpe to hale it to the gates,
Through which it could not enter twas so huge.
O had it neuer entred, Troy had stood.
But Priamus impatient of delay,

Inforst a wide breach in that rampierd wall,

Which thousand battering Rams could neuer pierce,
And so came in this fatall instrument :
At whose accursed feete as ouerioyed,
We banquetted till ouercome with wine,
Some surfetted, and others soundly slept.

Which Sinon viewing, causde the Greekish spyes
To hast to Tenedos and tell the Campe:
Then he vnlockt the Horse, and suddenly
From out his entrailes, Neoptolemus

460

465

470

475

Setting his speare vpon the ground, leapt forth,
And after him a thousand Grecians more,

480

In whose sterne faces shin'd the quenchles fire,
That after burnt the pride of Asia.
By this the Campe was come vnto the walles,

And through the breach did march into the streetes,

Where meeting with the rest, kill, kill they cryed.
Frighted with this confused noyse, I rose,

485

And looking from a turret, might behold

Yong infants swimming in their parents bloud,
Headles carkasses piled vp in heapes,

Virgins halfe dead dragged by their golden haire,
And with maine force flung on a ring of pikes,
Old men with swords thrust through their aged sides,
Kneeling for mercie to a Greekish lad,

490

Who with steele Pol-axes dasht out their braines.
Then buckled I mine armour, drew my sword,
And thinking to goe downe, came Hectors ghost
With ashie visage, blewish sulphure eyes,

His armes torne from his shoulders, and his breast Furrowd with wounds, and that which made me weepe, Thongs at his heeles, by which Achilles horse

495

500

Drew him in triumph through the Greekish Campe,
Burst from the earth, crying, Æneas flye,
Troy is afire, the Grecians haue the towne.

Dido. O Hector who weepes not to heare thy name?
En. Yet flung I forth, and desperate of my life,
Ran in the thickest throngs, and with this sword
Sent many of their sauadge ghosts to hell.
At last came Pirrhus fell and full of ire,

505

His harnesse dropping bloud, and on his speare
The mangled head of Priams yongest sonne,
And after him his band of Mirmidons,
With balles of wilde fire in their murdering pawes,
Which made the funeral flame that burnt faire Troy:
All which hemd me about, crying, this is he.

510

Dido. Ah, how could poore Eneas scape their hands? 515
En. My mother Venus iealous of my health,
Conuaid me from their crooked nets and bands:

So I escapt the furious Pirrhus wrath :
Who then ran to the pallace of the King,
And at Ioues Altar finding Priamus,
About whose withered necke hung Hecuba,
Foulding his hand in hers, and ioyntly both
Beating their breasts and falling on the ground,
He with his faulchions poynt raisde vp at once,
And with Megeras eyes stared in their face,
Threatning a thousand deaths at euery glaunce.
To whom the aged King thus trembling spoke :
Achilles sonne, remember what I was,
Father of fiftie sonnes, but they are slaine,
Lord of my fortune, but my fortunes turnd,
King of this Citie, but my Troy is fired,

And now am neither father, Lord, nor King:
Yet who so wretched but desires to liue?
O let me liue, great Neoptolemus.

520

525

530

Not mou'd at all, but smiling at his teares,

535

This butcher whil'st his hands were yet held vp,

Treading vpon his breast, strooke off his hands.
Dido. O end Eneas, I can heare no more.

540

En. At which the franticke Queene leapt on his face, And in his eyelids hanging by the nayles, A little while prolong'd her husbands life : At last the souldiers puld her by the heeles, And swong her howling in the emptie ayre, Which sent an eccho to the wounded King:

Whereat he lifted vp his bedred lims,
And would haue grappeld with Achilles sonne,
Forgetting both his want of strength and hands,
Which he disdaining whiskt his sword about,
And with the wind thereof the King fell downe :
Then from the nauell to the throat at once,
He ript old Priam at whose latter gaspe
Ioues marble statue gan to bend the brow,
As lothing Pirrhus for this wicked act:
Yet he vndaunted tooke his fathers flagge,
And dipt it in the old Kings chill cold bloud,
And then in triumph ran into the streetes,

Through which he could not passe for slaughtred men :
So leaning on his sword he stood stone still,
Viewing the fire wherewith rich Ilion burnt.
By this I got my father on my backe,

545

550

555

560

This yong boy in mine armes, and by the hand
Led faire Creusa my beloued wife,

When thou Achates with thy sword mad'st way,

And we were round inuiron'd with the Greekes :
O there I lost my wife and had not we
Fought manfully, I had not told this tale:
Yet manhood would not serue, of force we fled,
And as we went vnto our ships, thou knowest
We sawe Cassandra sprauling in the streetes,
Whom Aiax rauisht in Dianas Fane,

Her cheekes swolne with sighes, her haire all rent,

Whom I tooke vp to beare vnto our ships :

But suddenly the Grecians followed vs,

And I alas, was forst to let her lye.

Then got we to our ships, and being abourd,
Polixena cryed out, Æneas stay,

565

570

575

The Greekes pursue me, stay and take me in.
Moued with her voyce, I lept into the sea,
Thinking to beare her on my backe abourd :
For all our ships were launcht into the deepe,
And as I swomme, she standing on the shoare,
Was by the cruell Mirmidons surprizd,
And after by that Pirrhus sacrifizde.

Dido. I dye with melting ruth, Æneas leauc.
Anna. O what became of aged Hecuba?

549 wind conj. Coll. wound 1594, Hurst Achates add. Gros. 570 fane Hurst etc.

by that] that by conj. Dyce', Dyce

580

585

568+ S.D. to Fawne 1594 583

V

Iar. How got Eneas to the fleete againe?

Dido. But how scapt Helen, she that causde this warre?
En. Achates speake, sorrow hath tired me quite.

Acha. What happened to the Queene we cannot shewe, We heare they led her captiue into Greece.

As for Eneas he swomme quickly backe,
And Helena betraied Diiphobus

Her Louer, after Alexander dyed,

And so was reconcil'd to Menelaus.

590

Dido. O had that ticing strumpet nere been borne ! 595
Troian, thy ruthfull tale hath made me sad :
Come let vs thinke vpon some pleasing sport,
To rid me from these melancholly thoughts.

Exeunt omnes.

Enter Venus (with Cupid, at another doore, and takes
Ascanius by the sleeue.

Venus. Faire child stay thou with Didos waiting maide.
Ile giue thee Sugar-almonds, sweete Conserues,

A siluer girdle, and a golden purse,

600

And this yong Prince shall be thy playfellow.

Asca. Are you Queene Didos sonne?

Cupid. I, and my mother gaue me this fine bow.

Asca. Shall I haue such a quiuer and a bow?

605

Venus. Such bow, such quiuer, and such golden shafts,

Will Dido giue to sweete Ascanius:

For Didos sake I take thee in my armes,

And sticke these spangled feathers in thy hat,

Eate Comfites in mine armes, and I will sing.

(Sings.

Now is he fast asleepe, and in this groue

611

Amongst greene brakes Ile lay Ascanius,

And strewe him with sweete smelling Violets,
Blushing Roses, purple Hyacinthe:

These milke white Doues shall be his Centronels :
Who if that any seeke to doe him hurt,

615

Will quickly flye to Cythereas fist.

Now Cupid turne thee to Ascanius shape,

And goe to Dido, who in stead of him

Will set thee on her lap and play with thee:

620

598 S.D. Exeunt al lexcept Ascanius, whom Venus, entering with Cupid at another door, takes by the sleeve as he is going off Dyce 610 S.D. add Dyce 614 Blushing] With blushing conj. Mitford, Cunn. hyacinths Dyce 617 Cytherea's Hurst etc.: Citheidas 1594