miserable prisoners were sometimes near famished none daring to relieve them lest the jealous King might have them in suspition Thus by this child of virtue and innocence gained they what they pined for food and comfort But behold the effects of mad melancholy it exâ—sperates the blinded Prince to this strange resolve He hearing of the immoderate joy and pleasure that the King his father took in his little Grandchild Fatyma being incapable of obtaining any better revenge vowes to rob him of that his Darling though hâ— wounded him through his own sides So strong and so sweet a passion is Revenge So that one time when his sad Wâ—fe and Son were sitting by him in comes pretty Fatyma with relief unto her Father by all actions of love and duty striving to shâ—w her selfe obedient Such time cuâ—sed time as this young Princess played about him the Prince called hâ—r who readily came to him to be mâ—de much of but see a hâ—rrid entertainment for instead of the embraces of love with admirable celerity and rage grasping her tender Neck with his strong and wrathfull hands whirling her about ere she could implore pitty the inraged Son of a cruell Father threw staâ—k dead upon the floor his own daughter Fatyma and in her the chief joy left to himself and his distrested Princess for the comfoâ—t of his revenge how sweet soever in the Act vanâ—shed with it the excessive delight of the aged King and sole ornament and comfort of all that Kingdom that seemed to enjoy the greatest of their condition for the Heir was with his Father buryed alive in a too early and unjust captivity His poor Princess with all the strength of her weakness seeing the Act struggled with him crying out to him that it was Fatyma that he killed little thinking he therefore killed her because Fatyma But he hearing his Son Soffie cry out too in blind sort pursued him who led by his better fate escaped down the stairs and was safe Fatyma dead begat as much sorrow and rage in old Abbas as alive she did love who now sends threats of terrible satisfactions as Famine Chains Strapadoes and all sharp and exquisite tortures to the inraged Prince his Son who by his Messengeâ—s returns his Father as many bitter curses hopes of better and more perfect revenge and wishes of whole Cataracts of miseries to poure themselves upon him In this Rage he spent two sad dayes and in the third with a Roman resolution gave a period to his sufferings in this world by quaffing off a cup of poyson to the confusion of his unnatural Father The sad Princess his Wife like a true Turtle surfeiting with sorrow mew'd her self up and since that time has seldom been seen by any Lastly Allybeg's Treason being discovered by a woman we end with the punishment of the Conspirators the Kings reassuming of the Princes friends into his favour and declaring of his Son Soffie Heir to the Persian Dignity after his Grandfather Abbas his decease which happening in the year 1629. the young Prince took upon him the Empire aged sixteen years hopeful and ingenious so fresh in memory is this sad story The persons of the Play EMIR-HAMZE-MIRZA'S Ghost ABBAS King of Persia. MAHOMETALLY-BEG the Kings Favourite BELTAZAR a privy Counsellour FARRABAN Courtiers creatures to Allybeg SELEVCVS Courtiers creatures to Allybeg ELCHEE A Duke vice-roy of Hyrcania MATZED Collonels and his creatures MOZENDRA Collonels and his creatures BENEFIAN Collonels and his creatures FLORADELLA The Kings Concubine OLYMPA Couâ—t Ladies EARINA Couâ—t Ladies OMAY Couâ—t Ladies CLOE Floradella's woman MIRZA The Prince SOFFIE a child his Son EMANGOLY Duke of Shiras and Lievtenant Generall of the Army under the Prince METHICVLI Noble men Officers in the Army fast friends to the Prince HYDASFVS Noble men Officers in the Army fast friends to the Prince ALKAHAM Noble men Officers in the Army fast friends to the Prince DORIDO a Page to the Prince VASCO Page to Emangoly NYMPHADORA The Princess FATIMA Her Daughter a Child IFFIDA The Princesses woman PAGES Seven MVTES Executioners Two THEEVES OFFICERS SOULDIERS CHORUS THE SCENE PERSIA MIRZA Act. 1. EMIR-HAMZE-MIRZA'S Ghost AND dost thou swim in Pleasures Tyrant still Or hast thou got a Patent to do iâ— When will the date expire hast thou not yet Contracted guilt enough that th' ponderous weight Of all thy Tyrannies Raâ—ines Murders fell May like a Milstone sink thee quick to Hell Are these too light leave thy Adulteries Thy Rapes thy Incests heaps of Perjuries And Ghomorean sports no sting behind Or are the Gods grown all like Fortune blind Or has dull IOVE no Thunder left Doth not 1. The murder of our Sire so soon forgot 2. And Me deserve a Bolt Sleep'st thou with what Philtries is thy strange Pillow stuft do not Ten thousand Furâ—es with their flaring hair And knotted whips of wire at thee still stare And threaten stripes Is our great Fathers Ghost Weary with haunting thee or us'd to 't do'st Account it now familiar and not quake If so behold I come from the dark Lake To be thy evill Genius and distill Into thy darker bosom deeds shall fill The measure of thy sins up and pull down With violent hand heavens vengeance on thy Crowâ— The foul Fiend aid thy councells and unto Thee dictate what he would but cannot do Discovers Abbas in his study Upon thy self and thine own Princely line Revenge our Fathers wronged Ghost and mine Inherit all my fury and obey What jealousie shall prompt mine did I say Alas vain voice how weak is that for thee The spirits of all unnaturall Fathers be Doubled upon thee 3. Act what the Mogull 4. And Turk shall start to hear what 5. th' Tartar shal Pitty what 6. BAHAMAN could not wish should be And 7. the Arabian will lament to see Faulter not in thy course now but pursue New mischiefs till no mischief can be new No cruell actions unlesse throughly done Are done secure Let not thy gallant Son Engrosse the subjects loves all his brave parts And deeds are Privy seales to take up hearts How will he stick arm'd with the strength o' th Land To snatch the Scepter from thy hated hand As thou didst from thy Father Such dire deeds Are still revenged with their like no seeds So fruitfull are as wrongs Who doth not thirst For Soveraign sway or who that may be first Is pleas'd with being second then do thou Begin with him and wait not the first blow But with a Sons and Grandchilds blood appease Fathers and brothers Ghosts What though thine ease Be bought with razing out the family And strangling th' hopes of all Posterity What need'st thou care so here thy race be even If when thou fall'st the Poles and studds of Heaven Be shiver'd the starrs quench'd thy house great names And all the world too with thee sink in flames Free villanies a hated reign assure And swords still drawn dire deeds dire deeds secure ABBAS The vow is
made nor shall thy flattering Fate O MIRZA contradict it though thy Troops Stood like a wall about thee nay though IOVE Presse all the Gods to guard thee and should arme Them every one with Thunder I would through I 'l tear the groundsells of thy Towers up And make their nodding spires kisse the Centre But I will reach thy heart thy heart proud Victor The power that I have climb'd to ere my time Cannot be safe if any reach too near it I feel my Crowns totter upon my head Me thinks and see him ready stand to latch them Was I a Prince born to the Persian greatnesse 8. Set equall with the Gods and as ador'd As is 9. the Sun our Brother and shall I Be bearded by a Son a beam of me And like a Cypher add but to his value I will hereafter call thee viper ever If thou canst lose thy filiall Duty I Can lose my Bowells and on thy ruines build A Pyramid to my revenge and safety I that would wrest an Empire from a Father And Brother will not lose it to a Son Still may he fear that dares not to be cruell ABBAS FLORADELLA WHo 's that Flo. 'T is I. Abb. My FLORADELLA Flo. Yes Abb. Enter my sweet welcom as earliest light To th' infant world and with thee ever bring A thousand Comforts to my thoughtfull breast But why doth sadnesse invade Beauties Kingdom And these faire eyes eclips their glorious He kisseth them splendour With vailes of melancholly is 't possible So firmly inthron'd in thy ABBAS Love That all the Gods should make thee know a grief Flo. Alas my Lord the peoples common theam Still grates mine ears no other voice is heard But MIRZA's praises the Gods hear no vowes No prayers but for MIRZA's safety who 's So dull a soul that cannot since he first Led out your armies count his victories As if all were Historiographers And for each blow he dealt return a statue Abb. I 'le kick their sandy fabricks into dust And rear a lasting one of their own heads 10 Higher then that in Spawhawn is to which Their Idolls own shall be the Cupola Flo. They all read Lectures on his actions Till out of breath they pause and then admire Till his encomiums hit the starrs and stick His Idolized name amongst them swearing The lustre of that one puts out the rest You my dear Lord they say lie wallowing here In pleasures and will one day take a surfet A good effeminate Prince whose only act Of worth is that you gat so brave a son Whom as the rising they adore for you They think have passed your Meridian And now are nere your setting Abb. Setting yet I 've heat enough to scorch them all to cinders And see they not the Sun ne'r look so bloody As when he sets Flo. Ah! but my noble Lord How can I look upon this pompous Palace Furnished with spoiles of nations the long train Of early clients that wear my Thresholds out Nay on your honored selfe my excellent Lord But as the Prisoner late condemn'd to death Doth on the pleasant meads the curled groves And silver brooks he passes by as led To execution These he alass must leave She weeps And well I know how dead Kings Paramours Are dealt by by their cruell successors Abb. Why dead why successour but why these tears Which I 'le drie up with kisses and revenge With as much blood of thy fea'rd enemies Be a good huswife of these pearles my dear Too pretious ere to spend ' lesse when I die Thou 'lt shed a few of them t'enbalm me with Who 's that It is the voice of Beltazar Flo. Or Mahomet Allybeg or both Abb. Sit still ABBAS MAHOMET ALLYBEG BELTAZAR FLORADELLA COme come my Lords I 've long expected you Mah. We met i' th way a stop a giddy stream Of people with broad eyes and right-up ears Powring themselves from all parts to 11 the Buzzarr The novelty made us too mixe among them What then made all this concourse â—â—t to hear A Panegyrick sung by hired Eunuchs In adulation of the valiant Mirza Abb. The mountain brought forth a ridiculous Mouse Flo. Heaven grant it proves ridiculous Abb. Heaven it selfe Can't make it otherwise Bell. There were all the deeds Of 12 your great ancestors from Mortys Ally Recounted not as copies to be followed But made as soiles to set off his the better And brought but by comparison to shew How his green valour conquers all example So said the flattering pamphlet Peleus name Stoops to ACHILLES and so SATURN joyes To be ore-topt by JOVE Abb. O most felt flattery Mah. And there exposed they his armed figure In a triumphall Chariot drawn by 13 CYRUS And great 14 DARIUS yoak'd with this inscription As the new Moon the light o' th old devours So do thy actions all thine Ancestours Abb. No more no more seem'd any man of name To countenance this fairy Pagentry Bel. No lesse then great Duke ELCHEE at whose cost It was performed he 's hasting down to 's charge I' th army this was his farewell to 's friends Abb. There 's musick in that voice would many more Of his rank durst oppose us There is gain In mighty rebells Flies and moths may buz About our beard and are not worth the notice Or if we crush them they but foul our fingers 'T is noble prey deserves a Princes stroak And by my Fathers soul they shall not want it Flo. Spoke likâ— thy selfe Mah. Heroick god-like ABBAS Bel. Let not my Soveraign doubt my proved faith That 15 would ope MAHOMET's Shrine at your command If humbly I play the Princes friend And urge but their objections as thus What ever glorious actions are atchiev'd By him or his redound to the Kings glory As all the souldiers to the generalls What common souldier ever gained a Triumph And yet what Generalls single valour conquer'd How then are you made lesse if he grows great Since all his greatnesse is not his but yours Do not the flourishing of the branches adde To the Trees beauty Abb. But luxuriant boughs Not prun'd suck too much moisture from the Tree Bel. What cares the Sea how great the Rivers swell Since all their pride flow into her Abb. But what The Sea doth get in one place in some other It loses and the more he wins upon Th' affections of the people the more I lose Minions too great argue a King too weak Maâ— Great Favourites should be set neare Kings as foiles To set them off not to vie lustre with them A Partner once admitted to a Throne Soon justles out the other th' snakes new skin Once come she casts the old one 16. No where are Two Kings in safety but in Tenerâ—ff And there the one is dead but one alive Bel. But 't is not known the Prince intends a danger Mah. It is not prov'd Abb. 'T is then too late when prov'd To be prevented Flo. Cockatrices eggs Must not be brooded over
their Ladies hand He ore himselfe triumphing first Dares chance and envy doe their worst And keeping still his own even height Fall Fortune heavie fall she light He 'l never make to th'standers by Too low a moan or haughty cry But wisely can her fawning slight And then as bravely scorn her spight Who can deny that such a one Possesses all things or wants none And which oth'two would you wish first Still to have drink or ne'r to thirst Ema Excellent morality O the vast extent O' th Kingdome of a wiseman Such a mind Can sleep secure when th'brine kisses the Moon And thank the curteous storm for rocking him Sof Come my good Lord METHICULI you and I Will sit and tell sad stories pray begin Nym. Ah me what storie canst thou hear can vie For sadnesse with our owne run ore the Roule Of Tragedies and write but NYMPHADORA And MIRZA for let 's nere be parted more And that 's the sum of all that grief can do Met. But my Lord SOFFIE I 've a plot to free you Sof Speak it and be my Deitie Met. And once out I can secure you where not all the force The Tyrant or the world can make shall reach you Sof But how shall I get out Met. Your sister Sir Has won much on your grandsires best affections So that if he love ought that 's good 't is hers And she comes often here to pay her duty To her dear Father O too much wrong'd Father Sof Nay pray no circumstance she comes what then Met. I 'd have your grace change cloaths with her and so You vailed may easily passe the guards and come Where I 'le receive you Sof How shall she get out Again Met. Sir 't will be quickly known to the Tyrant Who loves her so he 'l not be long without her He 'l send for her and with a chiding passe it Sof But wilt not turn his rage on my dear Mother He 'l not think this plot only FATâ—MA's And mine but hers Nym. I 'd suffer for thy good All th'Tyrant now can do the wasp has stung Me already and disarm'd himselfe if rest Restores the Princes senses we 'l advise With him about it How sweet securitie He now enjoyes O pleasant dreams slide softly Into him that he takes no wounds from you Present his silent thoughts with purling streams And hushing winds such as perfume the morn Then mildly as thou seiz'd him gentle Goddesse Resign him perfect so what was the gift Of relenting heaven we 'l ascribe to thee Mâ—r. Ah! wherâ— am I Iff. He wakes Nym. Pray heaven to health Here my deer Lord In thy sad spouses lap Yet compass'd with a ring of tâ—y best friends Mâ—r. That Ring is sorrows Crown and can it be That any will be friends to wretchednesse High mounted in the Courts and Armies head The Sun had not more Atomes dancing in His beams then I had followers in mine But even from him ecclips'd all shadowes vanish And shall mine then continue Nym. These are such As vertue not your fortune made your friends And will though fortune failes continue such Since your high vertue cannot ever leave you Em. If we lov'd and obey'd you when you stood In power both to do us good and honour Which then we never could requite unto you We ought to publish now our gratefulnesse When the world sees no hopes induce us to it Mâ—r. There gratitude spoke in her Angels voice Met. We have lost in you a Prince for to defend us A Father to care for us a Companion In all our joyes a Friend in all our wants And if we owe to your sad memory The pious dutie of our love and honour Shall we not pay them to your selfe yet living Mâ—r. Not living say but buried alive Hâ—d Treasure ith'mind is treasure still though trodden Ema Should we desert you now 't would basely prove We never lov'd your highnesse but your fortune Alk. Rather we never lov'd his Grace but Highnesse Ema Like vermine that suck of the living blood But leave the body soon as life Alk. The'more Love We ow'd you the more should we shew our hate To the accursed Author of our losse Let 's rouze revenge and arme all her dire hands With Thunder to discharge upon the Tyrant Mâ—r. Act act brave friends and leave complaints to women 'T will be more honourable for my Tombe To be sprinkled with my murderers blood Then with the tears of you my constant friends Nym. Now have I time to shed some Iffida follows her out but in private They truly mourn that mourn without a witnesse MIRZA SOFFIE EMANGOLY METHICULI HYDASPUS ALKAHEM PAGE O Let me not lie long in this sad durance Met. This justice to the world This duty to Our injur'd Prince This honour to our selves And terror to our foes do strongly plead for Alk. This will restore our glories lost and put A muzzell upon Tyrannies black jawes Hyd. How shall we effect it Mir. How and have not you The Power of the sword the Souldiery Ema Alas not we my Lord we 're all casheer'd Your highnesse was no sooner cheated from us And decoy'd up to Court to be undone But BELTAZAR comes down strong in commission To be my Collegue that is my superior We vexed at our injuries and losse Of you threw up all diligence and quitted Counsell or action when the minion shew'd Power to clap a peace up which was quickly Done on conditions fit for slaves not souldiers The Army all disbanded I call'd up Met with Arrest and banishment from Court Thus is their wrong secur'd by our weaknesse Mir. Shall we then tamely suffer my blind self Will grope out Vengeance yet and in deep makes â—ncize it on the Tyrants own dull head Ema O foolishnesse of Tyranny that the King Should arm his foes and thirst his own undoing He studies evill and seems lost to all goodnesse But for his love to your sweet FATYMA Miâ— And loves he her can vice then affect vertue Ema Sir her he doth embrace with all the powers Of a doting soul. Hyd. Has her still in his eye Nor ere seems pleas'd with ought but what she does Alk. He talks of marrying her to th' King of Arabs Mâ—r. Soft I 've a better match for her in store Ema We met his Proclamation as we came Stuft with invectives 'gainst your Grace and us Your Highnesse grew too great wee too much lov'd you Therefore the King must fear yea and remove you 11 My treachery to the English it alledg's That help't me to take Ormus when 't is known Themselves first broke conditions and enjoy Still Priviledges for their service there This is 12 the Costermonger ALLY-REG For his smooth tongue must the old King go mad And doat upon his foes when there is never A Jewell in 's Crown but is enamell'd Both with your Highnesses brave blood and mine Mir. I that so oft displai'd his bloody colours â—'th ' martiall field and bearded his