ARGUMENT.

THE play shows the Lady Alice, the Earl of Bridgewater's daughter, and her two brothers wandering through a forest on their way to their father's home. The sister gets separated from her brothers and falls into the hands of the reveller, Comus, son of Bacchus the wine-god and the enchantress Circe. Comus carries her off to his palace and tries to tempt her to drink the enchanted cup, and so become like himself and his enchanted followers. But Lady Alice will not be tempted either by that or by the other good things which Comus offers her.

Meanwhile the brothers are wandering in the forest looking in vain for their sister. The elder is sure no harm can come to one so pure and good as his sister, and calms his younger brother's fear. Then the guardian angel appears and takes them to the palace of Comus, which they enter just as Comus is again trying to make the Lady Alice drink from the enchanted glass. Rushing on Comus they drive him and his monsters from the palace but cannot release the Lady Alice from the chair to which she is held by a magic spell. The guardian Spirit says the brothers should rather have bound Comus and seized his rod, which would have freed their sister; but instead by an invocation he summons the water-nymph Sabrina, the spirit of the Severn. By sprinkling water on the Lady Alice's breast, and lips and hands, the nymph revives her, and the Spirit guides the children to their parents, who await them at the Castle. The masque ends with a stately graceful dance and morris dances.

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Attendant Spirit

Loose gauzy robe of rainbow colours; long skyblue veil

When the curtain rises the ATTENDANT SPIRIT is seen in centre of stage. She advances slowly, declaiming the first speech to rudience.

Atteniant Spirit. [Very slowly and distinctly.] Before the starry threshold of Jove's court

My manson is, where those immortal shapes
Of brighterial spirits live insphered
In regions nild of calm and serene air,
Above the moke and stir of this dim spot

Which men all Earth, and, with low-thoughted care
Strive to kee up a frail and feverish being,

Unmindful o the crown that Virtue gives,

After this motal change, to her true servants.

[Pause.] Yetome there be that by due steps aspire

To lay their jut hands on that golden key

That opes the place of eternity:

To such my errad is. But to my task. [Loudly, giving the narrativ with emphasis.]

A noble peer, of nickle trust and power,

Has in his charge, with tempered awe to guide,
An old and haughtynation, proud in arms:

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14

COMUS

[SCENE I.

Where his fair offspring, nursed in princely lore,
Are coming to attend their father's state,

And new-entrusted sceptre. But their way

Lies through the perplexed paths of this drear wood, [Looking about her and pointing to the background.]

The nodding horror of whose shady brows
Threats the forlorn and wandering passenger;
And here their tender age might suffer peril,
But that by quick command from sovereign Jove
I was dispatched for their defence and guard.
And listen why, for I will tell you now

What never yet was heard in tale or song,

From old or modern bard, in hall or bower. [Comes to the

front and slowly and distinctly relates the narrativ.]

Bacchus that first from out the purple grape

Crushed the sweet poison of misused wine,-
Coasting the Tyrrhene shore, as the winds lasted,
On Circe's island fell.

[Interrogatively.] Who knows not Circe,

The daughter of the Sun, whose charmèd cup
Whoever tasted, lost his upright shape,

And downward fell into a grovelling swine?
This nymph that gazed upon his clustering locks,
With ivy berries wreathed, and his blithe youth,
Had by him, ere he parted thence, a son
Much like his father, but his mother more,
Whom she brought up and Comus named;
Who, ripe and frolic of his full-grown age,
At last betakes him to this ominous wood,
And in thick shelter of black shades embowered
Excels his mother at her mighty art,
Offering, to every weary traveller,

His orient liquor in a crystal glass,

To quench the drought of Phoebus; which a they taste

Soon as the potion works, their human counenance,

The express resemblance of the gods, is changed

Into some brutish form of wolf, or bear,

Or ounce, or tiger, hog, or bearded goat