User:Sbh/Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes (critical edition)/Scene i

Scene i

Enter Clamydes.

Clamydes

As to the weary wandering wights whom waltering waves environ,

No greater joy of joys may be, then when from out the ocean

They may behold the altitude of billows to abate,

For to observe the longitude of seas in former rate,

And having then the latitude of sea-room for to pass,

Their joy is greater through the grief than erst before it was;

So likewise I, Clamydes, Prince of Suavia, noble soil,

Bringing my bark to Denmark here, to bide the bitter broil

And beating blows of billows high, while raging storms did last,

My griefs was^[1] greater then might be, but, tempests overpassed,

Such gentle calms ensued hath as makes my joys more,

Through terror of the former fear, than erst it was before.

So that I sit in safety, as sea-man under shrouds

When he perceives the storms be past, through vanishing^[2] of clouds;

For why

The doubtful care that drave me off, in danger to prevail,

Is dashed through bearing lesser brain and keeping under sail,

So that I have through travail long at last possessed the place

Whereas my bark in harbor safe doth pleasures great embrace,

And hath such license limited, as heart can seem to ask,

To go and come, of custom free or any other task:

I mean by Juliana she, that blaze of beauty’s breeding,

And for her noble gifts of grace, all other dames exceeding;

She hath from bondage set me free, and freed, yet still bound

To her above all other dames that live upon the ground;

For had not she been merciful, my ship had rushed on rocks,

And so decayed amids the storms through force of clubbish knocks;

But when she saw the danger great, where subject I did stand

In bringing of my silly bark full-fraught from out my land,

She like a meek and modest dame—what should I else say more?—

Did me permit with full consent to land upon her shore,

Upon true promise that I would, here faithful still remain,

And that perform which she had vowed for those that should obtain

Her princely person to possess, which thing to know I stay,

And then adventurously for her, to pass upon my way.

Lo where she comes! Ah peerless dame, my Juliana dear!

Enter Juliana with a white shield.

Juliana

My Clamydes! of troth, sir prince, to make you stay thus here

I proffer too much injury, that’s doubtless on my part;

But let it no occasion give to breed within your heart

Mistrust that I should forge or feign with you my love in aught.

Clamydes

No, lady, touching you in me doth lodge no such a thought,

But thanks for your great courtesy, that would so friendly here

In mids of misery receive a foreign stranger mere.

But lady, say what is your will, that it I may perstand.

Juliana

Sir prince,

Upon a vow who spouseth me must needsly take in hand^[3]

The flying serpent for to slay, which in the forest is,

That of Strange Marvels beareth name; which serpent doth not miss,

By daily use from every coast that is adjacent there,

To fetch a virgin maid, or wife, or else some lady fair,

To feed his hungry paunch withal, if case he can them take;

His nature, lo, it only is of women spoil to make:

Which thing, no doubt, did daunt me much, and made me vow indeed,

Who should espouse me for his wife should bring to me his head;

Whereto my father willingly did give his like consent:

Lo, Sir Clamydes, now you know what is my whole intent;

And if you will, as I have said, for me this travail take,

That I am yours with heart and mind, your full account do make.

Clamydes

Ah lady,

If case these travails should surmount the travails whereby came^[4]

Unto the worthies of the world such noble bruit and fame,

Yea, though the dangers should surpass stout Hercules his toil,

Who, fearing naught the dogged fiend, stern Cerberus did foil;

Take here my hand, if life and limb the living gods do lend,

To purchase thee the dearest drop of blood my heart shall spend:

And therefore, lady, link with me thy loyal heart for aye,

For I am thine till fates untwine of vital life the stay,

Protesting here, if gods assist, the serpent for to kill.

Juliana

Then shalt thou of all women win the heart and great good-will,

And me possess for spoused wife, who in election am

To have the crown of Denmark here as heir unto the same;

For why no children hath my sire besides me but one other,

And he, indeed, is heir before for that he is my brother,

And Clyomon so hight his name; but where he doth remain,

Unto my parents is unknown, for once he did obtain

Their good-wills for to go abroad, a while to spend his days

In purchasing through active deeds both honor, laud, and praise,

Whereby he might deserve to have the order of a knight:

But, this omitting, unto thee, Clamydes, here I plight

My faith and troth, if what is said by me thou dost perform.^[5]

Clamydes

If not,

Be sure, O lady, with my life I never will return.

Juliana

Then as thou seem’st in thine attire a virgin’s^[6] knight to be,

Take thou this shield likewise of white, and bear thy name by me—

The White Knight of the Silver Shield—to elevate thy praise.

[Gives shield.

Clamydes

O lady, as your pleasure is, I shall at all assays

Endeavor my good-will to win, if Mars do send me might,

Such honor as your grace with joy shall welcome home your knight.

Juliana

Then farewell, my dear Clamydes: the gods direct thy way,

And grant that with the serpent’s head behold thy face I may!

Clamydes

You shall not need to doubt thereof, O faithful dame so true!

And humbly kissing here thy hand, I bid thy grace adieu.

[Exit Juliana.^[7]

Ah happy time and blissful day, wherein by fate I find

Such friendly favors as is^[8] food to feed both heart and mind!

To Suavia soil I swiftly will prepare my footsteps right,

There of my father to receive the order of a knight,

And afterwards address myself, in hope of honor’s crown,

Both tiger fell and monster fierce by dint for to drive down.

The flying serpent soon shall feel how boldly I dare vaunt me;

And if that Hydra’s head she had, yet dread should never daunt me;

If murdering Minotaur a man might count this ugly beast,

Yet for to win a lady such I do account it least

Of travails toil to take in hand; and therefore, farewell care,

For hope of honor sends me forth ‘mongst warlike wights to share.

[Exit.

Textual Notes

1. was] Q; were D B
2. vanishing] D B; vanquishing Q.
3. Sir prince…take in hand] B D; one line in Q
4. Ah lady…came] D B; one line in Q.
5. If not…return] D B; one line in Q
6. virgin's] virgins Q; virgin D B
7. sd] D B. Q has Juliana exit at the end of the speech, but Clamydes' lines require her to exit here. Dyce and Bullen both alter accordingly.
8. is] Q; are D B

Explanatory Notes

waltering: weltering.

Clamydes: Sometimes the name is to be pronounced (as here) “Clămīděs,” at other times “Clāmĭdēs.”—Bullen.

joys: Q reads “ioyes”—which Dr. Brinsley Nicholson takes to be “joyess.” (“Joys” is to be pronounced as a dissyllable.—There is no difficulty with the “it” in the next line; for, as Dyce remarks “our early writers sometimes apply ‘it’ to a preceding plural substantive.”)—Bullen.

safety: A trisyllable here: see Walker’s Shakespeare’s Versification, &c., p. 158.—Dyce.

For why: (a frequently recurring expression) = because. In Q "For why" is printed as part of the following line. It is difficult to deal with such extra-metrical words.—Bullen.

bearing lesser brain: "Bearing lesser brain" is curious and not very intelligible. The common expression "bear a brain" meant—be attentive, be wary. Perhaps in the present passage we might read "bearing better brain" (unless the corruption lies in the word "brain").—Bullen.

silly: poor, weak.

a foreign stranger mere: one who is not wholly a stranger. So again sc. iii. l. 48.—Bullen.

perstand: This word (in the sense of “understand”) occurs two or three times in the present play; but I do not remember to have met it elsewhere.—Bullen.

needsly: necessarily.

coast: quarter, region.— “Marche. A region, coast, or quarter.”—Cotgrave.—Bullen.

For why: Because.

hight: called.

Endeavor: i.e. Exert.—Dyce.

Old Spelling

Enter Clamydes.

CLamy. As to the wearie wãdring wights, whom waltring waues enuirõ,

No greater ioy of ioyes may be, then when from out the Ocean

They may behold the Altitude of Billowes to abate,

For to obſerue the Longitude of Seas in former rate,

And hauing then the latitude of Sea-roome for to paſſe,

Their ioy is greater through the griefe, then erſt before it was.

So likewiſe I Clamydes, Prince of Swauia, Noble ſoyle,

Bringing my Barke to Denmarke here, to bide the bitter broyle:

And beating blowes of Billowes high, while raging ſtormes did laſt,

My griefes was greater then might be, but tempeſts ouerpaſt,

Such gentle calmes enſued hath, as makes my ioyes more

Through terror of the former feare, then erſt it was before.

So that I ſit in ſafety, as Sea-man vnder ſhrowdes

When he perceiues the ſtorms be paſt, through vanqiſhing of Clowdes;

For why, the doubtfull care that draue me off, in daunger to preuaile,

Is daſhed through bearing leſſer braine, and keeping vnder ſaile:

So that I haue through trauell long, at laſt poſſeſt the place

Whereas my Barke in harbour ſafe, doth pleaſures great embrace:

And hath ſuch licenſe limited, as heart can ſeeme to aſke,

To go and come, of cuſtome free, or any other taſke:

I meane by Iuliana ſhe, that blaze of bewties breeding,

And for her noble gifts of grace, all other dames exceeding;

Shee hath from bondage ſet me free, and freed, yet ſtill bound

To her, aboue all other Dames that liues vpon the ground;

For had not ſhe bene mercifull, my ſhip had ruſht on Rocks,

And ſo decayed amids the ſtormes, through force of clubbiſh knocks:

But when ſhe ſaw the daunger great, where ſubiect I did ſtand,

In bringing of my ſilly Barke full fraught from out my land,

She like a meeke and modeſt Dame, what ſhould I elſe ſay more?

Did me permit with full conſent to land vpon her ſhore:

Vpon true promiſe that I would, here faithfull ſtill remain,

And that performe which ſhe had vowed, for thoſe that ſhould obtaine

Her princely perſon to poſſeſſe, which thing to know I ſtay,

And then aduenturouſly for her, to paſſe vpon my way.

Loe where ſhe comes, ah peereles dame, my Iuliana deare.

Enter Iuliana with a white Sheeld.

Iuliana. My Clamydes, of troth, Sir Prince, to make you ſtay thus here,

I profer too much iniurie, thats doubtleſſe on my part;

But let it no occaſion giue, to breede within your hart

Miſtruſt that I ſhould forge or faine, with you my Loue in ought.

Clamy. No Lady, touching you, in me doth lodge no ſuch a thought,

But thankes for your great curteſie that would ſo friendly heere

In mids of miſerie receiue a forraine ſtraunger meere:

But Lady ſay, what is your will, that it I may perſtand?

Iulia. Sir Prince, vpon a vow who ſpowſeth me, muſt needſly take in hand

The flying Serpent for to ſley, which in the Forreſt is,

That of strange maruels beareth name; which Serpent doth not mis,

By dayly vſe from euery coaſt that is adyacent there,

To fetch a Virgin maide or wife, or elſe ſome Lady faire,

To feed his hungrie panch withall, if caſe he can them take,

His nature loe it onely is, of women ſpoyle to make:

Which thing no doubt, did daunt me much, and made me vow indeed,

Who ſhould eſpouſe me for his wife, ſhould bring to me his head:

Whereto my father willingly, did giue his like conſent:

Lo Sir Clamydes, now you know what is my whole intent:

And if you will, as I haue ſaid, for me this trauell take,

That I am yours, with heart and mind, your full account do make.

Cla. Ah Lady, if caſe theſe trauels ſhould ſurmount, the trauels whereby came

Vnto the worthies of the world, ſuch noble brute and fame,

Yea though the dangers ſhould ſurpaſſe ſtout Hercules his toyle,

Who fearing naught the dogged feend, ſterne Serbarus did foyle.

Take here my hand, if life and limbe the liuing Gods do lend,

To purchaſe thee, the deareſt drop of bloud my heart ſhall ſpend.

And therefore Lady, lincke with me, thy loyall heart for aye,

For I am thine til fates vntwine of vital life the ſtay,

Proteſting here if Gods aſſiſt, the Serpent for to kil.

Iuli. Then ſhalt thou of all women win, the heart and great good wil,

And me poſſeſſe for ſpowſed wife, who in election am

To haue the Crowne of Denmarke here, as heire vnto the ſame;

For why, no children hath my ſire beſides mee, but one other,

And he indeed is heire before, for that he is my brother.

And Clyomon ſo hight his name, but where he doth remaine,

Vnto my Parents is vnknowne, for once he did obtaine

Their good wills for to go abroad, a while to ſpend his daies

In purchaſing through actiue deeds both honor, laud, and praiſe,

Whereby he might deſerue to haue the order of a Knight:

But this omitting vnto thee, Clamydes here I plight

My faith and troth, if what is ſaid by me thou doſt performe.

Clamy. :If not, be ſure O Lady with my life, I neuer will returne.

Iuli. Then as thou ſeemeſt in thine attire, a Virgins Knight to be,

Take thou this Sheeld likewiſe of white, and bear thy name by me,

The white Knight of the Siluer Sheeld, to eleuate thy praiſe.

Clamy. O Lady as your pleaſure is, I ſhall at all aſſayes

Endeuour my good will to win, if Mars do ſend me might,

Such honour as your grace with ioy, ſhall welcome home your Knight.

Iuli. Then farewell my deare Clamydes, the gods direct thy way,

And graunt that with the Serpents head, behold thy face I may.

Exit.

Clamy. You ſhall not need to doubt thereof, O faithfull Dame ſo true,

And humbly kiſſing here thy hand, I bid thy grace adue.

Ah happie time and blisfull day, wherein by fate I find

Such friendly fauours as is foode, to feede both heart and mind:

To Suauia ſoyle I ſwiftly will prepare my foot-ſteps right,

There of my father to receiue the order of a Knight,

And afterwards addreſſe my ſelfe in hope of honours Crowne,

Both Tyger fell and Monſter fierce, by dint for to driue downe.

The flying Serpent ſoone ſhall feele, how boldly I dare vaunt me,

And if that Hydras head ſhe had, yet dread ſhould neuer daunt me.

If murdering Minataure, a man might count this ougly beaſt,

Yet for to win a Lady ſuch, I do account it leaſt.

Of trauels toyle to take in hand, and therefore farewell care,

For hope of honour ſends me forth, mongſt warlike wights to ſhare.

Exit.