Gnoth. All hopes[344] dash’d; the clerk’s duties lost,
[My] venture gone; my second wife divorc’d;
And which is worst, the old one come back again!
Such voyages are made now-a-days!

I will weep two salt [ones out] of my[345] nose, besides these two fountains of fresh water. Your grace had been more kind to your young subjects—heaven bless and mend your laws, that they do not gull your poor countrymen: but[346] I am not the first, by forty, that has been undone by the law. ’Tis but a folly to stand upon terms; I take my leave of your grace, as well as mine eyes will give me leave: I would they had been asleep in their beds when they opened ’em to see this day! Come, Ag; come, Ag.

[Exeunt Gnotho and ᚳAgatha.

Creon. Were not you all my servants?

Cook. During your life, as we thought, sir; but our young master turned us away.

Creon. How headlong, villain, wert thou in thy ruin!

Sim. I followed the fashion, sir, as other young men did. If you were[347] as we thought you had been, we should ne’er have come for this, I warrant you. We did not feed, after the old fashion, on beef and mutton, and such like.

Creon. Well, what damage or charge you have run yourselves into by marriage, I cannot help, nor deliver you from your wives; them you must keep; yourselves shall again return[348] to me.

All. We thank your lordship for your love, and must thank ourselves for our bad bargains. [Exeunt.

Evan. Cleanthes, you delay the power of law,
To be inflicted on these misgovern’d men,
That filial duty have so far transgress’d.
Clean. My lord, I see a satisfaction
Meeting the sentence, even preventing it,
Beating my words back in their utterance.
See, sir, there’s salt sorrow bringing forth fresh
And new duties, as the sea propagates.
The elephants have found their joints too——
[They kneel.
Why, here’s humility able to bind up
The punishing hand[s] of the severest masters,
Much more the gentle fathers’.

Sim. I had ne’er thought to have been brought so low as my knees again; but since there’s no remedy, fathers, reverend fathers, as you ever hope to have good sons and heirs, a handful of pity! we confess we have deserved more than we are willing to receive at your hands, though sons can never deserve too much of their fathers, as shall appear afterwards.

Creon. And what way can you decline your feeding now?
You cannot retire to beeves and muttons, sure.

Sim. Alas! sir, you see a good pattern for that, now we have laid by our high and lusty meats, and are down to our marrow-bones already.

Creon. Well, sir, rise to virtues: we’ll bind[349] you now;
You that were too weak yourselves to govern,
By others shall be govern’d.
Lys. Cleanthes,
I meet your justice with reconcilement:
If there be tears of faith in woman’s breast,
I have receiv’d a myriad, which confirms me
To find a happy renovation.
Clean. Here’s virtue’s throne,
Which I’ll embellish with my dearest jewels
Of love and faith, peace and affection!
This is the altar of my sacrifice,
Where daily my devoted knees shall bend.
Age-honour’d shrine! time still so love you,
That I so long may have you in mine eye
Until my memory lose your beginning!
For you, great prince, long may your fame survive,
Your justice and your wisdom never die,
Crown of your crown, the blessing of your land,
Which you reach to her from your regent[350] hand!
Leon. O Cleanthes, had you with us tasted
The entertainment of our retirement,
Fear’d and exclaim’d on in your ignorance,
You might have sooner died upon the wonder,
Than any rage or passion for our loss.
A place at hand we were all strangers in,
So spher’d about with music, such delights,
[Such] viands and attendance, and once a day
So cheered with a royal visitant,
That ofttimes, waking, our unsteady phantasies
Would question whether we yet liv’d or no,
Or had possession of that paradise
Where angels be the guard!
Evan. Enough, Leonides,
You go beyond the praise; we have our end,
And all is ended well: we have now seen
The flowers and weeds that grow[351] about our court.

Sim. If these be weeds, I’m afraid I shall wear none so good again as long as my father lives.

Evan. Only this gentleman we did abuse
With our own bosom: we seem’d a tyrant,
And he our instrument. Look, ’tis Cratilus,
[Discovers Cratilus.
The man that you suppos’d had now been travell’d;
Which we gave leave to learn to speak,
And bring us foreign languages to Greece.
All’s joy,[352] I see; let music be the crown:
And set it high, “The good needs fear no law,
It is his safety, and the bad man’s awe.”
[Flourish. Exeunt.

The notes on this play have enabled the reader to see distinctly the difference between the present and the original text: and now, at its close, I cannot help remarking, that, out of respect for Gifford’s judgment, I have perhaps deviated oftener from the old copy than I should have done if the play had not been previously edited by him.