Works of Beaumont and Fletcher Author:Francis Beaumont, John Fletcher Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: From our approaching subject; which we move Towards you with fear, since that a sweeter love, A brighter honour, purer chastity, March in your breasts t... more »his day triumphantly, Than our weak scenes can shew : Then how dare wt Present, like apes and zanies, things that be Exemplified in you, but that we know We ne'er craved grace which you did not bestow? The TRIUMPH OF HONOUR. SCENE I. Before the Walls of Athens. Enter in Triumph with Drums, Trumpets, Colours, Martius, Valerius, Sophocles bound, Nico- Demus, Cornelius, Captains, and Soldiers. Mar. What means proud Sophocles ? Soph. To go even with Martius, And not to follow him like his officer: I never waited yet on any man. Mar. Why, poor Athenian duke, thou martyr slave; My blows have conquer'd thee. Soph. Thy slave, proud Martius ? Cato thy countryman (whose constancy, Of all the Romans, I did honour most) Ripp'd himself twice to avoid slavery, Making himself his own anatomy. But look thee, Martius ; not a vein runs here From head to foot, hut Sophocles would unseam, Like a spring-garden,7 shoot his scornful blood Into their eyes, durst come to tread on him. As for thy blows, they did not conquer me : Seven battles have 1 met thee face to face, And given thee blow for blow, and wound for wound, And, till thou taught'st me,' knew not to retire:Thy sword was then as bold, thy arm as strong; Thy blows then, Martius, cannot conquer me. 7 Not a vein runs here From head to foot, but Sophocles would unseam, and Like a spring-garden, shoot his scornful blood Into their eyes, durst come to tread on him.) The last editors, not comprehending the meaning of this passage, propose to amend it, by reading spring-gun, instead of spring-garden ; but they entirely mistake the allusion. ...« less