Swetnam, the Woman-hater, arraigned by women: A new comedie, acted at the Red Bull, by the late Queenes seruants.Anonymous
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Swetnam, the Woman-hater, arraigned by women: A new comedie, acted at the Red Bull, by the late Queenes seruants.
Anonymous
Swetnam, Joseph, active 1617 -- Drama
_Att._ How took the Girle her death? did she not raue?
Exclaime vpon me for the Iustice done
By a iust Father? how tooke Naples sonne
His Exile from our Land? What, no man speake?
My Lords, whence springs this alteration?
Why stand you thus amaz’d? Methinks your eyes
Are fixt in Meditation; and all here
Seeme like so many sencelesse Statues,
As if your soules had suffer’d an eclipse,
Betwixt your iudgements and affections:
Is it not so? 'Sdeath, no man answers?
_Iago_, you can tell: I’me sure you saw
The execution of _Leonida_,
Not yet a sillable? If once agen
We doe but aske the question, Death tyes vp
Your soules for euer. Call a Heads-man there.
If for our daughter this dumbe griefe proceed,
Why should not We lament as well as you?
I was her father; whose deare life I priz’d
Aboue mine owne, before she did transgresse:
And, could the Law haue so bin satisfi’d.
Mine should ha’ paid the ransome of her cryme.
But, that the World should know our equitie,
Were she a thousand daughters she should die.
_Iag._ I can forbeare no longer. Then (Sir) know,
It was about that time, when as the Sunne
Had newly climb’d ouer the Easterne hils,
To glad the world with his diurnall heat,
When the sad ministers of Iustice tooke
Your daughter from the bosome of the Queene
Whom now she had instructed to receiue
Deaths cold imbraces with alacritie:
Which she so well had learn’d, that shee did striue,
Like a too forward Scholler, to exceed
Her Teachers doctrine,
So cheerefully she went vnto the Block,
As if shee’d past vnto her nuptiall bed.
And as the trembling Bride when she espies
The Bridegroome hastily vnclothe himselfe,
And now beginning to approch the bed,
Then she began to quake and shrinke away,
To shun the separation of that head,
Which is imaginary onely, and not reall.
So, when she saw her Executioner
Stand readie to strike out that fatall blow,
Nature, her frailtie, and the alluring world,
Did then begin to oppose her constancie:
But she, whose mind was of a nobler frame,
Vanquish’d all oppositions, and imbrac’d
The stroke with courage beyond Womans strength;
And the last words she spoke, said, I reioyce
That I am free’d of Fathers tyrannie.
_Attic._ Forbeare to vtter more. We are not pleas’d
With these vnpleasing accents: Leaue the world
So cheerefully, and speake of tyrannie:
She was not guiltie sure. We’le heare no more.
_Iag._ Sir, but you shall: since you inforc’d me speake,
I will not leaue a sillable vntold.
You ask’d if Naples sonne were banish’d too?
Yes, he is banish’d euer from the sight
Of mortall eyes againe: for he is dead.
_Nic._ _Lisandro_ dead! By what occasion?
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