Citizens 1. Cit. WHither oh whither shall we fly for Safety Already reeking Murther 's in our Streets Matrons with Infants in their Arms are butcher'd And Rome appears one noisome House of slaughter 2. Cit. Hear us ye Gods and pity our Calamities Stop stop the Fury of this cruel Tyrant Or send your Thunder forth to strike us dead E're our own Slaves are Masters of our Throats 1. Cit. Ruine draws near us Oh my Friend let 's fly To th' Altars of our Gods and by the hands Of one another dy as Romans ought Exeunt Enter Ancharius the Senatour and his Grandson Child Hide me my Grandsire the ugly men are coming That kill'd my Mother and my Sister Thesbie Will they kill you and me too Anch. Oh my Child I cannot hide thee nor know what to doe Derepit Age benums my weary Lims I can't resist nor fly .... Child Then here we 'll sit Perhaps they 'll not come yet or if they do I 'll fall upon my Knees and beg your Life I am a very little harmless Boy And when I cry and talk and hang about 'em They 'll pity sure my Tears and grant me all Enter several Old men in black with Cypress Wreaths leading Virgins in white with Myrtle who kneel before the Tribunal Then enters Marius senior as Consul Lictors Sulpitius and Guards Mar. sen. I thank ye Gods ye have restor'd me now Mounts the Tribunal What Pageantry is this Sulpitius here Remove these Slaves and bear 'em to their Fates 1. Old man We come not for our selves but in the name Of Rome to offer up our Lives for all Pity a wretched State thou raging God And let loose all thy dreadfull Fury here Mar. sen. I know ye all great Senatours ye are The Heads and Patrons of Rebellious Rome Ye can be humble when Affliction galls ye And with that Cheat at any time ye think To charm a generous Mind though ye have wrong'd it False are your Safeties when indulg'd by Pow'r For soon ye fatten and grow able Traitours False are your Foars and your Afflictions falser For they cheat you and make you hope for Mercy Which you shall never gain at Marius's hands Who trusts your Penitence is more then Fool. Rebellion will renew ye can't be honest Y' are never pleas'd but with the Knaves that cheat you And work your Follies to their private ends For your Religion like your Cloaths you wear it To change and turn just as the Fashion alters And think you by this solemn piece of Fooling To hush my Rage and melt me into Pity Advance Sulpitius old Ancharius there Who was so violent for my Destruction That his Beard brussled as his Face distorted Away with him Dispatch these Triflers too But spare the Virgins 'cause mine Eyes have seen 'em Or keep 'em for my Warriours to rejoice in Anch. Thou who wert born to be the Plague of Rome What wouldst thou doe with me Mar. sen. Dispose thee hence Amongst the other Offall for the jaws Of hungry Death till Rome be purg'd of Villains Thou dy'st for wronging Marius Child Oh my Lord For you must be a Lord you are so angry For my sake spare his Life I have no Friend But him to guard my tender years from Wrongs When he is dead what will become of me A poor and helpless Orphan naked left To all the Ills of the wide faithless world Mar. sen. Take hence this Brat too mount it on a Spear And let it sprawl to make the Grandsire sport Child Oh cruel man I 'll hang upon your Knees And with my little dying Hands implore you I may be fit to doe you some small pleasures I 'll find a thousand tender ways to please you Smile when you rage and stroak you into Mildness Play with your manly Neck and call you Father For mine alas the Gods have taken from me Mar. sen. Young Crocodile Thus from their Mothers Breasts Are they instructed bred and taught in Rome For that old Paralitick Slave dispatch him Let me not know he breaths another moment But spare this 'cause 't has learnt its Lesson well And I 've a Softness in my heart pleads for him Enter Messenger Well now Mess. Metellus Mar. sen. Hah Metellus what Mess. Is found Mar. sen. Speak where Mess. In an old Suburb Cottage Upbraiding Heav'n and cursing at your Fortune Mar. sen. Haste let him be preserv'd for my own Fury Clap clap your hands for joy ye Friends of Marius Ten thousand Talents for the news I 'll give thee The Core and Bottom of my Torment 's found And in a moment I shall be at ease Rome's Walls no more shall be besmear'd with Bloud But Peace and Gladness flourish in her Streets Le ts go Metellus we have found Metellus Let every Tongue proclaim aloud Metellus Till I have dasht him on the Rock of Fate Then be his Name forgot and heard no more Exeunt SCENE a Church-yard Enter Marius junior Mar. jun. AS I have wander'd musing to and fro Still am I brought to this unlucky place As I had business with the horrid Dead Though could I trust the flattery of Sleep My Dreams presage some joyfull news at hand My Bosome's Lord fits lightly on his Throne And all this day an unaccustom'd Spirit Lifts me above the ground with chearfull thoughts I dream'd Lavinia came and found me dead And breath'd such Life with Kisses on my Lips That I reviv'd and was an Emperour Enter Catulus Catul. My Lord already here Mar. jun. My trusty Catulus What News from my Lavinia speak and bless me Catul. She 's very well .... Mar. jun. Then nothing can be ill Something thou seem'st to know that 's terrible Out with it boldly man What canst thou say Of my Lavinia Catul. But one sad word She 's dead Here in her Kindreds Vault I 've seen her laid And have bin searching you to tell the News Mar. jun. Dead is it so then I deny you Stars Go hasten quickly get me Ink and Paper 'T is done I 'll hence to night Hast thou no Letters to me from the Priest Catul. No my good Lord. Mar. jun. No matter get thee gone ..... Ex. Catulus Lavinia yet I 'll ly with thee to night But for the means Oh Mischief thou art swift To catch the straggling Thoughts of Desp'rate men I do remember an Apothecary That dwelt about this Rendezvous of Death Meager and very rufull were his Looks Sharp Misery had worn him to the Bones And in his needy Shop a Tortoise hung An Allegator stufft and other Skins Of ill-shap'd Fishes and about his Shelves A beggarly account of empty Boxes Green earthen Pots Bladders and musty Seeds Remnants of Packthread and old Cakes of Roses Were thinly scatter'd to make up a Show Oh for a Poison now his Need will sell it Though it be present Death by Roman Law As I remember this should be the House His Shop is shut with Beggars all are Holydays Holla Apothecary hoa Enter
price Of his Wive's Lust thou barterd'st his Betraying And in the Capitol hast Pageants set In memory of thy Vanity and Shame Syll. Thy Shame Mar. sen. My Honour proud presumptuous Boy Who wouldst be gaudy in an unfit Dress And wear my cast off Glories after me Syll. I 'd rather wear some Beggar 's rotten Rags By him left dangling on a high-way Hedge Then soil my Laurels with a Leaf of thine Thou scorn'd Plebeian Mar. sen. Worst Perdition catch thee Syll. Disband that Rout of Rebells at thy heels And yield thy self to Justice and the Senate Mar. sen. Justice from Thee demanded on my Head First clear thy self quit thy usurpt Command Approach and kneel to me whom thou hast wrong'd Syll. Upon thy Neck I would Mar. sen. As soon thou'dst take A Lion by the beard thou dar'st not think on 't Syll. I dare and more Mar. sen. Then Gods I take your word If there be truth in you I shall not fall This day My Friends and Fellow-souldiers now Fight as I 've seen you for the Life of Sylla Leave it to me for much Revenge must go Along with Death when such a Victim bleeds Syll. My Lords withdraw Metell No trust the Gods I 'll see My Country's Fate and with her live or dy Mar. sen. Now Sylla Syll. Now my Veterans consider You fight for Laws for Liberty and Life Mar. sen. Rebellion never wanted that Pretence Thou Shadow of what I have bin thou Puppet Of that great State and Honours I have born If thou 'lt doe something worthy of thy place Let 's join our Battel with a Force may glut The Throat of Death and choak him with himself As fiercely as destroying Whirlwinds rise Or as Clouds dash when Thunder shakes the Skies Trumpets sound a Charge They fight Re-enter Marius senior taken by Sylla's party Mar. sen. Forsaken and a Pris'ner Is this all That 's left of Marius the old naked Trunk Of that tall Pine that was Away ye Shrubs Ye clinging Brambles do not clog me thus But let me run into the Jaws of Death And finish my ill Fate Or must I be Preserv'd a publick Spectacle expos'd To Scorn and make a Holyday for Slaves Oh! that Thought 's Hell Sure I should know thy Face Thou hast born Office under me If e're In my best Fortune I deserv'd thy Friendship Give me a Roman's Death and set me free That no Dishonour in my Age o'retake me Officer I 've serv'd and lov'd you well nor would I see Your Fall .... My Orders were to save your Life Mar. sen. Thou' rt a Time-server that canst flatter Misery Enter Marius junior Granius and Sulpitius Prisoners My Sons in Bonds too and Sulpitius Sulpit. Yes the Rat-catchers have trapt me Now must I Be food for Crows and stink upon a Tree Whilst Coxcombs strowl abroad on Holydays To take the Air and see me rot A pox On Fortune and a pox on that first Fool That taught the world Ambition Enter Quint. Pompeius four Lictors before him Q. Pomp. Draw near Ye men of Rome and hear the Law pronounc'd Thou Marius whose Ambition and whose Pride Has cost so many Lives the first that e're Wag'd Civil Wars in Rome Thee and thy Sons Thy Family and Kin with that vile Slave And Minister of all thy Outrages The curst Sulpitius Banishment's thy lot After to morrow's Dawn if found i' th' City Death be thy Doom so hath the Senate said So flourish Peace and Liberty in Rome Ex. Quint. Pompeius Lictors crying Liberty Mar. sen. I thank ye Gods upon my knees I thank ye For plaguing me above all other men Come ye young Hero's kneel and praise the Heav'ns For crowning thus your youthfull Hopes Ha ha ha What pleasant Game hath Fortune play'd to day Oh! I could burst with Laughter Why now Rome's At Peace But may it be as short and vain As Joys but dreamt of or as Sick mens Slumbers Now let 's take hands and bending to the Earth To all th' Infernall Powers let us swear All. We swear Mar. sen. That 's well By all the Destinies By all the Furies and the Fiends that wait About the Throne of Hell and by Hell's King We 'll bring Destruction to this cursed City Let not one Stone of all her Tow'rs stand safe Mar. jun. Let not her Temples nor her Gods escape Gran. Let Husbands in their Wives Embraces perish Mar. sen. Her Young men massacred Sulpit. Her Virgins ravisht Mar. jun. And let her Lovers all my Torments feel Doating like me and like me banished Thus let 'em Curse thus raving tear their Hair And fall upon the ground as I do now Mar. sen. Rise then and to Lavinia go This Night 's Thy own Mar. jun. And ever after Pain and Sorrow But go thou find Lavinia's Woman out .... To his servant Tell her I 'll come and bid her chear my Love For I 'll not fail but in this Night enjoy Whole Life and forgive Nature what 's to come Mar. sen. Thus then let 's part each take his several way As to a Task of Darkness when we meet In hated Exile we 'll compute Accompts And see what Mischief each has gather'd then For Rome I shall be yet once more thy Lord If Oracles have truth and Augurs ly not For yet a Child and in my Father's Fields Playing I seven young Eagles chanc'd to find Which gathering up I to my Parents bore The Gods were sought who promis'd me from thence As many times the Consulate in Rome Six times already I 've that Office bore And so far has the Prophecy prov'd true But if I 've manag'd ill the time that 's past And too remiss six elder Fortunes lost The youngest Darling Fate is yet to come And Thou shalt feel me then Ungratefull Rome Exeunt The end of the Third ACT. ACT IV. SCENE the Garden Enter Lavinia and Marius junior Lavin WIlt thou be gone it is not yet near Day It was the Nightingale and not the Lark That pierc'd the fearfull hollow of thy Ear. Nightly on yon Pomegranate-tree she sings Believe me Love it was the Nightingale Mar. jun. Oh! 't was the Lark the Herald of the Morn No Nightingale Look Love what envious Streaks Of Light embroider all the cloudy East Night's Candles are burnt out and jocund Day Upon the Mountain-tops sits gally drest Whilst all the Birds bring Musick to his Levy I must be gone and live or stay and dy ..... Lavin Oh! oh what wretched Fortune is my lot Sure giving Thee Heav'n grew too far in Debt To pay till Bankrupt-like it broke whilst I A poor compounding Creditor am forc'd To take a Mite for endless Summs of Joy Mar. jun. Let me be taken let me suffer Death I am content so Thou wilt have it so .... By Heav'n yon gray is not the Morning's Eye But the Reflexion of pale Cynthia's Brightness Nor is 't the Lark we hear whose Notes do beat So high and Echo in the Vault of Heav'n
Hark The Trumpets sound and Business is at hand It seems as if our Guards upon the Walls Were just engag'd and Sylla come upon ' em The Gods have done me Justice Mar. sen. Get thee gone And leave me to my Fate Thou maim'd and wounded and unfit for War Mar. jun. I 'll follow you ..... Mar. sen. Thou shalt not Mar. jun. By the Gods I will Mar. sen. How disobey'd then Mar. jun. Bid a Courser spurr'd Stop in his full Career bid Tides run back Or sailing Ships stand still before the wind Or Winds themselves not blow when Iove provokes ' em Mar. sen. Away and do not tempt my Fury father Mar. jun. Why would you kill me Mar. sen. No no I hope thou art reserv'd yet for A better Fate Mar. jun. Thanks Heav'n These few kind words shew I 'm not quite unhappy Mar. sen. Then do not contradict my will in this But part and when our hands next meet agen Be 't in the Heart of Sylla or Metellus .... Exit Trumpets agen Mar. jun. Sound higher ye shrill Instruments of War And urge its Horrours up till they become If possible as terrible as mine Oh my Lavinia though this Night I fail At my return I shall be doubly happy Such Trials the great ancient Hero's past Who little present Happiness could tast Yet did great Actions and were Gods at last Exit SCENE Metellus house Enter Lavinia Lavin GAllop apace ye firy-footed Steeds Tow'rds Phoebus Lodging Such a Charioteer As Phaeton would lash you to the West And bring in cloudy Night immediately Spread thy close Curtains Love-performing Night To sober-suited Matron all in black That jealous eyes may wink and Marius Leap to these Arms untalkt-of and unseen Oh! give me Marius and when he shall dy Take him and cut him out in little Stars And he will make the Face of Heav'n so fine That all the world shall grow in love with Night And pay no worship to the gaudy Sun Oh! I have bought the Mansion of a Love But not possest it .... Tedious is this Day As is the Night before some Festival To an impatient Child that has new Robes Enter Nurse and Clodius And may not wear ' em Welcome Nurse what news How fares the Lord of all my Joys my Marius Nurse Oh! a Chair a Chair no Questions but a Chair So. Livin Nay prithee Nurse why dost thou look so sad Oh! do not spoil the Musick of good Tidings With such a melancholick wretched Face Nurse Oh! I am weary very weary Clodius my Cordial-bottle Fy how my bones ake what a Jaunt have I had Lavin Do not delay me thus but quickly tell me Will Marius come to night speak will he come Nurse Alas alas what haste oh cannot you stay a little oh do not you see that I 'm out of breath oh this Pâ—isick Clodius the Cordial Lavin Th' Excuse thou mak'st for this unkind Delay Is longer then the Tale thou hast to tell Is thy News good or bad answer to that Say either and I 'll stay the Circumstance Nurse Well you have made a simple Choice you know not how to chuse a man Yet his Leg excells all mens And for a Hand and a Foot and a Shape though they are not to be talkt of .... yet they are past compare What have you Din'd within Lavin No no what foolish Questions dost thou ask What says he of his Coming what of that Nurse Oh! how my Head akes what a Head have I It beats as it would fall in twenty pieces My Back o' tother side ah my Back my Back Beshrew your heart for sending me about To catch my Death .... This Back of mine will break Drinks Lavin Indeed I 'm sorry if thou art not well But prithee tell me Nurse what says my Love Nurse Why your Love says like an honest Gentleman and a kind Gentleman and a handsome .... and I 'll warrant a vertuous Gentleman Drinks Well ... what where 's your Father Lavin Where 's my Father why he 's at the Senate How odly thou reply'st Your Love says like an honest Gentleman Where 's your Father Nurse Oh good Lady dear Are you so hot marry come up I trow Is this a Poultice for my aking Bones Henceforward do your Messages your self Lavin Nay prithee be not angry Nurse I meant No ill Speak kindly will my Marius come Nurse Will he will a Duck swim Lavin Then he will come Nurse Come why he will come upon all four but he 'll come Go get you in and say your Prayers go Lavin For Blessings on my Marius and Thee Nurse Well it would be a sad thing though .... Lavin What Nurse If Marius should not come now .... for there 's old doings at the Gates they are at it ding-dong Tantarara go the Trumpets Shout cry the Souldiers Clatter go the Swords I 'll warrant ... I made no small haste .... Lavin And is my Marius there alas my Fears Trumpets The Noise comes this way Guard my Love ye Gods Or strike me with your Thunder when he falls Exeunt SCENE the Forum Enter Marius senior Marius junior Granius Sulpitius Catulus c. Guards Lictors on one side Metellus Sylla Quintus Pompeius Guards on the other Trumpets sound a March. Metell OH thou God Deliverer of Rome most blest of men See here the Fathers of thy bleeding Country Prostrate for Refuge at thy feet see there The Terrour of our Freedome and thy Foe The Persecuter of thy Friends the Scourge Of Truth and Justice and the Plague of Rome Mar. sen. What art Thou that canst lend thy slavish ears To flattering Hypocrisy Sylla My Name thou hast heard And fled from I am the Friend of Rome The Terrour and the Bane of thee her Foe Mar. sen. If th' art her Friend why com'st thou here thus arm'd Slaughtering her Citizens and laying waste her Walls Sylla To free her from a Tyrant's Power Mar. sen. Who is that Tyrant Sylla Thou who hast opprest Her Senate made thy self by force a Consul Set free her Slaves and arm'd 'em 'gainst her Laws Mar. sen. Hear this ye Romans and then judge my Wrongs Have I opprest you have I forcâ—d your Laws Am I a Tyrant I whom ye have rais'd For my true Services to what I am Remember th' Ambrons Cimbri and the Teutons Remember the Confederate War Sylla Where Thou Cold and delaying wert by Silo brav'd Scorn'd by thy Souldiers and at last compell'd Ingloriously to quit th' unwieldy Charge Remember too who banisht good Metellus The Friend and Parent of thy obscure Family That rais'd thee from a Peasant to a Lord. Mar. sen. Basely thou wrongst the Truth My Actions rais'd me Hadst thou bin born a Peasant still thou'dst bin so But I by Service to thy Country 'ave made My Name renown'd in Peace and fear'd in War Sylla In the Iugurthine War whose King was taken Pris'ner by me and Marius triumpht for 't Mar. sen. Thou stol'st him basely stolst him at the