Where bloudie Furies shakes their whips of steele, And poore Ixion turnes an endles wheele, Where vsurers are choakt with melting golde, And wantons are imbraste with ougly snakes, And murderers groane with neuer-killing wounds, And periured wights scalded in boiling lead, And all foule sinnes with torments ouerwhelmd; Twixt these two waies I trod the middle path, Which brought me to the faire Elizian greene, In midst whereof there standes a stately towre, The walles of brasse, the gates of adamant. Heere finding Pluto with his Proserpine, I shewed my pasport, humbled on my knee. Whereat faire Proserpine began to smile, And begd that onely she might giue me doome. Pluto was pleasd, and sealde it with a kisse. Forthwith, Reuenge, she rounded thee in th' eare, And bad thee lead me though the gates of horn, Where dreames haue passage in the silent night. No sooner had she spoke but we weere heere, I wot not how, in the twinkling of an eye. REUENGE. Then know, Andrea, that thou ariu'd Where thou shalt see the author of thy death, Don Balthazar, the prince of Portingale, Depriu'd of life by Bel-imperia: Heere sit we downe to see the misterie, And serue for Chorus in this tragedie. [ACT I. SCENE 1.] [The Spanish Court] Enter SPANISH KING, GENERALL, CASTILLE, HIERONIMO. KING. Now say, l[ord] generall: how fares our campe? GEN. All wel, my soueraigne liege, except some few That are deceast by fortune of the warre. KING. But what portends thy cheerefull countenance And posting to our presence this in hast? Speak, man: hath fortune giuen vs victorie? GEN. Victorie, my liege, and that with little losse. KING. Out Portugals will pay vs tribute then? GEN. Tribute, and wonted homage therewithall. KING. Then blest be Heauen, and Guider of the heauens, From whose faire influence such iustice flowes! CAST. O multum dilecte Deo, tibi militat aether, Et coniuratae curato poplite gentes Succumbent: recto soror est victoria iuris! KING. Thanks to my loving brother of Castille. But, generall, vnfolde in breefe discourse Your forme of battell and your warres successe, That, adding all the pleasure of thy newes Vnto the height of former happines, With deeper wage and gentile dignitie We may reward thy blisfull chiualrie.