TheStationersRegister

The Works of Christopher Marlowe

Dido

Act: 3 Scene: 1

Dido

Iarbus, know that thou of all my wooers

(And yet have I had many mightier Kings)

Hast had the greatest favours I could give:

I feare me Dido hath been counted light,

In being too familiar with Iarbus:

Albeit the Gods doe know no wanton thought

Had ever residence in Didos breast.

Dido

Feare not Iarbus, Dido may be thine.

Dido

Weepe not sweet boy, thou shalt be Didos sonne,

Sit in my lap and let me heare thee sing.

[Cupid sings.]

No more my child, now talke another while,

And tell me where learndst thou this pretie song?

Dido

How lovely is Ascanius when he smiles?

Dido

I wagge, and give thee leave to kisse her to.

Dido

Take it Ascanius, for thy fathers sake.

Dido

Goe thou away, Ascanius shall stay.

Dido

O stay Iarbus, and Ile goe with thee.

Dido

Why staiest thou here? thou art no love of mine.

Dido

No, live Iarbus, what hast thou deserv'd,

That I should say thou art no love of mine?

Something thou hast deserv'd.— Away I say,

Depart from Carthage, come not in my sight.

Dido

Iarbus pardon me, and stay a while.

Dido

What telst thou me of rich Getulia?

Am not I Queen of Libia? then depart.

Dido

Iarbus.

Dido

No, but I charge thee never looke on me.

Dido

Because his lothsome sight offends mine eye,

And in my thoughts is shrin'd another love:

O Anna, didst thou know how sweet love were,

Full soone wouldst thou abjure this single life.

Dido

Is not Aeneas faire and beautifull?

Dido

Is he not eloquent in all his speech?

Dido

Name not Iarbus, but sweete Anna say,

Is not Aeneas worthie Didos love?

Dido

But tell them none shall gaze on him but I,

Lest their grosse eye-beames taint my lovers cheekes:

Anna, good sister Anna goe for him,

Lest with these sweete thoughts I melt cleane away.

Dido

Yet must I heare that lothsome name againe?

Runne for Aeneas, or Ile flye to him.

Dido

No, for thy sake Ile love thy father well.

O dull conceipted Dido, that till now

Didst never thinke Aeneas beautifull:

But now for quittance of this oversight,

Ile make me bracelets of his golden haire,

His glistering eyes shall be my looking glasse,

His lips an altar, where Ile offer up

As many kisses as te Sea hath sands,

In stead of musicke I will heare him speake,

His lookes shall be my only Librarie,

And thou Aeneas, Didos treasurie,

In whose faire bosome I will locke more wealth,

Then twentie thousand Indiaes can affoord:

O here he comes, love, love, give Dido leave

To be more modest then her thoughts admit,

Lest I be made a wonder to the world.

[Enter Aeneas, Achates, Sergestus, Illioneus, and Cloanthus.]

Achates, how doth Carthage please your Lord?

Dido

Aeneas, art thou there?

Dido

No, but now thou art here, tell me in sooth

In what might Dido highly pleasure thee.

Dido

Aeneas, Ile repaire thy Trojan ships,

Conditionally that thou wilt stay with me,

And let Achates saile to Italy:

Ile give thee tackling made of riveld gold,

Wound on the barkes of odoriferous trees,

Oares of massie Ivorie full of holes,

Through which the water shall delight to play:

Thy Anchors shall be hewed from Christall Rockes,

Which if thou lose shall shine above the waves:

The Masts whereon thy swelling sailes shall hang,

Hollow Pyramides of silver plate:

The sailes of foulded Lawne, where shall be wrought

The warres of Troy, but not Troyes overthrow:

For ballace, emptie Didos treasurie,

Take what ye will, but leave Aeneas here.

Achates, thou shalt be so meanly clad,

As Seaborne Nymphes shall swarme about thy ships,

And wanton Mermaides court thee with sweete songs,

Flinging in favours of more soveraigne worth,

Then Thetis hangs about Apolloes necke,

So that Aeneas may but stay with me.

Dido

To warre against my bordering enemies:

Aeneas, thinke not Dido is in love:

For if that any man could conquer me,

I had been wedded ere Aeneas came:

See where the pictures of my suiters hang,

And are not these as faire as faire may be?

Dido

But speake Aeneas, know you none of these?

Dido

All these and others which I never sawe,

Have been most urgent suiters for my love,

Some came in person, others sent their Legats:

Yet none obtaind me, I am free from all. —

And yet God knowes intangled unto one.— [Aside.]

This was an Orator, and thought by words

To compasse me, but yet he was deceiv'd:

And this a Spartan Courtier vaine and wilde,

But his fantastick humours pleasde not me:

This was Alcion, a Musition,

But playd he nere so sweet, I let him goe:

This was the wealthie King of Thessaly,

But I had gold enough and cast him off:

This Meleagers sonne, a warlike Prince,

But weapons gree not with my tender yeares:

The rest are such as all the world well knowes,

Yet how I sweare by heaven and him I love,

I was as farre from love, as they from hate.

Dido

Then never say that thou art miserable,

Because it may be thou shalt be my love:

Yet boast not of it, for I love thee not,

And yet I hate thee not:— O if I speake

I shall betray my selfe: — Aeneas speake,

We two will goe a hunting in the woods,

But not so much for thee, thou art but one,

As for Achates, and his followers.

Act: 3 Scene: 3

Dido

Aeneas, thinke not but I honor thee,

That thus in person goe with thee to hunt:

My princely robes thou seest are layd aside,

Whose glittering pompe Dianas shrowdes supplies,

All fellowes now, disposde alike to sporte,

The woods are wide, and we have store of game:

Faire Troian, hold my golden bowe awhile,

Untill I gird my quiver to my side:

Lords goe before, we two must talke alone.

Dido

What makes Iarbus here of all the rest?

We could have gone without your companie.

Dido

How now Getulian, are ye growne so brave,

To challenge us with your comparisons?

Pesant, goe seeke companions like thy selfe,

And meddle not with any that I love:

Aeneas, be not movde at what he sayes,

For otherwhile he will be out of joynt.

Dido

Huntsmen, why pitch you not your toyles apace,

And rowse the light foote Deere from forth their laire?

Dido

Yea little sonne, are you so forward now?

Dido

What, darest thou looke a Lyon in the face?

Dido

Aeneas, leave these dumpes and lets away,

Some to the mountaines, some unto the soyle,

You to the vallies, thou unto the house.

Act: 3 Scene: 4

Dido

Aeneas.

Dido

Tell me deare love, how found you out this Cave?

Dido

Why, that was in a net, where we are loose,

And yet I am not free, oh would I were.

Dido

The thing that I will dye before I aske,

And yet desire to have before I dye. Aeneas.

It is not ought Aeneas may atchieve?

Dido

Aeneas no, although his eyes doe pearce.

Dido

Not angred me, except in angring thee.

Dido

The man that I doe eye where ere I am,

Whose amorous face like Pean sparkles fire,

When as he buts his beames on Floras bed,

Prometheus hath put on Cupids shape,

And I must perish in his burning armes.

Aeneas, O Aeneas, quench these flames.

Dido

Not sicke my love, but sicke: —I must conceale

The torment, that it bootes me not reveale,

And yet Ile speake, and yet Ile hold my peace,

Doe shame her worst, I will disclose my griefe:---

Aeneas, thou art he, what did I say?

Something it was that now I have forgot.

Dido

Nay, nothing, but Aeneas loves me not.

Dido

It was because I sawe no King like thee,

Whose golden Crowne might ballance my content:

But now that I have found what to effect,

I followe one that loveth fame for me,

And rather had seeme faire to Sirens eyes,

Then to the Carthage Queene that dyes for him.

Dido

What more then Delian musicke doe I heare,

That calles my soule from forth his living seate,

To move unto the measures of delight:

Kind clowdes that sent forth such a curteous storme,

As made disdaine to flye to fancies lap:

Stoute love in mine armes make thy Italy,

Whose Crowne and kingdome rests at thy commande:

Sicheus, not Aeneas be thou calde:

The King of Carthage, not Anchises sonne:

Hold, take these Jewels at thy Lovers hand,

These golden bracelets, and this wedding ring,

Wherewith my husband woo'd me yet a maide,

And be thou king of Libia, by my guift.