better to follow her though unfortunate then to pâ—â—sue the Victorie and in fine that the Empire of the Worâ—â— was not so dear to him as Cleopatra This thought 〈◊〉 so pleasant that though my fright ranked us among the conquered I cannot repent me and as the case is the Battle of Actium shall not be so glorious â—â— Cesar as to Cleopatra He overcame Souldiers who wanted their Commander but Cleopatra saw the most Valiant of all the Heroes throw away his Armes and follow her But to perfect my vindication 〈…〉 my dear Anthonie that how soon you was disingaged from your Ships I caused a Banner be set upon the Poupe of mine to advertise you where you should find me Judge then if that could be the action of a Criminall For if I had designed to be separated from you it was easie for me not to have received you Because I had sixtie sail and you had but one single Galley If I had betrayed you I might have easilie delivered you unto Cesars hands And by that given him truelie the Victorie If I had essaied to rank my self on the enemies side if the flight which I took might have been suspicious to you I shall say your suspicions are lawfull But on the contrare my flight having been the effect of my despair and love you should complain of fortune and not accuse Cleopatra Further do not imagine that that Victorie shall either be verie Glorious to Cesar or your retrait shamfull to you You fled not from your enemies you but followed Cleopatra Your Souldiers were conquered by Cesar but you was onlie by love If this Battle had been the first occasion of War wherein you had been found your Valior might have been questioned but it is so Universallie known that none are ignorant of it There are almost no People among whom you have not given proof of your courage in the beginning of your Youth And certainlie you must have given manie because the great Julius Cesar choise you to command the left wing of his armie in the famous Battle of Pharsalia and in a day whereon the conquest of the Empire of all the World depended And moreover Octavius knows sufficientlie that you are skilfull in the art of fighting and conquering That Battle which you gained against Cassius will not permit him to doubt And less also the Victorie you had of Brutus When at this time it may be said that you have overcome Octavius his Conquerours Because you know that he lost the Battle some daies before and baselie fled in presence of these whom you soon after did overcome But with this difference that Love caused your flight and perhaps fear made his You â—ee then my dear Anthonie that you are conquered without disgrace and that your enemies has overcome without honor And moreover our affairs are not yet desperate you have a strong Armie near Actium which is not yet under Cesars Colours My Kingdoms have also men monie fortified places and I wish that all my Subjects may loss to the last drop of their blood to preserve yours and your libertie But in fine when fortune shall unjustlie take from you these Crowns which your merit and valiour have gained by force Know that Cleopatras love shall not diminish No my dear Anthonie when that enemie of Illustrious Persons shall reduce us to live under a Cotage of Straw in some place remote from the Societie of the World I shal have for you the same passion that I had in that blessed hour wherein you gave Kingdoms And wherein twentie two Kings were to be seen in your Train Think not then that misfortune can fright me there is but one which I can never suffer with you And doubtless which you also will not endure Yes Cleopatra can be exiled with Anthonie and not complain She can Renounce all the Splendour of Royalitie and yet preserve her desires of life but bondage is that which she can never endure and which she knows you will not suffer no more then she Be then assured that so far from having intelligence with Cesar I give you my promise to die rather then trust to him or put my self in hazard of serving his Triumph No Anthonie Cleopatra shall never carrie Chains â— And if fortune be so perverse to her that she can have no way to choose but that of Rome or of Death The surrendering of her life shall justifie your love to her and her innocencie But before we come to that extream remedie let us do all things to resist our enemies Let us preserve life so long as we can without shame For in fine it should not be indifferent to us while we love each other perfectlie My dear Anthonie I perceive me thinks by your eyes that my discourse hath not been unprofitable They tell me that your heart repents of having unjustlie suspected me That it sees my innocencie as pure as it is and that the love it has for me is so great that it forebears not yet to love the person who robbed your hands of the Victorie For me my dear Anthonie you shall alwayes be my strongest and last passion I do acknowledge that in the time I did not know you Julius Cesars glorie did touch my heart And that I could not hinder my self from loving a man who over all the Earth passed for the first or Mortals A man I say whom you formerlie judged worthie the Empire of all the World Because you gave him his first honour by putting a Diadem upon his head in the middle of Rome and who after his death by a brave and Heroick Oration which you made to the Roman People caused him be set up amongst the gods Who chased Brutus and Cassius burned their Places And Signalised your Courage and Friend ship But since the time I have seen you I can assure you that you have soveraignlie reigned in my Soul and shall reign there continuallie It is an Empire which fortune hath not given you and which being without its domination shall ever be yours in spight of its unjustice It may overturn Kingdoms and Empires but it shall never change my heart And whatever doth usuallie destroy the strongest affections shall but fortifie mine And to testifie to you that I can love better then you I will not suspect your Friendship of anie weakness Yes Anthonie I do believe that although Cleopatra hath caused all your misfortunes she shall ever make all your happiness and that without repenting you of having ever loved her she shall alwayes reign in your heart as you do in hers Let us go then my dear Anthonie Let us go to Alexandria to do our last Endeavours to conquer those who have overcome us it is there where perhaps we shal yet find wherewithall to subdue the insolence of our enemies But if it come to pass that Heaven hath resolved our Ruine that fortune become constant to persecute as that hope be absolutlie denyed us that all your friends
abandon you that all my subjects betray me and join with the stronger partie if I say it come to pass that all those things befal us we shal stil find our Tomb in Alexandria And to merit from our enemies the favour of letting our Ashes remain there together we must Signalise our death by shunning bondage and in that manner we shall Rob them of the Noblest fruits of their Victorie and conquer Cesar himself by death THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THey who Love let themselves be easily perswaded by things which can please them And the volâ—â— of this fair Monster of Nilus failed not to Attract Anthonies minde to what she desired He did not follow Cleopatra to forsake her afterward And his Choller being the Effect of his love as well as his flight had been it was as easie to apease it as to flie He then believed all she said to him He repented that he had suspected her fidelity But repenred not the loss of the Empire of the World for preserving Cleopatra He followed her to Alexandria Where though she was more Generous that second then the first time they were not alwayes happy And of all the things which she promised him Cleopatra could give Anthonie but the half of her Tomb. SISIGAMBES TO ALEXANDER THE FOURTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT AFter Conquering the Indians Alexander the Great Married Statira one of Darius his Daughters Then was it that Sisigambes Mother of that Princess abandoned her Soul to the joyes and Inclinations which she had for that Invincible Conqueror She at that time Remembered all that he had done for her And as her Soul was Noble she immediatlie testified her gratitude to him in this manner SISIGAMBES to ALEXANDER IT is truelie this day O Invincible Alexander that I believe you to be the son of Jupiter an ordinarie man cannot be capable of so much Vertue There have been severall times Victories and Conquerors known But there was never a person found like you who has made the portion of the Conquâ—red equall with the Victorious Nor none who have divided the Empire which they have Conquered with the Children of their enemies In fine Alexander though you were of Humane Blood and not of that of the gods It is most certain that you deserve Incense and Altars I leave to the Famous Testimonies of your Valour the Publication of those Marvellous Exploits you have done in making you Master of the World For I Propose to entertain you onlie with your Clemencie and Goodness You know Generous Alexander if I should for your glorie Erect a Trophie of your Enemies Spoils I should there find Subject of making sorrowfull Tears flow abundantlie in a day wherein I ought to express joy This does not proceed from my not knowing that I shall not there see the Bodie of my Son For I Remember you was so generouslie good as to cover it with your Royall Cloack and bedew it with your Tears When coming to the Place where he expired by the cruelties of Treacherous Bessus you saw that great Prince in so deplorable a condition No. Alexander in this Juncture of affairs I should not look upon you as the old enemie of Darius but as the revenger of his Death as the protector of his Mother and Wife as the Husband of his Daughter and as the lawfull Heir of the great Cyrus his Throne In Effect you know what were my Sons last words He testified his Gratitude of the Obligations that I was indebted to you for He made Vowes for your Glorie He assured you he died your Friend and Servant And without imploying those few Moments he had to live in Deploring his Misfortune He wished you Conqeror of the Universe He hoped you would revenge his Death That you would take care to perpetuate his Memorie and he also left to you the rewarding Polistratus for that little water he gave him that he might the more distinctlie pronounce those things which he had to say for your Glorie O my dear Darius you was truelie my Son in speaking so of Alexander I give thanks to the gods that at last you had Power to acknowledge what we owe to his Clemencie and Goodness It is for those two Vertues O Invincible Heros That I admire you this day The whole Earth is filled with the noise of your Victories you are the Master aâ— Conqueror of all men the meanest of your Exploits are known to all The verie Playes of your infancie shall be Patterns to all Kings that come after you What your Conquests have been is everie where known None are ignorant of what a Glorious War you made in Greece The Splendid Ruines of Thebes which you razed are eternall signs that you was its Conqueror The Battle which you gave at the passage of the Garnick equallie manifests your conduct and courage None can be ignorant of what you did in the day of Issus Nor of what passed at the famous Seidge of Tyre The Battle of Arbella had too remarkable Circumstances not to be known of all the Earth The Conquest of the Indians and the defaite of Porrus on the Banck of Hidaspes are Eternal Monuments of your Glorie For not onlie is it known that you excelled that great King But it is also known that after you had Conquered his Kingdom you Restored it to him greater then it was before And in this manner if it be allowed so to speak You may not onlie be called the overcomer of this Prince but the Conqueror of Porrus Because it seems you did not fight but to make him greater The Cittie of Oxidraxes where you so resolutlie 〈◊〉 your self is seen of all the Earth It is looked upon as the field of Battle Where your great Heart seemed equallie to defie death and fortune and where you Surmounted both In fine Alexander there may be everie where found Testimonies of your Valour and Conquests Wherefore without speaking to you I content my self with praising your Clemencie and Goodness But what do I say Those two Vertues are as Generallie known as your courage for if as I have alreadie said you are Master and conqueror of all men It may be also said that you are all mens Benefactor It will be said that the gods have remitted into your hands all the favours they used to bestow That they have established you to be the distributor of good deeds And that they have given you Commission to make all the World happie You do no sooner Conquer a Kingdom but you give it your enemies are no sooner your Subjects but they become your friends And you not sooner Conquer them but you become their Protector I have so famous an example in my Person of what I say that I cannot doubt it without being Criminall For O Invincible Alexander I shall never forget the favours I have received from you Yes I shall alwaies remember that dismal-day wherein my Daughter and I became your Prisoners Fear of bondage had possest our Spirits with such horrid
Cato loved better to tear his entrails then to surrvive his contreyes freedom And that she having more valide reasons to perswade her will not faill to follow the way that he hath pathed for her When life can be neither honorable nor happie it is great wisdom to abandone it Being certain that it should be no longer dear to us then when it can serve for our Glorie or that of our Coutrey Since it is so I ought no more to preserve mine Yes Volumnius I owe my death to my own Glorie To that of Cato To that of Brutus And to that of Rome But do not think that this death shall be rude to me I go to a place where Vertue is certainlie known and rewarded That terrifying apparition which Brutus saw without being frighted at the Town of Sardis and afterwards at Philippes appears not to me I see but my husbands ghost calling me And which seems to be impatient till mine be with it I see that of Cato which retaining a fathers authoritie seems to command me to make haste and quite a place unworthie of Porcias Vertue Judge Volumnius if this Vision affrights me And if in the two wayes I have to follow I can have any difficultie in choosing From one side I see my countrey desolated All the Earth covered with the blood of our friends Our persecutors became our Masters All my relations in Bondage And to say all nothing in the World can be more dear to me then the Ashes of Brutus Behold Volumnius what I see from that side But from the other I see nothing but felicitie My Father and Husband wait for me The first requires the fruits of the instructions he gave me And the other the reward of the affection he testified to me Yes Generous Cato yes Illustrious Brutus Porcia shall do what she ought at this time and nothing shall be able to hinder her For think not O wise Volumnius that inclinations can be compelled Because by it we partlie resemble the Gods It is a priviledge which Heaven hath given us Tyrranes cannot force it It is not under their domination And when the Soul is 〈◊〉 and resolute the designs are never changed Believe not then that my Relations care can hinder me to die Or that your reasons can anie way brangle my Spirit Cato would not let himself be moved with his sons tears and Porcia shall not yeeld to those of her Relations nor your discourse Brutus to escape Bondage could resolve to leave me And by what reason should it not be easier and also juster for me then him to end my life My freedom is as dear to me as his was pretious to him But I have this advantage and pleasure in death that whereas he could not be free without aband oning me I need but follow him to preâ—erve my libertie You see then O wise Volumnius â—fter all that I have said to you That death is glorious â—ecessare and pleasing to me Think not then of hindering me because your care will be also to no purpose They who have been made change such resoâ—utions are certainlie subject to perswasion They have â—n the bottom of their heart a secret resentment which opposes their desire And their own Timeritie is a strong enough defence to preserve their life They are of such People that would die to the end that some or other might come and hinder them But with me it shall not go so I conceal not my design I will not deceive my Gaurds I tell them freely that I shall escape from their hands And that death shall free me from the pain I am in Yes Volumnius I do to die O Illustruous and great Cato O Generous Brutus Come and receive my Soul See dear ghosts if I be worthie the name â—ear do not disown me for what I am For if I be not mistaken my death shall not be unworthie of a true Roman See my dear Brutus if I have any faintings in this last hour Or rather if I have not great impatience to be with you O Generous Cato you see that daggers poison and everie thing that could seem to assist my design are taken from me My Chamber is become my prison I have neither precipes nor cordes And I have Gaurds who are carefull of me But by taking all those things from me they cannot take away my desire of death nor the memorie of your Vertue I remember O Illustrious Cato of that Glorious day Wherein you excelled Cesar by â—â—mounting your self You then told your Gaurds that your life was not iâ— their power Because to finish it you needed but stop your breath or dash your head against the Wall It is then in imitation of so Generous a pattern that I go to find my dear Brutus Behold O Illustruous Husband the last action of Porcia Judge of her life by her death And of the passion which I have had for you by these burning coals which I hold readie to choake me THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE IN saying these last words She did what she said And by a stedfast courage which procures admiration and horror she made it appear that things are not easie and impossible but according to the manner they are looked upon And that when any bodie loves one better then their life they have no prâ—uble in following their death BERINICEA TO TITUS THE EIGHT HARRANGUE ARGUMENT IN the time of the Judean War Titus became passionately in love with Berinicea Queen of Chalsis Daughter of Mariamne And according to the opinion of some he Married her Secretly At his Return to Rome where he brought her the Roman People who treat all strangers like Barbarians and Queens as well as others did not approve of that alliance so that the Emperour Vespasian ordered his Son to send her back It was in that troublesome conjuncture that this afflicted Princess speak thus to the great Titus BERINICEA TO TITUS THink not O Illustrious and generous Titus that I complain of your parting from me Siuce on the contrare knowing you as I doe I rather Pittie then Accuse you And without saying any thing against you I onlie desire your libertie to complain of Fortune Which having favoured you so much in all actions of War doth treate you so cruellie to day in my person For I doubt not but you shall be more sorrowfull to abandone me then you was joyfull in all your Victories I know that though ambition be as strong a passion as love It does not surmount it in your Soul And I will also believe to comfort me in my disgrace that if you were in condition to dispose absolutlie of your self you would prefer the possession of Berinicea to the Empire of all the World But this reason of state which Authorises so manie Crimes and so much Violence cannot endure that after the invincible Titus hath so manie times hazarded his life to secure the Romans felicitie should think of his own particular Yet I have never heard it
alace can I tell it Yes Lucretia for your vindication and chastisement thou must to day be altogether thy accuser thy witness thy partie thy defender and thy judge Know then Collatinus that that Lucretia who did ever love her honor better then her life or yours Whose chastitie was alwayes without blemish The puritie of whose Soul is incorruptible Hath suffered in your place a base an infamous Person the son of a Tirran and a verie Tirran himself Yes Collatinus the perfidious Tarquin whom you called your friend when you brought him to me the first time that I had seen him and would to the Gods it had been the last day of my life That Traitor I say hath made Triumph of Lucretias chastity By despising his own Glorie he hath lessened yours by having absolutlie benighted mine Aud by a crueltie which never had example he hath reduced me to the most deplorable condition that Woman whose whole inclinations are Noble could ever see I perseive Generous Collatinus that my discourse astonishes you And that you are in pain to believe what I say Yet it is a certain truth I am witness and asociate of Lucretias crime Yes Collatinus though I am yet alive I am not innocent Yes my Father your daughter is guiltie for having survived her glorie Yes Brutus I merit the hatred of all my Neighbours And when I have commited no other crime but the giving love to a cruell Tirran who by the abuse he hath done to me hath altogether violated the Laws of men of friendshp offended the Roman People and despised the Gods It is enough to merit the hatred of all the World Wo is me Is it possible that Lucretia could inspire such base thoughts that her fatal beautie could kindle a flame which should be her own destruction And that her looks which were so innocent could give such criminall desires But what is thy wonder insensible that thou art Rather wonder that thou did not tear thy heart before thy great misfortune Then was the time Lucretia wherein you should have testified courage and the love that you had to Glorie You should have then died innocent Your life would have been spotless and without question the Gods would have â—een carefull of your reputation Butinfine the busifiess is not so I am unhappie unworthie to fee the right Unworthie of being Spurius Lucretius his Daughter Unworthie of being Collatinus his Wife And unworthie of being a Roman Now Collatinus I ask of you what punishment Lucretia deserves Deprive her of your affection Blot her our of your Remembrance Revenge the abuse that has been done to her onlie for love to your self and not out of love her Look upon her no more but as infamous And though her misfortune be extream deny her that compassion which is had of all that are miserable But nevertheless if it were permitted me after I have spoken against my self to say some what in my defence I would say Collatinus without contradicting truth That I have not obscured my Glorie but by having loved Glorie too well Tarquins cajolleries did not touch my heart His passion gave me none His presents did not at all suborn my fidelitie Nor love nor ambition brangled my Soul And if I desired to speak for my self I can onlie say that I loved my Reputation too much Yes Collatinus Lucretias crime was that she preferred fame to true Glorie When the insolent Tarquin came into my Chamber I being awaked saw a Poiginard in his hand And having brought it to my Throat to hinder my out-cries he began to speak of a passion he had for me The Gods knows what were then my thoughts And if death appeared terrible to me In that condition I equallie despised the praiers and threats of the Tyrran His demands and offers were equallie rejected Neither love nor fear had anie place in my Soul Death did not affright me And so far from apprehending I manie times desired it My Vertue had nothing to fight against at that time I was not pendulous to preser death to the Tyrrans love And I know no horrid pain which I would not have joyfullie endured to have preserved my honour But when my coustancie had wearied the Tirrans patience That he saw neither his praiers tears presents promises threats nor death it self could move my heart That Barbarian inspired by the furies said it I resisted his desires anie longer he would not onlie kill me But to make me infamous to Posteritie he would 〈◊〉 slave who accompanied him To the end that 〈…〉 him dead in my bed it should be thought that I 〈◊〉 forgot my honour for that slave and that he wing 〈…〉 zeal to you had punished us as being guiltie of that crime I avouch with shame that that discourse wrought on my Spirit what the certaintie of death could not do I lost strength and reason I yeelded to the Tirran And the fear of being thought infamous is the onlie thing that made me so No Collatinus I cannot endure that Lucretia should be accused to have failled in her honour That the memorie of it was eternallie blasted And thinking that she should be execrable to you hindered her from dying at that instant and makes her live till now I did all things to oppose the Tyrrans violences except killing my self I desired to live that I might preserve my Reputation and that I should not die unrevenged And a false image of true Glorie taking possession of my heart made me commit a crime which I feared to be accused of However the Gods are my witnesses that my Soul and desires are whollie pure my consent contributed nothing to that doolefull accident neither in the beginning progress nor end of it You know Generous Collatinus that when you brought the Tirran as your Friend I was not voluntarlie the cause of his unjust passion I scarce lifted up my eies to look upon him And that Illustrious Victorie which my Modestie gained to you that day should make you sufficientlie remember that I have not drawn upon my self the misfortune that is befallen me After that I did not see the treacherous Tarquin untill that dismall day wherein he made prise of Lucretia Vertue But what do I say Tirrans have no power over the will I am yet the same Lucretia who so much loved glorie Because it is certain that mine is altogether innocent The tears which flow from my eies are not the effects of my remorse I repent not for the fault I have committed but onlie that I died not before that of another We were two in the crime and but one Criminall And my conscience does check me of nothing but my having preferred my reputation and revenge to a Glorious death That which hath caused my misfortune is that I believed the Glorie of my death would not be known I doubted the equitie of the Gods at that time And without remembering that they do miracles when they please and that they are protectors of innocence
which come 〈…〉 never been It belongs then to you 〈…〉 〈◊〉 to give more sollid foundations to this structure It is you must animat these Marbles by magnificent Inscriptions It is you must revive Mausole it is you must make me live Eternally although I feel my Death verie near approaching I desire not Socrates that you make Elogies of Busire or that you give praises to Helen as you have done at other times I give you a more easie and more Illustrious Subject the vertues of Mausole and the lawfull love of Artemisa are a more Noble subject then the inhumanity of Busire or the slightness of Helen your Eloquence shall have no crime to disguise All the craft that Rhotorick teaches for Imposing of Fables rendering them seemingly true will but serve you to perswade to truth and without Printing any thing of Sophistes it shal suffice that you writ as an Orator as a Philosopher and as a Historian together Eloquence that rare priviledge which the gods have bestowed on men as a raie of their divinity should never be employed but for protecting innocencie or eternising vertue They who have made a godess of perswasion have not designed to render it a slave to the Capricioes of men and doubtless they know as well as I that Eloquence is a gift of Heaven which none ought to prophane the power it has of excitâ—ing or appeasing the 〈◊〉 violent passions of softening the hardest hearts of perswading the most incredulous of forcing the most obstinate of constraining even to our will and of 〈◊〉 us in opposition to our selves by quitting our 〈◊〉 opinions to follow these of others all these advantages I say have not been given him to serve himself with injustice On the contrary it is that which the gods have chosen to make the World see vertue as lovely as it is and to cause it every day make new conquests It is by possessing of it that men acquire Immortality by making others immortall It is it which in â—ight of Time and change of Things preserves the meâ—â—oâ—ie of brave actions It is it which maugre the destruction of Kingdoms and Empires does perpetuate the 〈…〉 of Kings and Emperours and when their â—â—tie 〈◊〉 are no more in their Tombs when their Paâ—ces are destroyed their most famous Towns desolated 〈◊〉 their verie Kingdoms have changed their Names 〈◊〉 the whole Earth see an image of their vertuâ—â— Yea many ages after their death they have lived among men they have still Friends and Subjects they are consulted for the Government of their lives their good qualities are imitated they have new Elogies made them envie finishes not their Glory they get all the Praises the merit there if so great veneration had for them that People go not to the places where they dwelt without some kind of fear and if there yet remain any old Ruines of their Buildings some do's respect that in them which time did not regaird they look upon them with pleasure and prefers them to all the Magnificence of the Modernes and the Limners also adorn their Tablets with their Illustrous Ruines and with eternising their memories After all this wonder not Socrates that I so passionately desire your Eloquence to make a Panegirick for my dear lord I know in what esteem it was through all Greece and I certainly foresee that Ages to come will render it Justice All the writtings that bear the Name of Socrates or of Theopompus shall be reverenced by time by fortune and by all men They shall pass among all Nations and in all Ages without having anie wrong done to them and shall carrie winâ— them the reputation of them whom they speak of Also there may be Famous Persons found who by the esteem they have of your work will make you speak of Languages which have not yet been invented who by the brightness of your Glory will believe they add sorn thing to their own by publishing of them Speak then 〈◊〉 speak then Socrates to the end that all men may speak after you But do not think that there are any thoughts of vanitiâ— mingled with the Prayer that I make to you No Socrates I will not have you search in my Person not Life whereof to me a Magnificent Elogie I will not have you speak of my Noble Birth I will not that you tell I was Born with the Crown of Hallicarnassus I will not have you tell that though a Woman I did know the the Act of Soveraigne Reigning I will not that you acquant Posterity with the Extraordinarie Esteem the great Xerxes had of me I will not have you tell that â— made a Voayage into Greece with him I will not have you make known that I had the first Place in his Coâ—◠〈◊〉 and that mine was ever followed I will not 〈◊〉 you speak of the Exploits I did in that War nor 〈◊〉 exceeding Price which the Athenians promised to any that would deliver me into their hands Only I Will have you tell that Artemisa was Queen of Caria Because she Married Mausole who was King of it That Artemisa above all Vertues did ever love that which is most Necessarie to her Sex That Artemisa never had any other Passion But that of perfectly loving Her Husband that Artemisa after losing him lost all desire of Life and in fine that Artemisa after that Misfortune had no other care but the Celebrating of his Memory But after you have said all those things and praised Mausole as much as he Merited after I say you have painted out my Grief or to speak better my despair as great as it is forget not to declaire to Posterity that after I hade Builded the most Sumptuous Monument that never was seen I could not find one Urne that I belived worthie to enclose his Ashes Cristall Alabaster and all the Precious Stones which Nature produces cannot me thinks abundantly testifie my affection It must needs be Noble and Liberall to give him an Urne of Gold covered with Diamonds but to give him the Heart for an Urne it must be Artemisa There it is Socrates where I shut up the Ashes of my dear lord there it is Theopompus where I lay to rest his dear Reliques waiting impatiently till his Tomb be in condition to receive the Urne a live which I have given him It is truely my Heart should serve for an Urne to the Ashes of my dear Mausole Me thinks I give them a new life by putting them there and again me thinks they Communicat that mortall coldness to me which I feel in them Moreover it is very just that since Mausole was alwayes in my heart while he lived he should also be there after his death May be if I had put his Ashes in this Urue of Gold all coverd with Jewels may be I say some unjust Conquerour should come to open his Tomb and with a Prophane and Sacralegious hand take away the Urne and cast his Ashes with the Wind and separate mine from
propose crimes to her seeminglic true And moreover you know that that which is called Beautie in me never gave me vanitie And that I have alwayes taken more pains to be Vertuous then fair Yet I do not deny that there hath been a Picture of Mariamne which has passed among all Princes of the Earth and which perhaps will be a long time preserved there Yes Herod there is an invisible Image of Mariamne which wanders through the World which makes her innocent Conquests and which without her consent makes secret Enemies to you Her high-Birth her Vertue her Patience and your Crueltie are the onlie Colours that are made use of in this Picture And the Blood which I am going to shed shall doubtless perfect the rendering of it adorable to Posteritie But to answer the second Accusation that is made against me which though false hinders not my changing of Colonâ— by the confusion I am in to be constrained to speak of such a thing I shall say with joy that thanks to Heaven I have no other witness against me but you who during the time of this supposed crime was at Laodicea And by Consequence was incapable of answering for my Actions So well am I assured that neither your eyes nor your ears could declare any thing against my innocencie And although that your Court be all composed of your slaves or of my enemies that your veris Sister who hates me and through envie and by interest of State hath observed with Extraordinarie care even the least things that I have done or spoken I say I am verâ—â— certain that she dares not maintain before me â—o have heard on word or remarked one single look which could make the modestie of Mariamne suspected It is noâ— but that I know verie well she can tell a lie 〈…〉 which makes me speak with so much boldness is 〈◊〉 I know me to have more Vertue then she has Malice and that having Heavon for my Protector I cannot believe that if at least I do perish I shall not obtain Grace to die in that manner that your injustice and my innocencie shal be equallie manifested And trulie at this time we need but open our eyes to see that these Accusations which are made against me are but pretexts to loss me For what likelie-hood is there if I were guilty of such a crime that I would have chosen the husband of Salome my cruelest Enemie and Herods confident But a coÌ„fideÌ„t to that degree that all things were trusted to him 〈◊〉 there was no wicked design which was not communicated to him He was partner in all your crimes He was the goaler not lover of Mariamne to say all It was he should plunge the poyniard in my heart to obey your wil. O! Heaven who did ever see such Testimonies of Love Why Herod you might at parting bid me adieu with tears you might look upon as you have done with eyes wherein I saw but signes of Affection and at the same time meditate my death Ah! If you could which I doubt not you might verie well also to day feigne that you believe me culpable to make me die Innocent And tell me not as a favour that this command was the effect of the strong passion you had for me the death of the person beloved can never be a Testimonie of Affection Hatred and Love have not the same operations they may some times reign successivlie in the heart but never together Everie man who loves well lives not without the person beloved yet he can alwaies die without her and her death can never be an agreeable thought to him He should regrate his being separated from her and not regrate that she died not with him But your way of loving is onlie peculiar to your self and your inclinations are so Naturallie cruel that poisons and daggers are the best gifts that can be received from yon when you would testifie your Freindship Pray you tell me how you can Accomodate all those things You say that I have sent my picture to Anthony and consequentlie that I had an intelligence with him and at the same time you again Accuse me of having one with Joseph because say you you having trusted to him the thing in the World which was of â—greatest Importance to you and he having discovered it to me it is impossible but that I should have given my self absolutely to him for that advertisment Consider well Herod what you say Anthony and Joseph could they be both together in my heart were these two rivals of the same qualitie and merit And this Mariamne whose Birth is so great and Illustrious whose Soul is so High and so Glorious that her Noble pride is by some rather taken for a fault then a vertue could she be capable for alike weakness for two men so different who could have no conformitie together if not that it had been equallie impossible for them to have touched my heart when they would have endeavoured it This conquest is not so easie as you think and trulie I wonder that you who could never do it judges it hath cost others so little I do acknowledge that Joseph did discover to me the wicked design that you had against me but I also avouch I believed him not I did immediaâ—lie think that it was a Treacherie of Salome who to make me carrie my self the more excessivlie against you to the end of advancing my death had invented that device imagining with her self that my death would trouble me more then did that of Hircane and of my brother And that which made me the more believe it was so was that I saw him undertake to perswade me that I ought to be infinitle oblidged to you for that excess of love which you testified to me at that time adding also that he told me not the design but when you was readie to return and that so far from making a Misterious Secret he told it in presence of my Mother and before all my Women It is certain that as I ought also to know all from you I doubted the truth of what Joseph told me I thought being the Mother of your Children you was incapable of such barbarous thoughts And in effect without determinating the matter in my mind I waited your return I received you then with the same Melancholie that I have alwayies had since the death of Hireane and Aristobulus without testifying any more and observing all your actions I acknowledge that I ever doubted the truth of Josephs discourse The malice of his Wire made me also more suspicious and when I was speaking to you it is true I rather designed to informe my self of the thing then to reproach you For if 〈…〉 been true that I had a particular Affection for Joseph and that I had taken what he said as the pure effect of of his compassion to me I had sooner died then had spoken of it and that unfortunate man should have also lived Nevertheless
the Roman Ladies never to survive their glorie I must vindicate the esteem that they alwaies had of my vertue I owe the loss of my life to my own glorie To that of my countrey To that of Spurius Lucretius And to that of Collatin But as I shall do what I ought at this time do you the like after my death Forget nothing to revenge me employ Sword Fire and Poison All violences are lawfull against Vsurpers Policy must be joyned to force when valoris not sufficient to destroy Consider the justness of your cause Remember Lucretias chastitie The love that you ever had for her And that which she had for you Never forget the passion which she alwaies had for glorie And her continuall hatred to vice Believe her to be more unhappie then guiltie And from all those things Generous Collatine frame in your heart an irreconciliable hatred to the Tirran But not to delay anie longer such a Noble revenge Go Collatine go I end this doolefull discourse with ending my life And behold the dagger which I hold whereby to punish my self whereby to revenge you and wherewithall to show you how the Tirrans heart must be perirced THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THe Effect of this Harrangue was the flight of Tarquine the banishment of his Father the loss of his Kingdom and the beginning of the Roman Reipublick It cost Lucretias ravisher both life crown And never was crime better punished Never was an outrage better revenged The death of that chaste unfortunate put armes in the hands of a great manie People Her blood produced such effects as she expected And the name of Tarquin was so odious to all the World that being unable to endure it in the Person of one of them who had been assisting to banish the Tyrrans he was oblidged to change it VOLUMNIA TO VIRGILIA THE TWELTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT AFter that Coriolanus by his Mothers intreatie had made peace with Rome he caused the armie of the Volsques return to their countrey And would have that People experiment the Generositie of his action But Tullus who loved him not because he had been formerlie overcome by him while they were of acontrare partie Suscitated some seditious People whowhen he was desirous to vindicate himself in the publick Assemblie did hinder him to speak and at last killed him amidst the tumult This newes being brought to Rome all the Ladies of the Cittie suddenlie repaired to the Mother and Wife of that generous enemie And the first taking in hand the diseourse did immediatlie speak to them in this manner if the conjectures of Historie deceive 〈◊〉 a not VOLUMNIUA TO VIRGILIA LOok upon me no more Virgilia as the Mother of Corilanus your husband I am unworthie of that name You should in Reason â—ate me as much as formerlie that unfortunate Herods Loved me Remember that famous day wherein I employed my tears to dis-arme him I weeped I cried I commanded And I forgot nothing that could make a Generous Son flexible I begged favour for the ungrate I took part with Coriolanus his enemies and though the Victorie was so certain to him that he was readie to be revenged of his banishers And held in chains almost all them who did abuse him That great heart which nothing could have moved was at last by his mother I did overcome in him the conquerour of Rome And to my misfortune I obtained all that I asked of him You know it Virgilia as well as I Nor do I remember all those things but for redoubling my griefe Alace Me thinks I still hear the voice of Coriolanus When he had thrown down his armes to come and embrace me he cried out with sight O Mother what have you done to me You have gained a Victorie verie Glorious for your self and verie happie for your countrey But most â—isfortunate for your Son Wo is me Virgilia this discourse was but too true For these same armes which he threw down to come to me were emploied against him Then did the Volsques take the Daggers in their hands which they plunged in his heart It was I made them undertake that design I was of that conspiracy against him For after I had surmounted my Son I delivered him all unarmed as he was into the hands of his enemies Ah insensible that I was could I think that it would be other waies Was I mother of all the Volsques to believe that for love to me they would yeeld the Victorie which they were readie to obtain What right had I to ask from them the libertie of their enemie Rome Should not I have thought that they would revenge upon my Son that loss which I caused to them Ah yes Virgilia I ought to have considered all those things And if Coriolanus could not return to Rome I ought at least to have been companion with him in his dishonour And as he did overcome his resentments in consideration of me I should have quit my countrey for love of him However we did not use him so I did let Coriolanus depart environed with them who caused him loss his life And I returned to Rome as in Triumph to enjoy the fruits of that fatall Victorie When at our return the Senate asked of us what recompence we would have for our action we ought Virgilia to have desired the return of Coriolanus And not as we did permission to build a Temple to Feminine Fortune It well appears that that Divinitie hath not approved of our zeal Because it is so much against us The gods would have certainlie been the more agreeable that we had been thankfull to Coriolanus The Temple which is builded for us is the effect of our vanitie and not of our gratitude We sought our own glorie and not that of our liberator Though to speak truelie he merited it better then we It was to the vertues of my Son and not to our own that we should have erected Altars And he who could surpass his resentments Deliever his countrey And yeeld the Victorie to his Mothers tears without doubt meritted better then we the honor which is done to us Me thinks his pietie should have had a more Favourable treatment from Heaven For though there be some Romans so unjust as to say that Coriolanus should not have quitted his armes but onlie for his countreys sake and not for mine And consequentlie bewrayed more feebleness then generositie in that action I am not of their opinion And I hope posterity will be of mine That strong passion which birth inspires in them who have a compleat Soul is not caused by the Situation of the places where they were born The same Sun gives light to all the Universe We enjoy the Elements everie where And if they have no stronger reason then that certainlie it will be verie weak But that which makes us love our countrey is because the Citizens are all our Relations or Allyes The interest of blood or that of civill Societie links us to them
of him Would any I say that to merit the base treatment he received from them whom he had served had him betray them whom he protected And who by a verie extraordinarie confidence had chosen him to be Generall of their armie It may be some will say to me that Coriolanus did more hurt to the Romans in accepting of that emploiment then if he had suborned the Consuls of Rome Then if he had taken up their riches Then if he had made the People rebell led an armie against his adversaries Because it was seen that his person alone joining with the Volsques partie made an intire change in their affairs And that they who had so manie times desired peace with Rome were in condition to make her dearlie buy it But let none imagin that that was a simple effect of his conduct and valor No our Gods who are protectors of innocence doubtless guided his arme to subdue the pride of them who thought themselves invincible not fearing to abuse their Allayes But in his happie succeedings he did not forget that he was born a Roman and though the Nobilitie abandoned it to the furie of the People he did not forbear to preserve their countrey houses against all the disorders of War He also had respect for them who were become his enemies And though his particular Fortune was in a deplorable condition he never asked anie thing for himself in the Articles that he proposed and desired no unjust thing for the Volsques whom he protected Behold once more O Ilustrious Romans what Coriolans was I recommend my Son by the picture I have made to you of him preserve his image in your heart Remember that without his Generositie the famin would have destroyed your Fathers your Brothers your Husbands your Children and your selves Or what would yet be word that you have been formerlie partakers of their chains and bondage Let us not imitate Generous Romans the ungratitude of our Citizens Let us eternise the Glorie of our Sex to their prejudice And for our gratitude let us Crown them with confusion This Temple which was granted to us when my Son consented to the favour we asked of him shall not be so glorious to us as the affection that you will testifie in desiring to preserve the memorie of Coriolanus You owe your tears to him who formerlie dried them up and who hath broken your chains You also should if I dare say so sweeten the bitterness of my forrow by that which you will testifie for hls death I have immolated my Son for love to you you can do no less then afflict your selves for love to him And as you should have all carried mourning if it had not been for my Sons Generositie It is but just you should all wear it in honour of his memorie Let us go then Virgilia Let us go Generous Romans to ask this permission from the Senate But O Gods Can it be possibly necessare to ask leave to wear mourning for our Liberator Yes the corruption of the age will have it so Let us go then once more and ask with tears the last thing that we can seek for my Son because he is dead But for his Glorie I am verie much assured that Rome shall be destroyed when the Name of Coriolanus shall be spoken of afterwards THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE SHe obtained what she desired of them All the Roman Ladies did put on mourning and did wear it ten months which was the accustomed time of wearing it for their Fathers and Husbands Therefore this Illustrious exile was happier after hu death then while he was alive And the fairest Sex at that time was the most gratefull ATHENAIS TO THEODOSIUS THE THREETEEN HARRANGUE ARGUMENT AThenais Danghter to Leontine the Philosophor being preferred to the Empire by her beautie and the rare qualities of her Soul did not long enjoy her good Fortune The Emperour Theodosius her husband being some what jealous of her and of one of the principall men of his Court named Paulinus put him to death and deprived her of his favour In that abandonment the unfortunate Athenais was skilfully made sensible that she ought to retire from Court So that of her self being sufficiently troubled in minde She asked what she did obtaine and what they would have had her demand I would say permission to go and live at Jerusalem It was then at the instane of her parting and in her last fairwells that she did speak in these termes to the Emperour Theodosius ATHENAIS TO THEODOSIUS MY LORD BEing readie to quit the Court And to go confine my self in Palestina I dare supplicat your Majestie by the most venerable name of the Emperour Trajan of whom you are come By that of the great Theodosius your grand-Father By that of the equitable Arcades your Father And by that of the great Constantine of whom you hold the Scepter and whose pietie you imitat to permit me this day to tell you all that I think both of my past and present Fortune That I may at least have the satisfaction at my departing from you to be thought not to have whollie abandoned my innocence Wo is me If anie would have said formerlie to the poor Athenais when her Father Leontine the Philosopher taught her Vertue that hers should be one day suspected she could not have thought it The simplicitie of her education the little ambition that she had and the walls of the cottage that she inhabited seemed to secure her against Calumnie Innocence reigned in her Soul She was contented with her Fortune She sought after nothing but the acquisition of Sciences and Vertue And the sole desire of learning and practiseing good was both her delight and occupation But is it not this Athenais whom they accuse It is the unhappie Eudosia It is the Wise of a great Emperour It is a person exposed to the eies of a great Court It is a person to whom nature hath given some advantages to whom Fortune hath given the first Crown of the World And the love of the most venerable Prince of the earth All these things invincible Emperour makes my disgrace the more seeminglie true Great misfortunes are not seen but in the houses of great Princes Thunder falls oftner upon the statlie Palaces of Kings then upon Shepherds Cottages And the Sea makes more Ship wrackes then the Rivers It is no wonder then if Eudosia be more unhappie then Athenais though she be as innocent And though she be as Vertuous under the Glorious Tittle that she bears of Emperess of the East as she was under that Name which her parents gave her If Fortune my Lord had but robbed me of these things over which its domination extends Had it pulled the Scepter from me which I carrie after I had received it from your hands Had it taken the Crown from off my head Had your Subjects mutined against me and tumbled me from the Throne as unworthie to have place upon it I would