Scenes from old playbooks Author:Percy Simpson 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: I. CARATACH AND HENGO By JOHN FLETCHER An episode in the wars of the early Britons with the Romans. Queen Bonduca (or Boadicea) is fighting against Suetoni... more »us Paulinus. Her bravest and ablest warrior is her brother- in-law Caratach. Scene I. The Lesson Of Victory. Enter Boadicea and her Daughters, her nephew Hengo, Nennius, and soldiers; all rejoicing. Bonduca has a captured eagle, and the soldiers have Roman spoils. Bonduca. The hardy Romans!—O ye gods of Britain!— The rust of arms, the blushing shame of soldiers! Are these the men that conquer by inheritance ? The fortune-makers ? [Caratach enters quietly behind.] These the Julians, That with the sun measure the end of nature, 5 Making the world but one Rome and one Caesar ? Shame, how they flee ! Caesar's soft soul dwells in 'em, These Roman girls !—dare they send these to seek us ? Twice we have beat 'em, Nennius, scattered 'em: A woman beat 'em, Nennius; a weak woman, 10 A woman beat these Romans ! Caratach. So it seems ; A man would shame to talk so. Bonduca [turning angrily]. Who 's that ? Caratach [coming forward]. I. Bonduca. Cousin, do you grieve my fortunes ? Caratach. No, Bonduca; If I grieve, 'tis the bearing of your fortunes; You put too much wind to your sail. [Bonduca stamps her foot impatiently.] Discretion 15 And hardy valour are the twins of honour, And, nursed together, make a conqueror; Divided, but a talker. 'Tis a truth That Rome has fled before us twice, and routed; A truth we ought to thank the gods for, lady, 20 And not our tongues. Bonduca. My valiant cousin, is it foul to say What liberty and honour bid us do, And what the gods allow us ? Caratach. No, Bonduca; So what we say exceed not what we do. 25 You call the Romans ' fearful, fleeing R...« less