THE FAIR FAVOURITE.

ACT I. SCENE I.

Enter SALADINE, ALERAN, THORELLO. ALER. Troth! thou art now a pretty toy of State, Art grown as grave, and hast as great a share Of business in thy looks, as an old Legate Sent to a land of heretics. Ambassadors Of Spain compar'd to thee, are mere French posts; Dispatch'd with love letters from th' army to The Court. O, the excellency of travel!

SALAD. Right, Aleran! Mark, but how much it.
perfecteth

Your very ape. Ere he hath travel'd,
Alas! what is he, rude and unqualifi'd?
But having once seen countries, gone from town
To town, he strait accepts your pippin,
Kissing his hairy hand, most Monsieur like.
ALER. Good faith, and that is very much!
SALAD. Nay more! he rides

And manages your English mastiff, sir,

As he had lain in Pension for't at Paris.

THOR. Signiors! you have very passable wits O'th' Queen's side here. Sure, they are employ'd too, When part'clar pleasures have call'd aside The nobler spirits, and left you necessary

To the ladies. What! you read Alciod's* emblems

*Alciatus. "Here comes Ancient and honest Alciatus with the almost endless impression of his works; some with copperplate, others with wood-engraving, decorations."- Bibliographica

To'em, and the fables of Æsop in

Your elegant mother tongue?

SAL. Ŏ, ever sir, upon long winter nights.

THOR. And, on my conscience, they believe those tales

For true, whilst you put off the old morals
As fine new observations of your own.
SAL. 'Faith, like enough!

We have the pretti'st things in petty-coats.
Sirrah! They'll admire thee,

And 'twill be held a sov'reign sign of luck,
That thou and the King arrive here together
In one day; thou from thy travels, he from
The wars, and the treasure of thy court collections
In France will be no less valued then his
Victories on the coast of Sicily.

THOR. Youth and success in your amours hath made

You as wanton, as maids at midnight with their

lovers are.

-Hark! the King!

Remove, and borrow gravity a while.

[Flourish.

Enter PHYLENIO, KING, RADEGOND, Soldiers of his train.

PHYLE. Y'arrive so early sir, that you will find

The Queen asleep; if she can ever rest,

Whose careful fears, both for your safety and
Return, have lessen'd much her health.

RADEG. And this is worthy of your pity, sir,

Decameron, Vol I. p. 225. Dr. Dibdin in a note on the text says: "The Library of the Marquis of Blandford [afterwards Duke of Marlborough] is supposed to contain the richest collection of emblems in the country." This was in 1817. At a later date this collection, which was rich in the productions of Alciatus, was brought to the hammer. Sir William Stirling Maxwell, of Polloc and Keir, Bart., present Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, is possessed of a very large collection of the works of Alciatus.

To find a lady of her youth,
So earnest to destroy her beauty
In seeking to deserve your love.

KING. Advise her, Radegond, to love me less.
RADEG. Love you less! That were to kill her, sir.
KING. Would thou couldst help me to another
heart!

Nature allows but one, though to a King,

And it were cruelty, not kindness to

Exact more love from that, than it can give.

Enter QUEEN and two LADIES.

PHYLE. See where she comes! Already she hath learn'd

You are arriv'd, the spies of love are swift

And universal, as the beams of light. Look on
Her, sir, with gracious eyes—

QUEEN. My joys are more than I can hide,
for I

Have liv'd to see my vows grow prosperous.
How shall we welcome you enough with praise,
Since you have brought home peace, and fame, left
death

And black dishonour with your enemies?

KING. Madam, I thank you as I ought. How bless'd

Had we been, if he that made such haste to join
Our hands had staid till he had got the skill
To join our hearts! But he was more a Statesman
than

A priest, and married provinces, not us.

QUEEN. Alas! This is a little sudden, sir! "Tis like a morn o'ercast with clouds, ere men May say the day doth break. No sooner can I boast my joys of seeing you, but I must Become your sorrow, and

My punishment. How vainly do I wish,

That, like your better angel, I could wait
About you still, and be invisible to you;
That I might ever serve you, sir.

And never be discern'd.

KING. Would you had all your wishes, Madam, and I,

If it were fit to ask't of heaven, had mine.
But since we are so cruelly proscrib'd,
Let's strive to mitigate our sufferings,
By making still our visits few, and short;
For we can never meet but we must mourn.
And you are wise, to know our sorrows ill
Become the triumphs of this day.

QUEEN. You are too quickly weary of our griefs! I could endure 'em,longer, sir, so I

Might tarry here. But 'tis as hard for me

To disobey your will, as hinder fate.

KING. Be kind then to your self; you may pos

sess

That happiness alone, which we
Together never can enjoy.

QUEEN. The peace, which by your valor you have brought

Your people home, increase within your breast,
And, as in war, so may you prove victorious,
Though at my charge, in all the love you make.
[He leads her to the door.

THOR. Look Saladine! The King may well be

held

The chief of his profession, a grand courtier,
For I ne'er saw so much ceremony
With so little love.

SALAD. It is your new

Court-justice now! They ever pay the want

Of their affection to their wives, with overmuch
Civility; but 'tis in public, sir; at home
They think it too much pains.