Querer por solo querer To love only for love sake : a dramatick romance : represented at Aranjuez, before the King and Queen of Spain, to celebrate the birthday of that King, by the Meninas, which are a sett of ladies, in the nature of ladies of honour in that court, children in years, but higher in degree (being many of them daughters and heyres to grandees of Spain) than the ordinary ladies of honour, attending likewise that queen / written in Spanish by Don Antonio de Mendoza 1623 ; paraphrased in English, anno 1654 ; together with the Festivals of Aranwhez.

The Prologue: (Called by the Spaniard The LOA, i. e. The Praise, because therein the Spe∣ctators are commended to curry fa∣vour with them:) Spoken by the Lady Isabella Velasco, and the Lady Isabella Guzman; the latter pulling the former in with her upon the Stage.

Vel.

I Will not forth with thee (that's plain) Child, thou tir'st thy self in vain.

Guz.

Isabel, thy Face, Life, Meen, Be now my Second, now my Skreen.

Vel.

I Garb? I Spirit? Beauty I? What, oblige me with a Lye? Skreen thee that Face, thy Mettle fine, Which second is to none, be thine. I joyn with thee in the Prologue? I with the Audience to collogue,

Stiling them Senate? Was I Born To Lead of Pigmies the Forelorn? There's Lady's work with all my heart!

Guz.

I, but, Velasco, take her part, Who of the Minikin Brigade The youngest is, the Lanspresade.

Vel.

Marry, a good, and mending Fault, But who must afterwards be sought To make me confident and bold? For, Guzman, neither am I old.

Guz.

Well, of the Play then I despair, Since with the Dames whatever's rare, Sprightful, Divine, is wanting all: For, no Dames, no Festivall. Unto whose Top-top-gallant Beauty To strike, is little Fly-boats Duty: Superlatives have there a Rise: Comparisons are odious twice.

Vel.

That Fear hath Reason on its side, But a worse matter I have spy'd: The pityous humane Poet, he Fears too, his Farce will tedious be.

Guz.

What a Fear that for the base Rout! What a misbegotten doubt! ("For Modesty may split it self "On a high Rock, or a low Shelf.) No, no, our Festival, howe're It in it self hath cause to fear, (For of Meninas even the name Speaks littleness) yet our great DAME

(Whom, were She not Divine all out, Heaven would have made a humane doubt) Making it now her Offering Upon the Birth-day of the King, It must for that be understood Both short and sweet, and great and good, That It is Hers deserves Applause: Effects are measured by their Cause. Chiefly so fair Porch being made Thereto; as such a Mascarade, In which the INFANTA'S Self would be, To grace the QUEENS Solemnitie, The KING too Her refin'd Gallant (For no high strain of Soul can want In one whose Body is so pure) What Favour doth not he ensure? It must be full as much at least As His Divine Sister exprest, With their two Brothers; All High Born: Children of Phoebus, and the Morn. The Dames w' are sure of to their powers: All then is safe, all then is ours: In so much Beauty, so much Glory.

Vel.

And the Forreign Auditory.

Guz.

Friend, thou wilt, drown in shallow water, Bespeak not Ills, things hap thereafter, My Life upon't, our Festivall To see, will hurt none of them all: Whip me, if of the Twenty four They feel not many hours creep slower.

Vel.

Away then with the Prologue, Wench: But beg not favour of the Bench, Nor silence: Nor whine out at first, Pardon our faults, (that Fault's the worst) Be out, nor praise the King for fair Beauty is perishable Ware, And I my Master would commend For parts alone which time will mend. Shape is the humane By of Kings, Who in the Main are God-like Things: Call me the Queen, French Flower no more, But in Field Azure a Sun Or; Now so much Native of Casteel That ev'n Her Soul is Spanish Steel: Nor Charles and Fernand Branches both Of the old Lawrel of the Goth: But Scyons of a better Tree In Paradice's Nursery: And of MARIA (Glorious Dame) Beauty without, lin'd with the same (Since ev'n strong Lines cannot afford To do her right) speak not a word, But let her praise to it self sing Like Bells that, without pulling, ring.

Guz.

Kings should be prais'd with reverence then, As they are Kings, not as they're Men; Their fortitude, and not their face; The sordid Flatterers Common-place: His Actions I will Celebrate; His parts, as they are parts of State;

Much of King, in Years but few; Spains Honour, and her Indies new, And his fair Spouse.

Vel.

That task is Fames: Begin.

Guz.

Still vailing to the Dames.

The Lady Isabella Guzman advances some steps, and begins the Main PROLOGVE, as follows.

WHilst Thee Great PHILIP (apprehensive Scholar, In the Great Book of GOVERNING well Read) The Nations Wonder, and Applause, proclaim In every Action of thy Life a King; Whilst on the Occidental Gulphs a Yoak, Whilst on the Seas of the Levant a Law, Thy Hand imposes, and thy boundless Valour Props Heaven, and Is the Bridle of the Earth: Whilst thou art like thy Great Grandsire, before The Worlds suspension, and thy thundring Ships To Northern Regions, Arm'd with Plates of Ice, Are fiery Mountains on their snowy Waves; And thy Iberian Flags (Victory's Wings) Both Germanies and Africk fear, and strike to: (For if of old their Valour made those bow, They do't by Custom and prescription now.) Grace the Solemnities of thy bright CONSORT Which strive in vain to equal the Occasion, So every way Majestick: A Perfection

Divine, the utmost stretch of humane Nature, And thou ISBELLA (fair even to the Soul, The Daughter of a King, whose valiant Hand More trusting to it self than unto Chance Hammer'd his Crown out with his Sword) receive With a benign and amiable Brow (It must be amiable) this small Earnest Of our Devotions; whom to see alone Claims Knees and Hearts, sat'st thou beneath the Throne: And thou, the pleating terrour of the Earth, In smooth Apollo's Spirit, Spirit of Mars, King of two Worlds, let thy good hap enjoy Another greater Empire in her Beauty.

Vel.

Live, Reign (High Princes) more than Time it self, And (fairer in your Virtues than your Persons) Drop Stars with Heaven: The blessed Progeny Of your Immortal Loves (your Beauties sparkles) Let Spain Adore, and in so great a Glory, PHILIP the Fifth expunge Fifth CHARLES's Story.

And you young Men, who by your budding Greatness Proclaim the Splendour of your Royal Cradle, Pave with a lofty and a radiant Foot The Milky Way. And thou (the Envy of the Goddesses) Illustrious INFANTA may thy Fortune

Equal thy rare Endowments. To be Fair Ah! let it not a woful Blessing be, Nor Beauty a desired Miserie.

Vel.

We two (Is'bellas) ISABELL Divine, Present thee one Play more, with more Refine, Fram'd and Endited by Earths greatest King, Penn'd with the fairest Plume in Cupid's Wing, Acted by Queens below, by Saints above; A truer Comedy, call'd, LOVE for LOVE.

Guz.

And may this Birth-Day [Ecce t' another Birth] E're next Spring do't with Flowers, perfume the Earth With a sweet Prince, like Him from whom He came.

Vel.

In FACE.

Guz.

In VIRTUE.

Vel.

In RENOWN.

Guz.

In NAME.

A Song After the Main Prologue, Painting the Festival of Aranwhez.

THe Flowers that most adorn Of Aranwhez the Plain (Following a black-ey'd Morn) A Laurel entertain;

Of flow'ry May the King, Apollo's gallant Son, He at His Fifteenth Spring Ware of the Field the Crown:

When His Seventeenth April came, Worshipping that Goddess yonder, Wonders wrought He in Her Name, But His Faith the greatest Wonder.

CHORVS.

O how deft, how sweet to boot, First handsome, and then light of foot; Tagus's Nymphs of best renown, To whom no Love nor Grief is known (Brighter, fairer) from Heavens Globe Steal away the Starry Robe, And the Earths embroider'd Gown!

OF all the World admires For rare, a fair disdain, Plac'd bounds to her desires, And that best object made her Eyes refrain.

How great, and how well plac'd, A Roses love? With Vse How well was it at last Paid by a Flower-de-luce?

Love from complaints is free: That we for once might find, Beauty may happy be, And Happiness be kind.

CHORVS.

O how deft, how sweet to boot, First handsome, and then light of foot; Tagus's Nymphs of best renown, To whom no Love nor Grief is known (Brighter, fairer) from Heavens Globe Steal away the Starry Robe And the Earths embroider'd Gown!

YEars (which deserve perpetual Spring, And which deserve to be his Years) Ioy them, He that loves the King; And adore them, He that fears.

Clasp let his early Valour on Strong and glittering Steel of Spain, Multitudes in whom alone Of Fernand's and Alfonso's Reign.

Never let him rust with Calms But His Hand purchase, His Hand cut As many Crowns out, and as many Palms As His Fore-Fathers tumbled at his Foot.

CHORVS.

O how deft, how sweet to boot, First Handsome, and then light of foot; Tagus's Nymphs of best renown, To whom no Love nor Grief is known (Brighter, fairer) from Heavens Globe Steal away the Starry Robe And the Earths embroider'd Gown!

The Final End of the Prologue.