The Complete Christopher Marlowe Collection

ACT II

Enter Aeneas, Achates, and Ascanius.

AEN. Where am I now? these should be Carthage walles.

ACHA. Why stands my sweete Aeneas thus amazde?

AEN. O my Achates, Theban Niobe,

Who for her sonnes death wept out life and breath,

And drie with griefe was turnd into a stone,

Had not such passions in her head as I.

Me thinkes that towne there should be Troy, yon Idas hill,

There Zanthus streame, because here’s Priamus,

And when I know it is not, then I dye.

ACH. And in this humor is Achates to,

I cannot choose but fall upon my knees,

And kisse his hand: O where is Hecuba,

Here she was wont to sit, but sauing ayre

Is nothing here, and what is this but stone?

AEN. O yet this stone doth make Aeneas weepe,

And would my prayers (as Pigmalions did)

Could giue it life, that vnder his conduct

We might saile backe to Troy and be reuengde

On these hard harted Grecians; which reioyce

That nothing now is left of Priamus:

O Priamus is left and this is he,

Come, come abourd, pursue the hatefull Greekes.

ACHA. What means Aeneas?

AEN. Achates though mine eyes say this is stone,

Yet thinkes my minde that this is Priamus:

And when my grieued heart sighes and sayes no,

Then would it leape out to giue Priam life:

O were I not at all so thou mightst be.

Achates, see King Priam wags his hand,

He is aliue, Troy is not ouercome.

ACH. Thy mind Aeneas that would haue it so

Deludes thy eye sight, Priamus is dead.

AEN. Ah Troy is sackt, and Priamus is dead,

And why should poore Aeneas be aliue?

ASCA. Sweete father leaue to weepe, this is not he:

For were it Priam he would smile on me.

ACHA. Aeneas see here come the Citizens,

Leaue to lament lest they laugh at our feares.

Enter Cloanthus, Sergestus, Illioneus.

Æn. Lords of this towne, or whatsoeuer stile

Belongs vnto your name, vouchsafe of ruth

To tell vs who inhabits this faire towne,

What kind of people, and who gouernes them:

For we are strangers driuen on this shore,

And scarcely know within what Clime we are.

ILLIO. I heare Aeneas voyce, but see him not,

For none of these can be our Generall.

ACHA. Like Illioneus speakes this Noble man,

But Illioneus goes not in such robes.

SERG. You are Achates, or I deciu’d.

ACHA. Aeneas see Sergestus or his ghost.

ILLIO. He meanes Aeneas, let vs kisse his feete.

CLOAN. It is our Captaine, see Ascanius.

SERG. Liue long Aeneas and Ascanius.

AEN. Achates, speake, for I am ouerioyed.

ACHA. O Illioneus, art thou yet aliue?

ILLIO. Blest be the time I see Achates face.

CLOAN. Why turnes Aeneas from his trustie friends?

Æn.Sergestus, Illioneus and the rest,

Your sight amazde me, O what destinies

Haue brought my sweete companions in such plight?

O tell me, for I long to be resolu’d.

ILLIO. Louely Aeneas, these are Carthage walles,

And here Queene Dido weares th’imperiall Crowne,

Who for Troyes sake hath entertaind vs all,

And clad vs in these wealthie robes we weare.

Oft hath she askt vs vnder whom we seru’d,

And when we told her she would weepe for griefe,

Thinking the sea had swallowed up thy ships,

And now she sees thee how will she reioyce?

SERG. See where her seruitors passe through the hall

Bearing a banket, Dido is not farre.

ILLIO. Looke where she comes: Aeneas viewd her well.

AEN. Well may I view her, but she sees not me.

Enter Dido and her traine.

DIDO. What stranger art thou that doest eye me thus?

AEN. Sometime I was a Troian mightie Queene:

But Troy is not, what shall I say I am?

ILLIO. Renowmed Dido, tis our Generall: warlike Aeneas.

DIDO. Warlike Aeneas, and in these base robes?

Goe fetch the garment which Sicheus ware:

Braue Prince, welcome to Carthage and to me,

Both happie that Aeneas is our guest:

Sit in this chaire and banquet with a Queene,

Aeneas is Aeneas, were he clad

In weedes as bad as euer Irus ware.

AEN. This is no seate for one thats comfortles,

May it please your grace to let Aeneas waite:

For though my birth be great, my fortunes meane,

Too meane to be companion to a Queene.

DIDO. Thy fortune may be greater then thy birth,

Sit downe Aeneas, sit in Didos place,

And if this be thy sonne as I suppose,

Here let him sit, be merrie louely child.

AEN. This place beseemes me not, O pardon me.

DIDO. Ile haue it so, Aeneas be content.

ASCA. Madame, you shall be my mother.

DIDO. And so I will sweete child: be merrie man,

Heres to thy better fortune and good starres.

AEN. In all humilitie I thanke your grace.

DIDO. Remember who thou art, speake like thy selfe,

Humilitie belongs to common groomes.

AEN. And who so miserable as Aeneas is?

DIDO. Lyes it in Didos hands to make thee blest,

Then be assured thou art not miserable.

AEN. O Priamus, O Troy, oh Hecuba!

DIDO. May I entreate thee to discourse at large,

And truely to how Troy was ouercome:

For many tales goe of that Cities fall,

And scarcely doe agree upon one poynt:

Some say Antenor did betray the towne,

Others report twas Sinons periurie:

But all in this that Troy is ouercome,

And Priam dead, yet how we heare no newes.

AEN. A wofull tale bids Dido to vnfould,

Whose memorie like pale deaths stony mace,

Beates forth my senses from this troubled soule,

And makes Aeneas sinke at Didos feete.

DIDO. What faints Aeneas to remember Troy?

In whose defence he fought so valiantly:

Looke up and speake.

AEN. Then speake Aeneas with Achilles tongue,

And Dido and you Carthaginian Peeres

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.

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 up 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,

And heauen was darkned with tempestuous clowdes:

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,

With sacrificing wreathes upon his head,

Vlysses sent to our vnhappie towne:

Who groueling in the mire of Zanthus bankes,

His hands bound at his back, and both his eyes

Turnd up to heauen as one resolu’d to dye,

Our Phrigian shepherd haled within the gates,

And brought vnto the Court of Priamus:

To whom he vsed action so pitifull,

Lookes so remorcefull, vowes so forcible,

As therewithall the old man ouercome,

Kist him, imbrast him, and vnloosde his bands,

And then, O Dido pardon me.

DIDO. Nay leaue not here, resolue me of the rest.

AEN. O th’inchaunting words of that base slaue,

Made him to thinke Epeus pine-tree Horse

A sacrifize t’appease Mineruas wrath:

The rather for that one Laocoon

Breaking a speare upon 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,

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