Honour is more great and more sublime Above the battery of Fate or Time We see in Beauty certain airs are found Which not one Grace can make but all compound Honour 's to th' Mind as Beauty to the Sense The fair result of mixed Excellence As many Diamonds together lie And dart one lustre to amaze the Eye So Honour is that bright Aetherial Ray Which many Stars doth in one light display But as that Beauty were as truly sweet Were there no Tongue to praise no Eye to see 't And 't is the Privilege of a native Spark To shed a constant Splendour in the dark So Honour is its own Reward and End And satisfied within cannot descend To beg the suffrage of a vulgar Tongue Which by commending Vertue doth it wrong It is the Charter of a noble Action That the performance giveth satisfaction Other things are below't for from a Clown Would any Conqueror receive his Crown 'T is restless Cowardice to be a drudge To an uncertain and unworthy Judge So the Cameleon who lives on air Is of all Creatures most inclin'd to fear But peaceable reflections on the Mind Will in a silent shade Contentment find Honour keeps Court at home and doth not fear To be condemn'd abroad if quitted there While I have this retreat 't is not the noise Of Slander though believ'd can wrong my Joyes There is advantage in 't for Gold uncoin'd Had been unuseful nor with glory shin'd This stamp'd my Innocency in the Ore Which was as much but not so bright before Till an Alembick wakes and outward draws The strength of Sweets lies sleeping in their Cause So this gave me an opportunity To feed upon my own Integrity And though their Judgment I must still disclaim Who can nor give nor take away a fame Yet I 'le appeal unto the knowing few Who dare be just and rip my heart to you To Antenor on a Paper of mine which J. J. threatens to publish to prejudice him MUst then my Crimes become thy Scandal too Why sure the Devil hath not much to do The weakness of the other Charge is clear When such a trifle must bring up the Rear But this is mad design for who before Lost his repute upon anothers score My Love and Life I must confess are thine But not my Errours they are only mine And if my Faults must be for thine allow'd It will be hard to dissipate the Cloud For Eve's Rebellion did not Adam blast Until himself forbidden Fruit did taste 'T is possible this Magazine of Hell Whose name would turn a verse into a spell Whose mischief is congenial to his life May yet enjoy an honourable Wife Nor let his ill be reckoned as her blame Nor yet my Follies blast Antenor's name But if those lines a Punishment could call Lasting and great as this dark Lanthorn's gall Alone I 'd court the Torments with content To testifie that thou art Innocent So if my Ink through malice prov'd a stain My Bloud should justly wash it off again But since that Mint of slander could invent To make so dull a Ryme his Instrument Let Verse revenge the quarrel But he 's worse Then wishes and below a Poet's curse And more then this Wit knows not how to give Let him be still himself and let him live Rosania shadowed whilest Mrs. Mary Awbrey IF any could my dear Rosania hate They only should her Character relate Truth shines so bright there that an Enemy Would be a better Oratour then I. Love stifles Language and I must confess I had said more if I had loved less Yet the most critical who that Face see Will ne're suspect a partiality Others by time and by degrees perswade But her first look doth every heart invade She hath a Face so eminently bright Would make a Lover of an Anchorite A Face where conquest mixt with modesty Are both compleated in Divinity Not her least glance but sets a heart on fire And checks it if it should too much aspire Such is the Magick of her Looks the same Beam doth both kindle and refine our flame If she doth smile no Painter e're would take Another Rule when he would Mercy make And Heav'n to her such splendour hath allow'd That no one posture can her Beauty cloud For if she frown none but would phansie then Justice descended here to punish Men. Her common looks I know not how to call Any one Grace they are compos'd of all And if we Mortals could the doctrine reach Her Eyes have language and her Looks do teach And as in Palaces the outmost worst Rooms entertain our wonder at the first But once within the Presence-Chamber door We do despise what e're we saw before So when you with her Mind acquaintance get You 'l hardly think upon the Cabinet Her Soul that Ray shot from the Deity Doth still preserve its native purity Which Earth can neither threaten nor allure Nor by false joys defile it or obscure The Innocence which in her heart doth dwell Angels themselves can only parrallel More gently soft then is an Evening-shower And in that sweetness there is coucht a Power Which scorning Pride doth think it very hard That Modesty should need so mean a Guard Her Honour is protected by her Eyes As the old Flaming Sword kept Paradise Such Constancy of Temper Truth and Law Guides all her actions that the World may draw From her one Soul the noblest Precedent Of the most safe wise vertuous Government And as the highest Element is clear From all the Tempests which disturb the Air So she above the World and its rude noise Above our storms a quiet Calm enjoys Transcendent things her noble thoughts sublime Above the faults and trifles of the Time Unlike those Gallants which take far less care To have their Souls then make their Bodies fair Who sick with too much leisure time do pass With these two books Pride and a Looking-glass Plot to surprize Mens hearts their pow'r to try And call that Love which is meer Vanity But she although the greatest Murtherer For ev'ry glance commits a Massacre Yet glories not that slaves her power confess But wishes that her Monarchy were less And if she love it is not thrown away As many do onely to spend the day But her 's is serious and enough alone To make all Love become Religion And to her Friendship she so faithful is That 't is her onely blot and prejudice For Envy's self could never errour see Within that Soul ' bating her love to me Now as I must confess the name of Friend To her that all the World doth comprehend Is a most wild Ambition so for me To draw her picture is flat Lunacy Oh! I must think the rest for who can write Or into words confine what 's Infinite To the Queen of Inconstancy Regina Collier in Antwerp 1. UNworthy since thou hast decreed Thy Love and Honour both shall bleed My Friendship could not chuse to die In better
when our Sense is dispossest Our labouring Souls will heave and pant And gasp for one anothers breast Since their Conveyances they want 3. Nay we have felt the tedious smart Of absent Friendship and do know That when we die we can but part And who knows what we shall do now 4. Yet I must go we will submit And so our own Disposers be For while we nobly suffer it We triumph o're Necessity 5. By this we shall be truly great If having other things o'recome To make our victory compleat We can be Conquerors at home 6. Nay then to meet we may conclude And all Obstructions overthrow Since we our Passion have subdu'd Which is the strongest thing I know Against Pleasure Set by Dr. Coleman 1. THere 's no such thing as Pleasure here 'T is all a perfect Cheat Which does but shine and disappear Whose Charm is but Deceit The empty bribe of yielding Souls Which first betrays and then controuls 2. 'T is true it looks at distance fair But if we do approch The fruit of Sodom will impair And perish at a touch In Being than in Fancy less And we expect more than possess 3. For by our Pleasures we are cloy'd And so Desire is done Or else like Rivers they make wide The Channel where they run And either way true bliss destroys Making Us narrow or our Joys 4. We covet Pleasure easily But it not so possess For many things must make it be But one may make it less Nay were our state as we could chuse it 'T would be consum'd by fear to lose it 5. What art thou then thou winged Air More weak and swift than Fame Whos 's next successor is Despair And its attendant Shame Th' Experience-Prince then reason had Who said of Pleasure It is mad A Prayer ETernal Reason Glorious Majesty Compar'd to whom what can be said to be Whose Attributes are Thee who art alone Cause of all various things and yet but One Whose Essence can no more be search'd by Man Then Heav'n thy Throne be grasped with a Span. Yet if this great Creation was design'd To several ends fitted for every kind Sure Man the World's Epitome must be Form'd to the best that is to study thee And as our Dignity 't is Duty too Which is summ'd up in this to know and do These comely rows of Creatures spell thy Name Whereby we grope to find from whence they came By thy own Chain of Causes brought to think There must be one then find that highest Link Thus all created Excellence we see Is a resemblance faint and dark of thee Such shadows are produc'd by the Moon-beams Of Trees or Houses in the running streams Yet by Impressions born with us we find How good great just thou art how unconfin'd Here we are swallowed up and gladly dwell Safely adoring what we cannot tell All we know is thou art supremely good And dost delight to be so understood A spicy Mountain on the Universe On which thy richest Odours do disperse But as the Sea to fill a Vessel heaves More greedily than any Cask receives Besieging round to find some gap in it Which will a new Infusion admit So dost thou covet that thou mayst dispence Upon the empty World thy Influence Lov'st to disburse thy self in kindness Thus The King of Kings waits to be gracious On this account O God enlarge my heart To entertain what thou wouldst fain impart Nor let that Soul by several titles thine And most capacious form'd for things Divine So nobly meant that when it most doth miss 'T is in mistaken pantings after Bliss Degrade it self in sordid things delight Or by prophaner mixtures lose its right Oh! that with fixt unbroken thoughts it may Admire the light which does obscure the day And since 't is Angels work it hath to do May its composure be like Angels too When shall these clogs of Sense and Fancy break That I may hear the God within me speak When with a silent and retired art Shall I with all this empty hurry part To the Still Voice above my Soul advance My light and joy plac'd in his Countenance By whose dispence my Soul to such frame brought May tame each trech'rous fix each scat'ring thought With such distinctions all things here behold And so to separate each dross from gold That nothing my free Soul may satisfie But t' imitate enjoy and study thee To Mris. M. A. upon Absence 1. 'T Is now since I began to die Four Months yet still I gasping live Wrapp'd up in sorrow do I lie Hoping yet doubting a Reprieve Adam from Paradise expell'd Just such a wretched Being held 2. 'T is not thy Love I fear to lose That will in spight of absence hold But 't is the benefit and use Is lost as in imprison'd Gold Which though the Sum be ne're so great Enriches nothing but conceit 3. What angry Star then governs me That I must feel a double smart Prisoner to fate as well as thee Kept from thy face link'd to thy heart Because my Love all love excells Must my Grief have no Parallels 4. Sapless and dead as Winter here I now remain and all I see Copies of my wild state appear But I am their Epitome Love me no more for I am grown Too dead and dull for thee to own To Mrs. Mary Awbrey SOul of my Soul my joy my crown my Friend A name which all the rest doth comprehend How happy are we now whose Souls are grown By an incomparable mixture one Whose well-acquainted Minds are now as near As Love or Vows or Friendship can endear I have no thought but what 's to thee reveal'd Nor thou desire that is from me conceal'd Thy Heart locks up my Secrets richly set And my Breast is thy private Cabinet Thou shed'st no tear but what my moisture lent And if I sigh it is thy breath is spent United thus what Horrour can appear Worthy our Sorrow Anger or our Fear Let the dull World alone to talk and fight And with their vast Ambitions Nature fright Let them despise so Innocent a flame While Envy Pride and Faction play their game But we by Love sublim'd so high shall rise To pity Kings and Conquerours despise Since we that Sacred Union have engrost Which they and all the factious World have lost In Memory of Mr. Cartwright STay Prince of Phancie stay we are not fit To welcome or admire thy Raptures yet Such horrid Ignorance benights the Times That Wit and Honour are become our Crimes But when those happy Pow'rs which guard thy dust To us and to thy Mem'ry shall be just And by a flame from thy blest Genius lent Rescue us from our dull Imprisonment Unsequester our Fancies and create A Worth that may upon thy Glories wait We then shall understand thee and descry The splendour of restored Poetry Till when let no bold hand profane thy shrine 'T is high Wit-Treason to debase thy coin Mr. Francis Finch the Excellent Palaemon
Citizen Whilst I with joyful haste come to assure You that your life and Kingdom were secure Th' illustrious Caesar on the course you took Does with less anger than compassion look He pities you who such vile States-men heard As make their Kings not to be lov'd but fear'd Whose Souls the baseness of their birth confess And who in vain great Dignities possess For Slavish Spirits cannot guide the Helm Those too much Power would quickly overwhelm That hand whose Crimes alone do purchase Fear Will soon let fall a Weight it cannot bear PTOLOMY Those Truths and my ill Fate do me perswade How bad a choice of Counsellours I made For had I acted Honourable things I had as Glorious been as other Kings And better merited the Love you bear A Brother so unworthy of your Care Caesar and Pompey had been here agreed And the Worlds Peace in Egypt been decreed Who her own Prince a friend to both had seen Nay he perhaps an Arbiter had been But since to call this back is past our Art Let me discharge to you my Troubled heart You that for all the Wrongs that I have done Could yet Preserve me both my Life and Crown Be truly great and vanquish all your Hate By changing Photin's and Achilla's Fate For their offending you their Death is due But that my Glory suffers in it too If for their Kings Crimes they should punish'd be The Infamy would wholly light on me Caesar through them wounds me theirs is my Pain For my sake therefore your Just Hate constrain Your heart is Noble and what pleasure then Is th' abject Blood of two unhappy Men Let me owe all to you who Caesar charm And with a Look his Anger can disarm CLEOPATRA Were but their Life and Death in me to give My scorn is great enough to let them live But I with Caesar little can prevail When Pompey's Blood lyes in the other scale I boast no Power to Dispose his will For I have spoke and he hath shun'd it still And turning quickly to some new Affair He neither does refuse nor grant my Prayer Yet I 'le once more on that harsh Theam proceed In hope a New attempt may better speed And I 'le believe PTOLOMY He comes let me be gone Lest I should chance to draw his anger on My presence may enflame what t' would make less And you alone may act with more success SCEN. III. Caesar Cleopatra Antonius Lepidus Charmion Achoreus and Romans CAESAR The City now is quiet Beauteous Queen Which had alarm'd with little reason been Nor need they fear the troublesome event Of Souldiers Pride or Peoples Discontent But O great Gods when absent from your Eyes A greater Tumult did within me rise When these unwelcom Cares snatcht me from you My heart ev'n with my Grandeur angry grew And I my own Renown began to hate Since it my parting did necessitate But I forgave all to the single Thought How much advantage to my Love it brought For 't is to that I owe the noble Hope Which to my Flame does give so fair a scope And perswades Caesar that his Heart may prove Not utterly unworthy of your Love And that he may pretend to that since he Nothing above him but the Gods can see Yes Queen if in the World a Man there were That with more glory could your fetters bear Or if there were a Throne wherein you might By Conquering its King appear more bright Less for his Throne would I the Man pursue Than to dispute the Right of serving you 'T was to acquire that valuable Right That my Ambitious Arm did alwayes fight And in Pharsalia rather my Sword drew To preserve that than Pompey to subdue I Conquer'd and the God of Battles less Then your bright Eyes afforded me success They rais'd my Courage and my hand did sway And I owe them that memorable day As the effect of heat by them inspir'd For when your beauties had my passion fir'd That a return might your great Soul become They made me Master of the World and Rome I would ennoble that high stile I wear By the Addition of your Prisoner And shall most happy be if you think fit That Title to esteem and this permit CLEOPATRA I know how much I to my fortune owe Which this excess of Honour does bestow Nor will from you my in ward thoughts conceal Since I know both you and my self so well Your Love did in my earliest Youth appear And I my Scepter as your Present wear I twice receiv'd my Kingdom from your Hand And after that can I your Love withstand No Sir my Heart cannot resist your siege Who so much merit and so much oblige But yet my Birth my Rank and the Command Which I have now regain'd in Egypts Land The Scepter by your Hand restor'd to mine Do all against my innocent Hopes combine To my desires iniurious they have been And lessen me by making me a Queen For if Rome still be as she was before T' ascend a Throne will but debase me more These Marks of Honour will be but my Shame And ruine my Pretences to your Flame But yet methinks the Power you enjoy Might all my Fears with ease enough destroy And I would hope that such a Man as you May justly Romes Capriciousness subdue And her unjust aversion for a Throne She might see cause for your sake to disown I know that you can harder things effect And from your Promise Wonders I expect You in Pharsalia did much greater do And I invoke no other Gods but You. CAESAR There 's nothing humane can my Love withstand 'T is but the over-running Affricks Land To shew my Standards to the rest of those Who did me with so ill a Fate oppose And when Rome can no more of them Advance She will be forc'd to study Complaisance And you shall see her with a solemn State At your Feet sacrifice her Pride and Hate Nay I must have her at your Royal Seat In my behalf your Favour to entreat And with so much Respect these Beauties view That she young Caesars shall request from you This is the only Fortune I desire And all to which my Lawrels do aspire How blest were my Condition if I might Obtain those Wreaths and still enjoy your sight But yet my Passion it s own harm procures For I must quit you if I will be yours While there are flying Foes I must pursue That I may them defeat and merit you To bear that absence therefore suffer me To take such Courage from the Charmes I see That frighted Nations may at Caesars name Say He but came and saw and overcame CLEOPATRA This is too much but if I this abuse The fault which you create you must excuse You did my Crown and perhaps life restore And yet your love I trust will grant me more And I conjure you by its strongest Charms By that great Fortune which attends your Arms By all my hopes and all your high
all Lands tremble where thy Ensigns go But her to whom thou Romulus dost owe Subdue the utmost Regions of the Earth But spare the Town where Romulus had birth Forget not her from whom thy City draws Her Name and all her strength but Walls and Laws Alba's thy Parent let that thought arrest Thy greedy Sword nor pierce thy Mother's breast For thy triumphant Arms make other choice And in her Children's Fortune shee 'll rejoice Nay would with natural concern disown All Enemies of thine were she not one JULIA This Language much surprize to me affords For since these Cities first unsheath'd their Swords You have so unconcern'd for Alba stood As if your birth had been of Roman blood I wonder'd at a Vertue so refin'd Which to your Husband Alba had resign'd And therefore so proportion'd my relief As if our Rome alone had caus'd your grief SABINA Whilst such a shock my reason did assail As was too weak to weigh down either Scale Till all my flattering hopes of Peace were lost To be entirely Roman was my boast If at Rome's Fortune I displeas'd have been I quickly chid that mutiny within And when her destiny was not so kind If for my Brothers joy seduc'd my mind By Reason's help that motion I suppress'd And wept for all the glory they possess'd But now these Cities must be lost or sav'd That Rome must sink or Alba be enslav'd And after battel there no hope remains To the subdu'd nor stop to her that gains I should too barbarously my Country treat If I could be a perfect Roman yet A little less to one man's love resign'd To neither City I will be confin'd I fear for both and whilst their Fate is try'd I still will be on the afflicted side Equal to each whilst they unequal are And must their Crief but not their Glory share For I resolve in such a sharp debate To mourn the Conquer'd and the Victor hate JULIA How oft does Fortune with an equal blow On different Souls different effects bestow How distant is Camilla's way from this Your Brother loves her her 's your Husband is Yet in each Army with another eye She can a Lover and a Brother spie When in Rome's Fortunes you were most involv'd She was as much confus'd and unresolv'd She feard the storm from every cloud would spread And the success of either side did dread The most unfortunate she did bemoan And whosoe're prevail'd she was undone But when the day she knew was drawing nigh And one great Battel should the Quarrel try A sudden gladness breaking from her brow SABINA Ah Julia how that joy allarms me now Valerius yesterday she smil'd upon And for his sake she Curtius will disown A nearer Object snatches her esteem And two years absence hath deformed him But though my Brother be to me so dear By care of him I must not injure her My groundless jealousie concludes amiss Who can change love at such a time as this How can a heart receive a wound that 's new When such great shocks give it so much to do Yet from joy too this fatal day deters And from contentments which resemble hers JULIA In me it equal wonder does produce Nor do I know what can be her excuse 'T is Constancy enough if we can wait Without impatience so severe a Fate But 't is too much if we shall chearful grow SABINA See some good Genius sends her hither now Her thoughts on this engage her to reveal From you her Friendship nothing can conceal I 'le leave you Sister talk with Julia now For I 'm asham'd my weakness to avow And so much sorrow does my heart invade That I must hide it in some secret shade Exit SCEN. II. Julia Camilla CAMILLA Why does she wish I should with you converse Does she believe my trouble less than hers Or more insensible of this sad day Does she conclude I have no tears to pay With equal terrour I am threaten'd too And I shall lose as much as she can do The man to whom I did my heart resign Must for his Country die or ruine mine And all that I can love such is my fate Must now deserve my sorrow or my hate Alas JULIA Yet her affliction is more strange We may a Lover not a Husband change Receive Valerius love Curtius forget And you 'l no more the other side regret But wholly Ours and recompos'd within You 'l nothing have to lose when Rome does win CAMILLA Ah give me Council more legitimate Nor teach me with a Crime to shun my Fate For though my tide of Woes I scarce can stem I rather would endure than merit them JULIA Can you believe a prudent change a fault CAMILLA And can you think a Perjury is not JULIA What can engage us to our mortal foes CAMILLA But what can disengage what honour owes JULIA You would in vain disguise a thing design'd And which Valerius yesterday did find For the reception you to him did give Hath made his late repining hope revive CAMILLA If to Valerius I then paid respect You nothing thence must for his hope collect Another subject did my joies produce But I your errour now will disabuse And for my Curtius keep a flame too sure Such a suspicion longer to endure You know his Sister was no sooner led By happy marriage to my Brother's Bed But that my Father prest by him desir'd I should reward the love I had inspir'd That time produc'd happy and fatal things At once our marriage and the War resolv'd Our hopes created and those hopes dissolv'd It promis'd all and then snatch'd all away It makes us Foes and Lovers in a day How violent our grief did then appear How many blasphemies Heav'n then did hear And from my Eyes how many Rivers fell I tell you not you saw our last farewell The trouble of my Soul you since have seen And of my vows for Peace have witness been At every news in my distracted breast My Country and my Lover did contest Toss'd with uncertain thoughts I fled for ease To the relief of sacred Oracles Judge if what yesterday I did obtain Might not assure my drooping heart again That famous Greek who at the Aventine dwells And Heav'n's dark purposes to men foretels He whom Apollo never yet betray'd By this reply my stormy thoughts allay'd Alba and Rome to morrow changing face Shall to thy wish'd for peace at last give place And to thy Curtius thou shalt then be ty'd So as no Fortune ever shall divide I wholly on this answer did depend And finding it my utmost hopes transcend My Soul to raptures of Contentment flew Beyond what happiest Lovers ever knew Judge of their height Valerius then I met And could ev'n him behold without regret He spoke of Love too and I that could hear And never thought Valerius had been there His Courtship could from me no anger draw For every thing seem'd Curtius that I saw I thought all sounds told me
be CAMILLA Alas how treacherous is my Destiny HORACE Now by your constancy your birth confess And if my death allows him the success Let him not be your Brother's Murtherer thought But a brave man that does but what be ought Who serves his Country nobly and does shew By that great way how much be merits you Conclude your match as if I were alive But if this Sword shall him of life deprive My conquest then with equal candour use Nor of your Lover's death my hand accuse I see your grief by your approaching tears Exhale with him your sorrows and your fears Quarrel with Heaven and Earth of Fate complain But the fight done no more regret the slain You but a minute must with her bestow To Curtius And then where Honour calls us let us go SCEN. V. Camilla Curtius CAMILLA But wilt thou go and this sad Fame possess At the expence of all our happiness CURTIUS Alas what'ere I do I find that I Must by my grief if not by Horace die But as my Torture I this Honour see And curse the favour Alba does to me I hate that courage which she so esteems Nay my despairing passion impious seems And dares accuse the gods for all this woe I mourn our Fortune but yet I must go CAMILLA No thou would'st have me all my interest use And thee to Alba by my power excuse Thy former Acts have thee so famous made That to thy Country all thy debts are paid None better hath than thou the War upheld Nor with more deaths cover'd the guilty field Thy Name can be no greater than it is Suffer some other now t ' ennoble his CURTIUS What shall my Eies anothers Temples see bound with those Lawrels Fame prepares for me Or by Posterity shall it be thought Alba had conquer'd if I would have fought No since to me she dares entrust her doom She shall by me or fall or overcome A good account I 'le of her Fortune give And die with honour or with conquest live CAMILLA But to betray me then thy love endures CURTIUS I was my Country's e're I could be yours CAMILLA Wilt thou thy Sisters misery create And widow her CURTIUS Such is my cruel Fate Brother and Sister names so sweet before By Alba's choice and Rome's are so no more CAMILLA Wilt thou present me with my Brother's head And on that step mount to the Bridal bed CURTIUS All I dare think so dear my fame will cost Is still to love though all my hope be lost You weep my Dear CAMILLA How can I tears avoid Who by my cruel Lover am destroy'd When Hymen would his kindled Torch have lent He puts out that to dig my Monument This savage heart my ruine can decree And says he loves when yet he murthers me CURTIUS How eloquent are tears from eyes we love How strong does Beauty with that succour prove My heart dissolves at such a mournful sight Nor against that can all my vertue fight Strike not my Fame in this subduing shape But let my honour from your tears escape I feel it shake and scarce defend the place For Curtius to the Lover yields apace With Friendship it hath had enough to do And must it strive with Love and Pity too Go love me not nor one tear more expose For him that dares offend such charms as those I better with your anger should have fought And to deserve it all I love you not Punish this treacherous this ingrateful heart At such an injury do you not start I do not love you can you me endure Needs there more yet my Faith I here abjure O! rigid Virtue at whose shrine I fall Must thou a Crime to thy assistance call CAMILLA Commit no more and I the gods attest My love shall not be lessen'd but encreas'd My kindness shall ev'n in thy falshood live All but a Brother's death I can forgive Why am I Roman or why art thou none That I my self might put thy Lawrels on I should thy valour heighten not forbid And treat thee just as I my Brother did But ah how blind I now those vows esteem Since against thee were all I made for him But he returns O! may Sabina be More prevalent with him than I 'm with thee SCEN. VI. Curtius Camilla Horace Sabina CURTIUS Sabina too my heart to undermine And with Camilla must you Sister join Leaving her tears her Brother to attaque Hope you by yours to call my purpose back SABINA No Brother no I only visit you To give you my embrace and last adieu Your blood 's too good nor need you apprehend From me what can your great resolves offend If either were by this brave shock o'rethrown He that first yielded I should first disown But may not I one favour beg of you Worthy this Brother and this Husband too I wish your quarrel might less impious grow And would refine the glory of the blow That free from guilt it might no splendour miss I would fain make you lawful Enemies I the sole link am of your sacred knot Which will unty assoon as I am not Break then the chain whence that alliance grows And since your Honour now will have you Foes Buy by my death right to each others hate And Rome's and Alba's Vote legitimate Your hand destroying his revenging me Your Combat will appear no Prodigy And one at least will justly stake his life That he may right his Sister or his Wife But what you think your Fame would be less bright If for another quarrel you should fight Your Country's cause will no new heats admit Did you love less you would act less for it A Brother you must kill a lov'd one too Well then defer not what you ought to do But by his Sister him begin to kill Or by his Wife his blood begin to spill And by Sabina's blood if her you prize Make your own lives the braver sacrifice You are a Foe to Rome to Alba you And my aversion to them both is due What must I live to such a Victory Whose highest triumph will but let me see A Brother or a Husband Lawrels wear Reaking with blood that is to me so dear How shall I then decide my inward strife Or well express the Sister and the Wife The Conqueror embrace the conquer'd grieve No no Sabina's death shall her relieve From whomsoe're my grief that blow procures And my hands must bestow it if not yours Go then what does your savage hearts restrain Against your will I my desire shall gain For you no sooner shall begin your blows But you shall see this bosom interpose Nor shall your impious Swords your rage pursue Unless through me they make their way to you HORACE O Wife CURTIUS O Sister CAMILLA Courage they dissolve SABINA What can you sigh paleness your cheek involve What makes you shrink are these the hearts so brave Who in their hands the fates of Empire have HORACE Tell me Sabina what thy quarrel is
THis is confest Presumption for had I All that rich stock of Ingenuity Which I could wish for this yet would it be Palaemon's blot a pious Injury But as no Votaries are scorn'd when they The meanest Victim in Religion pay Not that the Pow'r they worship needs a Gum But that they speak their thanks for all with some So though the most contemptible of all That do themselves Palaemon's Servants call I know that Zeal is more than Sacrifice For God did not the Widow's Mite despise And that Palaemon hath Divinity And Mercy is his highest property He that doth such transcendent Merit own Must have imperfect Offerings or none He 's one rich Lustre which doth Rayes dispense As Knowledge will when set in Innocence For Learning did select his noble breast Where in her native Majesty to rest Free from the Tyranny and Pride of Schools Who have confin'd her to Pedantick Rules And that gentiler Errour which does take Offence at Learning for her Habit 's sake Palaemon hath redeem'd her who may be Esteem'd himself an University And yet so much a Gentleman that he Needs not though he enjoys a Pedigree Sure he was built and sent to let us know What man completed could both be and do Freedom from Vice is in him Nature's part Without the help of Discipline or Art He 's his own Happiness and his own Law Whereby he keeps Passion and Fate in awe Nor was this wrought in him by Time and Growth His genius had anticipated both Had all men been Palaemons Pride had ne're Taught one man Tyranny the other Fear Ambition had been full as Monstrous then As this ill World doth render Worthy men Had men his Spirit they would soon forbear Groveling for dirt and quarrelling for air Were his harmonious Soul diffus'd in all We should believe that men did never fall It is Palaemon's Soul that hath engrost Th' ingenuous candour that the World hath lost Whose one mind seats him quiet safe and high Above the reach of Time or Destiny 'T was he that rescu'd gasping Friendship when The Bell toll'd for her Funeral with men 'T was he that made Friends more then Lovers burn And then made Love to sacred Friendship turn 'T was he turn'd Honour inward set her free From Titles and from Popularity Now fix'd to Vertue she begs Praise of none But 's Witness'd and Rewarded both at home And in his breast this Honour 's so enshrin'd As the old Law was in the Ark confin'd To which Posterity shall all consent And less dispute then Acts of Parliament He 's our Original by whom we see How much we fail and what we ought to be But why do I to Copy him pretend My Rymes but libel whom they would commend 'T is true but none can reach what 's set so high And though I miss I 've noble Company For the most happy language must confess It doth obscure Palaemon not express To Mrs. M. A. at parting 1. I Have examin'd and do find Of all that favour me There 's none I grieve to leave behind But only only thee To part with thee I needs must die Could parting sep'rate thee and I. 2. But neither Chance nor Complement Did element our Love 'T was sacred Sympathy was lent Us from the Quire above That Friendship Fortune did create Still fears a wound from Time or Fate 3. Our chang'd and mingled Souls are grown To such acquaintance now That if each would resume their own Alas we know not how We have each other so engrost That each is in the Union lost 4. And thus we can no Absence know Nor shall we be confin'd Our active Souls will daily go To learn each others mind Nay should we never meet to Sense Our Souls would hold Intelligence 5. Inspired with a Flame Divine I scorn to court a stay For from that noble Soul of thine I ne're can be away But I shall weep when thou dost grieve Nor can I die whil'st thou dost live 6. By my own temper I shall guess At thy felicity And only like my happiness Because it pleaseth thee Our hearts at any time will tell If thou or I be sick or well 7. All Honour sure I must pretend All that is Good or Great She that would be Rosania's Friend Must be at least compleat If I have any bravery 'T is cause I have so much of thee 8. Thy Leiger Soul in me shall lie And all thy thoughts reveal Then back again with mine shall flie And thence to me shall steal Thus still to one another tend Such is the sacred name of Friend 9. Thus our twin-Souls in one shall grow And teach the World new Love Redeem the Age and Sex and shew A Flame Fate dares not move And courting Death to be our friend Our Lives together too shall end 10. A Dew shall dwell upon our Tomb Of such a quality That fighting Armies thither come Shall reconciled be We 'll ask no Epitaph but say ORINDA and ROSANIA To my dearest Antenor on his Parting THough it be just to grieve when I must part With him that is the Guardian of my Heart Yet by an happy change the loss of mine Is with advantage paid in having thine And I by that dear Guest instructed find Absence can do no hurt to Souls combin'd As we were born to love brought to agree By the impressions of Divine Decree So when united nearer we became It did not weaken but encrease our Flame Unlike to those who distant joys admire But slight them when possest of their desire Each of our Souls did its own temper fit And in the other's Mould so fashion'd it That now our Inclinations both are grown Like to our Interests and Persons one And Souls whom such an Union fortifies Passion can ne're destroy nor Fate surprize Now as in Watches though we do not know When the Hand moves we find it still doth go So I by secret Sympathy inclin'd Will absent meet and understand thy mind And thou at thy return shalt find thy Heart Still safe with all the love thou didst impart For though that treasure I have ne're deserv'd It shall with strong Religion be preserv'd And besides this thou shalt in me survey Thy self reflected while thou art away For what some forward Arts do undertake The Images of absent Friends to make And represent their actions in a Glass Friendship it self can only bring to pass That Magick which both Fate and Time beguiles And in a moment runs a thousand miles So in my Breast thy Picture drawn shall be My Guide Life Object Friend and Destiny And none shall know though they employ their wit Which is the right Antenor thou or it Engraven on Mr. John Collier 's Tomb-stone at Bedlington HEre what remains of him doth lie Who was the World's Epitome Religion's Darling Merchants Glory Mens true Delight and Vertue 's Story Who though a Prisoner to the Grave A glorious Freedom once shall have Till when no
but what 's my own You ne're shall anger from your Sister find Though you 're a cruel Brother I 'le be kind PTOLOMY But yet methinks you do discover pride CLEOPATRA Time is the Standard whereby things are try'd PTOLOMY Your present carriage that doth plainly shew CLEOPATRA Caesar is come and you 've a Master now PTOLOMY I made him mine who the Worlds Master is CLEOPATRA Pay him your homage while I look for his In this Address you may your self be seen But I 'le remember that I am a Queen Photin will help you to receive him now Advise with him he 'll tell you what 's to do Act. II. SCEN. IV. Ptolomy Photinus PTOLOMY I have observ'd thy Counsel but find since To flatter her but swells her insolence For with her Pride she did affront me so That I at last fell into Passion too This Arm enrag'd by her could scarce forbear Without a Thought that Caesar was so near Dispatching her as safe as she does seem To have complain'd to Pompey not to him She talks already at that haughty rate That if great Caesar please her Pride and Hate And she o're him her boasted Empire have Her Brother and her King must be her Slave No no we needs must Frustrate that intent Nor poorly wait the Ills we may prevent Let 's spoil her of her Power to disdain And break those Charmes whereby she hopes to reign Nor after such indignities let 's brook That she should buy my Scepter with a look PHOTINUS Do not for Caesar Sir pretence provide That Egypt should be to his Triumphs ty'd For this Ambitious Man which through the world Hath War and Slavery together hurl'd Swell'd with his Conquest and a Rage so smart As such a loss writes in a Lovers Heart Though you but act what Equity approves Will thence ground his revenge for what he loves As for a crime Hee 'l you to Bondage bring Though you did only what became a King PTOLOMY If Cleopatra sees him shee 's a Queen PHOTINUS But if she dye your Ruine is foreseen PTOLOMY Who ruines me should on my fall attend PHOTINUS To ruine her you must your self befriend PTOLOMY What must my Crown upon her Temples shine No if my Scepter I must needs resign The Conquerour shall rather it command PHOTINUS You 'l sooner force it from a Sisters hand How great soever now his flames appear He must be gone and leave You Master here Love in such Men seldom that room can find Which to their Interest will not be resign'd With Juba Scipio and with Pompey's Sons Spain to Revenge he knows with Affrick runs And while that Party are not yet o'rethrown He cannot safely call the World his own Caesar's too great a Captain to o'resee The Pursuit of Pharsalia's Victory And leave such fierce Hearts on revenge intent To rise from their so late Astonishment If he his ends Obtain and them o'recome He his gain'd Empire must secure at Rome And there the fruit of his success enjoy Whilst he at pleasure does her laws Destroy Judge in that time what great things you may do See Caesar then and strive to please him too Resign him all but yet this Rule intend That future things on accidents Depend Your Throne and Scepter give into his hand And without murmur yield to his Command He will believe that Justice he shall do If he your Father's Testament pursue Besides this signal service you have done Will give you still some Title to your Throne Entire submission to his Orders shew Applaud his Judgment but then let him go That time for our Revenge will be most fit When we can Act as well as think of it With temper let these Passions then be born Which were excited by your Sisters scorn Boasts are but Air and he revenges best Who Acts his braver Thoughts yet talks the least PTOLOMY O thy Advice my greatest Comfort brings A Prudent Counsellour's the bliss of Kings Come dear Supporter of my Throne let 's go And to save all on Caesar all bestow His Pride let 's flatter with an empty State And with our whole Fleet on him hither Wait. After the second Act this Song is to be sung by two Egyptian Priests on the Stage 1. SEE how Victorious Caesar's Pride Does Neptune's Bosom sweep And with Thessalian Fortune ride In Triumph o're the Deep 2. What Rival of the Gods is this Who dare's do more then they Whose Feet the Fates themselves do kiss And Sea and Land obey 1. What can the Fortunate withstand For this resistless He Rivers of Blood brings on the Land And Bulwarks on the Sea 2. Since Gods as well as Men submit And Caesar's favour woe Virtue her self may think it fit That Egypt court him too 1. But Pompey's Head 's a rate too dear For by that impious price The God less Noble will appear Than do's the Sacrifice 2. If Justice be a thing divine The Gods should it maintain For us t' attempt what they decline Would be as rash as vain Chorus How desperate is our Princes Fate What hazzard doe's he run He must be wicked to be great Or to be just undone Act. III. SCEN. I. Charmion Achoreus CHARMION YEs whilst the King himself is gone to meet Caesar and lay his Scepter at his Feet To her Appartment Cleopatra went And there unmov'd expects his Complement What words have you to cloath this Humour in ACHOREUS 'T is Noble Pride and worthy of a Queen Who with Heroick courage does make good The Honour of her Rank and of her Blood May I speak to Her CHARMION No but she hath sent Me to enquire this meetings great event How Caesar on this Gift himself explain'd Whether it wene acknowledg'd or disdain'd If he the fierce takes or the gentler way And what he to our Murtherers could say ACHOREUS The head of Pompey hath already cost More than they will have any cause to boast For whether Caesar be or seem severe Yet I for them have ground enough to fear If they lov'd Ptolomy they serv'd him ill You saw him part and I pursu'd him still When from the City his well order'd Fleet Advanc'd a League that they might Caesar meet He with spread Sails arriv'd and as in Wars He still had been the Favourite of Mars So Neptune to his Navy was so kind His Fortune was not fairer than his Wind. Our Prince was so astonish'd when they met As if he did his Crowned head forget Through his false joy his terrour he confess'd And all his Actions his low Thoughts express'd I my self blush'd as at a shameful thing There to see Ptolomy but not the King Caesar who saw his Courage thus expire In pity flatter'd him to raise it higher He with low voice offering his fatal gift Now Sir says he you have no Rival left What in Thessalia not the gods could do I give you Pompey and Cornelia too Here 's one and though the other flight did take Six Ships of mine will
He was preceded by his Brother's fate CAMILLA Alas VALERIUS Yet breathless his revenge begun But quickly gives new conquest to your Son Who soon defeated all the Arts he try'd And laid him gasping by his Brothers side The Air resounds with noises thither sent From Roman Joy and Alban discontent Our Hero when so near his triumph drew Not only conquers now but braves them too I to my Brothers shades give what is past But to thee Rome I sacrifice this last Accept dear Country this so noble Blood Says he and flies to make his promise good The victory did scarce admit suspence The wounded Alban making small defence But as a Victim to the Altar goes And his Throat offers to the deadly blows So he gave up his undefended breath Securing Rome's Dominion by his Death Old HORACE O! my brave Son true heir of all renown Onely supporter of a falling Crown O Vertue worthy of Romes boast and mine Thy Country's succour glory of thy Line When into tenderness shall I convert All my injustice to thy great desert When shall I my repenting kindness show And with glad tears bathe thy victorious Brow VAL. That your Endearments may soon find a place The King will hasten him to your Embrace And therefore till to morrow is delay'd The Sacrifice which must to heav'n be paid This day no other Gratitude allows But Songs of Triumph and the publick Vows Where Horace waits the King by whom I 'm sent To ease your Grief and heighten your content But this is not enough for him to pay He 'll come himself and that perhaps to day This noble action does oblige him so That his own thanks he will on you bestow Who have resign'd your Sons to save his Throne Old HOR. That honour is too great for me to own And I 'm requited by what you have said For all the Blood my Sons have spilt or shed VAL. The King who no imperfect bounty knows His rescu'd Scepter from insulting Foes Values so much that all that he can do He thinks below either your Son or You But I shall tell him with what noble fire Heroick Vertue does your Soul inspire And how much Loyal Zeal to him you bear Old HOR. You 'l much oblige me by so kind a care SCEN. III. Old Horace Camilla Old HOR. Daughter your Tears are out of season now And misbecome the place where Honours grow Domestick losses we may well excuse When they do publick Victories produce It is enough Rome does o're Alba sway And all our sufferings that one word must pay You but a man lost when your Lover fell Whom you may quickly now repair as well What noble Roman after this success But would be proud to make you an address But to Sabina I this news must bear Whose blow must needs be very rude to her And her three Brothers by her Husband slain Will give her much more reason to complain But I despair not to appease her yet And she who is so brave and so discreet Will without pain her generous Soul dispose To that submission which her honour owes Till when suppress your grief you now resent Nor entertain him with this discontent In brief let him a Sister meet and find In the same blood the same heroick mind SCEN. IV. CAMILLA Yes I shall quickly to that Brother prove That none can fear to die who dares to love Nor can submit to those stern Parents sway Whom cruel Heav'n condemns us to obey You blame my grief you call it mean and poor But in revenge I 'll cherish it the more Relentless Father and my tears shall flow Till their streams rapid as their causes grow Never did Fortune shift her treacherous part So many times to break a single heart Sometimes she flatter'd and sometimes did fright Never in one day did one heart appear So toss'd from grief to joy from hope to fear An Oracle assures a Dream torments The Battel threatens and the Peace contents Just on my Marriage Eve the Cities chose My Lover and my Brother to be Foes The Souldiers murmure and revoke the choice The gods again confirm it by their voice Rome seems subdu'd and with my Brothers blood My Curtius only unpolluted stood But did my Heart too little grief contain To see my Country stoop and Brothers slain Or did my Fancy give too large a scope To love yet guiltless and yet living hope His death revenges on me that abuse With the sad way wherein I heard the news Valerius tells it and to brave my Fate The sad event does odiously relate An open gladness did his visage dress Less by Rome's glory caus'd than my distress Since by his Rival's death his hopes renew He seems to share my Brother's triumph too But this is nothing to my present wo I am requir'd with joy to meet the blow I to the Conqueror must my praise impart And kiss a hand that stabs me to the heart And when my grief so justly great appears They place an infamy upon my tears I must rejoice at what afflicts me thus And to be noble must be barbarous But from this Father I 'll degenerate And will deserve this gallant Brother's hate For humane frailty sure illustrious grows When brutishness for vertue they impose Appear my griefs why should you now forbear When all is lost what hath one left to fear This savage Conqueror I will not flye But will upbraid him with his Victory Offend his Conquest irritate his rage And if ought can let that my grief asswage He comes let my just sorrow now disclose What to a Lover slain a Mistress owes SCEN. V. Horace Camilla HORACE Sister this arm our Brothers has reveng'd And Rome's declining Destiny has chang'd Has to Rome's sway subjected Alba's Fate And in one day dispos'd of either State Behold what Trophies I have won and pay What 's due from you to such a glorious day CAMILLA Receive my tears then which are all I owe. HORACE Rome in her Triumphs will not those allow Bloud hath too well appeas'd our Brothers slain For you by tears to wash away their stain A loss that is reveng'd should be forgot CAMILLA Since then our hapless Brothers need them not I shall not think my tears to them are due Who are so fully satisfi'd by you But who will make my happiness return Or call that Lover back for whom I mourn HORACE How 's that CAMILLA My Curtius ah too brave too dear HORACE Ha! what are those audacious words I hear Can my degenerate Sister then retain Love for a publick Foe whom I have slain Thy guilty passion to revenge aspires But govern better thy unjust desires Remove my blushes and thy flame suppress And be in love only with my success Let these great Trophies thy delight confine CAMILLA Give me Barbarian then a heart like thine And since my thoughts I can no more disclaim Restore my Curtius or excuse my flame All my delight with his dear life is fled I lov'd him living and lament him dead If thou the Sister seek'st thou left'st behind An injur'd Mistress only thou wilt find Who like a Fury still must thee pursue And still reproach thee with his murther too Inhumane Brother who forbid'st my tears To whom my ruine such a joy appears Who of thy cruel slaughters growing vain Would'st have me kill my Curtins o're again May such incessant sorrows follow thee That thou may'st be reduc'd to envy me And by some wretched action soon defame Thy so ador'd and yet so brutish Name HORACE O Heavens who ever saw such raging love Believ'st thou nothing can my temper move And in my blood can I this shame permit Love love that blow which so ennobles it And the remembrance of one man resign To th' interests of Rome if not to mine CAMILLA To Rome the only object of my hate To Rome whose quarrel caus'd my Lover's Fate To Rome where thou wert born to thee so dear Whom I abhor ' cause she does thee revere May all her neighbours in one knot combine Her yet unsure foundations t' undermine And if Italian Forces seem too small May East and West conspire to make her fall And all the Nations of the barbarous World To ruine her o're Hills and Seas be hurl'd Nor these loath'd Walls may her own fury spare But with her own hands her own bowels tear And may Heaven's angel kindled by my wo Whole deluges of fire upon her throw May my eyes see her Temples overturn'd These Houses ashes and thy Lawrels burn'd See the last gasp which the last Roman draws And die with joy for having been the cause HORACE CAMILLA Ah Traitor HORACE Perish and be that their doom Who dare lament an Enemy of Rome SCEN. VI. Horace Proculus PROCULUS What have you done HORACE An honourable act Such an offence does such revenge exact FINIS