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HENRY AND EMMA, A NEW POETICAL INTERLUDE, ALTERED FROM PRIOR'S NUT BROWN MAID, WITH ADDITIONS AND A NEW AIR AND CHORUS, (THE MUSIC BY DR. ARNE.) As Performed on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1774, AT THE THEATRE-ROYAL IN COVENT-GARDEN FOR THE BENEFIT OF MRS. HARTLEY.
LONDON: Sold by T. DAVIES, in RUSSEL-STREET, COVENT-GARDEN, and all the Bookſellers in Town and Country. 1774. [Price SIX-PENCE.]
ADVERTISEMENT.
[]IT needs the moſt humble apology from the Com⯑piler of this little Interlude, for the liberties he has taken with a Poem ſo univerſally, and juſtly admired. The different prunings which he judged neceſſary for his purpoſe, were as ſenſibly lamented by the hand that performed them, as they can poſſibly be by the moſt zealous advocate for the ingenious PRIOR. Theſe however, with various other alterations, far from being the reſult of ſelf-conſequence, aroſe from ab⯑ſolute neceſſity, in order to give the whole an ap⯑pearance, ſomewhat conformable to the laws of our drama. It was therefore found expedient likewiſe to introduce the two new, though trifling characters of VENUS and EUGENIUS; and to conclude the whole with an AIR and CHORUS, which are here tacked to the piece, with every conviction in the breaſt of the author for his preſumption.
A tranſpoſition of ſome lines, an occaſional addition of others, ſome variation of the perſonal pronouns, &c. were judged proper to accommodate the performers, and prepare the piece for ſtage repreſentation.
Under theſe circumſtances it is hoped that this temporary ſacrifice of PRIOR will be candidly overlooked by the Public, ſince it was made but to aſſiſt in ſome meaſure the modeſt merit of MRS. HARTLEY, and to gratify no other deſire in the COMPILER.
April 13th, 1774.
PERSONS OF THE DRAMA.
[]- HENRY
- MR. SMITH.
- EUGENIUS
- MR. HULL.
- EMMA
- MRS. HARTLEY.
- VENUS
- MISS BROWN.
- CHORUS, &c. &c.
[]HENRY AND EMMA, A NEW POETICAL INTERLUDE, &c.
SCENE. A moon light view of an extenſive foreſt.
EUGENIUS entering alone.
—NIGHT ſilent reigns: the world in ſleep is laid,
Save HENRY, tortur'd for his Nut Brown Maid.
He, wretched ſlave to love's corroding fears,
Greets ſolemn midnight with his manly tears;
And clad in falſe attire, with borrow'd name
Now meets the lovely object of his flame.
[2]
From prattling infancy I train'd his mind
To honor's call, and virtues moſt refin'd.
Now ſoft repoſe his troubled breaſt forſakes,
Of every pang my ſympathy partakes.
Tho' full of years I watch his ſorrowing way,
And ſtrive to guide him by calm reaſon's ray.
Led by the moon's pale lamp, thro' yonder grade
The anxious lovers ſeek this beachen ſhade;
Their converſe trying to fair Emma's heart:
A fiction plann'd by Love's, and Henry's art.
With wiſhes rais'd, with jealouſies oppreſt,
(Alternate tyrants of the human breaſt)
By one great trial he reſolves to prove
The faith of woman, and the force of love,
If ſcanning Emma's virtues, he ſhall find,
That beauteous frame encloſe a ſteady mind,
He'll fix his hope, of future joy ſecure,
And live a ſlave to Hymen's happy pow'r.
But if the fair one, as he fears is frail,
Light fly her merits, and her faults prevail,
His mind he vows to free from am'rous care,
Reſume his arms, and ſhine again in war.
But ſoft—their mournful accents ſpeak them nigh:
In ſpight of fond affection, I muſt fly.
May no curs'd daemon o'er their mind prevail,
But every thought, be weigh'd in virtue's ſcale!
[Exit.
[3] Enter HENRY and EMMA.
HENRY.
Sincere, O tell me, haſt thou felt a pain,
Emma, beyond what woman knows to feign?
Has thy uncertain boſom ever ſtrove
With the firſt tumults of a real love?
If ſo, with pity view my wretched ſtate;
At leaſt deplore, and then forget my fate:
To ſome more happy knight reſerve thy charms,
By fortune favour'd, and ſucceſsful arms:
For lo! theſe hands in murther are imbru'd;
Theſe trembling feet by juſtice are purſu'd:
And I this night muſt fly from thee and love,
Condemn'd in lonely woods a baniſh'd man to rove.
EMMA.
What is true paſſion, if unbleſt it dies?
And where is Emma's joy, if Henry flies?
If love, alas! be pain, the pain I bear,
No thought can figure, and no tongue declare.
Oh ceaſe then coldly to ſuſpect my love;
And let my deed at leaſt my faith approve.
Alas! no youth ſhall my endearments ſhare;
Nor day, nor night ſhall interrupt my care:
Nor to hard baniſhment ſhall Henry run;
While careleſs Emma ſleeps on beds of down.
[4] View me reſolv'd, where'er thou lead'ſt, to go;
Friend to thy pain and partner of thy woe;
Bleſt when my dangers and my toils have ſhewn,
That I of all mankind, could love but thee alone.
HENRY.
Let prudence yet obſtruct thy vent'rous way;
And take good heed, what men will think, and ſay:
That full of youthful blood, and fond of man,
You to the woodland with an exile ran.
Reflect, that leſſen'd fame is ne'er regain'd;
And virgin honour once, is always ſtain'd.
Timely advis'd, the coming evil ſhun;
Better not do the deed, than weep it done.
No penance can abſolve our guilty fame;
Nor tears, that waſh out ſin, can waſh out ſhame.
EMMA.
Let Emma's hapleſs caſe be falſely told
By the raſh young, or the ill-natur'd old:
Let ev'ry tongue its various cenſure chuſe,
Abſolve with coldneſs, or with ſpight accuſe.
Fair truth at laſt her radiant beams will raiſe;
And malice vanquiſh'd heighten virtue's praiſe.
Let then thy favour but indulge my flight;
O let my preſence make thy travels light.
HENRY.
[5]But canſt thou wield the ſword, and bend the bow?
With active force repel the ſturdy foe?
When the loud tumult ſpeaks the battle nigh;
And winged deaths in whiſtling arrows fly;
Wilt thou, tho' wounded, yet undaunted ſtay;
Perform thy part and ſhare the dang'rous day?
EMMA.
Near thee, miſtruſt not, conſtant I'll abide,
And ſhare each danger fearleſs by thy ſide.
Tho' my inferior ſtrength may not allow,
That I ſhould bear, or draw the warrior bow,
With ready hand I will the ſhaft ſupply;
And joy to ſee thy victor arrows fly:
Touch'd in the battle by the hoſtile reed,
Should'ſt thou (but heav'n avert it!) ſhould'ſt thou bleed;
To ſtop the wounds my fineſt lawn I'd tear;
Waſh them with tears, and wipe them with my hair.
HENRY.
But canſt thou tender maid, canſt thou ſuſtain
Afflictive want, or hunger's preſſing pain?
When with hard toil we ſeek our ev'ning food,
Berries and acorns, from the neighb'ring wood;
[6] And find amongſt the cliffs no other houſe,
But the thin covert of ſome gather'd boughs;
Wilt thou not then reluctant ſend thine eye
Around the dreary waſte, and weeping try,
(Tho' then, alas! that trial be too late)
To find thy father's hoſpitable gate,
That gate, whence long excluded thou muſt mourn;
That gate, for ever barr'd to thy return?
EMMA.
Did I but purpoſe to embark with thee,
On the ſmooth ſurface of a ſummer's ſea,
While gentle Zephyrs play in proſp'rous gales,
And fortune's favour fills the ſwelling ſails;
But would forſake the ſhip, and make the ſhoar,
When the winds whiſtle, and the tempeſts roar?
No, Henry, no: One ſacred oath has ty'd
Our loves; one deſtiny our life ſhall guide.
HENRY.
But e're thou goeſt, unhappy'ſt of thy kind,
Thy ſex and habit thou muſt leave behind:
No longer ſhall thy comely treſſes break
In flowing ringlets on thy ſnowy neck;
But with a bolder ſtride, and looſer air,
Mingl'd with men, a man thou muſt appear.
Vagrants and out-laws ſhall offend thy view;
(For ſuch muſt be my friends) a hideous crew!
[7] With ſuch muſt Emma hunt the tedious day;
Aſſiſt their violence, divide their prey:
With ſuch ſhe muſt return at ſetting light;
Tho' not partaker, witneſs of their night.
Now, Emma, now the laſt reflection make,
What thou would'ſt follow, what thou muſt forſake:
EMMA.
O Grief of heart; that our unhappy fates
Force thee to ſuffer, what thy honour hates:
Mix thee amongſt the bad; or make thee run
Too near the paths, which virtue bids thee ſhun:
Yet with her Henry ſtill let Emma go;
With him abhor the vice, but ſhare the woe:
And ſure my little heart can never err,
Amidſt the worſt, if Henry ſtill be there.
HENRY.
O wildeſt thought of an abandon'd mind!
Name, habit, parents, woman left behind;
Ev'n honour dubious, thou preferr'ſt to go
Wild to the woods with me; ſaid Emma ſo?
Or did I dream what Emma never ſaid?
O guilty error! and oh wretched maid!
[8] Whoſe roving fancy would reſolve the ſame
With him, who next ſhould tempt her eaſy fame.
EMMA.
Are there not poiſons, racks, and flames, and ſwords;
That Emma thus muſt die by Henry's words?
Yet what could ſwords, or poiſon, racks or flame
But mangle, and disjoint this brittle frame?
More fatal Henry's words; they murder Emma's fame.
Did e'er my tongue ſpeak my unguarded heart
The leaſt inclin'd to play the wanton's part?
Did e'er my eye one inward thought reveal,
Which angels might not hear, and virgins tell?
And haſt thou, Henry, in my conduct known
One fault, but that which I muſt ever own
That I, of all mankind have lov'd but thee alone?
HENRY.
Vainly thou talk'ſt of loving me alone;
Each man is man, and all the ſex is one.
Nor in love's ritual can we ever find
Vows made to laſt, or promiſes to bind.
[9] Be wiſe, and falſe; ſhun trouble, ſeek delight;
Change thou the firſt; nor wait thy lovers flight.
Why ſhouldſt thou weep? let Nature judge our caſe:
I ſaw thee young, and fair: purſu'd the chaſe
Of youth, and beauty; I another ſaw
Fairer, and younger; yielding to the law
Of our all-ruling mother, I purſu'd
More youth, more beauty: bleſt viciſſitude!
This younger, fairer, pleads her rightful charms,
With preſent power compels me to her arms.
And years may roll e'er, in her turn, the maid
Shall weep the ardor of my love decay'd:
EMMA.
Are we in life thro' one great error led?
Is each man perjur'd, and each nymph betray'd?
Of the ſuperior ſex art thou the worſt?
Am I of mine the moſt compleatly curſt?
Yet let me go with thee, and going prove,
From what I will endure, how much I love.
This potent beauty, this triumphant fair,
This happy object of our diff'rent care,
[10] Her let me follow; her let me attend,
A ſervant: (She may ſcorn the name of friend)
Yet when encreaſing grief brings ſlow diſeaſe;
And ebbing life, on terms ſevere as theſe
Will have its little lamp no longer fed;
When Henry's miſtreſs ſhows him Emma dead,
Reſcue my poor remains from vile neglect,
With virgin honours let my herſe be deck'd;
Oh let my Henry then at leaſt perſuade
This happy nymph, that Emma may be laid,
Where thou, dear author of my death, where ſhe,
With frequent eye my ſepulchre may ſee.
See the ſad fate which ſhe may one day prove,
Who hopes from Henry's vows eternal love.
HENRY.
Hear, ſolmn Jove! and conſcious Venus hear!
And thou, bright maid, believe me, whilſt I ſwear;
No time, no change, no future flame ſhall move
The well-plac'd baſis of my laſting love:
O powerful virtue! O victorious fair!
At leaſt excuſe a trial too ſevere;
[11] No baniſh'd man condemn'd in woods to rove
Intreats thy pardon, and implores thy love:
In me behold the potent Edgar's heir
Belov'd in peace, and terrible in war:
Crown of my love, and honour of my youth,
Henry, thy Henry with eternal truth,
As thou may'ſt wiſh, ſhall all his life employ,
And ſound his glory in his Emma's joy.
Muſic and ſong ſhall wake the marriage-day;
And while the prieſts accuſe the brides delay;
Myrtles and roſes ſhall obſtruct her way.
Hence then for ever from my Emma's breaſt
(That heav'n of ſoftneſs, and that ſeat of reſt)
Ye doubts and fears, and all that know to move
Tormenting grief, and all that trouble love!
EMMA.
O Day the faireſt ſure that ever roſe!
Period and end of anxious Emma's woes;
Sire of her joy, and ſource of her delight;
Now wing'd with pleaſure take thy happy flight;
Yet tell thy vot'ry, potent queen of love,
Henry, my Henry, will he never rove?
[12] Will he be ever kind, and juſt, and good?
And is there yet no miſtreſs in the wood?
None, none there is: the thought was raſh and vain;
A falſe idea, and a fancy'd pain.
Doubt ſhall for ever quit my ſtrengthen'd heart,
And anxious jealouſie's corroding ſmart;
Nor other inmate ſhall inhabit there,
But foft belief, young joy, and pleaſing care!
But hark!—
HENRY.
What ſounds harmonious ſtrike the raviſh 'dear!
[SCENE ſhifting VENUS is diſcovered alighting from her Car.]
[13]RECITATIVE, ACCOMPANIED. VENUS.
[HENRY and EMMA kneeling.]
Deſcending from my ſacred Paphian bow'r
Far hence I've chac'd ſuſpicion and her train.
Hail happy pair! extatic bliſs purſue,
And reap the harveſt of your well try'd love.
* AIR. Miſs BROWN.
To HENRY.
Now thy trophies grac'd with beauty,
HENRY'S valor is repaid,
Love, and honor be thy duty,
Guardian of the Nut brown Maid.
To EMMA.
Tho' our ſlaves when moſt obeying
Are but captives of the mind,
EMMA, beauty's ſceptre ſwaying,
Will a conſtant empire find.
[14]AIR. VENUS.
To BOTH.
Love's bondage ſhall charm ye,
No tumults alarm ye,
If anxious you fan the dear fire;
The flame once neglected,
Its rays back reflected,
By Time's icy fingers expire.
CHORUS.
Hark the ſpheres with rapture ſwelling,
Ratify their vows above!
Fame with ready trumpet telling,
HENRY'S honor!—EMMA'S love!
THE END.
Notes
*
Theſe two ſtanzas are omitted to ſhorten the repreſentation.
- Citation Suggestion for this Object
- TextGrid Repository (2020). TEI. 4605 Henry and Emma a new poetical interlude altered from Prior s Nut brown maid with additions and a new air and chorus the music by Dr Arne As performed on April 13 1774 at the Theatre Roya. University of Oxford Text Archive. . https://hdl.handle.net/21.T11991/0000-001A-5A5D-8