Enter JANUS
JANUS
Chronos, Chronos, mend thy pace,
An hundred times the rolling sun
Around the radiant belt has run
In his revolving race.
Behold, behold, the goal in sight,
Spread thy fans, and wing thy flight.
Enter CHRONOS, with a scythe in his hand, and a great globe on his back, which he sets down at his entrance
CHRONOS
Weary, weary of my weight,
Let me, let me drop my freight,
And leave the world behind.
I could not bear
Another year
The load of human-kind.
Enter MOMUS Laughing
MOMUS
Ha! ha! ha! Ha! ha! ha! well hast thou done,
To lay down thy pack,
And lighten thy back.
The world was a fool, e’er since it begun,
And since neither Janus, nor Chronos, nor I,
Can hinder the crimes,
Or mend the bad times,
‘Tis better to laugh than to cry.
CHORUS OF ALL THREE
‘Tis better to laugh than to cry
JANUS
Since Momus comes to laugh below,
Old Time begin the show,
That he may see, in every scene,
What changes in this age have been,
CHRONOS
Then Goddess of the silver bow begin.
Horns, or hunting-music within
DIANA
With horns and with hounds I waken the day,
And hie to my woodland walks away;
I tuck up my robe, and am buskin’d soon,
And tie to my forehead a waxing moon.
I course the fleet stag, unkennel the fox,
And chase the wild goats o’er summits of rocks,
With shouting and hooting we pierce thro’ the sky;
And Echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry.
CHORUS OF ALL
With shouting and hooting, we pierce through the sky,
And Echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry.
JANUS
Then our age was in its prime,
CHRONOS
Free from rage,
DIANA
—And free from crime.
MOMUS
A very merry, dancing, drinking,
Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time.
CHORUS OF ALL
Then our age was in its prime,
Free from rage, and free from crime,
A very merry, dancing, drinking,
Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time.
Dance of Diana’s attendants
MARS
Inspire the vocal brass, inspire;
The world is past its infant age:
Arms and honour,
Arms and honour,
Set the martial mind on fire,
And kindle manly rage.
Mars has look’d the sky to red;
And peace, the lazy good, is fled.
Plenty, peace, and pleasure fly;
The sprightly green
In woodland-walks, no more is seen;
The sprightly green, has drunk the Tyrian dye.
CHORUS OF ALL
Plenty, peace, |&|c.
MARS
Sound the trumpet, beat the drum,
Through all the world around;
Sound a reveille, sound, sound,
The warrior god is come.
CHORUS OF ALL
Sound the trumpet, |&|c.
MOMUS
Thy sword within the scabbard keep,
And let mankind agree;
Better the world were fast asleep,
Than kept awake by thee.
The fools are only thinner,
With all our cost and care;
But neither side a winner,
For things are as they were.
CHORUS OF ALL
The fools are only, |&|c.
Enter VENUS
VENUS
Calms appear, when storms are past;
Love will have his hour at last:
Nature is my kindly care;
Mars destroys, and I repair;
Take me, take me, while you may,
Venus comes not ev’ry day.
CHORUS OF ALL
Take her, take her, |&|c.
CHRONOS
The world was then so light,
I scarcely felt the weight;
Joy rul’d the day, and love the night.
But since the Queen of Pleasure left the ground,
I faint, I lag,
And feebly drag
The pond’rous Orb around.
All, all of a piece throughout;
pointing {}} to Diana {}}
MOMUS,
Thy chase had a beast in view;
to Mars
Thy wars brought nothing about;
to Venus
Thy lovers were all untrue.
JANUS
‘Tis well an old age is out,
And time to begin a new.
CHORUS OF ALL
All, all of a piece throughout;
Thy chase had a beast in view;
Thy wars brought nothing about;
Thy lovers were all untrue.
‘Tis well an old age is out,
And time to begin a new.
Analysis
The Secular Masque exemplifies Dryden’s alacrity for creating poignant satires using classical allegories. The short scene was written as an addition to The Pilgrim, a Jacobean comedy written in the early 17th century. Although the characters in this short scene are all Roman and Greek gods, each one represents a specific facet of British history in the 1600’s. The term “secular” in the title is derived from the Latin saeculum, meaning “age” or “period–an apt title for a Masque marking the turn of the century. The fact that the poem refers to this period is revealed in the first lines, spoken by Janus, the Roman god of openings and new beginnings. He advises, “Chronos, Chronos, mend thy pace,/ A hundred times the rolling sun/ Around the radiant belt has run/ In his revolving race” (1-4). The 17th century was in many ways a trying time for Britain, which explains the desire of Chronos (a mythological personification of time) to “drop [his] freight” and prevent another century from transpiring (8).
The piece begins to function as a specific satire, rather than a general critique of “the load of humankind,” when the relationship between Dryden’s characters and their real-life counterparts is elucidated (12). The “changes in this age” are introduced as godly personifications of human leaders and historical events. These characterizations begin somewhat optimistically with the entrance of Diana, the Roman goddess of chastity and hunting. According to most critics, Diana represents Elizabeth I (the Virgin Queen) and James I (an avid hunter). Under the rule of these two monarchs, Britain experienced a period of relative peace and comfort. This is expressed in the four speeches immediately following Diana’s entrance:
“JANUS
Then our age was in its prime,
CHRONOS
Free from rage,
DIANA
—And free from crime
MOMUS
A very merry, dancing, drinking,
Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time” (37-40).
Dryden’s satire takes a more critical turn with the entrance of Mars, the Roman god of war. In a more obvious analogy than the former, Mars is made to represent the civil wars between parliamentarians and royalists that plagued England in the middle part of the 17th century. Mars explains, “Mars has looked the sky to red,/ And peace, the lazy good, is fled./ Plenty, peace, and pleasure fly;/ The sprightly green,/ In woodland walks, no more is seen” (51-55). It is interesting to note that within this speech Dryden has ensconced a criticism of the period of peace that was lauded earlier in the poem, by referring to it as a “lazy good.”
Finally Venus enters, speaking of a period of love after the wars (“when storms are past” [72]). In terms of British history, this amorous period represents the rule of Charles II–a ruler infamous for his entanglements with various mistresses.
These mythological symbols, although they correspond to historical persons/events, do little in themselves to solidify the scene as a satire of Dryden’s usual potency. What allows for Dryden’s laughing and critical eye to come through is the introduction of the character Momus, the Greek personification of mockery. He is often associated with poetry and satire, as exemplified in his position as a laughing spectator of the scene. In the words of Janus, “Since Momus comes to laugh below,/ Old Time begin the show,/ That he may see, in every scene,/ What changes in this age have been” (22-25). Although Momus generally disapproves of the saeculum in question (“Thy chase had a beast in view/ Thy wars brought nothing about/ Thy lovers were all untrue” [87-89]), he encourages, like Dryden himself, a lighthearted treatment of these issues: “‘Tis better to laugh than to cry” (20).