ACT THE SECOND
Scene [I]: The Cave
[enter Sorceress]
[PRELUDE FOR THE WITCHES]
SORCERESS
Wayward sisters, you that fright
The lonely traveller by night
Who, like dismal ravens crying,
Beat the windows of the dying,
Appear! Appear at my call, and share in the fame
Of a mischief shall make all Carthage flame.
Appear!
[enter Enchantresses]
FIRST WITCH
Say, Beldam, say what's thy will.
CHORUS
Harm's our delight and mischief all our skill.
SORCERESS
The Queen of Carthage, whom we hate,
As we do all in prosp'rous state,
Ere sunset, shall most wretched prove,
Depriv'd of fame, of life and love!
CHORUS
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! [etc.]
TWO WITCHES
Ruin'd ere the set of sun?
Tell us, how shall this be done?
SORCERESS
The Trojan Prince, you know, is bound
By Fate to seek Italian ground;
The Queen and he are now in chase.
FIRST WITCH
Hark! Hark! the cry comes on apace.
SORCERESS
But, when they've done, my trusty Elf
In form of Mercury himself
As sent from Jove shall chide his stay,
And charge him sail tonight with all his fleet away.
CHORUS
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! [etc.]
[Enter a Drunken Sailor; a dance]
TWO WITCHES
But ere we this perform,
We'll conjure for a storm
To mar their hunting sport
And drive 'em back to court.
CHORUS [in the manner of an echo.]
In our deep vaulted cell the charm we'll prepare,
Too dreadful a practice for this open air.
ECHO DANCE [Enchantresses and Fairies]
Scene [II]: The Grove
[enter Aeneas, Dido, Belinda, and their train]
RITORNELLE [Orchestra]
BELINDA [Repeated by Chorus]
Thanks to these lovesome vales,
These desert hills and dales,
So fair the game, so rich the sport,
Diana's self might to these woods resort.
GITTER GROUND A DANCE
SECOND WOMAN
Oft she visits this lov'd mountain,
Oft she bathes her in this fountain;
Here Actaeon met his fate,
Pursued by his own hounds,
And after mortal wounds
Discover'd, discover'd too late.
[A Dance to entertain Aeneas by Dido's women]
AENEAS
Behold, upon my bending spear
A monster's head stands bleeding,
With tushes far exceeding
Those did Venus' huntsman tear.
DIDO
The skies are clouded, hark! how thunder
Rends the mountain oaks a sunder.
BELINDA [Repeated by Chorus]
Haste, haste to town, this open field
No shelter from the storm can yield.
[exeunt Dido and Belinda and train]
[The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Aeneas in the
likeness of Mercury]
SPIRIT
Stay, Prince and hear great Jove's command;
He summons thee this Night away.
AENEAS
Tonight?
SPIRIT
Tonight thou must forsake this land,
The Angry God will brook no longer stay.
Jove commands thee, waste no more
In Love's delights, those precious hours,
Allow'd by th'Almighty Powers
To gain th' Hesperian shore
And ruined Troy restore.
AENEAS
Jove's commands shall be obey'd,
Tonight our anchors shall be weighed.
[Exit Spirit.]
But ah! what language can I try
My injur'd Queen to Pacify:
No sooner she resigns her heart,
But from her arms I'm forc'd to part.
How can so hard a fate be took?
One night enjoy'd, the next forsook.
Yours be the blame, ye gods! For I
Obey your will, but with more ease could die.
THE SORCERESS AND HER ENCHANTRESSES (CHORUS)
Then since our Charmes have sped,
A Merry Dance be led
By the Nymphs of Carthage to please us.
They shall all Dance to ease us,
A Dance that shall make the Spheres to wonder,
Rending those fair Groves asunder.
THE GROVES DANCE
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