Have given me the tortures that devance it If I deserve this your inflicting hands Doe reach unto the shades lay it on there Hermione Irene is Eysicles yet come LY. Yes to counsell you to pacifie The gods you have offended by your cursed Arts The blessed Ghost you sent me too has told me Some sad effects on 't and in her name And cause have the gods hurl'd this punishment On thy foule soule and made my griefe inrag'd To madnesse the blest instrument of thy destruction Which does but here begin MO. You then did send the poison with the Present I receiv'd LY. Yes I did and wonder you durst tempt My just revenge unlesse you did beleeve You could confine the Revelations Of the best spirits your cursed Charmes Betray'd first and then inforc'd to leave Their happy seates to perfect the designes Your malice labour'd in MOO. What unknowne waies have the gods invented To punish me I feele a torment No tyranny e're parallell'd yet must confesse An obligation to him that impos'd it Good gods if I doe bow under your wills Without repining at your sad decrees Grant this to recompence my Martyrdome That he that is the Author of my sufferings May never learne his errour Sir if torments e're could expiate the crimes We have committed mine might chalenge your pardon And your pitty I feele Death entring me Love the memory of your Mylesia and forgive IR. Helpe helpe she dyes LY. If it be possible call life into her for some minutes Her full confession will obsolve my Justice IR. Bring some water here she does but swoone So chafe her Temples Oh Heavens what prodigy Is here her blacknesse falls away My Lord looke on This Miracle doth not Heaven instruct us in pitty Of her wrongs that the opinions which prejudice Her vertue should thus be wash't away with the Blacke clouds that hide her purer forme HER. Heaven hath some further ends in this Than we can pierce More water she returnes to life And all the blacknesse of her face is gone IR. PALLAS APOLLO what may this portend My Lord Have you not seene a face like this LY. Yes and horrour ceazeth me 'T is the Idea Of my Milesia Impenetrable powers Deliver us in Thunder your intents And exposition of this Metamorphosis HER. She stirres LY. Hold her up gently He kneeles MOO. Oh oh why doe you kneele to me LY, Are not you MILESIA MOO. Why doe you aske LY. Oh then you are MOO. My Lysicles I am by miracle preserv'd Though since the gods repent them of their succours Knowing me unworthy of thy firme constant love I never thought that death could be a terrour Too long acquainted with the miseries Pursue our lives but now the apprehension My grave should swallow thee makes me to welcome it With a heavinesse that sinkes dispairing sinners LY. Powre downe your Thunder gods upon this head And try if that can make me yet more wretched Was not her death affliction enough But you must make me be the murtherer Is this a punishment for adoring her Equall with you you made so equail to yee Pardon the fault you forc't me to commit So visible a Divinity could not be loo'd on With lesse adoration MOO. If e're I did expect a happier death May I dye loathed what Funerall pompe Can there be greater than for me to heare Whilst I yet live my dying Obsequies With so much zeale pronounc'd by him I love Tortures againe doe seize me LY. Eyes are you dry where such an object calls Your teares forth My bloud shall supply your place MO. For heavens sake hold his hands O my best Lysicles Doe not destroy the comforts of my soule What a division doe I feele within me I am but halfe tormented my soule in spight O' th' tortures of my body doe feele a joy That meets departed spirits in the blest shades LY. What unexpected mischiefes circle me What Arts hath malice arm'd with Fortune found To make me wretched could I e're have thought A Miracle could have restor'd thee to my eyes But they should see the joyes of Heaven in thee Yet now the height of my affliction is That they behold thee guilty of the close Of thine for ever see HERMIONE The countenance Death should put on when Death Would have us throng unto her Palaces And court her frozen Sepulchres IR. Sure she is dead how pale she is LY. No she is white as Lillies as the Snow That falls upon PARNASSVS if the Red were here As I have seene 't enthron'd the rising day Would get new excellence by being compar'd to her ARGOS nor CYPRVS AEGYPT never saw A beauty like to this let it be lawfull for me to usurpe So much on Deaths right as to take a kisse From thy cold Virgin-lips where she and Love Yet strive for Empire the flames that rise from hence Are not lesse violent though lesse pleasing now Than when she did consent I should receive What now I ravish MO. Dares not Death shut those eyes where love Hath enter'd once or am I in the shades Assisted with the Ghost of my deare Lysicles LY. She speakes againe good Heaven she speakes againe HE. You are yet living MO. And therefore dying but before I goe Let me obtaine your pardon for the wrongs My jealousie hath throwne upon your innocence 'T was my too perfect knowledge of my want Of merits to deserve made me doubt yours I meane your constant love which I will teach Below and make them learne againe to love Who have dyed for it LY. Doe not abuse your mercy and my griefe By asking pardon of your murtherer But curse your sufferings off on this devoted head To save the beauty of the world in you MO. Why should your griefe make me repent the joyes I ever beg'd of heaven the knowledge Of your love could there be added more Unto my happinesse than to be confirm'd By my owne sufferings how much you did love me And prosecuted those that desired my ruine Like Semele I dye who could not take The full god in her armes I have but one wish more that I may beare Vnto the shades the glorious title of your wife If I may live so long to heare but this Pronounc'd by Lysicles I dye in peace LY. Heare it with my vowes not to behold The Sunne rise after you are gone MO. O say not so live I command you live Let your obedience unto this command Shew you have lost a Mistresse LY. Can I heare this and live IR. My Lord our cares will be imployed better In seeking to avert this Ladies death Than in deploring it LY. You advise well runne all to the Physitian I Will my selfe to Arnaldo who gave This poison to me Let me have word sent to the Cypresse grove the minute she is dead Exeunt Draw in the bed Enter Lysicles meditating LY. If Life be given as a blessing to us What Law compels us to preserve it longer Than we can see a
feare Exeunt Enter Milesia Hermione Irene Physitian PHY. Madam my innocence will plead my pardon I could Not ghesse for whom my Lord intended it the truth is I feard considering his deepe melancholy he Intended to use it on himselfe and therefore meant to Make him out of love with death by suffering the paines Our soules doe feele when they are violenc'd from us I had provided Antidotes but could not till this houre Learne on whom it was imployed sure I was it could Be death to none though full of torment MI. Till I have farther meanes thanke you receive this ring HE. But Madam what did your poore Hermione deserve That you should hide your selfe from her Or are you the Milesia that were pleas'd To call me friend or is she buried By Pallas Temple truely beleefe and memory Opposing sence makes doubt which to credit I wept you dead the Virgins did intombe you Were we then or no deceiv'd MI. My faire deare friend you shall know all my story T is true my Uncle did designe my death For loving Lysicles for at his comming hither He charg'd me by all ties that were betweene us To hate him as the ruine of his honour And yet for some darke ends I understood not Resolv'd to leave me here I swore obedience But knew not what offence it was to keepe An oath so made till I had seene the Lysicles Which at your house I did when he came wounded From hunting of the Boare all but his name Appear'd most god-like to me you all did runne To stoppe his wounds and I thought I might see My enemies bloud yet soone did pitty ceaze me To see him bleed thus love taking the shape Of pitty glided unseene of me into my heart And whilst I thought my selfe but charitable I nurst my infant love with milke of pitty Till he grew strong enough to take me prisoner I found his eyes on mine and ere I could Remove them heard him say he 'de thanke his fortune For this last wound if 't were the cause Of seeing me then tooke his leave But left me speechlesse that I could not say My heart farewell after this visite our loves Grew to that height that you have heard of HER. The Groves and Temples and darke shade have heard Them mourned and celebrated by your friend MI. I had a servant unsuspected of me For none I trusted that observ'd our meetings And ghessing by my sighes that love had made them Betray'd them to my Uncle on PALLAS Eve He rusht into my Chamber his sword drawne And snacht me by the arme I fell downe But knowing yet no fault could begge no pardon A while our eyes did onely speake our thoughts At length out of his bosome he pull'd out A paper 't was the contract 'twixt my Lord and me And ask't me if I would avow the hand Heaven said I has approv'd it and the gods Have chose this way to re-unite our houses Staine of thy kindreds honour he exclaimes Was there no other man to ease your lust But he that was our greatest enemy Resolve to dye thy bloud shall hide the staines Of our dishonour HER. He could not be so cruell to intend it MI. He was for leaving me oppress'd with sighes And teares yet not of sorrow and repentance But feare that I should lose my dearest servant Commands his cruell slaves to murther me As I descended and least pitty should Create remorse in their obdurate hearts The lights were all put out then hastily My name was heard I then intreated her That betray'd me tell them I was comming And tooke this time to write unto my Lord She went but by the way was ceaz'd And strangled by those murtherers That expected me My Uncle heard Her latest groanes and now the act was past His power to helpe he wisht it were undone Brings lights to see the body and perceiv'd The strange mistake by signes and lifted eyes Confess'd Heavens hand was in 't yet would not leave His revenge here commands his slaves to change My cloathes with hers was slaine then takes the head off And on the Trunke did leave a note which told My death for loving LYSICLES in hope my ruine Knowing his noble nature would be his At mid-night quits this Towne leaving none behind Were conscious of the fact immures me in his house Till I escapt in that disguise I wore When I first came to you IR. Why did you not declare your selfe when you came hither MI. You were the cause on 't at my arrivall here I heard my LYSICLES should marry you And therefore kept the habite I was in To search unknowne the truth of this report And practiz'd in the private actions of some neere friends Got an opinion I could presage The future thus was I sought by you Thus found the faith of my deare LYSICLES When at the Tombe I did appeare his ghost And had reveal'd my selfe had not the shame Of doubting such a faith kept my desires in HER. Then he dissembled when he made love to me MI. He did forgive it him 't was for his friend HER. I am sorry for it MI. How my deare friend HER. Nay it is true Enter LYSICLES EVGENIO EVGENIO and he are of such equall tempers I shall suspect he has dissembled too MI. Oh you are pleasant Here comes my Lord LY. Is there a wish beyond this happinesse When I embrace thee thus I will not aske Thy Story now it is enough to know That you are living MI. The gods have made this tryall in my sufferings If I deserv'd so great a blessing I have but one griefe left LY. Is that word yet not earth MI. Yes but it springs from an excessive joy Of finding such admired worth in you What I hereafter shall doe in your service Must weare the name of Gratitude not Love LY. No my MILESIA Mine was the first ingagement and the gods Made thee so excellent to keepe on earth Love that was flying hence finding no object Worthy to fixe him here HER. No more EVGENIO if your words could adde Expressions to your love you had not had So much of mine and after I have tryed Your faith so many waies it would appeare Ingratitude not modesty to shew a Mistresse coldnesse EU. May I beleeve all advantagious words Or may I doubt them seeing they come from you Who are all truth I will not speake How undeserving I am of these favours Because I will not wrong the Election Your gracious pitty forceth on your Iudgement LY. Our joyes doe multiply but my deare friend I have yet something that will adde to yours My Father 's call'd to Court and you are left Governor in his place this I know will make Lord PINDARVS consent to both your wishes Your pardon Madam and when you lye embrac't With your EVGENIO tell him if my faith Had not the double tye of Friend and Mistresse A single one had yeelded to the hopes Enter Of the enjoying you Here