Cla.  Whole be bound With you that theres no hindrance but we may Be lawfully espoused?

Thu.  Ime not so barren Of freinds but I shall find security For what will nere be question’d.

Cla.  It may be soe; but one who calculated My birth did warne me to abstaine from marriage Til I was twenty.

Thu.  You’re no Atlanta; if you be, Ile play Hippomanes and over runn you.

Cla.  You’d scarce catch me, Though you had Venus apples to seduce My covetous eyes.  Henceforth Ide have you leave Your love to me.

Thu.  I must leave to live then.  Why doe you say soe?

Cla.  Cause it is [un]iust You should mispend affection on her Who is incapeable of it.

Thu.  You’d faine wrest
A new expence of complement from me: 
If you delight to heare your praise, Ile hire
Some mercenary [poet][102] to comend
In lofty verse your bewty.

Cla.  You are merry: 
My humor is not specious; we must know
A further distance.

Thu.  Wherefore, pray?  Our eyes are no more poysonous then they were.

Cla.  Yes, they infect reciprocall.

Thu.  This language
Is not accustomd; pray, tell me how
My presence is offensive, and Ile shun you[103]
As I would doe my fate.  You are not serious: 
My innocence assures me my deserts
Can chalenge no such usage.

Cla.  Tis confest; but we
Are like thinne christall glasses that will crack
By touching one another:  I coniure thee
By all our past love, from this parting minute
Nere to behold me more.  I dare not venter
My frailty with thee.

Thu.  What immodesty Has my demeaner uttred you should doubt Ravishing from me?

Cla.  Thats not it, but cause
I would not tempt my destinie:  thy sight
Would inflame marble, much more me whose heart
Is prompt enough to fly into thy breast
And leave mine empty.  But ’tmust not remaine
In that lone habitation, least a curse,
A fearefull one, sease on mee.

Thu.  Can there be
Curses more horrid, incident to earth
For its past Sinns, then would depend on you
For such a bold presumption as your breatch
Of faith would be.

Cla.  Our tyrant fate has found
Yet uninvented torments to expresse
Our loyall soules.  O, Thurston, thou wert never
—­Not when our mutuall freindships might have taught
The constant turtles amity—­more deare
To me then now.  I could, as well as then,
Peruse love’s dictats in thy amorous cheeks,
Enioy the pressure of thy modest lipp;
But Ime enioynd by powerfull menaces
T’infring my wonted use and to disclaime
My vowes to thee.