Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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A33146
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Xerxes, a tragedy as it is acted at the new theatre in Little Lincoln's-Inn Fields / written by C. Cibber ...
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Cibber, Colley, 1671-1757.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing C4285; ESTC R18221
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38,508
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58
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run or'e the Stage and Xerxes in Disorder Omn. Fly Fly they are Entring they are upon us Fly Exeunt Xer. Confusion How the Slaves forsake me They 've caught me in the Snare Nor can I 'scape 'em now Let 'em go all I 'll stand the shock alone The fearful Stag at Bay will Fight Will dye reveng'd upon his Hunters And the fierce Lyon's wilder in the Toil Shall Danger shake a Monarch's Soul Now by my Crown 's Right Royal Majesty I will not fall What Hoa my Beaver Slaves I 'll put the Godhead on and Destiny Shall tear her Idle Scrolls of Fate decreed For she has written false of me I will not dye Nor shall my Foes have power to Face me Thus with this Awful Front I 'll look the Raging God within And Frown 'em into Fear Thou Pale fac'd Slave Shout Clashing Enter a Soldier Sol. My Lord Your Guards are half destroy'd The rest Revolted all to Artabanus Who like a Deluge with his Force comes Rowling in Xer. Let him Rowl on He meets a Rock will stand unmov'd his Roar And dash him into Dew Shout again Enter Artabanus Pressing back his Followers Art On pain of Death let no Man follow me Xer. How darest thou Slave With that Rebellious Face Confront-thy King Or Tempt the Vengeance of a waking Deity Art When Kings are Cast in Molds Divine We find their Actions Great and Pitiful Pity 's the Noblest Composition of a God But thou hast none No soft Compassion ever toucht thee Tygers and Wolves to thee are tame See here The Handkerchief The ruful Flag proclaims thee worse than Tyrant Or if a nearer Name can reach thee Devil Xer. Traytor Art From any Mouth but thine wou'd shock my Soul Or if I am a Traytor Ev'n those just Powers that gave me Vertue When they behold the Wrongs that rais'd my Arm Will sure allow I was not prompt to Ill Not easily disloyal My Vertue did its part If held it struggled stoutly to be tame But here 's a Force would break the strongest Hold And turn ev'n Pity to Revenge and Rage If yet the Horrour of the Deed Has left thee Temper speak What had the poor Tamira done to merit such a Death Why hast thou kill'd The tendrest Mother and the softest Wife Xer. But that I know to say will gall thy Heart I 'd spurn thee Traytor for this bold Demand Daring to ask a Reason of thy Monarch's Will But as a God to Thunder-strike thy Soul I tell thee Slave I Whor'd her to a Dis-liking And then she was unfit for Life Nor cou'd I brook to let her live for thee After the Stamp of Royal Love was on her Art O savage bloody Tyrant The Horrour of his Words Has numm'd my Senses and drowns my weak Revenge in Tears Xer. Now By my Glorious Brother in the Skies My Words have more than Power of common Kings They 're something near 'T is Second Fate To strike this hardy Soldier pale with Fear He weeps he dies I 've look'd him to a Ghost Art And art thou dead Our Infant-Love for ever parted No more of Woman now Farewell Nor need I this to dry my Tears The Thirst of Vengeance rages in my Blood And drinks 'em faster than they flow Hear hear me Gods Revenge your Heads prophan'd Kneels And as the Cause the woeful Cause is yours So from this Arm your not unwilling Instrument Hurl swift Destruction to the Tyrant's Heart Rising Xer. I laugh at all that Fate can do Come on rash Fool And if thy Life 's a Pain as sure a Rebel 's ought Thus Hand to Hand oppos'd Death never took A Nobler Form to face thee Art Now By the Sun 's Refulgent Ray I meet thee worthy of my Rage Oh! I cou'd thank thee that thy Blood 's so high That Manly Fury in thy Eyes transports me It sets the Noble Front of Honour in my View And heightens my Revenge with Glory They fight and after some Passes Xerxes speaks Xer. Confusion How he dallies with my Fury But thus I pour it all at once And certain send thee to the Shades Art And thus the Gods re-pay thee Both fall Xer. Furies and Hell They 've struck me now indeed But if there be Hereafter I 'll revenge it still Rebellion from the lowest Shades shall rise And give 'em fresh Alarms of War More dreadful than their puny Giants Rage The desperate Fiends by me to Freedom led Shall dash their Chains against their Crystal Tow'rs And shake their Heav'n to Horrour Oh! I am faint My gushing Blood flows inward to my Throat And drives out Life before it Ha! 't is false I am not dying No! I 'm weary of the World And now will sleep for ever Dies Art When I behold this Sight I wish to follow thee Death cannot be more terrible His Hand is on me and his Looks are mild To be no more is now to be most happy Oh for a Friendly Witness of my Glory Hark! A Trumpet My Fortune's kind I hear 'em coming Enter Mardonius and his Party Oh! welcome Friend My Fellow-Soldiers welcome See there the Wounds of Persia cur'd the Tyrant's dead By me he fell and poor Tamira is reveng'd Mar. Horrour on Horrour Thy Tamira lives And comes with eager Love to meet thy Arms Oh! rather had she died than thus to meet thee Art What means my Friend Tamira living Mar. Run Haste and tell her of this bloody Chance If she would see her Husband she must fly Exit a Soldier Alas my Friend That Gory Handkercher Was only by the Tyrant thrown to gall thee Thy poor Tamira lives This Moment dragg'd along By the rude Rabble I redeem'd her safe But hark Aranthes brings her on He faints A Trumpet at a distance O Cruel Gods can you not lend one Hour To a departing Lover Art Grieve not for me Give to my Wife thy Tears She 'll need a Friends Compassion Let not her Sorrows For I know she 'll mourn my Fall be desperate Her little Infant will require some Care I charge her live for that Commend me to her Heart and let her know My latest dying Words and Thoughts Confest her Loving more than Life belov'd Dies Mar. He 's gone O Freedom dearly bought Unwelcome Peace Without the Life that gave it But see his frighted Widow comes O mournful Thought O piteous Woman Enter Aranthes with Tamira She runs to the Body Tam. Where where 's my bleeding Lord Stand off O give him to my Arms Hah Speechless and pale Oh! Aranthes Help ho she sinks le ts raise her from him Tam. Oh! we must never part But with more Pain than Bodies lose their Souls Dear Sir for Pity 's sake oppose me not Ev'n in your Eyes I read a Friend 's Concern But mine 's a nearer Tye a Wife Alas I was his Wife his tender Wife belov'd Mar. Indeed I pity thee But yet call Reason to thy Aid Tam. Ah! Do I not my Lord Are not my Tears my Duty Have I not Cause to tear my Flesh to bleed And dash me on the Ground Oh! cou'd my Tears but fall like Showers from Heav'n This dismal Object sure wou'd drown the World Mar. Be comforted fair Creature Nothing is ours Nature but lends us Life Since Death's a Debt that all must pay Tam. Since he is dead is there a Comfort left me Oh! I cou'd out-weep the Southern Clouds Away And give my Sorrows Room Stand off And let me fill my Arms with Woe Embracing the Body Grudge me not this This Ease of Misery indulg'd Let me but talk a while and gaze and kiss His cold unfeeling Lips and you shall see me quiet Hush'd as the Cradle-Babe When chidden by its angry Parent to a Slumber Weeps over him Aran. Give her her Way my Lord Her Grief swells higher when oppos'd Mar. By Heav'n this stubborn Heart that has unmov'd Walk'd by a Heap of groaning Foes At this sad Sight is melted down to Woman Tam. Hush Who 's that weeps so loud You 'll wake my Lord He is not well he slumbers and a cold Damp Sweat is on his Brow O my poor Love Hark! hark He calls me in his Sleep He chides Says I am unkind and fear to follow him As if the Terrour were not in Life behind him Ha! What means this Friendly Weapon at my Breast It looks not sure as if the Hand of Chance But Love had laid it to relieve my Woes 'T is so 'T was Love and Love applies it here She stabs her self with her Husband's Sword Aran. O fatal Deed Mar. O rash Despair Tam. Call it not rash when there 's such Ease in Death But Death alas is never wholly kind For tho' I 'm pleas'd to think I had not Power T' out live my Lord yet Oh! it grieves my Heart That I have robb'd an Infant of its Mother Oh! be a Friend to that and teach him Sir To keep the Middle-Paths of Active Life When wild Ambition or too powerful Love With eager Heat would drive him blindly on Be kind and warn him with his Parents Ruin Dies Mar. There broke The tend'rest Heart that ever sigh'd in Love But Love was her Undoing for once In wild Revenge to right her Love betray'd She struck a Ponyard to the Villain Memnon's Heart The Gods have frown'd but Men must pity her Nay Heav'n but half resents her Fault gives her A kind a not untimely Death 'T was then Too late to live when all she lov'd was gone Remove the Bodies never more to part Living one chaste Bed now one Grave shall hold ' em But here the Gods with Terrour strike Mankind Turning to Xerxes Let Kings and jarring Subjects hence be warn'd Not to oppress or drive Revenge too far Kings are but Men and Men by Nature err Subjects are Men and cannot always bear Much shou'd be born before Revenge is sought Ever Revenge on Kings is dearly bought Yet to our Woes the Gods this Comfort give From those that die the Living learn to live The END
Here This way show the Bodies to the King Great Sir two of the Conspirators This Moment Breath'd their last Xer. Was 't not my strict Command to take 'em all alive Who was it dar'd to kill ' em Cleo. My Lord it was their own Dispair For e're we cou'd beset the Orchard These two with several more who just before Escap'd us Made an Attempt to leap the Wall We Interposing in the Moment Demanded 'em our Prisoners At this they looking round with hopeless Eyes To one anothers Breasts their pointed Swords advanc'd And rusht at once to an Embrace Of Friendship and of Death Xer. O spiteful sullen Traytors Bring in the Torture By Heav'n I 'll have 'em Rackt to Life again Mem. My Lord these Wretches are but the Limbs Of the Conspiracy it only halts for want of them If you would have it husht for ever Cut off the Head their Artabanus Xer. Thou hast inform'd my Rage Say Slaves Among those that fled saw you Artabanus Cleo. No my Lord we rather choose to let them fly Than give him time to 'scape while we pursu'd em If with the rest he was he 's still i' th House my Lord. Mem. Then we are secure of him I left him here But see they 've found his Wife If he lies yet conceal'd she must of course Be privy to the Place Enter Tamira Guarded Xer. Now Is Artabanus found Guard My Lord we 've left no place unsearcht That Jealousy can enter but can no where find him And when we urg'd his Lady to discover him She call'd us Fools and said we askt her Idle Questions Xer. So brave But this is done in spite to me The Traytress knows I love and therefore she insults But thus I tear the Passion from my Breast And in its room take fell Revenge and Hate Aside Bring in the Rack I 'll try if that can make A Woman speak her Mind Mem. 'T is here my Lord. Xer. See you that Lady Tam. Yes and feel it in my Thoughts Xer. What think you of it Tam. That I could bear it Sir t' avoid a greater pain Xer. What 's that Tam. Disloyalty to my Husband and my Love Xer. That shall be try'd Where is your Husband Tam. I have hid him Sir Xer. Where Traytress Tam. I dare not tell you Sir he has commanded me I should not Xer. He then commands thee to the Torture If thou wouldst 'scape it speak for I will know Tam. You shall You ask to know Where I have hid my Husband Then I must tell you Tyrant in my Heart Where you nor yours can enter to remove him Mem. Put her to the Tryal Sir the Rack keeps no Secrets Women are so impatient of a little pain That only squalling in their Natural Labour They 'll forswear Mankind Aside to Xerxes Xer. By Heav'n I 'm pleas'd to see her Folly rave Thou talk'st as if the Rack were but a sport Hast thou Been ever sensible of any pain like this Tam. Ten thousand times a greater I have known The pains of hopeless Love Nay after that The Agonies of Blushing to Reward The Man that lov'd me Xer. How feelingly she talks of Love ev'n in The Face of Horror Art thou not afraid of Death Tam. No! This Moment from my Window I beheld These two unhappy Wretches run into His Arms and see how soon they 're quiet Death Alas He 's now my nearest Friend look here I wear him in my Bosom Sir My Husband plac'd him there Xer. Thy Husband To what end Tam. During his Absence to keep Dishonour from me Xer. O the Inveterate Slave Memnon Walk unobserv'd Behind and rest the Dagger from her Aside Mem. I shall my Lord. He steals round Tam. That Whisper has a Meaning I am jealous of By Heav'n 't is so The Villain meets my purpose Observing Mem. Xer. Once more Where is thy Husband Confess and yet preserve thy Life Tam. Thus far I will confess That I am now indeed Almost afraid of Death For it would grate my Soul To leave my Husbands Ruin unreveng'd For I dispair again to make him happy And that the only wish that makes me fond of Life Forgive me Duty if I mistake the Breast But great Revenge and Love Instruct me here Stabs Mem. Xer. Disarm her Seize her Slaves I 'll trust the Tygress loose no more Mem. Furys and Death she 'as reacht my Heart Dyes Tam. So may all Traytors dye 'T is done The Noble Task that Love had set me For the Remains of Life is nobly ended And now I am at leisure for The Idle Holy day of Death Xer. No sullen Traytress thou shalt be Years a dying Tam. Let me be Ages Sir Xer. Begin the Torture I 'd have my Glory live for ever By Heav'n she mocks my Vengeance They bind her Now where are your smiles of Scorn Lady Tam. Here in my Soul which thus contemns the Tyrant Thinking to bow it down to Baseness Alass my Body now wou'd sink to th' Earth With horror of yon Agonizing Tortures But that my daring Soul shoots like a temper'd Spear Quite through the falling Trunk and give it power to stand Now satiate thy Rage strip off my trembling Flesh And when thou 'st Piece-meal torn these frailer Limbs away Still shalt thou leave unmov'd a naked Mind Erect to Heaven Xer. Away and drag her to her Fate She is carried off My stern Revenge will brook no more defiance Cleo. My Gracious Lord might your poor Slave advice Xer. Preserve thou thy own Life and tempt me not I tell thee Vengeance takes up all my Soul Cleo. But yet you see my Lord she minds it not You are not thus reveng'd she mocks the Torture Now Sir may I Advise Xer. Advise me What Not ev'n the damn'd can Groan With more variety of Pain Look there Cleo. I see my Lord and plainly see from this Were she in your Arms she 'd feell at once A greater Pain and you a sweeter Vengeance Methinks she 's lovely yet Her Charms new pointed See! How her Snowy Bosom heaves and swells With Inward Pains Disdaining to confess ' em O Miracle of distressful Beauty Xer. Not yet a Groan No Sigh or Tear for Mercy Reveal thy Husband yet and I forego My Justice By yon' Heav'n she 's Dumb and dauntless See! How she knaws her Lips and firms her Brow With sullen Virtue she supports her Soul And bears it with unheaded Resolution Cleo. Stupendious Woman Xer. Forbear a while To the Executioners Cleo. With half this Pain I 've seen a Malefactor Make the Torturer tremble with his Groans Can all this Fortitude be born of Love Xer. If it be What Mortal Man can Merit such a Love If Love can make her smile in such a raging Pain What must he do when wrapt in real Pleasure What Racks of Blissful Joy what Raptures must she give By Heav'n they must be tasted Unloose and seat her by me She is brought in all Bloody I 'm now a Convert to