Enter Iarbas.
Iar. How now, Æneas! sad! what mean these dumps?
Æn. Iarbas, I am clean besides myself;
Jove hath heap'd on me such a desperate charge,
Which neither art nor reason may achieve,
Nor I devise by what means to contrive.
Iar. As how, I pray? may I entreat you tell?
Æn. With speed he bids me sail to Italy,
Whenas[1] I want both rigging for my fleet,
And also furniture for these my men.
Iar. 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.
Æn. Thanks, good Iarbas, for thy friendly aid:
Achates and the rest shall wait on thee,
Whilst I rest thankful for this courtesy.[Exeunt all except Æneas.
Now will I haste unto Lavinian shore,
And raise a new foundation to old Troy.
Witness the gods, and witness heaven and earth,
How loath I am to leave these Libyan bounds,
But that eternal Jupiter commands!
Enter Dido.
Dido. I fear I saw Æneas' little son
Led by Achates[2] to the Trojan fleet.
If it be so, his father means to fly:—
But here he is; now, Dido, try thy wit.―[Aside
Æneas, wherefore go thy men aboard?
Why are thy ships new-rigg'd? or to what end,
Launch'd from the haven, lie they in the road?
Pardon me, though I ask; love makes me ask.
Æn. O, pardon me, if I resolve[3] thee why!
Æneas 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, appear'd to me,
And in his name rebuk'd me bitterly
For lingering here, neglecting Italy.
Dido. But yet Æneas will not leave his love.
Æn. I am commanded by immortal Jove
To leave this town and pass to Italy;
And therefore must of force.
Dido. These words proceed not from Æneas' heart.
Æn. 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[4] their lovers thus?
Fare well may Dido, so Æneas stay;
I die, if my Æneas say farewell.
Æn. Then let me go, and never say farewell:
Let me go; farewell [none]: I must from hence.
Dido. These words are poison to poor Dido's soul:
O, speak like my Æneas, like my love!
Why look'st thou toward the sea? the time hath been
When Dido's beauty chain'd[5] thine eyes to her.
Am I less fair than when thou saw'st me first?
O, then, Æneas, 'tis for grief of thee!
Say thou wilt stay in Carthage with thy[6] queen,
And Dido's beauty will return again.
Æneas, say, how canst thou take thy leave?
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 Æneas, must thou say,
"Then let me go, and never say farewell"?
Æn. O queen of Carthage, wert thou ugly-black,
Æneas 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,
That he should take Æneas from mine arms?
O, no! the gods weigh not what lovers do:
It is Æneas calls Æneas hence;
And woful Dido, by these blubber'd cheeks,
By this right hand, and by our spousal rites,
Desires Æneas to remain with her;
Si bene quid[7] de te merui, fuit out tibi quidquam
Dulce meum, miserere domus labentis, et istam,
Oro, si quis adhuc[8] precibus locus, exue mentem.
Æn. Desine meque[9] a tuis incendere teque querelis;
Italiam non sponle 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 call'd[10] me a second Helen,
- ↑ Whenas] i.e. When.
- ↑ Achates] Qy. "Serestus"? see p. 270, sec. col.
- ↑ resolve] i.e. satisfy, inform.
- ↑ quit] i.e. requite.
- ↑ chain'd] Old ed. "channgd."
- ↑ thy] Old ed. "my."
- ↑ Si bene quid, &c.] Virgil, Æn. iv. 817.
- ↑ adhuc] Old ed. "ad hæc."
- ↑ Desine meque, &c.] Ibid. 360.
- ↑ call'd] Old ed. "calles."
