His other Merits should refrain Were not this One sufficient Hector slain He Ilium conquer'd 't was but sack'd by you Our Parents Noble Praises We 'l pursue And his brave Acts for which that Praise is due Who knows not Hector in his Fathers Sight In 's Unkles Memnon fell by him in fight Whose Death his Parents Cheeks with sorrow pal'd And Morning's rosy Looks in Mourning vail'd Himself abhorr'd the fatal Precedent And learn'd that Sons of Gods were not exempt From Death Penthesilea too of All Our Fears the last did by his Valour fall A Virgin then might but his Due be thought Though even from Argos or Mycenae brought Priz'd you his Merits justly Can you move A Doubt yet or refuse his Will t' approve Think you 't is Cruelty to Peleus Son To offer Priam's Daughter when your own A Sacrifice to Helena was made For what even Precedent allows We plead Agamemnon 'T is Childish Weakness not to rule our Ire Others the Heat of Youth inflames This Fire In Pyrrhus is Hereditary We Have felt thy Fathers Rage and th' Injurie Of his high Threats have suffer'd heretofore ' The more thy Power thy Patience should be more Why with the Blood of a Young Virgin slain Seek'st Thou so Great a Leader's Ghost to stain 'T is fit this first We learn to know what e're The Victor ought to do the Vanquish'd bear No violent Dominions long endure 'T is Moderation makes a Throne stand sure When Fortune swells our State to an Excess 'T is Wisdom to restrain our Happiness The Turns of Chance and too propitious Powr's Still fearing Conquest teaching how few Hours Can to subversion bring the Greatest State Troy's Fall hath rais'd our Thoughts to too elate Too stern a Pride In the same Place We stand From whence she fell Once with too proud a Hand I must confess I bare my self but what Might have rais'd others Thoughts Success ev'n that Hath humbled Mine Thou Priam make me Proud Thou bid'st Me fear What but a splendid Shroud Of Vanity may We think Crowns to be Our Brows impaling with false Majestie Which Chance in one short Hour may make her spoil Without a Thousand Ships or Ten Years Toil. So slow a Fate attends not All. And Greece If with thy leave I may confess it This I 'le say I would have Ilium distrest Nay more subdu'd her Ruin yet represt But the hot Rage of an incensed Foe And Victory by Night obtained know No Curb What cruel or unworthy Fact May seem committed that Revenge did act And Darkness which does Fury forward thrust And the Victorious Sword whose killing Lust Having once tasted Blood 's ne're satisfy'd If ought of ruin'd Troy may yet abide After All This now let it stand secur'd Enough more than enough she hath indur'd That at thy Father's Tomb the Princess shou'd Be made a Sacrifice and with her Blood Sprinkle his Ashes or that yet so vile Cruel a Murder We should Nuptials style We 'l ne're permit 't is We must bear the Blame Who ought yet not forbids Ill bids the same Pyrrhus Shall then Achilles Ghost due Honours want Agamemnon Dues it shall have and every Tongue shall chant His Praise and Lands unknown resound his Fame And celebrate the Glory of his Name If yet his Ashes nought but Blood can ease Let that of slaughter'd Herds his Ghost appease But let no Blood be spilt to be bewail'd By wretched Mothers How ye Gods prevail'd Or whence did this inhumane Custom rise Of making Man to Man a Sacrifice Think but what Hate would to thy Sire accrue Should such dire Rites be to his Honour due Pyrrhus Thou insolently Haughty in Success As fearfully dejected in Distress Tyrant o're Kings does new-sprung Love infest Yet once again with suddain Flames thy Breast Does Agamemnon think that he shall still Thus wrong Achilles No know Pyrrhus will Or see this Victim offer'd to his Grave Or else a greater worthier Victim have This Sword here thinks it does too long abstain From Royal Blood and Priam's Ghost would fain Have a King's bear it Company Agamemnon 'T is true The greatest Praise that is to Pyrrhus due Is that he murder'd Priam whom his Sire Spar'd when his Suppliant Pyrrhus 'T is Truth entire We know 't that They who were my Father's Foes Were forc'd to be his Suppliants you 'mongst those But Priam was the Stouter of the Two He came in Person to petition You Not yet so Valiant as to supplicate Like a tame Coward chose to delegate Ajax and Ithacus to make your Prayer Whilst you lay sculking and kept close for fear Agamemnon But your brave Father fear'd not 't is confest He 'mongst fir'd Ships and slaughter'd Greeks could rest Secure unmindful of his Charge and run Upon his Lute nimble Division Pyrrhus Yet was great Hector who your Arms despis'd At sound but of his Lute with fear surpriz'd And in the mid'st of Terror and dismay His Navy yet in peaceful Quiet lay Agamemnon Yes the same Navy Priam durst to board Pyrrhus 'T is Kingly to a King Life to afford Agamemnon Then why a King did you deprive of Breath Pyrrhus There 's Mercy sometimes shown in giving Death Agamemnon So you 'd in Mercy Sacrifice a Maid Pyrrhus And such a Sacrifice can you dissuade Who offer'd your own Child Agamemnon Their Kingdom 's Good Kings should prefer before their Childrens Blood Pyrrhus Forbid a Captiv's Death no Law e're did Agamemnon What the Law does not is by Shame forbid Pyrrhus What likes is lawful by All Victors thought Agamemnon T' whom much is lawful to like little ought Pyrrhus 'Fore these thus vant'st thou who by Pyrrhus are Freed from the Bondage of a Ten Years War Agamemnon Breeds Scyrus such high Blood Pyrrhus Scyâ—…us which knows No Brothers Sins Agamemnon Which strait'ning Seas inclose Pyrrhus Yes Seas that owe us a Relation Indeed Thyestes noble House W' have known Great Atreus too Agamemnon Out thou Girls Bastard Brat Got by Achilles when scarce Man Pyrrhus Achilles who to the whole World ally'd Enjoys the Honours of the Deifi'd Who can a Claim to Seas by Thetis move To Hell by Aeacus to Heav'n by Iove Agamemnon Yes He who fell by Paris feeble Hand Pyrrhus Whom yet not any of the Gods durst stand In open fight Agamemnon Sir I could rule your Tongue And give your Boldness due Correction But that this Sword of Ours knows how to spare Ev'n Captives Let the Gods Interpreter Calchas be call'd and what the Fates command By Him to that We willingly will stand Enter Calchas Agamemnon Thou Sacred Minister who loos'dst the Bar Which stop'd the Grecian Navy and the War Whose Art unlocks the Heavens expounds their Laws And from Beasts Entrails Thunder Comets draws The sure Presages of ensuing Fate Whose Words We purchas'd at so dear a Rate Now here declare what 't is the Gods
and Captive make Thy Hâ—…r frightfully staring recommand To order by some curious Dressers Hand This chance may raise thee to a better State Captivity hath made some Fortunate Andromache Was this then only wanting to our Woes This To rejoyce when Troy in Ashes glows O time for Nuptials fit but who denies Or doubts to Wed when Helen does advise Helen the Bane the Ruin and the Pest Of either Nation See these Graves where rest Their valiant Chiefs These Fields 'bout which are spred The bared Bones sad Reliques of their Dead These these thy Marriage scatter'd with a flood Of Europe's best and Asia's bravest blood Whilst thou at ease saw'st both thy Husbands sight Careless on which the Victory should light Go then and for these Wedding Joys prepare For Nuptial Lights and Torches never care Troy's Flames will those supply Now Troades The Marriage Rites of Pyrrhus solemnize As they deserve that is with tears and cryes Helen Though mighty Grief no curb no reason knows But oft hates those are sharers in its Woes Yet 'fore a Partial Judge can I defend My Cause who suffer more than you pretend Andromache for Hector Hecuba For Priam freely mourns I closely pay My conceal'd Sighs for Paris 'T is severe Hateful and sad a servile Yoak to bear Yet that have I endur'd these ten years past Your Houshold Gods are sack'd Ilium laid wast To lose ones native Land is a sad curse To fear like me without Relief yet worse A fellow-sufferance does your Woes asswage 'Gainst me the Victors both and vanquish'd rage Whom you must serve Chance yet hath scarce design'd I 'me sure without a Lot a Lord to find You 'l say I was to Troy the cause of War And her sad Ruin Take what you infer To be a Truth if you can prove that e're A Spartan Ship me to your Coasts did bear But if by Phrygians I a Prize was made And to her Judge a Gift by Venus paid Excuse then Paris For our Cause 't will come 'Fore a rough Judge it waits Atrides Doom But now Andromache thy Plaints laid by A while to bow this resolute Virgin try I scarce can hold from Tears Andromache The thing is sad That Helen weeps for it must needs be bad But wherefore weeps she say what new Deceit What mischief plots Ulysses that grand Cheat Must from Idaean Rocks the Maid be cast Or from this Tow'r or yond' Clifts into vast Seas hurld where with his crook'd and ragged side Lofty Sygaeum does imbay the Tide Speak What beneath thy looks sly vail is laid No Ill but 's less than Pyrrhus to be made To Priam Son in Law and Hecuba What Pains what Torments must we suffer say For this from our Woes sum may well be spar'd To be deceiv'd To dye w' are All prepar'd Helen Would Heav'n the Gods Interpreter had doom'd Me to have dy'd and at Achilles Tomb By Pyrrhus furious Hand t' have fall'n that I With thy sad Fate Polyxena might vye Whom Thetis Son t' his Grave first victim made Demands for Spouse in the Elysian shade Andromache See how great joy does her high soul express At her declar'd death Royal Robes and Dress Now she assumes now yields t' adorn her head To dye she Marriage thinks but Death to Wed. Her aged Mother yet at the Report Is Thunder strook nor more can Grief support With this surcharge opprest Courage recall Your Life and Spirits Madam On how small A Thread hers hang how little will suffice T' ease Hecuba of all her Miseries She breaths and comes t' her self again I find Death to the Miserable is unkind Hecuba Yet lives Achilles to the Phrygians Woe Yet does he plague us Is he still our Foe O Paris feeble Hand his very Grave And Ashes thirst our wretched Blood to have Once me a happy Troop of Children round On every side enclos'd enough I found T' impart to all my Kisses nor could tell 'Mong such a fair and numerous Issue well How to divide a Mother Now there 's none Left me but this my sole Companion My Joy and Comfort in Affliction This this poor Girl The last Remain of all Hecuba's Race she only lives to call Me Mother Leave hard-temper'd Soul my Breast And this one Funeral after all the rest Remit at length to me She changes hue A show'r of Tears does her pale Cheeks bedew Rejoyce dear Child gladly Andromache Gladly Cassandra thus espous'd would be Andromache We We poor Wretches Hecuba are most To be deplor'd who must on Seas be tost Now here now there and God knows whither hurried She 's happy by Fates destin'd to be buried In her own native Land Helen You 'd grieve yet more Did you but know what Lot's for you in store Andromache Is of my Woes yet any Part unknown Helen The Captives Dooms th' impartial Urn hath shown Andromache Whose Slave am I Whom must I Master call Helen Unto the Scyrian Youth by Lot you fall Andromache Happy Cassandra whom Prophetic Rage And Phoebus from the Lot does disengage Helen She 's Agamemnon's Prize Hecuba Is Hecuba By any sought for Helen You a short-liv'd Prey Are to Ulysses 'gainst his will become Hecuba O who could be Dispenser of a Doom So cruel and tyrannical that brings Queens to be Slaves to those that are not Kings What God does so unluckily dispose Poor Captives What stem Judge unto our Woes Weight adding does so little understand To choose us Lords and with a rigorous Hand Deals such cross Fates to Wretches What dire Lot T' Achilles Arms does Hector's Mother put Given to Ulysses Now indeed distrest I seem with all Calamities opprest I shame at such a Lord not Servitude Must he then who Achilles Spoils indu'd Have Hector's too And must the barren small And Sea-girt Ithaca give me Funeral Lead Lead Ulysses when you please no stay I 'le make but follow thee my Lord. And may My own Fates follow me No calms assuage The angry Seas let them with Tempests rage May Wars Fire mine and Priam's Miseries Pursue you and 'till those Plagues come suffice It this is sure You have your Lot I yet Have rob'd you of all hop'd for Benefit But see with a precipitated Pace Where Pyrrhus comes with fury in his Face Pyrrhus Why stopp'st thou in thy Bloody Race Sheath in this Breast thy Sword Let Death in fine Achilles Father in Law and Mother join Go on thou Murderer of the Aged On This Blood fits thee To Execution Drag hence a Captive Wretch And by so vile Abhorr'd a Slaughter Gods above defile And Ghosts below What shall I pray for you Seas to such dismal Sacrifices due On your whole Fleet your thousand Ships like curse Fall I wish that shall carry me or Worse CHORUS TO those that Mourn 't is sweet Relief When Nations Sorrows eccho to their Grief Less felt is that Afflictions Sore Which numerous Sharer's mutually deplore Sorrow is like Infection loves t'obtrude It's-self
You faithful Consorts of our Woe Unbind your Tresses Let your Hair About your sad Necks loosely flow Powder'd with Troy's warm Ashes Bare Your Arms your Vestures slackly ty'd Beneath your naked Bosoms slide Down to your Wasts For whose Bed drest Vail'st Thou O Captive Shame thy Breast A looser Zone your Garments bind Your Cries with frequent strokes be join'd Hands prest t' assail Aye now you please Thus habited Now Troades I know you all Again renew Your mournful Plaints and strive t' outdo Th' Expressions common Sorrows vent 'T is Hector whom We now lament CHORUS Our Locks oft torn to wail the Dead See! We have all vnfilleted And 'bout our shoulders loosely thrown Upon our Heads warm Ashes strown Hecuba Fill then your Hands From Troy this yet Wee lawfully may take and let From your devested Shoulders slide Your Garments down on either side Now bared Bosoms call for Blows Now Sorrow All thy Powr's disclose Rhaetâ—…an Shores with Plaints resound And Eccho the sad Cries rebound Nor as shee 's wont ingeminate The last of Words but iterate Troy's Plaints entire that All the Main And All the Heav'ns may ring again Now let remorseless Hands infest With sounding strokes each suffering Breast W' are not with usual stripes content 'T is Hector whom We now lament CHORUS For Thee our Arms We beat and Blows On bleeding Shoulders thus impose For Thee our Heads these Strokes do bear Our nursing Breasts for Thee We tear The Wounds which since thy Death remain Yet green now freshly bleed again Thy Countries strength Fates Remora The tired Phrygians Only stay Troy's Rampart who upheld'st Her Tow'rs Ten Years against Assailing Pow'rs With Thee she fell One Day a Grave To Hector and his Country gave Hecuba Turn now your Plaints Let Priam too Be wept for Hector hath his Due CHORUS Receive our Tears twice captiv'd King Thee Reigning Fates no Cross did bring Single on Troy twice did she feel Herculean Shafts twice Grecian Steel When after All the Tragic Falls Of Hecub's Race and Funerals Of Princely Sons thy self in fine Did'st close their Tragedies with thine And to great Iove a Victim slain Troy's shores thy Headless Trunk sustain Hecuba Your Tears on other Subjects spend Ye Ilian Dames my Priam's End Is not to be lamented All Deceased Priam Happy call He to th' Infernal Shades went free Not thrall'd in Grecian Slaverie He ne're th' Atrides saw He never The false Ulysses knew nor ever Shall Bow his Captiv'd Neck a Prize In their Triumphed Victories Not shall his Hands which 〈◊〉 sustain'd A 〈◊〉 be behind Him chain'd Nor in Gold Fetters manacled Following the Victors Carr be led In Pomp through proud Mycenae CHORUS All Deceased Priam happy call Attended at his latest Fate With the whole Ruine of his State Who now in the Elizian Groves Delightful shades securely roves And 'mong the Pious Ghosts makes Quest For Hector Happy Priam Blest No less is Hee Who e're he be Who falling in Wars bloody strife Sees All things perish with his Life ACT II. SCENE I. Talthibius and Chorus of old Trojans Talthibius HOw long in Port the Greeks still wind-bound are When War they seek or for their Homes prepare CHORUS The Cause declare them and their Fleet detains What God it is that their Return restrains Talthibius Amazement strikes my Soul a trembling Cold Palsies my Joynts Prodigious Truths when told Are hardly credited yet these these Eyes Were Witnesses And now the Sun's uprise New gilt the Mountain Tops and Eastern Light Had clearly vanquish'd the whole Hoast of Night When on a sudden the sore-shaken Ground Breath'd from its Center a strange bellowing Sound Woods bow'd their Heads the sacred Groves with loud Cracks rung like Thunder breaking through a Cloud Stones from cleft Ida's Quarries fell Nor shook The Earth alone The Sea with Terror strook Th' Approach of her Achilles felt and laid Her swelling Waves Th' Earth yawning then display'd Her Immense Caves and from the Depths of Night Open'd a passage to Aetherial Light The Tomb disburd'ning whence the Ghost arose Of great Achilles Such when Thracian Foes The Prelude of thy Fates Troy he o'rethrew And the white hair'd Neptunian Cycnus slew Or when in Heat of Fight with strenuous Force Through Troops he charg'd and stopp'd the Rivers Course With slaughterd Carcasses while Xanthus Tide Seeking a Passage through did slowly glide Or such when Victor trailing by the Heels Hector and Troy born on Triumphant Wheels Then with this voice of Anger fills the Coast Go Go ye lingring Greeks and rob our Ghost Of it's due Honours weigh ingrateful weigh Your Anchors through our Seas to make your Way 'T was not with Trifles Greece did satisfy Achilles Anger nor a Price less high Shall she now pay Polyxena be wed T' our Ashes and her Blood let Pyrrhus shed This said he shrouds himself in Night and sinks To Hell again the Earth together shrinks Closing her gaping Clefts the quiet Main Becalmed lies the Winds their Rage restrain The smooth Seas move with gentle Murmurings And Triton thence the Hymeneal sings ACT II. SCENE II. PYRRHUS AGAMEMNON Pyrrhus VVHen Home you thought to Sail full Fraught with Joy Achilles fell by whose sole Arm fell Troy Whose All-ore-mastering Valour soon repaid The Loss of that delay which Scyros made And Lesbos that divides th' Aegean Flood For Troy's Fall doubtful still he absent stood Should you now haste to satisfy his Will Yet were it tardy Satisfaction still Now every Chief his proper share hath took For less Reward can so much Virtue look Merits he Nothing Who when charg'd to shun Wars Hazards his Life's Course he might have run In peaceful Quiet beyond Nestor's years Yet slighting his Disguise and Mother's Fears He himself Man by assum'd Arms confest When Telephus with barbarous Pride represt Our Entrance into Mysia his yet rude Hand in that Prince's Blood he first imbru'd Who felt with what a force the Same could wound Yet in his Cure that no less gentle found Thebes and Eetion by his Arms pursu'd Both tell His State and He at once subdu'd The small Lyrnessus Mountain-seated Tow'rs He with like Slaughter level'd by his Pow'rs Enobled by fair Briseis Captive made He Chryse cause of Kingly Difference laid In her own Ruins Tenedos renown'd By Fame and Cilla rich in fertile Ground To Phoebus sacred whose fat Pastures fed Large Thracian Flocks by him were vanquished What and those Lands through which Caycus flows Whose Streams augment by dissolv'd Vernal Snows These so great Slaughters Nations mighty dread Like Whirle winds through so many Cities spred Which might have been anothers closing Fame Were but his Marches Actions thus He came And in so many Glorious Conquests shaâ—…'d The Spoils of War while he for War prepar'd Though we
Valour none yet ever dy'd Whose Treacheries the Greeks themselves have try'd The Prophet and th' abused Deities Dost thou pretend No 't's thine own Enterprize Thou base Night-Souldier Thou whose Manhoods proof The Sun ne'r witness'd only stout enough To kill a Child Now thou may'st brag and say Thou hast dar'd something yet in open day Ulysses Enough the Greeks too well the Trojans know Ulysses worth but time we cannot now Spend in vain talk The Fleet does Anchor weigh Andromache Yet so much time afford us as to pay A Mother's last dues to my dying Boy And by our strict Embraces satisfie My greedy Sorrows Ulysses Would our power could give Thy woes relief yet what we can receive As long a time as thou thy self shalt please To part and weep Tears Sorrow's burthen ease Andromache O thou sweet Pledge of all my hopes the Grace Of a now ruin'd but once glorious Race Terror of Greece the Period of all Thy Countries Ruines her last Funeral Vain Comfort of thy wretched Mother who Fondly God knows of Heaven did often sue Thou mightst in war thy Father equallize In peace thy Grandsire but Heav'n both denies The Ilian Sceptre thou shalt never sway Nor shall the Phrygian Realms thy Laws obey Nor conquer'd Nations stoop thy Yoke to bear The Greeks thou ne're shalt foil nor Pyrrhus e're T' avenge thy Sire at thy proud Chariot trail Nor with light brandish'd Arms wilde Beasts assail In the wide Forests nor when e're it falls Shalt solemnize Troy's chief of Festivals And well train'd Troops in noble Motions lead Nor 'bout the sacred Altars nimbly tread And when exciting Notes shrill Cornets sound In Phrygian Temples dance an antick round A Death than Death it self more sad for thee Remains and Trojan Walls shall something see More woful yet than Hector dragg'd Ulysses Here close Thy mournful plaints immoderate sorrow knows No bounds Andromache The time we for our Tears demand Alas is small permit yet with this Hand I close his Eyes in life though not in death Dear Child although so young thou lose thy breath Yet thou dy'st fear'd Go thy Troy looks for thee Go and in freedom thy free Trojans see Astyanax O pity Mother Andromache 'Las why dost thou wring My Hand and to my Side vain refuge cling As when a sucking Fawn a Lion spies Or roaring hears strait to the Hind it flies Yet the fierce Beast frighting the Dam away With murdering Fangs seizes the tender prey So from my Bosom will the cruel Foe Drag thee poor Child Yet Dearest e're thou go Take my last Kisses Tears and this torn Hair Then to thy Father full of me repair Tell him if former passions Ghosts do move Nor Funeral Flames extinguish those of Love Hector is much to blame to let his Wife Enthrall'd by Greeks thus lead a Servile Life Though he lie still Achilles yet could rise Take from my Head again and from my Eyes These Tears and Tresses all that now is left Andromache of Hector since berest These Kisses to thy Father bear from me But leave this Robe that may some Comfort be When thou art gone to thy poor Mother this Did thy Sire's Tomb and sacred Ashes kiss So shall these Lips if any Reliques here Of their lov'd Dust yet unshook off appear Ulysses She 'll ne're have done Grief knows not what is fit Bear hence this stop of the Argâ—…lic Fleet. CHORUS WHat Seats shall We poor Captives find Where are our new Abodes design'd Planted in hilly Thessalie Or shady Tempe shall we be Or sent to Phthia's rugged Fields Phthia which stoutest Souldiers yields Or stony Trachy's fitter Place For Cattle of a hardy Race Shall us Iolchos entertain Proud in the Conquest of the Main Or Creet whose spacious Land is round With hundred of fair Cities crown'd Or barren Tricca small Gyrton Or Modon with light Bents o'regrown Or the Oetoean Woods Recess Which more than once to Troy's Distress Shafts Fatal sent Or must we store Thin-peopl'd Olenos with more Or unto Pleuron shall wego Pleuron the Virgin Dians Foe Or to fair-harbour'd Traezen get Or Pelion Prothous proud Seat Third step to Heaven where Chiron laid In 's Cell which eating Time had made In the Hills side oft us'd to whet His Pupil's Courage then too great By singing to his Harp's tun'd strings Battels and bloudy Bickerings Or make Caristus rich in vein'd Marble with various colours stain'd Or Chalcis plac'd on a rough Shore Where the swift Euripus does roar Or shelter in Calydnae find Easily reach'd by any wind Or Gonoessa which ne'r fails Of stormy Blasts and blustering Gales Or to Enispae shall we steer Which Boreas angry Breath doth fear For Sea-girt Peparethos stand Which lies 'gainst Acte's pointed Land Or seek Eleusis through the Deep Where silent Festivals they keep Or Ajax his true Salamine Or Calydon by a wild Swine His furious Mischiefs fam'd Or make For Bessa and Scarphe where the Lake Like Titaressus with dull Waves Creeping along the Vallies laves Or shall we at the last set down In Pylos Aged Nestor's Town Pharis Iove's Pisa Elis see Adorn'd with Wreaths of Victory Let any Winds our Canvas fill And bear us to what Lands they will So we poor Wretches Sparta miss That bred the Bane of Troy and Greece So we at least from Argos run So we the proud Mycenae shun So we in Neritos ne're plant Shorter and narrower the Zant. So we ne're reach the treacherous Bay And Shoals of Rocky Ithaca Who Hecuba can tell thy Fate Of Queens the most unfortunate What servile Hardships shalt thou try Where or in whose Dominions dye ACT IV. SCENE I. HELENA ANDROMACHE HECUBA POLYXENA Helena VVHere ever Hymen is unfortunate On whom sighs mourning blood and slaughter wait There Helen's a fit Auspex forc'd t' extend The Woes of ruin'd Troy beyond their End False News of Pyrrhus Nuptials I must bear Gems and Greek Habits for his Bride to wear Whilst circumvented by my treacherous Wile I Paris Sister of her Life beguile And beguil'd be she 'T is a Courtesy Unprepossess'd with fear of Death to dye Why doubt'st Thou to perform thy task On thosâ—… The Guilt of inforc'd Crimes lies who impose Thou Female Glory of the Dardan Race Heaven now begins to shew a friendlier Face To the Afflicted does a Mate provide Such as not Priam could in all Troy's Pride For thee to lawful Hymen's sacred Rites The Chief of the Pelasgian Name invites Who rules wide Thessaly Thee Tethys all The Watry Powr's thee hers will Thetis call The Seas mild Empress Pyrrhus marry thee Thou Neece to Peleus shalt and Nereus be Put off these sad and Festive Habits take Unlearn 〈◊〉 Captive art
upon a Multitude And counts it some content Not singly to Lament There 's none denies to bear that Fate All suffer under in a common Woe None thinks himself unfortunate Though he be so Take hence the Happy lay the Rich aside Whose Gold and Fertile Acres is their Pride The Poor will raise their drooping Heads There 's none Miserable but by Comparison To those by great Calamities o'retook 'T is sweet to see none wear a chearful look Sadly that Man his Fate bewails Who in a Private Vessel Sails And naked helpless and forlorn Sinks in the Port to which his Course was born Storms and his Fate he bears with evener Mind Wo sees a thousand Ships before him drown'd And all the Shore scatter'd with Wrecks does find Whilst Waves by Corus dash'd 'gainst Rocks resound Phryxus for Helen's single loss complain'd When by the Gold-fleec'd Leader of the Flock They both were took Brother and Sister on his Back And she in mid-Seas fell a help-less Wrack Deucalion yet and Pyrrha both refrain'd From Tears when they the swelling Sea beheld And nothing but the Sea that sweld Of Lost Mankind all that remain'd But these sad meetings these our mutual Tears Spent to deplore our miserable State The Fleet which ready now to sail appears Will strait dissolve and dissipate Soon as the Trumpets hasty sound shall call The Mariners aboard and all With favouring Gales and Oars for Sea shall stand When from our sight shall fly our dear-lov'd Land What Fears will then our wretched Thoughts surprize To see the Land to sink and the Sea rise When Ida's tow'ring hight Shall vanish from our sight The Child shall then unto its Mother say The Mother to her Child pointing that way Which tends unto the Phrygian Coast Lo yonder 's Ilium where you spy Those Clouds of Smoke to scale the Sky By this sad sign when all marks else are lost Trojans their Country shall descry ACT V. SCENE I. NUNCIUS ANDROMACHE HECUBA Nuncius O Horrid cruel cursed Fates What Crime Hath bloody Mars yet seen in Ten Years Time Like sad or barbarous where shall I begin With your Woes Madam Or yours Aged Queen Hecuba Whose Woes soe're you tell they 're mine each Breast Bears its own Griefs but mine 's with all opprest The universal sorrow None can say He 's wretched but he 's such to Hecuba Nuncius The Virgin 's sacrific'd and the Youth cast From the Tow'rs height Both brave yet at the last Andromache Relate the Series of their Deaths declare This double Tragedy I long to hear The sum of all my Griefs Speak then and show The entire complement of all my Woe Nuncius A Tow'r yet stands All now that 's left of Troy Whence bearing in his Arms his Ages Joy His little Grandson Priam us'd to view His Troops and order what those Troops should do Thence when brave Hector in that glorious Fight What time the routed Greeks he chac'd in flight With Sword and Fire to young Astyanax The old King show'd his Fathers valiant Acts. This noted Tow'r once our Walls chiefest Grace Now a curst Rock and a detested Place Huge crouds of Souldiers with their Troops surround A Sea-man scarce to guard their Fleet is found All thither flock To some a Hill does lend From far an open Prospect some ascend The Rocky Clifts and there eager to see On Tiptoes stand Some climb this neighbouring Tree Some that Th' adjoyning Woods tremble to bear The numerous Spectators Some there are Climb up steep Precipices some bestride Ridges of half burnt Houses others ride On pieces of the Broken Wall and some To see his Son's Death get on Hector's Tomb. Ulysses proudly stalks through all the throng As Way was made leading in 's Hand along The Princely Youth who makes no sluggish stop In this sad March but gaining the Tower's top Thence here and there with an undaunted Gest Casts round his angry Eyes Of fome fierce Beast As a young tender Cub not able yet To tyrannize with murdering Fangs does threat And vainly snarls and snaps and swells with rage The Princely Captive on this lofty Stage Like courage shows and from all hearts does force Compassion ev'n Ulysses feels remorse He weeps not yet for whom all else shed tears Now whilst Ulysses as injoyn'd prepares His solemn Speech and with set Pray'rs invites The cruel Gods to those more cruel Rites He nimbly of his own accord leaps down Amid'st the Ruin's of his State and Town Andromache What Colchian or what wandring Scythian Or Hyrcan bordering on the Caspian Main That knows no Law would such an Act have dar'd Cruel Busyris butchering Altars spar'd Yet Childrens Blood nor ever Diomed His Horses with the flesh of Infants fed who 'l take thy Limbs and give them Funeral Nuncius What Limbs could there be left by such a Fall His Bones were crush'd to pieces Nor one Grace Or mark was left in Body or in Face Resembling his Illustrious Father All Were utterly defac'd by the sad Fall His Neck was broken His Head 'gainst a Rock Encountring dash'd his Brains out with the knock Nought but a shapeless Trunk he lay Andromache Ev'n so Too like his Father Nuncius From this Scene of Woe The Greeks next weeping yet for what they 'd done To act another Crime as barbarous run In hast t' Achilles Tomb whose farther side Rhetaean Waves beat with a Gentle Tide Th' Extreams to that oppos'd a Champaign Ground Invests in th' mid'st of which a Vale is found From whose low Edge a hilly Ridge ascends And 'bout it like a Theatre extends The Shoar is covered with the numerous Press Some think this done in order to release Their Navies stop some look on the Design As meant t'extirpate all Troy's Hostile Line Most of the giddy Vulgar seem to hate The Act they come to see and perpetrate Trojans attend too and with fearful Eyes Expect the last of all Troy's Tragedies When strait as at our solemn Marriage Rites In head of all are born the Nuptial Lights Next Helen as the Brides sad Pronuba Comes with dejected meen whilst Phrygians pray So may Hermione wed and so may she Return'd with shame to her first Husband be Trojans and Greeks are both with Horrour strook When forth the Princess comes with submiss Look But Cheeks that dy'd in modest Blushes shine More Beautiful in this her sad Decline As Phaebus seems to cast a sweeter Light Now near his Set when the approaching Night Invades the confines of the doubtful Day The vulgar Minds are lost in strange Dismay Who as their Custom is always commend Those who are going to their fatal End Her Beauty some others her Youth as much Some the sense does of her chang'd fortune touch All her high Spirit praise that Death dares meet Fearless she outsteps Pyrrhus whilst to see 't Some quake some pitty some admire Now come To the Lands Point Pyrrhus his Fathers Tomb Ascends nor does