Seize me, if I forget not all Refpects
That are religious, on another Word
Sounded like that; and through a Sea of Sins
Will wade to my Revenge, though I should call
Pains here, and, after Life, upon my Soul !

(39) King. Well, I am refolute, you lie not with her ; And fo I leave you. [Exit King.

Evad. You must needs be prating;

And, fee, what follows. Amin. 'Prithee, vex me not; Leave me; I am afraid, fome fudden Start

Will pull a Murther on me.

I love my Life well.

Amin. I hate mine as much.

Evad. I am gone;

[Exit Evadne.

[Exit.

This 'tis to break a Troth; I should be glad,
If all this Tide of Grief would make me mad.

Enter Melantius.

Mel. I'll know the Cause of all Amintor's Griefs, Or Friendship fhall be idle.

Cal. O Melantius,

Enter Calianax.

My Daughter-she will die. Mel. Truft me, I am forry; 'Would, thou hadft ta'en her Room!

Cal. Thou art a Slave,

A cut-throat Slave, a bloody treacherous Slave.

Mel. Take heed, old Man, thou wilt be heard to rave, And lofe thine Office. Cal. I am valiant grown At all these Years, and thou art but a Slave.

Mel. Some Company will come, and I refpect Thy Years, not thee, fo much, that I could wish To laugh at thee alone. Cal. I'll spoil your Mirth,

(39) Well, I am refolute you lay not with her,] The oldest Quarto leaves out the Negative, and gives us this Reading:

Well, I am refolute you lay with her,

i. e. I am refolv'd, certain in my Opinion, that you have enjoy'd her. But, I think, this is not the Intention of the Authors: The King, 'tis plain. defires to continue the Poffeffion of her folely to himself; and therefore, to keep up the Strain of his Tyranny, would fay, I am fix'd in the Determination, that you shall not tafte of her Embraces, and fo I leave you.

I mean to fight with thee; there lie my Cloak,

This was my Father's Sword, and he durft fight;
Are you prepar'd? Mel. Why, wilt thou doat thy felf
Out of thy Life? Hence get thee to thy Bed,
Have carefull Looking to, and eat warm things,
Trouble not me; my Head is full of Thoughts
More weighty than thy Life, or Death, can be.
Cal. You have a Name in War, where you ftand fafe
Amongst a Multitude; but I will try,

What you dare do unto a weak old Man:.

In fingle Fight, you'll give ground, I fear: Come, draw.
Mel. I will not draw, unless thou pull'st thy Death
Upon thee with a Stroke; there's no one Blow,
That thou canst give, hath Strength enough to kill me.
Tempt me not fo far then; the Pow'r of Earth
Shall not redeem thee. Cal. I must let him alone,
He's ftout and able; and to say the Truth,
However I may set a Face, and talk,

I am not valiant: When I was a Youth,
I kept my Credit with a testy Trick

I had 'mongst Cowards, but durft never fight.
Mel. I will not promise to preferve your Life,
If you do ftay. Cal. I would give half my Land
That I durft fight with that proud Man a little :
If I had Men to hold him, I would beat him,
Till he askt me Mercy. Mel. Sir, will you be gone?
Cal. I dare not stay, but I will beat my Servants
All over for this.
[Exit Calianax.

Mel. This old Fellow haunts me;

But the distracted Carriage of mine Amintor
Takes deeply on me, I will find the Cause;
I fear, his Confcience cries, he wrong'd Afpatia.

Enter Amintor.

Amin. Mens Eyes are not fo fubtle to perceive

My inward Mifery; I bear my Grief

Hid from the World; how art thou wretched then?

For aught I know, all Husbands are like me;

And every one, I talk with of his Wife,

Is but a well Diffembler of his Woes,

As

As I am: 'Would, I knew it; for the Rareness

Afflicts me now.

Mel. Amintor, we have not enjoy'd our Friendship of late, (40) For we were wont to change our Souls in Talk.

Amin. Melantius, I can tell thee a good Jeft of Strato and a Lady the laft Day. Mel. How was't?

Amin. Why, fuch an odd one.

Mel. I have long'd to speak with you, not of an idle Jeft that's forc'd, but of matter you are bound to utter

to me.

Amin. What is that, my Friend?

Mel. I have obferv'd, your Words fall from your Tongue Wildly; and all your Carriage has appear'd Like one that ftrove to fhew his merry Mood, When he were ill difpos'd: You were not wont To put fuch Scorn into your Speech, or wear Upon your Face ridiculous Jollity:

Some Sadness fits here, which your Cunning wou'd Cover o'er with Smiles, and 'twill not be. What is it? Amin. A Sadnefs here! what Cause

Can Fate provide for me, to make me fo?

Am I not lov'd through all this Ifle? the King
Rains Greatnefs on me: Have I not receiv'd

A Lady to my Bed, that in her Eye

(41) Keeps mounting Fire, and on her tender Cheeks Inimitable Colour, in her Heart

A Prison

(40) For we were wont to charge our Souls in Talk.] This is flat Nonfenfe, by the Mistake of a fingle Letter. The flight Alteration I have made, gives us the true Meaning. So, in A King and no King,

And, again,

or for Honefty to enterchange my Bofom with, &c.

And then how dare you offer to change Words with her? Mr. Seward and Mr. Sympfon, concurr'd with me in starting this Emendation.

and on her tender Cheeks

(41) Inevitable Colour,] This Epithet, I know, fignifies, not to be avoided, not to be eschew'd; but I don't remember that it takes in the Idea of not to be refifted; which is the Senfe required here. The old Quarto of 1619 has it, Immutable Colour,- But Metre and Emphasis prove that to be a corrupted Reading; out of which, I dare be confident, I have extracted the genuine Lection: Inimitable Colour; i. e.

A Prifon for all Virtue? Are not you,
Which is above all Joys, my constant Friend?
What Sadness can I have? No, I am light,
And feel the courfes of my Blood more warm,
And stirring, than they were; faith, marry too;
And you will feel fo unexpreft a Joy

In chaft Embraces, that you will indeed

.

Appear another. Mel. You may fhape, Amintor,
Causes to cozen the whole World withal,
And yourself too; but 'tis not like a Friend,
To hide your Soul from me; 'tis not your Nature
To be thus idle; I have feen you stand,

As you were blasted, midst of all your Mirth;
Call thrice aloud, and then start, feigning Joy
So coldly: World! what do I here? a Friend
Is nothing; Heav'n! I wou'd ha' told that Man
My fecret Sins; I'll fearch an unknown Land,
And there plant Friendship; all is wither'd here;
Come with a Complement? I wou'd have fought,
Or told my Friend, he ly'd, e'er footh'd him fo;
Out of my Bofom.

1

Amin. But there is nothing.

Mel. Worfe and worfe; farewel;

From this time have Acquaintance, but no Friend.
Amin. Melantius, ftay; you fhall know what it is.
(42) Mel. See, how you play'd with Friendship; be ad-
How you give Caufe unto yourself to say,

[vis'd, You

a Complexion not to be paragon'd by Nature, nor imitated by Art. We may eafily account for the Depravation at Prefs. The HandWriting in thofe Times was almoft univerfally what we call Secretary: And their i's were wrote without Tittles over them. Let us then fee how minute is the Difference betwixt the two Words, and how liable they might be to be mistaken One for the Other:

Inimitable,
Immutable.

(42) Mel. See, how you play'd with Friendship;] The quarrelling Scene, which is now coming on, has been the Subject of much Criticifm and Controverfy. Some have cry'd it up above that celebrated Quarrel in Euripides's Iphigenia at Aulis, betwixt Agamemnon and his Brother Menelaus: And others have decry'd it as egregioufly faulty in the Motives, and Progrefs; the Working up, and Declination of the Paffions.

You ha' loft a Friend. Amin. Forgive what I have done,

For I am fo o'ergone with Injuries
Unheard of, that I lofe Confideration

Of what I ought to do-oh-oh!

Mel. Do not weep;

What is it? May I once but know the Man,

Hath turn'd my Friend thus! Amin. I had spoke at first, But that Mel. But what?

Mel. But what? Amin. I held it most unfit For you to know; faith, do not know it yet.

Mel. Thou feeft my Love, that will keep Company With thee in Tears; hide nothing then from me; For when I know the Caufe of thy Distemper, (43) With mine old Armour I'll adorn myself, My Refolution, and cut through thy Foes, Unto thy Quiet; till I place thy Heart As peaceable as fpotlefs Innocence. What is it? Amin. Why, 'tis this

it is too big

To get out; let my Tears make way awhile.
Mel. Punish me ftrangely Heav'n, if he escape
Of Life or Fame, that brought this Youth to this!
Amin. Your Sifter Mel. Well faid.

Amin. You will wifh't unknown,

When you have heard it. Mel. No. Amin. Is much to blame,

And to the King has giv'n her Honour up,

And lives in Whoredom with him. Mel. How is this!

Thou art run mad with Injury, indeed,

Thou cou'dft not utter this elfe; fpeak again,

For I forgive it freely; tell thy Griefs.

Amin. She's wanton; I am loth to fay, a Whore;

Though it be true. →→→→

Paffions. For my own part, I will venture to be no farther an Umpire in the Cafe, than in pronouncing that I have always feen it receiv'd with vehement Applaufe; and that I think it very affecting on each Side.

(43) With mine own Armour] I have chofe to adopt the Reading here of the two eldeft Quarto's; because, I think, it is juftified by what Amintor fays to Melantius, at their first Meeting, upon his Return from the Wars.

And may thy Armour be, as it hath been,
Only thy Valour and thy Innocence!

Mel.