my jealousie It was th' excess and frenzy of my Love. Now you great Gods Protectors of my Throne I first implore your Favour to my Right Restore the Throne to me the lawful Lord. But if your powerful mysterious Wills For ever have excluded me and mine Oh! give this Great and Glorious Monarchy To this so Brave so Just and Glorious Prince I humbly beg it for my Peoples sake How happy will they be under a Prince Whose Virtues make Captivity a Joy Now call the General to me and the rest Enter Ar. Be. Na. Me. Pa. Dat. I like not the beginning o'th is day 'T is a dark Morning for my Light 's eclips'd Gone down and I shall never see her more I wou'd redeem my Children save their right And give Renown and Victory to my Friends To all my People Peace and Happiness I care not then how soon I 'm with my Queen Ar. The King is sad and pensive Pa. Yes I see 't With no small trouble for it bodes no good Da. Come to our work the Enemy draws on And 't is a shame so few shou'd challenge us Be. Nay he is rash and puts great confidence In light uncertain Fortune who is soon Tir'd with her Favourites soonest of all With Prodigals like him She has no fund Of bottomless successes to maintain A mad eternity of rash attempts Da. Forbeare and do not rudely touch his Name Who with such gentleness treats all my Friends Revile him not subdue him if you can Let 's fight him well for that he 'l give us thanks Now by our Persian Tutelary Gods By the Eternal Fire before us born By the Sun's splendor rising in My Realms And even a Sacred Glorious Native here By Cyrus's immortal memory By your own Honours I conjure you all Transmit the Persian Glory you receiv'd From your brave Ancestors to your own Race Do as you see me do I 'l ask no more If I be mounted on a Chariot Above you all 't is to be seen of all By my example to instruct you all Seek not one danger you see me decline Nor let one Bosome have more wounds than mine Exit All go off A noise of a Battle Enter Bessus and Dataphernes Be. Pursue pursue improve our good success The day 's our own the great Parmâ—nio Greatest of Macedonians gives ground Pursue and we are Masters of their Camp And then their Baggage and their Souls are ours For in their Baggage lies the greedy Souls Of these poor Thieves they only fight for Gold. â—ut we for Glory and Dominion Dat. My Lord when we are Masters of their Camp We 'l free our pris'ners we have thousands there Who Free and Arm'd will fall on th' Enemy With fury whetted on their iron Chains Sharp for Revenge Be. 'T is well advis'd fall on Exit A noise of Fighting Pris'ners run over the Stage shaking of their Chains and shouting Enter Bessus and Nabarzanes at several doors Be. The news the news my Lord Na. Undone undone Be. What say you Undone Na. By the King's Gallantry Be. His Gallanty's no news we know him brave Where did you leave him Na. Fighting hand to hand With Alexander Be. Ha! a Glory indeed And to be coveted above a Crown Oh! Gods shou'd Alexander fall by him Na. I fear'd it and drew off upon pretence To Wheel and Charge the Enemy i th' rear Indeed to leave him to his Persian Cowards A howl A great Howl and Cry is heard Enter Artabasus Ar. All 's lost my Lords the King is kill'd Na Ha! the King killâ—d my Lord Be. Nay then all 's won aside The Kingdom 's ours Ha! I forget my self The Gods forbid How do you know my Lord Ar. I was inform'd by those that saw him fall Did you not hear an universal howl Na. We did and thought it came from dying Men. Ar. Nay I believe by this time they are dead For with the King the Hearts of thousands sunk And our despairing Men no longer fought For Victory but death and had their wish For thousands dye and by a thousand ways Na. Then by survivorship the World 's our own aside Ar. Away and carry off if possible The Royal Body for our Honours sake For our dear fallen King and Countries sake 'T is all the service we can do 'em now Na. Here 's brave Lord Patron Enter Patron Ar. We will beg his aid My Lord my Lord our gallant King is kill'd Pa. 'T is false Be. How false Na I 'm sorry to hear that aside Pa. 'T was nothing but his Charioteer that fell Ar. Oh! then that fatal error ruin'd us Pa. No your Mens cowardize has ruin'd you Ar. Methinks I have some hopes if the King lives Pa. Of what For though the gallant King 's alive He 's almost the sole Persian that has life Or has had any since the day begun Before a stroke was struck the Cowards died Stabb'd by the glittering of th' Enemies Steel The Macedonians had no more to do But to inter the Dead throw dirt to dirt I mean heap Carcasses on Carcasses A very pious work And for my part I think 't is Sacriledge to hinder ' em So I am going for I find we come Not to a Battle but a Funeral Ar. You 'l not desert the King whilst he 's i th' Field Pa. He 's fled I forc'd him to 't I was inform'd He rush'd with too much bravery into th' Heart Of the Enemies to tear away the life I mean the valiant Macedonian King I fearing much his danger not alone From his brave Enemies but his base Friends March'd to his aid And found him as I fear'd Left by his Men and fighting not alone With Alexander but all Macedon All the King's Fire warm'd not his heartless Men But scar'd 'em for they fled like Ghosts from Day The Enemies Trumpets blew 'em all away No doubt they wou'd have fled had the Cocks crowed As they say guilty timorous Spirits do I interpos'd between the two brave Kings And made the Macedonian retreat Then shew'd the King his frightful Solitude How all his Persian Guards lay in himself And his sole safety in a quick retreat Else he wou'd fall into the Enemies hands Then in despair and rage he bent his Sword Against his own brave life I held his hand And with kind violence forc'd him to fly And I am told he 's towards Arbela gone I 'll follow him I will not kill brave Men To defend Cowards who deserve not life Exit Ar. Persia thy Glory 's lost Exit Na. But ours begins Be. It does and Patron lyed the King 's not fleâ— Darius is indeed but the King 's dead Here fallen lye his Empire and our Chains Now a fresh stronger hand shall take the Reins Exit ACT II. SCENE A Room in the Palace at Arbela Enter Artabasus Dataphernes Ar. LOrd Bessus with his Bactrian Horse in Town Dat. Just come my Lord. Lord Nabarzanes too With his bold Scythiads are not far behind Ar.
's within the Brow Shou'd be the mark of Sovereign Dignity Be. How goes the night away Na. The Morning Star Long since gave Darkness warning to be gone Dat. See fee 't is gone the day possesses Heaven Be. Nay then 't is time we wait upon the King. Na. 'T is more than time no doubt he 's come abroad I see his Golden Chariot guild that Hill. Be. Then he is there viewing the Enemy Dat. Now all the shining Crowd descend this way Let us go pay our adorations Na. Our Adorations to a mortal Man ha ha Be. Now Gods aid us whoever you destroy These Kings but for one Man their Swords employ Each for himself has all his Force design'd We fight for you and for all your Mankind They wou'd be Sovereign Lords but I contend Only to be your Creatures Sovereign Friend Ex. All sorts of Martial Musique Enter Priests bearing Fire on Silver Altars Then a train of Officers in Golden Robes and Collâ—rs Then Darius followâ—d by Artabasus Bessus Nabaâ—zanes Memnon Patron The King surveys 'em and all prostrate themselves and kiss the ground Patron excepted who only bows Da. I gave command the ground where I expect The Enemies Horse to Charge shou'd be stuck full Of sharp and bearded Irons but with marks For us to know and shun ' em Is it done Ar. 'T is Mighty Sir. Dat. 'T is well I am inform'd Our rash fierce Enemies are become wise The sight of this vast dreadful multitude Has cool'd their boiling Blood. Be. Sir so we hear Mem. Sir 'T is no more than Truth and what I saw I was commanded with a thousand Horse To make discovery how the Enemy lay Fear was to them a multiplying Glass They believ'd all your Army was come down And cryed Darius Arm Darius here Your Royal Name alone half routed ' em Nay I was told even Alexander fear'd The dreadful Shouts of your vast multitudes Shook Forests Mountains and the Conqueror's Heart And gave us time to make a good retreat Pa. Nay if that Prince has Fear it comes from Heaven For Terror is not natural to him Da. 'T is true the Omen appears promising Enter Dataphernes Da. The Eunuch Tyriotes Royal Sir That lately did attend upon the Queen Has made escape out of the Enemies Camp And brings some mournful news Da. Ha! from my Queen Dat. His Eyes are drown'd in Tears and Garments torn Da. Nay then it is my turn to tremble now If ill but threatens her it destroys me Bring hither Tyriotes bring my death Be. Were it not better Sir defer the news And not begin the day Da. Dispute my Will Enter Tyriotes Come hither speak while I have sense to hear Silence is vain thy Garments and thy Eyes Plunge me into a thousand tort'ring fears Speak Do not spare me ' cause thou see'st me Grieve For I have learnt to be unfortunate And to the wretched 't is a little ease To know how far their Misery will extend Oh! I distrust one thing I hate to think Much more to speak Thou com'st to let me know She whom I prize above my Crown and Life Has in her miserable vassalage Receiv'd Indignities I cannot name Say ease my Torments stabb me with the Truth Ty. Oh! let not Sir vain fears afflict your Heart Your real cause of sorrow is too much But oh the generous Conqueror paid your Queen All Honours that a Slave cou'd give his Prince He rather did appear a slave to her But now She is no more your Queen is dead Ar. How the Queen dead Da. Martyr'd for Chastity T is so t is so She did oppose his Lust And he has murther'd her Barbarian What injuries have I done to thee and thine That thou shou'dst take this infamous revenge There 's no just reason for thy War on me But say 't is Glorious to subdue a King Can it be so to violate a Queen Cou'dst thou not spare her Beauty and her Sex Ty. Oh! Sir he did again y'afflict your self With Visions Shadows She receiv'd from him All kind and honourable usage Sir. Da. Ha! kind Ty. Yes Sir for when She dyed he wept You cannot more lament Da. Ha! This is worse There was a friendship grown between them then And he had Favours from her it was so Men lament not the death of Enemies I cannot bear the Thought Ty. Oh! hear me Sir. Da. I wou'd have privacy away be gone Ex. all but Da. and Ty. This is not sit for any Ears but mine No nor for mine for it will make me mad Ty. Oh! Sir indeed Da. Preparing to deceive Ty. No Sir Da. It will be folly have a care For now my Grief is height'ned into Rage My Tears are turn'd to Fire then do not lye By Lying thou wilt fool thy self not me For if I find thou dost conceal the Truth The Rack shall force it from thee Ty. I 'l speak Truth Da. Do thrust me not upon extremities For Cruelty and I never agreed In sparing thy own self thou wilt spare me I do conjure thee by the love thou bear'st Thy self or me deliver me the Truth Tell me oh Whither am I going now But must go on though the way lead to Hell. Tell me if Alexander fortunate Victorious young and brave did not attain What I 'm asham'd to ask and dread to know Ty. No Sir indeed Da. Lye not Ty. I will not Sir What should I gain by telling you untruth Da. Hopes of my Favour by soft flattery Ty. Sir here I freely offer up these Limbs To any torment that can be endur'd There 's strength enough in truth to bear e'm all And then I hope you will believe me Sir. Da. This is all cunning to avoid the Rack But that thou shalt not do ho bring the Rack Ty. With all my heart Da. So bold I like it well He cannot love my Ease more than his Flesh Bring torments on himself to soften mine Thou hast half won me to thee speak I 'm calm Ty. Then I appeal to all the Powers Divine Oh! now attest my Truth attest your selves If I deliver Fictions to the King You are all Fictions if you spare my Head. The virtuous Conqueror did treat the Queen With all the Honour Virtue and the pure Religion due to one so much Divine He never saw her beauteous Face but once And then to give her comfort for her loss Her Divine Beauties only tempted him To greater Virtue and he did not serve His Pleasure but his Glory by her charms He serv'd her Honourably in her life And when She dyed he mourn'd the publick loss And gave her Royal pompous Funerals Da. Oh! Alexander thou hast vanquish'd me Till now thy Fortune only conquer'd mine But now thy Virtues have subdued my Soul Have thrown me down into a weeping Slave I blush to shew my Face But all these Tears Must not be thine my Queen must share with thee Whose Honour I have wrong'd Oh! thou bright Shade Of my chaste Queen forgive
and Die That one great Lyon may his Lust enjoy Exeunt SCENE is drawn Darius is set Musing and Sad Artabasus attending Da. Oh! Why was Alexander born for me To make my Crown a Misery to me Which I have made a Happiness to all Tyrants who spar'd not Heaven and Earth were spar'd How can Man find what way is to walk If Fortune will thus blindly plough up all Ar. Come Sir I pray do not afflict your self You gave your pleasure bounds limit your grief And you who ne'er broke Law nor injur'd Man Do not break reasons law in your own wrong Da. I 'd know my Crimes that have deserv'd all this Ar. I know of none Da. Nay prithee flatter not Ar. Oh! Sir was ever I a Flatterer Da. Never till now Ar. And this is an ill time In your Calamity and my great Age. For what can you bestow or I receive I 've reach'd a Hundred years now wanting Five My Love to Honour Conscience and my King Are all the Appetites I have to please Da. Oh! Why have I all sorts of Miseries Ar. Those happen to you as you are a Man. For what is a Man A Congregation Of disagreeing things His place of Birth A confus'd crowd of fighting Elements To nothing fixt but to Eternal change They wou'd all lose their Natures shou'd they fix Da. Why say they did were they not better lost Than kept at such Expence what does poor Man Pay for vain Life Ar. What 's matter what he pays Gods did not make this World only for Man. He 's but a parcel o' the Universe A fellow Servant with the meanest thing To carry on the Service o' the whole And pleasure o' the Gods the Lords of all Da. Can human Sorrows be delights to Gods Ar. Our Sorrows are not but our Troubles may A Great Man vanquishing his destiny Is a great Spectacle worthy of Gods. Da. Give me thy Hand years have not gone by thee Like empty idle Vagrants but like Kings And given thee Riches to relieve a King. Enter an Eunuch Eu. Lord Bessus Nabarzanes Da. Are they here Eu. They have been waiting for access some time Lord Memnon Patron too Da. Bring 'em all in Enter Bessus Nabarzanes Memnon Patron Dataphernes several Bactrians Da. Oh! Welcome my brave Friends come to my Arms I 'm joy'd to see your safety and your Love Follow me now You are true Friends indeed I will complain of Misery no more For I perceive it is the great Art of Heaven To give us better taste of what we have A Friend was ne'r so sweet to me before 'T is hard in prosp'rous Fortune to know Friends Now I am certain you attend on me This is to me my first apparent Court. Though I 've not fought I 've lov'd with great success There is no State in which the bounteous Gods Have not plac'd Joy if Men wou'd seek it out Well Sirs What news How many have we lost Be. Above four hundred thousand Sir 't is said Da. Oh! my amazing merciless destiny Be. 'T was not a Battle but a Massacre Na. Oh! Sir I wish your Sorrows might end here But though they 'r heavy as the heart of Man Has strength to bear I must enlarge 'em yet Your great Lievtenants Sir and Governors Have flung up all their Towns and Provinces Mithrenes has resign'd Armenia False Mazeus the once Glorious Babylon The Governor of Damas with the Town Betray'd the Kingdom For Sir in that Town You had lodg'd Wealth enough to regain all Da. Two hundred thousand Talents in coin'd Gold. In Silver twice the sum with Diamonds And Jewels of inestimable price Be. Alas This was not all the Riches Sir. Your Princes and great Lords had as they thought There secur'd all the Beauty o' the East I mean their lovely Wives and Daughters Sir. And this inhuman Coward betraid 'em all That Wives of Princes serv'd the Lusts of Slaves And poorest wretches shone in Robes of Kings Such Scorn did Fortune throw on this World's Pride Da. Oh! my immense boundless Calamities Though Iv'e so many thousands lost in Fight I must lament that I have lost no more Better my Cities mount to Heaven in Fire Thank sink by Cowardly villany to Hell. And they 'r preferr'd who meet with Noble Death Above the Villains who by Treason Reign Me. A little Joy were seasonable now And I've a little for you Sir. Da. Ha! Joy Me. The Coward of Damas fled to Babylon And with his Brother Villain Mazeus went To meet the Enemy with triumphant pomp As if the conquest of their Honesties Had been most Honourable Victories I heard it wou'd be so took some brave friends And slew 'em both before the Conqueror's Face Then brought their Heads away and there they are Da. Oh! brave young Man Now I 'm subdued by thee I 've nothing to reward thy Gallantry So thou hast made a Vassal of thy King. I 'm overcome by Enemies and Friends Good Gods for all my Losses Suff'rings Wrongs Favour my gallant Friends I 'll ask no more Ar. Oh! exc'llent Prince Will the Gods leave a Prince To whom they give such pledges of their Love I mean such God-like Virtue 's and brave Friends Da. 'T is true can I despair and have such Friends By you I 'm still a Great and Glorious King Able to fight with Alexander yet And by the Gods I 'le do 't I thought on slight The vile Decree with horror I revoke Shall I fear any thing while I have you And I am sure there is not in the World A danger you wou'd shun like shameful flight And shall I lead you on to Infamy No I will shew I deserve Men so brave I will march back and fight the Enemy One blow may scatter all his Victories They 'r lumber pil'd disorderly in haste Pa. Oh! Fortune in this Monarch see thy faults aside And frailties he 'l be great in spite o' thee Da. What means this silence in you all my Lords If you have fear I 'm sure it is for me Be. Ay so it is Great Sir. Da. So I believe But is there any thing to fear like Shame And shall I shamefully desert my Self In my own Empire be a banish'd Man Or like my Traitors to the Conqueror creep To be a petty Lord of some poor Town And there in safty lock my little Heart I charge you kill me when I e're devise Such infamous destruction for your King. No I will be a King or not at all My Life and Reign shall have one period But if your Resolutions be like mine We will yet give our Sorrows a brave end Justice is for us so may Fortune be I 'm a bright proof of her inconstancy But if no God will lend us any aid Let us be Gods and Fortune to our Selves And signalize our Selves by such a Fight May shew at least we deserve better fates All silent still Ar. Sir you exceed us all As much in Spirit as in Dignity What Soul
Pretending to be more he 's less a Man The worse for Reason by that Artful tool More hurtful than a Beast he kills by Rule But the true Soldier does Mankind create By forcing Reason on a brutal State. When Oaths are Wind and Laws but childish Rods The Soldier comes like Thunder from the Gods. Ex. SCENE A Room in the Palace Barzana sate melancholy attending to a Song Somtimes weeping Oronte waits Ba. Oh miserable me Or. Astonishment in everlasting Sighs Complaints and Tears This must not be it leads her from her Sense Madam She minds me not Madam I beg You will not always listen to your Griefs But to your Friends somtimes Ba. Trouble me not Or. Madam you are a trouble to your self Ba. Be gone I 'de be alone Or. I wou'd you were But you associate with a cruel Grief That does return your kindness very ill You grace a Melancholy that devours The Beauties whence it has its wondrous Grace Nay Madam it is dangerous to your life You neither eat nor drink nor take repose You go to Bed for liberty to weep And the Night leaves you as she found you in tears Day dries not up that Dew you only breath To sigh and not to live Your Reason wasts You see not hear not mind not any thing Somtimes your Fancy hunts a thousand things But e're they 'r found alas your Fancy's lost Be. Thou wilt be troublesome but thou mean'st well Therefore I pardon thee How tyr'd am I With sitting and till now I knew it not Come let us walk Or. Where will you please to walk Ba. I know not where Or. Abroad in the fresh Air Ba. No I shall be disturb'd with company Or. Then in the Gallery Ba. No it wants Air. Or. Then in the Grove Ba. I will not walk at all Fetch me a Book I 'le read let it alone Go call the Musique back again no stay It was too noisy a soft gentle Lute Wou'd please me better But another time How ill you dress me Sir Or. Dear Madam Why Ba. I 'm cumber'd with a thousand needless things Art need not study vanity for us We have too much from Nature Or. Will you please To change your dress Ba. Then you will be a toil Wou'd I cou'd change myself For any thing besides Or. She weeps again Ba. I 'le to my Closet no I will abroad Release me quickly from the slavery Of all this formal and superfluous dress The World 's in War I 'le be an Amazon Tye back my Hair but not with any Art Come a short Robe lay naked my right Arm. A Javelin there shou'd be the only grace My Horse my Horse Oh! I am prest to death Under your earthy sloth Oh! you good Gods That I were now among the Warriors Gaining Eternal Honors to myself Eternal Honors No Eternal Shame Shewing my Follies as I madly do Oh! I am curs'd curs'd by some angry Power That makes a foolish and vile thing o' me And then exposes that to shame for me Gods if you 'l take my Reason take my Life Leave me not Sense only to feel my Grief Or. Oh! Madam Madam in all reverence To your Command and Will I 've born your Griefs Till they have torn your Reason and my Heart I must assault 'em now And on my knees I humbly beg you will discover ' em Ba. Away away Or. No Madam pardon me I will pay all obedience to your self But oh no more to your distractions Ba. Be gone I say Or. I will not cannot go Ba. Thou dost not know how troublesome thou art And to what little purpose shou'd I tell My griefs to thee it wou'd increase 'em more Or. You know not that you have a noble Mind But at the present 't is not in your power My little Counsels now may aid you more Be not so faithful to your Misery Betray it to me Ba. 'T is impossible Oh! I cou'd easier rip my Bosom up And shew the Sun my naked Heart than thee Or. I do not think the dangers o' your Lord Ba. Ay there it is Or. No you are cold to him Oh! there is somthing moâ—e and I must know Ba. Well I will tell thee Or. Do. Ba. Another time Or. When t' is too late consider what you do I know y'have so much kindness for your Lord You wou'd be loth wholly to lose his Heart And there 's a beauteous Amazonian Queen By whom Lord Bessus has a Noble Son. Ba. Undone Undone Thou hast discover'd me Or. Discover'd what Ba. As if you did not find Or. Madam I swear I know not what you mean. Ba. You know too much Had I a Dagger here I 'de lock thy Bosom to Eternity Or. I wish you had and it were in my Breast If any ill has hapned to your Self Ba. She takes a pleasure to repeat my Shame Or. Your Shame Your Shame de' e say Ba. My Hell nay worse Shame is a torment which the damn'd know not The damn'd have darkness to conceal their Shame But mine will suddenly break out to light I cannot bear the torment of my Love. Or. Oh! now your Sorrows shew their mournful Face You love your Husband's Son. Ba. No more no more I tremble at the thought I 'm sick to death If the word Love but touch my Tongue or Ear. 'T is Sin to talk of Sin. Or. Your Love 's no Sin. It is your Glory now you vanquish it Ba. I do not do not cannot vanquish it I dare not trust myself with Love or Life I 'le seek out death by all the ways I can Or. Hold Madam hold Ba. Why Am I fit to live Or. If you be not you are less fit to dye Ba. Death ends my Sin. Or. Murther increases it Ba. It will be Justice on an impious wretch I 'le thrust all Hell into one painful hour And then good Heaven I hope will claim no more Exit ACT III. SCENE The Palace Enter Darius Artabazus Guards Ar. OH Sir the Men are good and penitent And brave as good and I shall see you yet As Happy Great and Glorious as ever Da. No Artabazus no my Queen is dead I never can be happy in this World. But I wou'd give my Kingdom happiness Go call 'em in Enter Bessus and Nabarzanes who prostrate themselvs before the King and wâ—ep Be. Oh! Great and Gracious King Oh! infinite is our conâ—usion We humbly beg you will regard our tears We can express our Grief no other way Da. Indeed I do not know what to regard Nor what you are you seem so strange to me I think you are my Subjects are you not Na. Yes Sir and faithful ones whate're we seem Da. A Subject without terror of his King Is an unnatural thing in Persia You are portentous Omens of my death Be. Oh! narrow World a Virtue that exceeds The common size appears portentous here The World is fallen on your Sacred Head And now we cannot stand on forms of State But we must get you
yet live to punish you And lash your Crimes with Crimes your cowardly Dissimulation hellish Cruelty Ingratitude more horrid than 'em both By the most Barbarous Murder of your King. Be. Sir in this noise and storm of Passion It is in vain to utter peaceful sounds But time that removes Mountains calms the Sea Will Calm and clear up all and you who think You have receiv'd unpardonable wrong Will ask us pardon for the wrong done us Da. Oh! insolence Na. Sir you will find this Truth Mean while we must go on in this foul way To find the Fair there Guards secure the King. Da. D' e say secure me and yet call me King Oh! rise in my Revenge and Aid all Kings This is your common Cause I am a King. Rise all Mankind for all Humanity Is by these Villains scorn'd disgrac'd and curst By what they do to me their most kind Friend Nay rise all Gods your Power suffers in me Your Minister and a deputed God! Your Justice suffers I am Innocent Be. Well Sir we pray then spare the Innocent Beat not your self against that Loyal force Which we have built to fortifie your Life Na. Yes Sir we mean your Service and we pray Force us on no indecent Violence We 'll treat you Honourably if you please Da. Monsters of Treachery and Ingratitude The King is led out by a Guard. Be. Ho! Dataphernes Dat. I am here my Lord. Be. I trust the King to you upon your Life Keep a strong Guard. Na. That will not be enough Let him be chain'd Be. It is not ill advis'd But for the honour that we bear our selves Let 's honourably treat his Dignity Since we our selves design to be both Kings Then let us beat Gold Ingots into Chains 'T will give a Lustre to our black attempt Aside to Nabarzanes Na. Th' attempt may appear black our ends are Fair. Be. 'T is true Sirs you shall have an Inheritance In manly Freedom your Posterity Shall all be born with Titles to themselves Now my brave Friends plunder the Royal Tents Guards shout Then let us face the Greeks and Persians And see what they will do Na. What dare they do Destroy the King for if they stir he dies Be. 'T is true but if they will our Power obey We 'll do such things shall give us right to sway The right that only does from Birth proceed In my Esteem springs from a Bastard Breed But Vertue is the Offspring of a God Vertue alone Legitimates the Blood. Ex. SCENE The Palace Enter Barzana and Oronte Ba. How Chain his King oh execrable Wretch Now I perceive whence springs my horrid Love. 'T is an unnatural fire rain'd down from Heaven To burn a bloudy Traytour in his Bed. I wonder not it never cou'd be quench'd I fasted wept and pray'd yet found no cure No safety even at the Altars of the Gods Love seiz'd me there and very well it might It has it seems Commission from the Gods. Or. Madam no doubt you have conjectur'd right A dreadful storm hangs over your Lord's Head So you the part most tender feel it first For else I know you cou'd controul your Love. But oh it is no more within your Power Than the day is for the same reason too 'T is hurry'd on by Heaven Ba. I 'm apt to think All Love is Fate the Will and Choice of Heaven Compelling ours But Fate to conquer me Has in brave Memnon gather'd for its aid All the Perfections that can be in man. Now who can stand under so great a force 'T is true I know my Temper is so firm Not all the Love and Excellence on Earth Can ever melt me down to one loose thought But yet the pain and sorrow of my Love Will throw me into the Grave Or. No Madam no Your Love will wear away by length of time Ba. Oh never Memnon's Charms are Powers Divine To punish the ill Father by the Son And I must love whilst Heavens anger lasts For ought I know to all Eternity Knocking Knocking I 'm overheard Oronte runs to the door Or. Lord Memnon's here Ba. Undone undone Thou hast betray'd betray'd me Or. No indeed Ba. Thou hast thou false thou wicked cruel wretch Not Heaven it self can make me happy now Except by falling on my cursed head Fall on me Heaven sink beneath me Earth Any thing swallow me but Infamy But I will stop its course cost what it will. Who is there Enter a Woman Wo. Madam Ba. Run and call your Lord. Or. Hold Madam hold oh do not take our Lives Before you know our Guilt Ba. Is it not plain Can he have innocent Affairs with me Th' address alone is highly Criminal It wou'd undo my Honour were it known Do Persian Ladies that regard their Fame Hold any secret Entercourse with Men No no he comes to do his Father wrong And has it seems a secret hope I 'le yield Whence cou'd he have this hope but from thy self Thou hast half cur'd my heart I hate you both And I 'm resolv'd his Father shall know all Or. Oh! Madam hold indeed I 'm innocent Ba. What brings him hither then Or. I do not know Yet now I call to mind perhaps my Lord Has cast him off in compliment to you He said he wou'd and now Lord Memnon's come To beg your Intercession Ba. That may be It is well thought I 'm griev'd I 've censur'd him Now I will see him but I am afraid I shall be all Confusion and let fall That port of Honour I wou'd fain maintain Reach me a Veil to guard my Eyes and Heart And cover my disorders what I can Now call him in She veils and seats her Or. brings in Memnon Or. Madam my Lord is here Ba. My Lord I 'm to your Valour so oblig'd I 'm in confusion with the sence of it I am now discompos'd and cannot give Your Visit the Reception it deserves Pray if you have any Commands for me Express your will that I may know my own For I shall serve my self by serving you Me. Here 's more Encouragement Good Gods be prais'd Aside Madam when Fortune Heavens how I shake Aside When Fortune gave me pray be not displeas'd The Glory Kings wou'd purchase with their Crowns To save your Honour Liberty and Life She blest the Universe but ruin'd me By hopeless Love for you Ba. Oh! thou false Wretch Ba. rises in Anger and flings off her Veil Nay stir not trust my Mercy you had best To Or. My Lord I thought not to hear this from you So fam'd for every Vertue as you are I sooner shou'd have fear'd the fall of Heaven That I shall look for now nothing is strange And better Heaven fall than Innocence Therefore be gone and think of me no more Or else I will acquaint your Father all Me. Madam 't is done already e're I came I told him all and had his free consent Ba. Oh! horrour now 't is worse than I believ'd Aside This
Traytress has inform'd my Husband all And he in rage has flung me off to Hell. Did he consent you shou'd address to me Me. No Madam not to your fair self by name I do not know your name Ba. Not know my Name Me. No Madam when I met you in the Field Love and Amazement took up all my Sence Had I been told your Name I had not known The Enemy and Night then parted us And a long Night it was I saw no day 'Till here this happy Morning I saw you I found my Father told him what befell He gave me a full grant to make you mine Be what you wou'd Or. Now Madam was I false Aside to Barzana Ba. I am more wretched than I was before I have found Treasure which I cannot keep The Love of him I love is now my grief For I am forc'd to cast it all away I must discover to him who I am Alas my Lord this Love is but a Dream Your Heart receiv'd my Image as it past Remove the face the shadow vanishes Leave me your Love is gone Be 't as it will All Heaven and Earth is plac'd between us two For to be plain with you I am a Wife Me. Madam I will acknowledge a bold Truth I sought you much but Guide I cou'd have none For you are far above description Chance brought me hither when the wanton winds Open'd the folding doors and shew'd me you My Soul retir'd in a Religious awe But your inchanting words soon brought her back I heard you own inspiring Love for me Madam wou'd you do that were you a Wife Ba. Oh! I shall blush to Death Aside to Or. Or. Good Madam why He knows not who you are you did not say You are his Father's wife Aside Ba. 'T is very true Aside What held my tongue But oh he knows too much He knows my Love more he shall never know I 'd rather burn in any fire than shame I will get free then like a Vision I 'le vanish hence and never be heard of more Me. Oh! Madam I perceive you are disturb'd Ba. Indeed My Lord y 'ave give me great Offence Me. Alas I fear my self am the Offence Why shou'd you be asham'd of innocent Love Unless you be asham'd of him you Love. Oh! is it so with me Ba. Y 'ave made it now Indecent to consider what you are And if you have not your ill Father has Your wicked Father has destroy'd your hopes Me. Oh! must I suffer for my Father's faults Ba. And must I suffer for your Father's faults I am a Princess o' the Royal Blood And if I League with you I cast away My Fortune Conscience Honour nay my Life Nay both shall die and by your Father's hand Me. Oh! Madam I am sure that fear is vain Pray send for him I know he 'll give consent Ba. Oh! horrour horrour Me. Madam do not fear Run for my Father Ba. Will you murder me All of the Royal Race will seek my Life If I be known to love your Father's Son. Me. Madam we 'll fly to the Brave Enemy Ba. I fly away in secret with a man And with the Son of the King's Enemy Shou'd my Friends pardon me yet I shou'd dye With Shame and Horrour And I 'm much displeas'd You shou'd embrace such shameful thoughts o' me And I even scorn you for your loving me Since you believe I have no more desert Me. Madam your merit seems so great to me As gives a Grace to every thing you do You can do nothing will appear a fault Madam I 'le do such things to serve the King As will conceal the faults of my ill Birth Ba. You can do nothing Nature binds your hands Will you destroy your Father horrid thought Yet if you do not he destroys the King. That Hell surrounds you 't is impossible To come at you but through all Misery And why shou'd you desire such ill to me Then go if you 'd preserve my Love or Life Your stay will but incurr my Mortal hate Nay perhaps bring my Blood upon your head Me. The Gods forbid I 'le rather sink to Hell. Ba. Then go whilst I have one kind thought of you And my kind thoughts are all you shall enjoy Me. All this I fear'd expected almost wish'd So much I tender you above my self For my ill Father's Son must look for Plagues They are my Birthright and Inheritance And I shou'd be most cruel and unjust If I shou'd seek to fix 'em upon you No Madam fly our cursed House and me Your generous Loyalty I praise and love Though 't is the Sword of Heaven to cut me off Well Madam I will take my self away Nay more I beg you 'l throw me from your thoughts That I may ne're be trouble to you more Ba. Now he goes nearer to my heart than ever Aside 'T is dangerous to see or hear him more And cruelty to send him bleeding hence Without some Balm My Lord I were unjust To love you least when you deserve it most No no you ever shall possess my thoughts And Heaven that made me has no more of me Me. Oh! Madam many thousand thousand thanks For this Compassion though 't will be no more Than a fair Monument o're a dead Wretch Ba. Oh! I have held my violent Grief till now To make our parting easie as I cou'd But now I 've lost all power o're my self And if you longer stay I shall fall dead Go if y 'ave pity for your self or me Me. I go I go and now can easier go Your kind Tears comfort me oh wretched me The grief of her I love is all my joy And now a long farewel my Love was born In a most fatal Field in Deaths dark shades And it will ne're have Health till it repair To Death again its Mournful Native Air. Exit Ba. He 's gone and I shall never see him more I must not will not dare not see him more I 'le fly if possible all thoughts of him All knowledge of my self Poor Womankind Heaven for our ruin gifts on us bestows Charms to allure no Power to opppose In Passion we are strong in Reason weak Constant alone to errour and mistake In Vertue feign'd in Vanity sincere Witty in Sin and for Damnation fair Exeunt Omnes ACT V. SCENE A Garden Enter Memnon Me. OH I am blasted in my Bloom of Youth I am more miserable for my Youth For the more Years and Life I have to come The larger Fields of Misery and Shame Have my unhappy Father sowed for me Well I will trouble nothing but my self I 'le wander from my Friends my Fortunes Hopes Then like a Plummet parted from the Line I will sink down in deep obscurity Where never more shall trace be found o' me Ha! oh my Heart the Princess comes this way Enter Barzana and Oronte Comes like a sudden spring on my dead hopes And forces 'em methinks into new Life Something methinks from Heaven stops my
Monarch o' the Universe And for the common Cause of all Crown'd Heads I challenge the Revenge due to my Blood. Pol. Sir it will be reveng'd your Murderers Are in the hands of your most Faithful Slaves Da. I 'm glad on 't for the sake of all Mankind Pity the Sea has bounds if Sin has none Better men sunk in Sea than Villany I 'm faint and thirsty I but lately saw Some drinking at a Spring not far from hence A little Water wou'd refresh me much Pol. Sir it was I you shall have some with speed Pol. fetches the King water in his Helmet the King drinks Da. How vainly do we pity Poverty The Gods sit at the Table o' the Poor And turn their Water to delicious Wine Never had I in pompous Luxury Such Pleasure as this draught o'water yields But Fortune does pursue me to the last I 'm forc'd to beg even Water for my Thirst And though a King I cannot pay for it But Alexander will give me thy hand Prethee for me touch Alexander's hand The â—ole remaining Pledge I have to give For all my grateful Love to that brave Prince Dyes Pol. He 's gone he 's gone and it is well he 's so Oh! wretched Prince whose Happiness is Death Let 's bear the Sacred Body to our King For he will give it Royal Funerals Ex. Poly. and Persians with the Body Enter another way Artabazus Patron Persians Greeks with Bessus and Nabarzanes chain'd and wounded Per. Here is the Spring the King 's not far from hence Ar. Oh! no for see the ground all stain'd with Blood. And no doubt Royal Blood let us pursue The dreadful track 't will bring us to the King. Pa. 'T will bring these Villains to Damnation Enter a Persian 2 Per. My Lord I met the Macedonians With the King's Body and the King is dead Ar. Oh! Prince the best and yet most wrong'd of men What Joy and Glory did he not deserve And yet what Misery did he not endure And now deny'd the comfort of Revenge Pa. Perhaps he may enjoy it after Death Oh Royal Shade if yet thou be'st not fled To blest Abodes bear this detested place But while we entertain thee with Revenge Drink sweet Revenge till thy great sorrows Sleep Then thou and all good things fly hence for ever Here take these Monsters torture 'em to Death Ha! pleasing Harmony hear you it not Soft Musick Ar. Yes with great Admiration for methinks This is no time or place for such delight Pa. A Sence of the Kings Murder seems imprest On Beasts and Plants and every thing but those Who threw at once their King and Nature off Lyons come roaring from their Caves then dy'd The Cedars groan'd then fell Th' Earth deeply tore Her Bowels and then wept a bloody Spring Streight all the Plants and Flowers droop'd and dy'd They must be most unnatural Villains then That now find Pleasure but none such are near Enter a Persian Per. My Lord the Traytours are in Torments Dead The Scene is drawn and the Carcasses of Bessus and Nabarzanes are seen hung in Chains and stuck with Darts a Guard attending At another part o' the Stage is seen the Ghost of Darius brightly habited Pa. Oh! now I see the Cause of these Divine Miraculous Sounds I see the King the King More Lively than he ever was in 's Life More Pompous than in all his Royal Pomp. Ar. I see him and my Spirit rais'd with joy Ascends to meet him happy Vision Vertue triumphing over Villany Pa. The Royal Shadow smiles and points to 'em Ar. This is the difference 'tween the good and bad Death shews it truly Life is a false light But the true Diamond appears by Night Ex. The EPILOGUE spoke by her that acts Barzana OVR Poet fears he too much Blood has shed So I am come to shew I am not dead My Part will all the wanton Masks displease That 's half the Pit and all the Galleries Rather than take into my Breast a Fair And brave young Lover thrust a Dagger there You put your Bosomes to another use 'T is a vile Pagan Custome I produce Pagans may rather dye than be debauch'd Good Christians Sin to be well Kept and Coach'd Besides to kill my self for Love I fear Will to you Sparks improbable appear Who in side Boxes daily crowd and there Plant all your murdering shot against the Fair Four Teer of Beaus o're one another plac'd And each one hopes to kill a Box at least And yet with all this terrible design Sink not one Heart only the Playhouse Coyn. How you look down with scorn on a Pit Beau The Wretch into his Grave does living go The Lord may have some Mercy on his Ghost Bus as for his poor Body that 's quite lost Now our side Boxes are a Smithfield grown Where Town and Country Nags for Sale are shown Where any Lady may her humour fit With a tall Palfry or a little Tit. And yet I do not hear the Ladies buy Nay Sirs they towards you hardly cast an Eye The Ladies nobly pay the House their due Why shou'd they give four Shillings to see you Not all your Faces are worth half the Sum Get Flags and Trumpets and try who will come The Images of Virtue we have shewn We know will please you Hero's o' the Town And Heroines because they are your own In Gallant faithful Patron and my dear Lov'd Memnon you brave men of Arms appear The Ladies in Barzana see your Face Of their fair minds but in no flattering Glass All love to see themselves the foul will stare In Glasses though they meet with Goblings there But all the little hopping fluttering Sparks You catch with Glasses as you do the Larks Place a fair Glass directly in the eye Of a young Beau he never can pass by Young Souldiers discipline their Graces there Face to the right the left then as you were She combs first o're the right Shoulder then o're the left then sets her Cravat Strings We pray all daily to this Glass repair FINIS