The Tragicall and lamentable Historie of two faythfull Mates: Ceyx Kynge of Thrachine, and ALCIONE his wife: dravven into English Meeter.
By W. Hubbard. 1569.
JMPRINTED at London, by Wyllyam How, for Richard Iohnes and are to be solde at his shop vnder the Lotterie house.
The Tragicall and lamentable Historie of Ceyx and Alcione.
WHen frowning Fortune gan assaulte
her Foes: whose deth she doth desire
She will reuenge, though for no faulte,
When Enuie hath her set on fire:
Shee seekes to bring men to decaie
whom erst alofte:
She had set vp at pleasant staye,
though reeling ofte.
And then at last they tumbling downe
from highest staie, to lowest step:
To lamentacion from Renowne,
with tumbling cast they downwarde lep,
Amonge all other, one I finde
vnfortunate:
For at his state, Fortune repinde
with cruell hate.
He was somtime of Thracine King,
And CEYX I reade he had to name:
Dame Fortune his mischaunce seeking
she tolde him streight by flickering Fame
[Page]How Peleus his brother was
by ruinous chaunce,
With Death distroyed, as cam to passe,
by Fortunes Launce.
Whereat he musing stoode dismayde,
and vexed sore then in his thought:
How easely might the signes he saide,
the which before his death were wrought
Of all men well perceiued be,
as came to passe,
Betokening this his destinie,
which fearefull was.
When CEYX the matter did perceiue,
misdoubting what was best to doo:
He did deuise where he might haue,
a remedie to slake his woo:
For counsell he to séeke with spéede
at Sacred SPELS,
Deuiseth thus, as I do reade,
where this God dwels.
The God of CLAROS I do meane,
where as an Oracle woulde tell,
Eache thing to fill fonde fansies streame,
but no good counsell their did dwell:
[Page]Kinge CEYX disposed thus to goe,
to this fonde God:
Dame Fortune hath prouided loe,
this scorging Rod.
He had a wife who had to name,
ALCIONE then Thrachine Quéene:
She was a wife of passyng fame,
few such at this time can be seene:
To whom he minded to disclose,
all his intente,
Vnto his louing Mate he goes,
vntimely sent.
He then began with faultring voice,
to shewe the matter to his wife,
At whose presence she did reioyce,
for sure shee loued him as her life,
But when she heard he would departe,
with feare there strake:
A chilnes straighte vnto hir hart
that teares out brake.
Thre times she then about to speake,
thre times she washt hir face with teares
Thre times she of from teares did breake,
and thus complained in his eares,
[Page]What fault of myne (O Husbande deare)
doth thee compell?
That thou wilt dwell no longer heere,
but go to SPELL.
Do Iorneies long delight thee nowe?
or doth mine absence better please
Then my presence? then I vowe
to NEPTVNE, Guider of the Seas
Whose Stormes vncertein thou must bide
in wofull plight:
To offer Giftes if he will guide
thy Ship aright.
Vntill thou comst at wisshed Port:
For sure my care is great for thee,
Thou art my Ioye and sure comfort,
my faithfull Spouse geue eare to mée:
Shall I haue cause onely to mourne?
And shall my care
Of thy vncerteine home returne
be voide of feare?
The Sea doth make mee sore afraide
to thinke on it, my Corps doth quake,
My minde with musing is dismaide,
for verie woe my Ioinctes do shake:
[Page]For broken late vpon the shoare
the Ribbes of Ships
I sawe, whose Masters long before
the waues in whips.
But yet my Spouse, if that thy will
I can by no entreatance moue:
But that thou wilt perseuer styll,
Consider then my tender loue,
And mée deare Husbande) with thée take
that I maye bee
Partaker of thy griefe, and make
some mirth for thee.
O louing Wife ALCIONE,
my Loue, my deare and onely ioye
(Quoth he) and wept full tenderlye:
Let not mine absence thée annoye:
Content thy selfe full quietlie,
And will no more
On houering waues to go with mée
from Thrachine shoare.
For my Returne shalbe againe
if that the Goddes permit me life,
Within two Monthes I tell thee plaine,
as thou art my espoused wife;
[Page]With that she gan for ioy to weepe,
that CEYX had,
Appointed daies and sighed deepe,
and wexed glad.
She there doth bring him to the Shoore,
Where he his last farewell did take,
ALCIONES, hart misgaue before,
she did with trembling ioyntes oft quake,
And straining CEYX in her armes,
with pittious looke,
Her last farewell mistrusting harmes,
she sadly tooke.
And when she sawe the watermen,
the Ship beginne to driue from shore,
And that she must hir spouse leaue then,
she muche more heauy then before,
My only ioy is gon she sayd,
why do I liue?
Let death of thine, with mine be paide,
I would it giue.
And casting vp hir waterie eies,
she did beholde her husband stand,
On Hatches gon now far on Seas,
she sawe him becking with his hand:
[Page]And she like wise her hands did shake,
as loue did moue,
Where as she did her last sight take,
of hir deere loue.
And when the Ship was out of sight,
she straight vnto hir Chamber went,
She screeked out with maine and might,
and pitiously she did lament,
She cast her body on her bed,
with sory hart,
With dumped sprites as heauy as Led,
renewes hir smart.
And whilst she lieth musing here,
a pleasant gale of winde doth blowe,
The wether waxeth very cleare,
these shipmen now in Seas do rowe,
And CEYX doth make his men vp hale,
the highest mast,
And set them vp with the top saile,
that no wind wast.
At last they all ariued are,
when night was com and day was spent,
Where eche of them must ende their care:
and eke must there, their liues relent,
[Page]For BOREAS with his bitter blasts
doth fierslie blow:
And waues do rise vp all in haste
to ouerthrowe
Their ship and they with fearefull speede
do cut down Sailes, & Clothes down rend
Eche man is busie nowe at neede,
Yet all in vaine thei do contend:
For now the Tempest hath by force
the vpper hande:
King CEYX doth oftimes wish his Corse
to be on lande.
With his deare Loue ALCIONE
who now he saith, did warning geue
Of foming Tempests of the Sea,
yet he as then would not beleue:
But willinglie would forwarde goe
to seeke Counsell,
To passe the Sea would forwarde rowe
to go to SPELL.
King CEYX did of his Loue still speake,
he alwaies cried (ALCIONE,)
Nothing would make his tonge of breake
but wicked waues of watrie Sea
[Page]When thus with Death he conquered was
and diynge in Sea:
He seemde to speake halfe dead (alas)
ALCIONE.
Whilste CEYX doth lye thus in the Sea:
quite drownde with ouer gulfing waues
On rufull Bed ALCIONE
with weeping eies, she restles craues
For safe and speedie comming home
of CEYX her Mate:
Who lieth tost on salt Sea fome,
vnfortunate.
Now dead and drowned in the Sea,
yet she the dayes doth compt and tell,
She thinkes poore wretch ALCIONE,
her husbandes home returne from SPELL
To be but slowe: and she doth thinke,
eche hower a day,
No ioyes into her hart can sink,
for his delay.
She hopeth yet to see him againe
aliue at his appointed hower:
Her expectacion was in vaine,
for Fortune was disposed to lower,
[Page]On him poore wretch as late befell,
yet she doth make,
Acompt of his returne from SPELL
her louing make.
The Lady being thus mindfull still,
of her owne spouse and husband deare
The day is past the night doth fill,
eche thing with darkenes bright & cleare,
And she to restles Bed is gon,
to take hir sleepe
And straight a slumber stealing on,
her eyes yet weepe:
This wofull wight ALCIONE,
doth dreame she seeth stand by her Bed,
Her only ioy late drownd in Sea,
pale, wan, starke nakt, and cold as lead,
She thought he leaned on her brest,
and to her said,
My louing wife me thou knowest,
be not dismaid.
Thy CEYX is dead, therfore in vaine
of my retourne no reckening make,
The boisterous windes with might & main
our ship on Seas did tosse and shake,
[Page]Vntill it was turnd vpsidowne,
and drownd in Sea,
O worthie wight of high renowne,
ALCIONE,
Thou hearest not by false reporte,
but I my selfe my shipwreke show,
Arise therfore come and comfort
thy husband, and som teares bestowe
Vpon thy spouse, and decke the now
with moorning wéede,
For I can mirth no more allowe,
now I am dead.
With that she stretched forth her handes,
her husbands Ghost for to imbrace,
He steps a side and backward stands,
with that the teares ran downe hir face
she screeketh out, why doest thou flie?
and leaue me alone,
Then take me with thee, for I must die,
if thou art gon.
All this she did yet being a sleape,
and by and by she did awake,
And rewfully began to wéepe,
and heauely the matter take:
[Page]Shee rent her Clothes, and fare her heere,
with extreme woe:
Her Nurce then rose with rewfull feare
and ranne her to.
She did demaunde what was the cause
of her great griefe and piteous mone
Wherat this Ladie yet did pause
at last she saide, I am vndone,
ALCIONE is cast awaye
with CEYX his death:
For he hath yelded vp I saye
his vitall breath.
This, this, it is that I did feare
before thy Iorney in my minde:
I warned thee, thou didst not care,
That thou shouldst not trust to the winde
And whilst she talked, the night was gone,
and Daye was bright:
Vnto the shoare with speede she ronne
and footesteppes light.
She standing mourning on the shoare,
and casting vp her weeping eies
And listening how the Sea did roare
a great waie of, on Sea she spies
[Page]A thing come tumbling on the Sea
muche like a Corce,
She meruailed what it should bee
that waters force
Brought houering so toward the shoare,
at last shee sawe, it was a man:
She knewe not who it was therfore,
To speake she then with woe began,
Alas poore wretch (she said) thy wife
if any there bee,
Maye wish her selfe deuoyde of life
for Death of thee.
And as the Winde, the waues did tosse,
the Bodie floated nearer lande
Yet she not ware of her great losse
Vntill it came vnto her hande,
Anone it did arryue on shoare:
ALCIONE
Sawe CEYX who grieued her full sore
late drownde in Sea.
And therwithall she scratched her face,
her Heere and Garments she did teare
She reached out in wofull case
to CEYX her tremblyng handes wt feare
[Page]She sayde now comst thou home my loue,
in such a case:
He beyng dead, she did remoue
to touche his face.
And also yet not being content,
this wretched wight ALCIONE,
She [...]ieth D' [...]tropos consent,
and cast her selfe into the Sea▪
And on her husbands corce doth [...],
as Poets faine:
And both were turned to [...]
and still remaine.
Their loue right well we may [...]
for few such Mates are at this day:
Who loue so stedfast to the ende,
Therfore e [...]le take we may,
By CEYX and ALCIONE.
which both liue still,
As I do read and haunt the Sea,
as Poets will,
Faelix quem fa [...] [...] Cantum.
FINIS