The Complete Plays (13 page)

AENEAS

Triumph, my mates, our travels are at end.

Here will Aeneas build a statelier Troy

Than that which grim Atrides overthrew.

Carthage shall vaunt her petty walls no more,

For I will grace them with a fairer frame

And clad her in a crystal livery

Wherein the day may evermore delight;

From golden India Ganges will I fetch,

Whose wealthy streams may wait upon her towers,

10      And triple-wise entrench her round about;

The sun from
Egypt shall rich odours bring,

Wherewith his burning beams, like labouring bees

That load their thighs with Hybla's honey's spoils,

Shall here unburden their exhaled sweets,

And plant our pleasant suburbs with her fumes.

ACHATES

What length or breadth shall this brave town contain?

AENEAS

Not past four thousand paces at the most.

ILIONEUS

But what shall it be called? ‘Troy', as before?

AENEAS

That have I not determined with myself.

CLOANTHUS

20      Let it be termed ‘Aenea', by your name.

SERGESTUS

Rather ‘Ascania', by your little son.

AENEAS

Nay, I will have it called ‘Anchisaeon',

Of my old father's name.

Enter
HERMES
with
ASCANIUS
.

HERMES

Aeneas, stay, Jove's herald bids thee stay.

AENEAS

Whom do I see? Jove's wingèd messenger?

Welcome to Carthage new-erected town.

HERMES

Why, cousin, stand you building cities here

And beautifying the empire of this queen

While Italy is clean out of thy mind?

30      Too too forgetful of thine own affairs,

Why wilt thou so betray thy son's good hap?

The king of gods sent me from highest heaven

To sound this angry message in thine ears:

Vain man, what monarchy expect'st thou here?

Or with what thought sleep'st thou in Libya shore?

If that all glory hath forsaken thee

And thou despise the praise of such attempts,

Yet think upon
Ascanius' prophecy,

And young lulus' more than thousand years,

40      Whom I have brought from Ida where he slept

And bore young Cupid unto Cyprus isle.

AENEAS

This was my mother that beguiled the queen

And made me take my brother for my son.

No marvel, Dido, though thou be in love,

That daily dandiest Cupid in thy arms!

Welcome, sweet child, where hast thou been this long?

ASCANIUS

Eating sweet comfits with Queen Dido's maid,

Who ever since hath lulled me in her arms.

AENEAS

Sergestus, bear him hence unto our ships,

50      Lest Dido, spying him, keep him for a pledge.

[
Exit
SERGESTUS
with
ASCANIUS
.]

HERMES

Spend'st thou thy time about this little boy

And giv'st not ear unto the charge I bring?

I tell thee thou must straight to Italy,

Or else abide the wrath of frowning Jove.

[
Exit
.]

AENEAS

How should I put into the raging deep,

Who have no sails nor tackling for my ships?

What, would the gods have me, Deucalion-like,

Float up and down where'er the billows drive?

Though she repaired my fleet and gave me ships,

60      Yet hath she ta'en away my oars and masts

And left me neither sail nor stern aboard.

Enter to them
IARBAS
.

IARBAS

How now, Aeneas, sad? What means these dumps?

AENEAS

Iarbas, I am clean besides myself.

Jove hath heaped on me such a desperate charge,

Which neither art nor reason may achieve,

Nor I devise by what means to contrive.

IARBAS

As how, I pray? May I entreat you tell?

AENEAS

With speed he bids me sail to Italy,

Whenas I want both rigging for my fleet

70      And also furniture for these my men.

IARBAS

If that be all, then cheer thy drooping looks,

For I will furnish thee with such supplies.

Let some of those thy followers go with me

And they shall have what thing soe'er thou need'st.

AENEAS

Thanks, good Iarbas, for thy friendly aid;

Achates and the rest shall wait on thee

Whilst I rest thankful for this courtesy.

Exit
IARBAS
and
AENEAS
'
train
.

Now will I haste unto Lavinian shore,

And raise a new foundation to old Troy.

Witness the gods, and witness heaven and earth,

80      How loath I am to leave these Libyan bounds,

But that eternal Jupiter commands!

Enter
DIDO
to
AENEAS
.

DIDO
[
aside
]

I fear I saw Aeneas' little son

Led by Achates to the Trojan fleet;

If it be so, his father means to fly.

But here he is; now, Dido, try thy wit.

Aeneas, wherefore go thy men aboard?

Why are thy ships new-rigged? Or to what end,

Launched from the haven, lie they in the
road?

90      Pardon me, though I ask; love makes me ask.

AENEAS

O pardon me if I resolve thee why!

Aeneas will not feign with his dear love.

I must from hence; this day, swift Mercury,

When I was laying a platform for these walls,

Sent from his father Jove, appeared to me,

And in his name rebuked me bitterly

For lingering here, neglecting Italy.

DIDO

But yet Aeneas will not leave his love.

AENEAS

I am commanded by immortal Jove

100    To leave this town and pass to Italy,

And therefore must of force.

DIDO

These words proceed not from Aeneas' heart.

AENEAS

Not from my heart, for I can hardly go.

And yet I may not stay. Dido, farewell!

DIDO

Farewell? Is this the mends for Dido's love?

Do Trojans
use to quit their
lovers thus?

Fare well may Dido, so Aeneas stay;

I die if my Aeneas say farewell.

AENEAS

Then let me go and never say farewell.

DIDO

110    
‘Let me go'
; ‘farewell'; ‘I must from hence':

These words are poison to poor Dido's soul.

O speak like my Aeneas, like my love!

Why look'st thou toward the sea? The time hath been

When Dido's beauty
chained thine
eyes to her.

Am I less fair than when thou sawest me first?

O then, Aeneas, 'tis
for grief of thee!

Say thou wilt stay in Carthage with
thy queen
,

And Dido's beauty will return again.

Aeneas, say, how canst thou take thy leave?

120    Wilt thou kiss Dido? O, thy lips have sworn

To stay with Dido! Canst thou take her hand?

Thy hand and mine have plighted mutual faith!

Therefore, unkind Aeneas, must thou say

‘Then let me go and never say farewell'?

AENEAS

O Queen of Carthage, wert thou ugly-black,

Aeneas could not choose but hold thee dear.

Yet must he not gainsay the gods' behest.

DIDO

The gods? What gods be those that seek my death?

Wherein have I offended Jupiter

130    That he should take Aeneas from mine arms?

O no, the gods weigh not what lovers do;

It is Aeneas calls Aeneas hence,

And woeful Dido, by these blubbered cheeks,

By this right hand and by our spousal rites

Desires Aeneas to remain with her.

Si bene quid
de te merui, fuit aut tibi quidquam

Dulce meum, miserere dotmus labentis, et istam

Oro, si quis adhuc precibus locus, exue mentetm
.

AENEAS

Desine meque
tuis incendere teque querelis
,

140     
Italiam non sponte sequor
.

DIDO

Hast thou forgot how many neighbour kings

Were up in arms for making thee my love?

How Carthage did rebel, Iarbas storm,

And all the world calls me a second Helen,

For being entangled by a stranger's looks?

So thou wouldst prove as true as Paris did,

Would, as fair Troy was, Carthage might be sacked

And I be called a second Helena!

Had I a son by thee, the grief were less,

150    That I might see Aeneas in his face.

Now if thou goest, what canst thou leave behind

But rather will augment than ease my woe?

AENEAS

In vain, my love, thou spend'st thy fainting breath,

If words might move me, I were overcome.

DIDO

And wilt thou not be moved with Dido's words?

Thy mother was
no goddess, perjured man,

Nor Dardanus the author of thy stock;

But thou art sprung from Scythian Caucasus,

160    And tigers of Hercynia gave thee suck.

Ah, foolish Dido, to forbear this long!

Wast thou not wracked upon this Libyan shore,

And cam'st to Dido like a
fisher swain?

Repaired not I thy ships, made thee a king,

And all thy needy followers noblemen?

O serpent that
came creeping from the shore,

And I for pity harboured in my bosom,

Wilt thou now slay me with thy venomed sting

And hiss at Dido for preserving thee?

Go, go, and spare not. Seek out Italy;

170    I hope that that which love forbids me do,

The rocks and sea-gulfs will perform
at large,

And thou shalt perish in the billows' ways

To whom poor Dido doth bequeath revenge.

Ay, traitor, and the waves shall cast thee up,

Where thou and false Achates first set foot;

Which if it chance, I'll give ye burial,

And weep upon your lifeless carcasses,

Though thou nor he will pity me a whit.

Why star'st thou in my face? If thou wilt stay,

180    Leap in mine arms, mine arms are open wide.

If not, turn from me, and I'll turn from thee;

For though thou hast the heart to say farewell,

I have not power to stay thee.

[
Exit
AENEAS
.]

Is he gone?

Ay, but he'll come again, he cannot go.

He loves me too too well to serve me so.

Yet he that in my sight would not relent

Will, being absent, be obdurate still.

By this is he got to the water-side;

And see, the sailors take him by the hand,

190    But he shrinks back, and now, rememb'ring me,

Returns amain: welcome, welcome, my love!

But where's Aeneas? Ah, he's gone, he's gone!

[
Enter
ANNA
.]

ANNA

What means my sister thus to rave and cry?

DIDO

O Anna, my Aeneas is aboard

And, leaving me, will sail to Italy!

Once didst thou go and he came back again;

Now bring him back and thou shalt be a queen,

And I will live a private life with him.

ANNA
Wicked Aeneas!

DIDO

200    Call him not wicked, sister, speak him fair,

And look upon him with a
mermaid's eye;

Tell him, I never vowed at
Aulis' gulf

The desolation of his native Troy,

Nor sent a thousand ships unto the walls,

Nor ever violated faith to him;

Request him gently, Anna, to return;

I crave but this, he stay a tide or two,

That I may learn to bear it patiently;

If he depart thus suddenly, I die.

210    Run, Anna, run! Stay not to answer me!

ANNA

I go, fair sister; heavens grant good success!

Exit
.

Enter the
NURSE
.

NURSE

O Dido, your little son Ascanius

Is gone! He lay with me last night

And in the morning he was stol'n from me;

I think some
fairies have
beguiled me.

DIDO

O cursèd hag and false dissembling wretch

That slayest me with thy harsh and hellish tale!

Thou for some petty gift hast let him go,

And I am thus deluded of my boy.

220    Away with her to prison presently!

[
Enter
ATTENDANTS
.]

Traitoress too keen and cursed sorceress!

NURSE

I know not what you mean by treason, I,

I am as true as any one of yours.

Exeunt
[
ATTENDANTS
with
]
the
NURSE
.

DIDO

Away with her, suffer her not to speak.

My sister comes. I like not her sad looks.

Enter
ANNA
.