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A54921
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Piso's conspiracy, a tragedy acted at the Duke's theatre
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Lee, Nathaniel, 1653?-1692. Nero, Emperor of Rome.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing P2285; ESTC R4724
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29,678
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62
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Care belongs to me I will have care of them and of their Good Let 'em thank me if I Through this Occasion Procure for them so great a Donative Exâ—… Nimph. Ant. So you be thank'd it Skill's who prevails Galba or Nero Traitor to 'em both You give it out that Nero's fled to Egypt Who with the Frights of your Reports amaz'd By our Device does lurk for better News Whil'st you inevitably do betray him Works he all this for Galba then 〈◊〉 Not so I have long seen his Climbing to the Empire By Secret Practises of Gracious Women And other Instruments of the Late Court That was his Love to her that me resus'd And now by this he would give the Souldiers Favour Now is the time to quit Poppea's Scorn And Revenge my self upon my Rival I 'le straight Reveal His Treacheries to Galba's Agents here Exit Enter Tigellinus and Guards Tig. You see what Issue things are come too Yet may we hope not only Impunity But with our Fellows part o' th' Guilt proclaim'd Enter Nero alone Ner. Whither go you Stay my Friends 'T is Caesar calls stay my Loving Friends Tig. We were his Slaves his Foot-stool and must Câ—…ouch But now with such Observance to his Feet It is his Misery that he calls us Friends Ner. And moves you not the Misery of a Prince O stay my Friends stay and hearken to the Voice Which once you knew Tig. Hark to the People's Cries Hark to the Streets that Galba Galba rings Ner. The People may sorsake me without Blame I did 'em wrong to make you Rich and Great I took their Houses to bestow on you Treason in them has name of Liberty Your Fault has no Excuse you are my Fault And the Excuse of other's Treachery Tig. Shall we with staying seem to uphold his Tyrannies As if we were in Love with them Come let 's away Exeunt Tigellinus and Guards Ner. O now I see the Vizard from my Face So lovely and so fearful is fall'n off That Vizard Shaddow nothing Majesty Which like a Child acquainted with his Fears But now Men tremble at and now contemn Nero forsaken is of all the World The World of truth O sall some Vengeance Down Equal unto their Falsh-hoods and my Wrongs Might I accept the Chariot of the Sun And like another Phaeton Consume In Flames of all the World a Pile of Death Worthy the State and Greatness I have lost Or were I now but Lord of my own Fires Where in False Rome yet once again might Smoak And Perish all unpityed of the Gods That all things in their Last Destruction Might Perform a Funeral Honour to their Lord. O Jove Dissolve with Caesar Caesar's World Enter Neophilus and Epaphroditus Neop Though other 's bound with greater Benefits Have left your Altered Fortunes and do run Whither new Hopes do call 'em yet come we Ner. O welcom Come you to Adversity Welcom true Friends why there is Faith on Earth Of Thousand Servants Friends and Followers Yet two are left Your Countenance me-thinks Gives Comfort and new Hopes â—…pap Do not deceive your Thoughts My Lord we bring no Comfort Would we could But the Last Duty to perform and best We ever shall a free Death to perswade To cut off Hopes of Fiercer Cruelty And Scorn more Cruel to a Worthy Soul Neop The Senate has decreed your Punishment After the Fashion of our Ancestors Which is your Neck being locked in a Fork You must be Whipt and Scourg'd to Death Ner. The Senate thus decreed They that so oft My Vertues flatter'd have and Gifts of mine My Government prefer'd to Ancient Times And challeng Numa to compare with me Have they so Horrible an End sought out No here I bear That which shall prevent such Shame Draws a Dagger This hand shall yet from that deliver me And Faithful be alone unto it's Lord. Alas how sharp and terrible is Death O must I dy must now my Senses close For ever dy and ne'r return again Never more see the Sun nor Heaven nor Earth Whither go I What shall I be anon What Horrid Journey wand'rest thou my Soul Under the Earth in Dark Damp Dusky Vaults Or shall I now to nothing be dissolv'd My Fear 's become my Hopes O would I might Me thinks I see the Boyling Phlegeton The Dread and Terrour of the Gods themselves The Furies arm'd with Lincks with Whips with Snakes And my own Furies far more mad than they My Mother and those Troops of Slaughter'd Friends And now the Judge is brought unto the Throne That will not lean unto Authority Nor favour the Oppressions of the Great Stabs himself Epap They are at hand Hark you may hear the Noise A Shout of Long live Galba Emperour of Rome Ner. O Rome fare-well Fare-well you Theaters Where I so oft with Popular Applause Have won that Glory which must shine no more Dies Enter Romans with Nimphidius bound Roâ—… Thus dy all Tyrants Let the News be Carried To my Great Master And the Tyrant's Body Thrown into Tyber Let th' Aspiring Traitor Nimphidius straight to Galba be convey'd To undergo the Vengeance due to Rebels Nero the Nobler Criminal has the Nobler Destiny Tyrants by Conquest have their Fall Decreed But Traitours should by Execution Bleed Exeunt FINIS EPILOGUE IT is a Trick of late grown much in Vogue When all are Kill'd to raise an Epilogue This some Pert Rymer wittily contriv'd For a Surprize whil'st the Arch Wag believ'd 'T would please You to see Pretty Miss reviv'd But Gentlemen the Case is alter'd new We may be Dead and Damn'd too for all You And therefore just as my Poor Ghost came down All the Elizian Shades began to frown Told me that I must there expect no Grace Till I return'd to You and made my Peace Faith it is very hard you cannot be Content to vex our frail Mortality Damne all Our Plays call Us Dull Jades and Fools That might content You Would You Damne Our Souls I Gad we 'l ne'r endur 't I 'le tell You that To be thus us'd at this ill natur'd Rate Nay ne'r begin to bite your Lips and Fume Not one of Us but may be found at Home If You 'l have Satisfaction when We 're there We are Ready for You and come faith if You dare
PISO'S CONSPIRACY A Tragedy Acted at the DUKE's THEATRE LONDON Printed by T. M. for W. Cademan at the Popes-Head in the Lower-Walk of the New-Exchange in the Strand 1676. PROLOGUE IN Plays it has been a long Practis'd Cheat To make large Bills of Fare t'aslender Treat So have You seen a Huge Large Sheet appear In Praise o' th' Beauty of Miss-Non-so-Fair But We more Modestly intend t' abuse You Wee 'l tell You before-hand how ill Wee 'l use You. Expect to see a Wond'rous Sight as rare As Indian Elephant or Norwich-Bear Expect grave Strut big Looks and thund'ring Speeches From Hero made up by the Force of Breeches Aye and a good Sbift too For under the Rose Whil'st we look big by Vertue of Our Cloaths And Hero like talk what We cannot do We 're much such Blusterers as some of You. Besides Our Men Players are out of Heart Of being seen in an Heroick Part What with Prince Nick and t'other House Gallants They have run Hero's out of Countenance We for Heroick's then 'T is Our last Plot And Gentlemen like Us or like Us not All 's one For Gallants We have tryed all Arts From a Sir Martin to a Man of Parts And all won't do therefore We are so hardn'd By the Critiques Rage that past all hopes of Pardon Do well or ill We are resolved to tease You And 't is high time when all Our Tricks can't please You. Actors Names Nero Emperour of Rome Nimphidius A Noble Man of Rome and Favourite to Poppea Tigellinus Nero's Creditour Neophilus Epophiriditus Petronius Courtiers Antonius in Love with Poppea Flavius A Commander in the Army Piso Seneca Lucan Scevinus Senators and Noble Men of Rome Memicus Scevinus's Free-Man Three Romans  Poppea The Empresse Pages Guards and Attendants SCENE ROME Piso's CONSPIRACY ACTUS PRIMUS Enter Petronius and Antonius Petronius TAke the Wench I shew'd thee now or else go seek some other What can your Choller no way be allay'd But with Imperial Titles Anto. Great are thy Fortunes Nero great thy Power Thy Empire Limited with Natures bounds Upon thy Ground the Sun doth Set and Rise The Day and Night are thine Nor can the Planets wander where they will See that Proud Earth that fears not Casars Name Yet nothing of all this I envy thee But her to whom the World unforc't Obeys Whose Eye 's more Worth than all it looks upon That are through the Wide Earth or Heaven dispos'd Pet. Indeed she steals and robs each part oth'World With borrow'd Beauties to enflame the Eye The Sea to fetch her Pearl is div'd into The Diamond Rocks are cut to make her shine To Plume her Pride the Birds do naked sing When my Euanthe in a Homely Gown Ant. Homely I Faith Pet. I Homely in her Gown But look upon her Face and that 's set out With no small Grace no vailed Shadow's there Enter Poppea Royally Attended who Passes over the Stage in State Ant. Great Queen whom Nature made to be her Glory Fortune got Eyes and came to be thy Servant Honour is Proud to be thy Title though Thy Beauties do draw up my Soul Yet still So Bright so Glorious is thy Majesty That it beats down again my Climbing Thoughts Pet. That 's true But give me a Wench that will be easily had Not Woed with Cost And being sent for comes And when I have her folded in my Arms Then Cleopâ—…tra she or Lucrecis I 'le give her any Title Ant. Yet not so much her Greatness and Estate My Hopes dishearten as her Chastity Pet. Chastity Fool a word not known in Courts Well may it lodge in Mean and Country Homes Where Poverty short Sleep and Labour keeps'em down But never comes to Great Men's Palaces Where Ease and Riches stirring Thoughts beget Provoking Meats and Surseit VVines inflame Where all their setting forth 's but to be Weed And Woed they would not be but to be won Will one Man serve Poppea Nay thou shalt Make her as soon Contented with an Eye Enter Nimphidius Nim. Whilst Nero in the Streets his Pageants shews I am sent for to his Fair Wife's Chamber You Gracious Stars that smil'd upon my Birth And thou Bright Star more Powerful than them all Whose Favouring Smiles have made me what I am Exit Nim. Ant. How Sawcily you Fellow Enters the Empresse Chamber 1 Pet. I and her too Antonius knowest thou him Ant. What! know the only Favorite of the Court Indeed not many dayes ago thou mightest Have not unlawfully Ask'd that Question Pet. Why Is he Rais'd Ant. That I have sought in him But never Piece of Good Desert could find He is Nimphidia's Son the Free'd Woman Which baseness to shake off he nothing has But his own Pride Pet. You remember when Gallus Celsus And others too though now forgotten were Great in Poppea's Eyes Ant. I do and did interpret it in them An Honourable Favour she bore to Vertue Or Parts like Vertue Pet. Faith 'T is my Opinion then the Fault was their's That their better Qualities were ne'r understood I once was great in wavering Smiles of Court I fell because I knew since I have given My time to my own Pleasures and would now Advise thee too to mean and safe Delight 's The Skin 's as soft which the Sheep's Back covers As that with Crimson and with Gold Adorn'd Yet 'cause I see that thy Restrain'd Desires Cannot their own Way chuse along with me And by my President Converted be Exeunt Enter Three Romans 3. Rom. Whither go You all 's done I'th'Capitol And Nero having there his Tables hung And Garlands up is to the Palace gon 'T was beyond Wonder I shall never see Nay I never Look to see the like again Eighteen Hund'red and Eight Crowns For several Victories and the Place set down Where and in What and Whom he Over came 2 Ro. That was set down I'th'Tables that were born Upon the Souldiers Spear's 1 Ro. The Romans were once used for other Ends. But did he Win them all with Singing 3 Ro. Faith all with Singing and with Stage-Playing 1 Ro. So many Crowns got with a Song 3 Ro. Had you been there you had seen the Greek Musicians Behind the Chariot Hanging down their Heads Sham'd and o're-come in their Professions O! Rome was never Honour'd so before 2 Ro. But what was he that Rode I'th'Chariot with him 3 Ro. That was Diodorus the Minstrel that he favours 1 Ro. Was there ever such a Prince 2. Ro. O Nero Augustus the true Augustus 3. Ro. Nay had you seen him as he Rode along With an Olympick Crown upon his Head And with a Pythian on his Arm You would have thought Looking on one he had Apollo seem'd On th' other Hercules 1 Ro. I have heard my Father ost repeat the Triumphs Which in Augustus Caesar's tlmes were shown Upon his Victory o're the Illirians But it seems it was not like to this 3 Ro. Push it could nor be like this 2 Ro. O Nero