safely either Hope or Love The Virgin THe things that make a Virgin please She that seeks will find them these A Beauty not to Art in debt Rather agreeable than great An Eye wherein at once do meet The beams of kindness and of wit An undissembled Innocence Apt not to give nor take offence A Conversation at once free From Passion and from Subtlety A Face that 's modest yet serene A sober and yet lively Meen The vertue which does her adorn By honour guarded not by scorn With such wise lowliness indu'd As never can be mean or rude That prudent negligence enrich And Time 's her silence and her speech Whose equal mind does alwaies move Neither a foe nor slave to Love And whose Religion 's strong and plain Not superstitious nor prophane Vpon the graving of her Name upon a Tree in Barnelmes Walks ALas how barbarous are we Thus to reward the courteous Tree Who its broad shade affording us Deserves not to be wounded thus See how the Yielding Bark complies With our ungrateful injuries And seeing this say how much then Trees are more generous then Men Who by a Nobleness so pure Can first oblige and then endure To my dearest friend Mrs. A. Owen upon her greatest loss AS when two sister rivelets who crept From that dark bed of snow wherein they slept By private distant currents under ground Have by Moeanders eithers bosom found They sob aloud and break down what withstood Swoln by their own embraces to a flood So when my simpathy for thy dear grief Had brought me near in hope to give relief I found my sorrow heightned when so joyn'd And thine increas'd by being so combin'd Since to the bleeding hopes of many years I could contribute nothing but my tears Fears which to thy sad fate were justly due And to his loss by all who that loss knew For thy Charistus was so much above The Eloquence of all our grief and love That it would be Injurious to his Hearse To think to crowd his worth into a verse Could I by miracle such praise indite Who with more ease and Justice weep then write He was all that which History can boast Or bolder Poetry had ere engross'd So pious just noble discreet and kind Their best Ideas knew not how to find His strong Religion not on trifles spent Was useful firm early and eminent Never betray'd to indigested heat Nor yet entic'd from what was safely great And this so soon as if he had foresight He must begin betimes whose noon is night His vertue was his choice and not his chance Not mov'd by Age nor born of Ignorance He well knew whom and what he did believe And for his Faith did not dispute but live And liv'd just like his infant Innocence But that was crown'd with free obedience How did he scorn design and equally How much abhorr'd this Ages vanity He neither lik'd it's tumults nor its Joys Slighted alike Earths pleasures and her noise But unconcern'd in both in his own mind Alone could power and satisfaction find A treasury of merit there lay hid Which though he ne're confes'd his actions did His modesty unto his vertue lent At once a shadow and an ornament But what could hide those filial rites he paid How much he lov'd how prudently obey'd How as a Brother did he justly share His kind concern betwixt respect and care And to a wife how fully did he prove How wisely he could judge how fondly love As Husbands serious but as Lovers kind He valu'd all of her but lov'd her mind And with a passion made this Riddle true 'T was ever perfect and yet still it grew Such handsome thoughts his Breast did ever fill He durst do any thing but what was ill Unlike those Gallants who so use their time As oppertunity to act their crime And lost in wine or vanity when young They dye too soon because they liv'd too long But he has hallowed so his early death 'T is almost shame to draw a longer breath I can no more they that can must have learn'd To be more eloquent and less concern'd But all that Noble Justice to his Name His own good Angel will commit to Fame Could grief recall this happiness again Of thy dear sorrow I would nere complain But such an opportunity would take To grieve an useless life out for thy sake But since it cannot I must pray thee live That so much of Charistus may survive And that thou do no act so harsh to Love As that his glory should thy sorrow move Endure thy loss till Heav'n shall it repay Upon thy last and glorious wedding-day When thou shalt know him more and quickly find The love increas'd by being so refin'd And there possess him without parting fears As I my friendship free from future tears Orinda to Lucasia parting October 1661. at London A Dieu dear object of my Love's excess And with thee all my hopes of happiness With the same fervent and unchanged heart Which did it's whole self once to thee impart And which though fortune has so sorely bruis'd Would suffer more to be from this excus'd I to resign thy dear Converse submit Since I can neither keep nor merit it Thou hast too long to me confined been Who ruine am without passion within My mind is sunk below thy tenderness And my condition does deserve it less I 'm so entangl'd and so lost a thing By all the shocks my daily sorrow bring That would'st thou for thy old Orinda call Thou hardly could'st unravel her at all And should I thy clear fortunes interline With the incessant miseries of mine No no I never lov'd at such a rate To tye thee to the rigours of my fate As from my obligations thou art free Sure thou shalt be so from my Injury Though every other worthiness I miss Yet I 'le at least be generous in this I 'd rather perish without sigh or groan Then thou shoul'dst be condemn'd to give me one Nay in my soul I rather could allow Friendship should be a sufferer then thou Go then since my sad heart has set thee free Let all the loads and chains remain on me Though I be left the prey of sea and wind Thou being happy wilt in that be kind Nor shall I my undoing much deplore Since thou art safe whom I must value more Oh! mayst thou ever be so and as free From all ills else as from my company And may the torments thou hast had from it Be all that heaven will to thy life permit And that they may thy vertue service do Mayest thou be able to forgive them too But though I must this sharp submission learn I cannot yet unwish thy dear concern Not one new comfort I expect to see I quit my Joy hope life and all but thee Nor seek I thence ought that may discompose That mind where so serene a goodness grows I ask no inconvenient kindness now To move thy passion or to
cloud thy brow And thou wilt satisfie my boldest plea By some few soft remembrances of me Which may present thee with this candid thought I meant not all the troubles that I brought Own not what Passion rules and Fate does crush But wish thou couldst have don 't without a blush And that I had been ere it was too late Either more worthy or more fortunate Ah who can love the thing they cannot prize But thou mayst pity though thou dost despise Yet I should think that pity bought too dear If it should cost those precious Eyes a tear Oh may no minutes trouble thee possess But to endear the next hours happiness And maist thou when thou art from me remov'd Be better pleas'd but never worse belov'd Oh pardon me for pow'ring out my woes In Rhime â—ow that I dare not do 't in Prose For I must lose whatever is call'd dear And thy assistance all that loss to bear And have more cause than ere I had before To fear that I shall never see thee more On the 1. of January 1657. TH' Eternal Centre of my life and me Who when I was not gave me room to be Hath since my time preserving in his hands By moments numbred out the precious sand Till it is swell'd to six and twenty years Checquer'd by Providence with smiles and tears I have observ'd how vain all glories are The change of Empire and the chance of War Seen Faction with its native venom burst And Treason struck by what it self had nurs'd Seen useless Crimes whose Owners but made way For future Candidates to wear the Bay To my Lady M. Cavendish chosing the name of Policrite THat Nature in your frame has taken care As well your Birth as Beauty do declare Since we at once discover in your Face The lustre of your Eyes and of your Race And that your shape and fashion does attest So bright a form has yet a brighter guest To future times authentick fame shall bring Historians shall relate and Poets sing But since your boundless mind upon my head Some rays of splendour is content to shed And least I suffer by the great surprize Since you submit to meet me in disguise Can lay aside what dazles vulgar sight And to Orinda can be Policrite You must endure my vows and find the way To entertain such Rites as I can pay For so the pow'r divine new praise acquires By scorning nothing that it once inspires I have no merits that your smile can win Nor offering to appease you when I sin Nor can my useless homage hope to raise When what I cannot serve I strive to praise But I can love and love at such a pitch As I dare boast it will ev'n you enrich For kindness is a Mine when great and true Of nobler Ore than ever Indians knew 'T is all that mortals can on Heav'n bestow And all that Heav'n can value here below Against Love HEnce Cupid with your cheating Toies Your real Griefs and painted Joies Your Pleasure which it self destroies Lovers like men in Feavers burn and rave And only what will injure them do crave Mens weakness makes Love so severe They give him power by their fear And make the Shackles which they wear Who to another does his heart submit Makes his own Idol and then worships it Him whose heart is all his own Peace and liberty does crown He apprehends no killing frown He feels no raptures which are joies diseas'd And is not much transported but still pleas'd A Dialogue of Friendship multiplyed Musidorus WIll you unto one single sense Confine a starry Influence Or when you do the raies combine To themselves only make them shine Love that 's engross'd by one alone Is envy not affection Orinda No Musidorus this would be But Friendships prodigality Union in raies does not confine But doubles lustre when they shine And souls united live above Envy as much as scatter'd Lover Friendship like Rivers as it multiplies In many streams grows weaker still and dies Musidorus Rivers indeed may lose their force When they divide or break their course For they may want some hidden Spring Which to their streams recruits may bring But Friendship 's made of purest fire Which burns and keeps its stock entire Love like the Sun may shed his beams on all And grow more great by being general Orinda The purity of friendship's flame Proves that from simpathy it came And that the hearts so close do knit They no third partner can admit Love like the Sun does all inspire But burns most by contracted fire Then though I honour every worthy guest Yet my Lucasia only rules my breast Rosania to Lucasia on her Letters AH strike outright or else forbear Be more kind or more severe For in this checquer'd mixture I Cannot live and would not die And must I neither tell me why When thy Pen thy kindness tells My heart transported leaps and swells But when my greedy eye does stray Thy threat'ned absence to survey That heart is struck and faints away To give me title to rich land And the fruition to withstand Or solemnly to send the key Of treasures I must never see Would it contempt or bounty be This is such refin'd distress That thy sad Lovers sigh for less Though thou their hopes hast overthrown They lose but what they ne're have known But I am plunder'd from my own How canst thou thy Rosania prize And be so cruel and so wise For if such rigid policy Must thy resolves dispute with me Where then is friendship's victory Kindness is of so brave a make 'T wil rather death then bondage take So that if thine no power can have Give it and me one common grave But quickly either kill or save To my Antenor March 16. 1661 2 My dear Antenor now give ore For my sake talk of graves no more Death is not in our power to gain And is both wish'd and fear'd in vain Let 's be as angry as wee will Grief sooner may distract then kill And the unhappy often prove Death is as coy a thing as Love Those whose own sword their death did give Afraid were or a sham'd to Live And by an act so desperate Did poorly run away from fate 'T is braver much t' out-ride the storm Endure its rage and shun his harm Affliction nobly undergone More Greatness shews then having none But yet the wheel in turning round At last may lift us from the ground And when our fortune 's most severe The less we have the less we fear And why should we that grief permit Which can nor mend nor shorten it Let 's wait for a succeeding good Woes have their Ebb as well as flood And since the Parliament have rescu'd you Believe that Providence will do so too A Triton to Lucasia going to Sea shortly after the Queen's arrival 1. MY Master Neptune took such pains of late To quiet the Commotions of his state That he might give through his fierce
Monument is fit But what 's beyond our love and wit On the little Regina Collier on the same Tomb-stone VErtue 's Blossom Beauty's Bud The Pride of all that 's fair and good By Death's fierce hand was snatched hence In her state of Innocence Who by it this advantage gains Her wages got without her pains Friendship LEt the dull brutish World that know not Love Continue Hereticks and disapprove That noble Flame but the refined know 'T is all the Heaven we have here below Nature subsists by Love and they do tie Things to their Causes but by Sympathy Love chains the different Elements in one Great Harmony link'd to the Heav'nly Throne And as on Earth so the blest Quire above Of Saints and Angels are maintain'd by Love That is their Business and Felicity And will be so to all Eternity That is the Ocean our Affections here Are but streams borrow'd from the Fountain there And 't is the noblest Argument to prove A Beauteous mind that it knows how to Love Those kind Impressions which Fate can't controul Are Heaven's mintage on a worthy Soul For Love is all the Arts Epitome And is the Sum of all Divinity He 's worse than Beast that cannot Love and yet It is not bought for Money Pains or Wit For no chance or design can Spirits move But the Eternal destiny of Love And when two Souls are chang'd and mixed so It is what they and none but they can do This this is Friendship that abstracted flame Which groveling Mortals know not how to name All Love is sacred and the Marriage-tie Hath much of Honour and Divinity But Lust Design or some unworthy ends May mingle there which are despis'd by Friends Passion hath violent extreams and thus All oppositions are contiguous So when the end is serv'd their Love will bate If Friendship make it not more fortunate Friendship that Love's Elixir that pure fire Which burns the clearer ' cause it burns the higher For Love like earthly fires which will decay If the material fuel be away Is with offensive smoke accompanied And by resistance only is supplied But Friendship like the fiery Element With its own Heat and Nourishment content Where neither hurt nor smoke nor noise is made Scorns the assistance of a foreign aid Friendship like Heraldry is hereby known Richest when plainest bravest when alone Calm as a Virgin and more Innocent Than sleeping Doves are and as much content As Saints in Visions quiet as the Night But clear and open as the Summer's light United more than Spirits Faculties Higher in thoughts than are the Eagle's eyes What shall I say when we true friends are grown W' are like Alas w' are like our selves alone The Enquiry 1. IF we no old Historian's name Authentick will admit But think all said of Friendship 's fame But Poetry or Wit Yet what 's rever'd by Minds so pure Must be a bright Idea sure 2. But as our Immortality By inward sense we find Judging that if it could not be It would not be design'd So here how could such Copies fall If there were no Original 3. But if Truth be in ancient Song Or Story we believe If the inspir'd and graver Throng Have scorned to deceive There have been Hearts whose Friendship gave Them thoughts at once both soft and brave 4. Among that consecrated Few Some more Seraphick shade Lend me a favourable Clew Now mists my eyes invade Why having fill'd the World with Fame Left you so little of your flame 5. Why is' t so difficult to see Two Bodies and one Mind And why are those who else agree So differently kind Hath Nature such fantastick art That she can vary every Heart 6. Why are the bands of Friendship tied With so remiss a knot That by the most it is defied And by the rest forgot Why do we step with so light sense From Friendship to Indifference 7. If Friendship Sympathy impart Why this ill-shuffled game That Heart can never meet with Heart Or Flame encounter Flame What does this Cruelty create Is' t the Intrigue of Love or Fate 8. Had Friendship ne're been known to Men The Ghost at last confest The World had been a stranger then To all that Heaven possest But could it all be here acquir'd Not Heaven it self would be desir'd To my Lucasia in defence of declared Friendship 1. O My Lucasia let us speak our Love And think not that impertinent can be Which to us both doth such assurance prove And whence we find how justly we agree 2. Before we knew the treasures of our Love Our noble aims our joys did entertain And shall enjoyment nothing then improve 'T were best for us then to begin again 3. Now we have gain'd we must not stop and sleep Out all the rest of our mysterious reign It is as hard and glorious to keep A victory as it is to obtain 4. Nay to what end did we once barter Minds Only to know and to neglect the claim Or like some Wantons our Pride pleasure finds To throw away the thing at which we aim 5. If this be all our Friendship does design We covet not enjoyment then but power To our Opinion we our Bliss confine And love to have but not to smell the flower 6. Ah! then let Misers bury thus their Gold Who though they starve no farthing will produce But we lov'd to enjoy and to behold And sure we cannot spend our stock by use 7. Think not 't is needless to repeat desires The fervent Turtles alwaies court and bill And yet their spotless passion never tires But does encrease by repetition still 8. Although we know we love yet while our Soul Is thus imprison'd by the Flesh we wear There 's no way left that bondage to controul But to convey transactions through the Ear. 9. Nay though we read our passions in the Eye It will oblige and please to tell them too Such joys as these by motion multiply Were 't but to find that our Souls told us true 10. Believe not then that being now secure Of either's heart we have no more to do The Spheres themselves by motion do endure And they move on by Circulation too 11. And as a River when it once hath paid The tribute which it to the Ocean owes Stops not but turns and having curl'd and play'd On its own waves the shore it overflows 12. So the Soul's motion does not end in b'iss But on her self she scatters and dilates And on the Object doubles till by this She finds new joys which that reflux creates 13. But then because it cannot all contain It seeks a vent by telling the glad news First to the Heart which did its joys obtain Then to the Heart which did those joys produce 14. When my Soul then doth such excursions make Unless thy Soul delight to meet it too What satisfaction can it give or take Thou being absent at the interview 15. 'T is not Distrust for were that plea allow'd Letters
convenient he should bleed Your Sister hates you she is fair and fierce And if she such Victorious Charmes disperse The head of Pompey only can suffice To win the heart of Caesar from her Eyes PTOLOMY This dangerous Woman hath a busie wit PHOTIN But such a service will out-ballance it PTOLOMY But what if Caesar still her Pow'r obey PHOTIN Then flatter her yet mind not what I say Till first you ask in an affair so Nice Achillas and Septimius best advice PTOLOMY Le ts from the Tow'r see them act Pompey's doom And this Debate at their return resume After the first Act of Pompey the King and Photin should be discovered sitting and hearkning to this SONG SInce affairs of the State are already decreed Make room for Affairs of the Court Employment and Pleasure each other succeed Because they each other support Were Princes confin'd From slackening their Mind When by Care it is rufled and Curl'd A Crown would appear Too heavy to wear And no Man would govern the World If the Gods themselves who have power enough In diversions are various and oft Since the business of Kings is angry and rough Their Intervals ought to be soft Were Princes confin'd c. To our Monarch we owe whatsoer'e we enjoy And no grateful Subjects were those Who would not the safty he gives them employ To contribute to his repose Were Princes confin'd c. After which an Antick dance of Gypsies is presented Act. II. SCEN. I. Cleopatera Charmion CLEOPATRA I Love him but a Flame so much refin'd How bright soever dazles not my mind For Vertue makes my inclination know What Caesars Mistress does to Pompey owe And none dares own a passion so sublime But she that scorn's the shaddow of a crime I should but smal Respect to Caesar pay To seek his liove in an unhandsom way CHARMION Can you love Caesar Madam and advise That Egypt should in Armes against him rise That they should Pompey against him Protect And his Pharsalian Triumphs should be checkt Sure Love in you does lttle Empire shew CLEOPATRA This to their high extraction Princes owe That by th' Assistance of their Royal Blood Their Passions are more easily subdu'd Their honour still the Victory will have And whilst they trust themselves they still are brave All the Disorders which in Kings we see To others Councels must imputed be This I the cause of Pompey's ruine Deem The King would help but Photin murthers him Whose Coucel hath his Masters faith o'rethrown Which still had sway'd had he observ'd his own CHARMION You then who Caesar love and yet oppose CLEOPATRA The Love I cherish no dishonour knows But worthy him CHARMION Are you of his secur'd CLEOPATRA I think I am CHARMION But are you well assur'd CLEOPATRA Know that a Princess by her glory mov'd No Love confesses till she be belov'd Nor the most noble passion ever shows When it shall her to a Contempt expose At Rome I first did Caesars Heart invade Where he the first expression of it made And ever since he did to me renew The Tribute of his Vows and Laurel too He march'd through Italy through Gaule and Spain With Love in 's Brest and fortune in his Train Nor did he ever make so brave a Price But he pay'd Homage for it to these Eyes With the same hand which did that weapon quit Wi'th ' Blood of Pompey's party reeking yet He writ complaints and put my fetters on Ev'n in the Field which he had newly won Yes from Pharsalia his submissions came And if his speed be equal to his flame Or rather if the Sea be friend his Fleet Egypt shall see him shortly at my feet He comes my Charmion and from me alone Seeks the reward of all that he hath done And all his glory to my Shrine he brings With the same hand that gives the law to Kings So that ev'n in his Triumphs my disdain Can make the Man that rules the World complain CHARMION Yet I dare swear your charms a pow'r enjoy Which though they boast of they will ne're employ And the great Caesar shall no trouble know If it can only from your rigour grow But what can you expect from Caesar's flames Wherein such right another Woman claims His freedom he by marriage hath resign'd And only to Calphurnia is confin'd CLEOPATRA But a Divorce at Rome so common now May remove her and my desires allow Caesar's Experience him to that may lead Since 't was Calphurnia's passage to his bed CHARMION But the same way may you at length remove CLEOPATRA Perhaps I better shall secure his love Perhaps my passion may find out an Art Better to manage that illustrious Heart But let 's to Heaven leave what may arrive And this Alliance if we can contrive Were it but one day 't were enough for me One day the Mistress of the World to be I have Ambition and be 't good or ill It is the only Sovereign of my Will And 't is this noble passion sure or none A Princess may without a blemish own But yet with Glory I would it enflame Nor would buy Greatness with the loss of Fame For I the brightest Crown can scorn to touch When 't is attended with the least Reproach Wonder not then that I so much pursue Pompey's defence and would my Duty do His injur'd vertue since I cannot right My secret wishes must invoke his flight That some kind storm may so his Ships disperse As may preserve him from his Murtherers But faithful Achoreus comes and he Will quickly tell us Pompey's Destiny SCEN. II. Cleopatra Charmion Achoreus CLEOPATRA What is it done and hath some Treacherous hand With that Rich bloud stain'd our unhappy strand ACHOREUS By your commands I to the shore did run And saw this Treason in its horrour done I saw the greatest Mortal lose his breath And though a sad I saw a glorious death And since a story you require from me So much his Honour and our Infamy Hear now his Fate and wonder and bewail His three Ships in the Harbour striking sail When to our ready Gallies he approach'd He thought the King with his misfortunes touch'd By noble sense of Honour did intend With all his Court to meet so brave a friend But when he only saw a Squiff prepar'd And that too fill'd with Ruffians of his guard Th' ingrateful Treachery did then appear And gave him some approaches of a fear But seeing arm'd Men on our Ships and Shore He blush'd his apprehensions were so Poor And when the Danger was so neer him brought He only on Cornelia's safety thought Let 's but expose saies he this single head To a Reception we may so much dread But whilst I only do the shock sustain Hasten thy flight and my revenge obtain King Juba is more generously enclin'd Where thou thy Father and my Sons shall find But if their Deaths should thee of them deprive Never despair while Cato is alive While their contest
to their Nature all compos'd of kindness so that I hope Time it self shall have as little power against them as these other storms have had and then * Nec Jovis ira nec ignis nec poterit ferrum nec edax abolere vetustas c. Ovid's conclusion of his Metamorphosis may with little alteration more truth and less vanity than by him to himself be applyed to these once transformed or rather deformed Poems which are here in some measure restor'd to their native Shape and Beauty and therefore certainly cannot fail of a welcome reception now since they wanted it not before when they appeared in that strange disguise The Earl of Orrery to Mrs. Philips Madam WHen I but knew you by report I fear'd the praises of th' admiring Court Were but their Complements but now I must Confess what I thought civil is scarce just For they imperfect Trophies to you raise You deserve wonder and they pay but praise A praise which is as short of your great due As all which yet have writ come short of you You to whom wonder 's paid by double right Both for your Verses smoothness and their height In me it does not the least trouble breed That your fair Sex does Ours in Verse exceed Since every Poet this great Truth does prove Nothing so much inspires a Muse as Love Thence has your Sex the best poetick fires For what 's inspir'd must yield to what inspires And as Our Sex resigns to Yours the due So all of your bright Sex must yield to You. Experience shows that never Fountain fed A stream which could ascend above its Head For those whose wit fam'd Helicon does give To rise above its height durst never strive Their double Hill too though 't is often clear Yet often on it clouds and storms appear Let none admire then that the ancient wit Shar'd in those Elements infused it Nor that your Muse than theirs ascends much higher She sharing in no Element but fire Past ages could not think those things you do For their Hill was their Basis and height too So that 't is Truth not Complement to tell Your lowest height their highest did excel Your nobler thoughts warm'd by a heav'nly fire To their bright Centre constantly aspire And by the place to which they take their flight Leave us no doubt from whence they have their light Your merit has attain'd this high degree 'T is above praise as much as flattery And when in that we have drain'd all our store All grant from this nought can be distant more Though you have sung of friendships power so well That you in that as you in wit excel Yet my own interest obliges me To praise your practise more than Theory For by that kindness you your friend did show The honour I obtain'd of knowing you In Pictures none hereafter will delight You draw more to the life in black and white The Pencil to your Pen must yield the place This draws the Soul where that draws but the Face Of blest retirement such great Truths you write That 't is my wish as much as your delight Our gratitude to praise it does think fit Since all you writ are but effects of it You English Corneil's Pompey with such flame That you both raise our wonder and his fame If he could read it he like us would call The copy greater than th' Original You cannot mend what is already done Vnless you 'l finish what you have begun Who your Translation sees cannot but say That 't is Orinda's Work and but his Play The French to learn our Language now will seek To hear their greatest Wit more nobly speak Rome too would grant were our Tongue to her known Caesar speaks better in 't than in his own And all those Wreaths once circl'd Pompey's brow Exalt his Fame less than your Verses now From these clear Truths all must acknowledge this If there be Helicon in Wales it is Oh happy Country which to our Prince gives His Title and in which Orinda lives The Earl of Roscomon to Orinda an imitation of HORACE Integer vitae c. Carm. lib. 1. od 22. 1. VErtue dear Friend needs no defence No arms but it s own innocence Quivers and Bows and poison'd darts Are only us'd by guilty hearts 2. An honest mind safely alone May travel through the burning Zone Or through the deepest Scythian snows Or where the fam'd Hydaspes flows 3. While rul'd by a resistless fire Our great ORINDA I admire The hungry Wolves that see me stray Vnarm'd and single run away 4. Set me in the remotest place That ever Neptune did embrace When there her image fills my breast Helicon is not half so blest 5. Leave me upon some Lybian plain So she my fancy entertain And when the thirsty Monsters meet They 'll all pay homage to my feet 6. The Magick of ORINDA's Name Not only can their fiereeness tame But if that mighty word I once rehearse They seem submissively to roar in Verse Upon Mrs. K. Philips her Poems WE allow'd you beauty and we did submit To all the tyrannies of it Ah cruel Sex will you depose us too in Wit Orinda does in that too reign Does man behind her in proud triumph draw And cancel great Apollo's Salick Law We our old Title plead in vain Man may be Head but Woman 's now the Brain Verse was Love's fire-arms heretofore In Beauties Camp it was not known Too many arms beside that Conquerour bore 'T was the great Cannon we brought down T' assault a stubborn Town Orinda first did a bold sally make Our strongest quarter take And so successful prov'd that she Turn'd upon Love himself his own Artillery 2. Women as if the Body were the whole Did that and not the Soul Transmit to their posterity If in it sometimes they conceiv'd Th' abortive Issue never liv'd 'T were shame and pity Orinda if in thee A spirit so rich so noble and so high Should unmanur'd or barren lie But thou industriously hast sow'd and till'd The fair and fruitful field And 't is a strange increase that it doth yield As when the happy Gods above Meet all together at a Feast A secret joy unspeakably does move In their great Mother Cybeles contented breast With no less pleasure thou methinks should'st see This thy no less immortal Progeny And in their Birth thou no one touch dost find Of th' ancient Curse to Woman-kind Thou bring'st not forth with pain It neither Travel is nor Labour of thy Brain So easily they from thee come And there is so much room In the unexhausted and unfathom'd womb That like the Holland Countess thou might'st bear A Child for ev'ry day of all the fertile year 3. Thou dost my Wonder would'st my Envy raise If to be prais'd I lov'd more than to praise Wheree're I see an excellence I must admire to see thy well-knit Sense Thy Numbers gentle and thy Fancies high Those as thy Forehead smooth these
Death of the Illustrious DVKE of GLOUCESTER GReat Glou'ster's dead and yet in this we must Confess that angry Heaven is wise and just We have so long and yet so ill endur'd The woes which our offences had procur'd That this new stroke would all our strength destroy Had we not known an interval of Joy And yet perhaps this stroke had been excus'd If we this interval had not abus'd But our Ingratitude and Discontent Deserv'd to know our mercies were but lent And those complaints Heaven in this rigid fate Does first chastise and then legitimate By this it our Divisions does reprove And makes us join in grief if not in love For Glorious Youth all Parties do agree As in admiring so lamenting thee The Sovereign's Subject's Foreiner's delight Thou wert the universal Favourite Not Rome's belov'd and brave Marcellus fell So much a Darling or a Miracle Though built of richest bloud and finest earth Thou hadst a heart more noble than thy birth Which by th' afflictive changes thou didst know Thou hadst but too much cause and time to show For when Fate did thy Infancy expose To the most barbarous and stupid Foes Yet thou didst then so much express the Prince As did even them amaze if not convince Nay that loose Tyrant whom no bound confin'd Whom neither laws nor oaths nor shame could bind Although his Soul was than his Look more grim Yet thy brave Innocence half softn'd him And he that Worth wherein thy Soul was drest By his ill-favour'd clemency confest Lessening the ill which he could not repent He call'd that Travel which was Banishment Escap'd from him thy Trials were encreas'd The scene was chang'd but not the danger ceas'd Thou from rough Guardians to Seducers gone Those made thy Temper these thy Judgm t known Whilst thou the noblest Champion wert for Truth Whether we view thy Courage or thy Youth If to foil Nature and Ambition claims Greater reward than to encounter Flames All that shall know the story must allow A Martyr's Crown prepared for thy brow But yet thou wert suspended from thy Throne Till thy Great Brother had regain'd his own Who though the bravest Suff'rer yet even He Could not at once have mist his Crown and Thee But as Commission'd Angels make no stay But having done their errand go their way So thy part done not thy restored State The future splendour which did for thee wait Nor that thy Prince and Country must mourn for Such a Support and such a Counsellor Could longer keep thee from that bliss whence thou Look'st down with pity on Earth's Monarchs now Where thy capacious Soul may quench her thirst And younger Brothers may inherit first While on our King Heav'n does this care express To make his Comforts safe he makes them less For this successful Heathens use to say It is too much great Gods send some allay To Her Royal Highness the Dutchess of York on her commanding me to send her some things that I had written TO you whose Dignity strikes us with aw And whose far greater Judgment gives us law Your Mind b'ing more transcendent than your State For while but Knees to this Hearts bow to that These humble Papers never durst come near Had not your pow'rful Word bid them appear In which such majesty such sweetness dwells As in one act obliges and compels None can dispute commands vouchsaf'd by you What shall my fears then and confusion do They must resign and by their just pretence Some value set on my obedience For in religious Duties 't is confest The most Implicite are accepted best If on that score your Highness will excuse This blushing tribute of an artless Muse She may encourag'd by your least regard Which first can worth create and then reward At modest distance with improved strains That Mercy celebrate which now she gains But should you that severer justice use Which these too prompt Approches may produce As the swift Hinde which hath escaped long Believes a Vulgar shot would be a wrong But wounded by a Prince falls without shame And what in life she loses gains in fame So if a Ray from you chance to be sent Which to consume and not to warm is meant My trembling Muse at least more nobly dies And falls by that a truer sacrifice On the Death of the Queen of Bohemia ALthough the most do with officious heat Only adore the Living and the Great Yet this Queen's Merits Fame so far hath spread That she rules still though dispossest and dead For losing one two other Crowns remain'd Over all hearts and her own griefs she reign'd Two Thrones so splendid as to none are less But to that third which she does now possess Her Heart and Birth Fortune so well did know That seeking her own fame in such a Foe She drest the spacious Theatre for the fight And the admiring World call'd to the sight An Army then of mighty Sorrows brought Who all against this single Vertue sought And sometimes stratagems and sometimes blows To her Heroick Soul they did oppose But at her feet their vain attempts did fall And she discover'd and subdu'd them all Till Fortune weary of her malice grew Became her Captive and her Trophee too And by too late a Tribute begg'd t' have been Admitted subject to so brave a Queen But as some Hero who a field hath wone Viewing the things he had so greatly done When by his spirit's flight he finds that he With his own Life must buy his Victory He makes the slaughter'd heap that next him lies His Funeral Pile and then in triumph dies So fell this Royal Dame with conquering spent And left in every breast her monument Wherein so high an Epitaph is writ As I must never dare to copy it But that bright Angel which did on her wait In fifty years contention with her fate And in that office did with wonder see How great her troubles how much greater she How she maintain'd her best Prerogative In keeping still the power to Forgive How high she did in her Devotion go And how her Condescention stoop'd as low With how much Glory she had ever been A Daughter Sister Mother Wife and Queen Will sure employ some deathless Muse to tell Our children this instructive Miracle Who may her sad Illustrious Life recite And after all her Wrongs may do her right On the 3. of September 1651. AS when the glorious Magazine of Light Approches to his Canopy of Night He with new splendour clothes his dying Rays And double brightness to his Beams conveys And as to brave and check his ending fate Puts on his highest looks in 's lowest state Drest in such terrour as to make us all Be Anti-Persians and adore his Fall Then quits the world depriving it of Day While every Herb and Plant does droop away So when our gasping English Royalty Perceiv'd her Period was now drawing nigh She summons her whole strength to give one blow To raise her self or pull
remov'd from all bold noise And what is worse all hollow joyes Who never had a mean design Whose flame is serious and divine And calm and even must contented be For they 've both Union and Society Then my Lucasia we who have Whatever Love can give or crave Who can with pitying scorn survey The Trifles which the most betray With innocence and perfect friendship fir'd By Vertue joyn'd and by our Choice retir'd 12. Whose Mirrours are the crystal Brooks Or else each others Hearts and Looks Who cannot wish for other things Then Privacy and Friendship brings Whose thoughts and persons chang'd and mixt are one Enjoy Content or else the World hath none A Dialogue of Absence 'twixt Lucasia and Orinda Set by Mr. Hen. Lawes Luc. SAy my Orinda why so sad Orin Absence from thee doth tear my heart Which since with thine it union had Each parting splits Luc. And can we part Orin Our Bodies must Luc. But never we Our Souls without the help of Sense By wayes more noble and more free Can meet and hold intelligence Orin And yet those Souls when first they met Lookt out at windows through the Eyes Luc. But soon did such acquaintance get Not Fate nor Time can them surprize Orin Absence will rob us of that bliss To which this Friendship title brings Love's fruits and joys are made by this Useless as Crowns to captiv'd Kings Luc. Friendship 's a Science and we know There Contemplation's most employ'd Orin Religion's so but practick too And both by niceties destroy'd Luc. But who ne're parts can never meet And so that happiness were lost Orin Thus Pain and Death are sadly sweet Since Health and Heav'n such price must cost Chorus But we shall come where no rude hand shall sever And there wee 'l meet and part no more for ever To my dear Sister Mrs. C. P. on her Marriage WE will not like those men our offerings pay Who crown the cup then think they crown the day We make no garlands nor an altar build Which help not Joy but Ostentation yield Where mirth is justly grounded these wild toyes Are but a troublesome and empty noise 2. But these shall be my great Solemnities Orinda's wishes for Cassandra's bliss May her Content be as unmix'd and pure As my Affection and like that endure And that strong Happiness may she still find Not owing to her Fortune but her Mind 3. May her Content and Duty be the same And may she know no Grief but in the name May his and her Pleasure and Love be so Involv'd and growing that we may not know Who most Affection or most Peace engrost Whose Love is strongest or whose Bliss is most 4. May nothing accidental e're appear But what shall with new bonds their Souls endear And may they count the hours as they pass By their own Joys and not by Sun or Glass While every day like this may sacred prove To Friendship Gratitude and strictest Love To Mr. Henry Vaughan Silurist on his Poems HAd I ador'd the multitude and thence Got an antipathy to Wit and Sense And hugg'd that fate in hope the World would grant 'T was good affection to be ignorant Yet the least Ray of thy bright fancy seen I had converted or excuseless been For each Birth of thy Muse to after-times Shall expiate for all this Age's crimes First shines thy Amoret twice crown'd by thee Once by thy Love next by thy Poetry Where thou the best of Unions dost dispence Truth cloth'd in Wit and Love in Innocence So that the muddiest Lovers may learn here No Fountains can be sweet that are not clear There Juvenal reviv'd by thee declares How flat man's Joys are and how mean his Cares And generously upbraids the World that they Should such a value for their Ruine pay But when thy sacred Muse diverts her Quill The Landskip to design of Leon's hill As nothing else was worthy her or thee So we admire almost t' Idolatry What Savage breast would not be rap'd to find Such Jewels in such Cabinets enshrin'd Thou fill'd with Joys too great to see or count Descend'st from thence like Moses from the Mount And with a candid yet unquestion'd aw Restor'st the Golden Age when Verse was Law Instructing us thou so secur'st thy fame That nothing can disturb it but my name Nay I have hopes that standing so near thine 'T will lose its dross and by degrees refine Live till the disabused World consent All Truths of Use or Strength or Ornament Are with such Harmony by thee display'd As the whole World was first by Number made And from the charming rigour thy Muse brings Learn there 's no pleasure but in serious things A retir'd Friendship To Ardelia COme my Ardelia to this Bower Where kindly mingling Souls a while Let 's innocently spend an hour And at all serious follies smile 2. Here is no quarrelling for Crowns Nor fear of changes in our Fate No trembling at the great ones frowns Nor any slavery of State 3. Here 's no disguise nor treachery Nor any deep conceal'd design From Bloud and Plots this Place is free And calm as are those looks of thine 4. Here let us sit and bless our Stars Who did such happy quiet give As that remov'd from noise of Wars In one anothers hearts we live 5. Why should we entertain a fear Love cares not how the World is turn'd If crouds of dangers should appear Yet Friendship can be unconcern'd 6. We wear about us such a charm No horrour can be our offence For mischief's self can do no harm To Friendship or to Innocence 7. Let 's mark how soon Apollo's beams Command the flocks to quit their meat And not entreat the neighbouring streams To quench their thirst but cool their heat 8. In such a scorching Age as this Who would not ever seek a shade Deserve their Happiness to miss As having their own peace betray'd 9. But we of one anothers mind Assur'd the boisterous World disdain With quiet Souls and unconfin'd Enjoy what Princes wish in vain To Mrs. Mary Carne when Philaster courted her AS some great Conqueror who knows no bounds But hunting Honour in a thousand wounds Pursues his rage and thinks that Triumph cheap That 's but attended with the common heap Till his more happy fortune doth afford Some Royal Captive that deserv'd his sword And only now is of his Laurel proud Thinking his dang'rous valour well bestow'd But then retreats and spending hate no more Thinks Mercy now what Courage was before As Cowardise in fight so equally He doth abhor a bloudy Victory So Madam though your Beauty were allow'd To be severe unto the yielding Croud That were subdu'd e're you an Object knew Worthy your Conquest and your Mercy too Yet now 't is gain'd your Victory 's compleat Only your Clemency should be as great None will dispute the power of your Eyes That understands Philaster is their prize Hope not your Glory can have new access For all
th' Alembick lose variety So Vertue though in pieces scatter'd 't was Is by her Mind made one rich useful mass Nor doth Discretion put Religion down Nor hasty Zeal usurp the Judgment 's crown Wisdom and Friendship have one single Throne And make another Friendship of their own Each sev'ral piece darts such fierce pleasing rayes Poetick Lovers would but wrong in praise All hath proportion all hath comliness And her Humility alone excess Her Modesty doth wrong a Worth so great Which Calumny her self would noblier treat While true to Friendship and to Nature's trust To her own Merits only she 's unjust But as Divinity we best declare By sounds as broken as our Notions are So to acknowledge such vast Eminence Imperfect Wonder is our Eloquence No Pen Lucasia's glories can relate But they admire best who dare imitate Wiston Vault ANd why this Vault and Tomb alike we must Put off Distinction and put on our Dust Nor can the stateliest fabrick help to save From the corruptions of a common Grave Nor for the Resurrection more prepare Than if the Dust were scatter'd into air What then Th' ambition 's just say some that we May thus perpetuate our Memory Ah false vain task of Art ah poor weak Man Whose Monument does more than 's Merit can Who by his Friends best care and love 's abus'd And in his very Epitaph accus'd For did they not suspect his Name would fall There would not need an Epitaph at all But after death too I would be alive And shall if my Lucasia do survive I quit these pomps of Death and am content Having her heart to be my Monument Though ne're Stone to me 't will Stone for me prove By the peculiar miracles of Love There I 'le Inscription have which no Tomb gives Not Here Orinda lies but Here she lives Friendship in Embleme or the Seal To my dearest Lucasia 1. THe Hearts thus intermixed speak A Love that no bold shock can break For joyn'd and growing both in one Neither can be disturb'd alone 2. That means a mutual Knowledge too For what is' t either heart can do Which by its panting Centinel It does not to the other tell 3. That Friendship Hearts so much refines It nothing but it self designs The hearts are free from lower ends For each point to the other tends 4. They flame 't is true and several wayes But still those Flames do so much raise That while to either they incline They yet are noble and divine 5. From smoke or hurt those Flames are free From grossness or mortality The Heart like Moses Bush presumed Warm'd and enlightned not consumed 6. The Compasses that stand above Express this great immortal Love For Friends like them can prove this true They are and yet they are not two 7. And in their posture is exprest Friendship 's exalted Interest Each follows where the other leans And what each does this other means 8. And as when one foot does stand fast And t'other circles seeks to cast The steddy part does regulate And make the wandrer's motion straight 9. So Friends are only two in this T'reclaim each other when they miss For whosoe're will grosly fall Can never be a Friend at all 10. And as that useful Instrument For Even lines was ever meant So Friendship from good Angels springs To teach the world Heroick things 11. As these are found out in design To rule and measure every Line So Friendship governs actions best Prescribing unto all the rest 12. And as in Nature nothing's set So just as Lines in number met So Compasses for these b'ing made Do Friendship 's harmony perswade 13. And like to them so Friends may own Extension not Division Their Points like Bodies separate But Head like Souls knows no such fate 14. And as each part so well is knit That their Embraces ever fit So Friends are such by destiny And no third can the place supply 15. There needs no Motto to the Seal But that we may the mind reveal To the dull Eye it was thought fit That Friendship only should be writ 16. But as there are Degrees of bliss So there 's no Friendship meant by this But such as will transmit to Fame Lucasia and Orinda's name In Memory of F. P. who died at Acton the 24. May 1660. at 12. and ½ of Age. IF I could ever write a lasting Verse It should be laid dear Saint upon thy Herse But Sorrow is no Muse and does confess That it least can what it would most express Yet that I may some bounds to grief allow I 'le try if I can weep in Numbers now Ah beauteous Blossom too untimely dead Whither ah whither is thy sweetness fled Where are the charms that alwaies did arise From the prevailing language of thy Eyes Where is thy beauteous and lovely meen And all the wonders that in thee were seen Alas in vain in vain on thee I rave There is no pity in the stupid Grave But so the Bankrupt sitting on the brim Of those fierce billows which had ruin'd him Begs for his lost Estate and does complain To the inexorable Flouds in vain As well we may enquire when Roses die To what retirement their sweet Odours flie Whither their Virtues and their Blushes haste When the short triumph of their life is past Or call their perishing Beauties back with tears As adde one moment to thy finish'd years No thou art gone and thy presaging Mind So thriftily thy early hours design'd That hasty Death was baffled in his Pride Since nothing of thee but thy Body dy'd Thy Soul was up betimes and so concern'd To grasp all Excellence that could be learn'd That finding nothing fill her thirsting here To the Spring-head she went to quench it there And so prepar'd that being freed from sin She quickly might become a Cherubin Thou wert all Soul and through thy Eyes it shin'd Asham'd and angry to be so confin'd It long'd to be uncag'd and thither flown Where it might know as clearly as 't was known In these vast hopes we might thy change have found But that Heav'n blinds whom it decrees to wound For Parts so soon at so sublime a pitch A Judgment so mature Fancy so rich Never appear unto unthankful Men But as a Vision to be hid again So glorious Scenes in Masques Spectators view With the short pleasure of an hour or two But that once past the Ornaments are gone The Lights extinguish'd and the Curtains drawn Yet all these Gifts were thy less noble part Nor was thy Head so worthy as thy Heart Where the Divine Impression shin'd so clear As snatch'd thee hence and yet endear'd thee here For what in thee did most command our love Was both the cause and sign of thy remove Such fools are we so fatally we choose That what we most would keep we soonest loose The humble greatness of thy Pious thought Sweetness unforc'd and Bashfulness untaught The native Candour of thine open breast And all the
Beams wherein thy Worth was drest Thy Wit so bright so piercing and immense Adorn'd with wise and lovely Innocence Might have foretold thou wert not so compleat But that our joy might be as short as great So the poor Swain beholds his ripened Corn By some rough Wind without a Sickle torn Never ah never let sad Parents guess At one remove of future happiness But reckon Children 'mong those passing joys Which one hour gives and the next hour destroys Alas we were secure of our content But find too late that it was onely lent To be a Mirrour wherein we may see How frail we are how spotless we should be But if to thy blest Soul my grief appears Forgive and pity these injurious tears Impute them to Affections sad excess Which will not yield to Nature's tenderness Since 't was through dearest ties and highest trust Continued from thy Cradle to thy Dust And so rewarded and confirm'd by thine That wo is me I thought thee too much mine But I 'le resign and follow thee as fast As my unhappy Minutes will make hast Till when the fresh remembrances of thee Shall be my Emblems of Mortality For such a loss as this bright Soul is not Ever to be repaired or forgot In memory of that excellent person Mrs. Mary Lloyd of Bodidrist in Denbigh-shire who died Nov. 13. 1656. after she came thither from Pembroke-shire I Cannot hold for though to write were rude Yet to be silent were Ingratitude And Folly too for if Posterity Should never hear of such a one as thee And onely know this Age's brutish fame They would think Vertue nothing but a Name And though far abler Pens must her define Yet her Adoption hath engaged mine And I must own where Merit shines so clear 'T is hard to write but harder to forbear Sprung from an ancient and an honour'd Stem Who lent her lustre and she paid it them Who still in great and noble things appeared Whom all their Country lov'd and yet they feared Match'd to another good and great as they Who did their Country both oblige and sway Behold herself who had without dispute More then both Families could contribute What early Beauty Grief and Age had broke Her lovely Reliques and her Off-spring spoke She was by nature and her Parents care A Woman long before most others are But yet that antedated season she Improv'd to Vertue not to Liberty For she was still in either state of life Meet as a Virgin Prudent as a Wife And she well knew although so young and fair Justly to mix Obedience Love and Care Whil'st to her Children she did still appear So wisely kind so tenderly severe That they from her Rule and Example brought A native Honour which she stampt and taught Nor can a single Pen enough commend So kind a Sister and so clear a Friend A Wisdom from above did her secure Which as 't was peaceable was ever pure And if well-order'd Commonwealths must be Patterns for every private Family Her House rul'd by her hand and by her eye Might be a Pattern for a Monarchy Solomon's wisest Woman less could do She built her house but this preserv'd hers too She was so pious that when she did die She scarce chang'd Place I 'm sure not Company Her Zeal was primitive and practick too She did believe and pray and read and do A firm and equal Soul she had engrost Just ev'n to those that disoblig'd her most She grew to love those wrongs she did receive For giving her the power to Forgive Her Alms I may admire but not relate Bur her own works shall praise her in the gate Her Life was checquer'd with afflictive years And even her Comfort season'd in her Tears Scarce for a Husband's loss her eyes were dried And that loss by her Children half supplied When Heav'n was pleas'd not these dear Propâ— afford But tore most off by sickness or by sword She who in them could still their Father boast Was a fresh Widow every Son she lost Litigious hands did her of Right de prive That after all 't was Penance to survive She still these Griefs hath nobly undergone Which few support at all but better none Such a submissive Greatness who can find A tender Heart with so resolv'd a Mind But she though sensible was still the same Of a resigned Soul untainted Fame Nor were her Vertues coarsly set for she Out-did Example in Civility To bestow blessings to oblige relieve Was all for which she could endure to live She had a joy higher in doing good Than they to whom the benefit accru'd Though none of Honour had a quicker sense Never had Woman more of complacence Yet lost it not in empty forms but still Her Nature noble was her Soul gentile And as in Youth she did attract for she The Verdure had without the Vanity So she in Age was mild and grave to all Was not morose but was majestical Thus from all other Women she had skill To draw their good but nothing of their ill And since she knew the mad tumultuous World Saw Crowns revers'd Temples to ruine hurl'd She in Retirement chose to shine and burn As a bright Lamp shut in some Roman Urn. At last when spent with sickness grief and age Her Guardian Angel did her death presage So that by strong impulse she chearfully Dispensed blessings and went home to die That so she might when to that place removed Marry his Ashes whom she ever loved She dy'd gain'd a reward and paid a debt The Sun himself did never brighter set Happy were they that knew her and her end More happy they that did from her descend A double blessing they may hope to have One she convey'd to them and one she gave All that are hers are therefore sure to be Blest by Inheritance and Legacy A Royal Birth had less advantage been 'T is more to die a Saint than live a Queen To the truly competent Judge of Honour Lucasia upon a scandalous Libel made by J. J. HOnour which differs Man from Man much more Then Reason differ'd him from Beasts before Suffers this common Fate of all things good By the blind World to be misunderstood For as some Heathens did their Gods confine While in a Bird or Beast they made their shrine Depos'd their Deities to Earth and then Offer'd them Rites that were too low for Men So those who most to Honour sacrifice Prescribe to her a mean and weak disguise Imprison her to others false Applause And from Opinion do receive their Laws While that inconstant Idol they implore Which in one breath can murther and adore From hence it is that those who Honour court And place her in a popular report Do prostitute themselves to sordid Fate And from their Being oft degenerate And thus their Tenents too are low and bad As if 't were honourable to be mad Or that their Honour had concerned been But to conceal not to forbear a sin But
Honour is more great and more sublime Above the battery of Fate or Time We see in Beauty certain airs are found Which not one Grace can make but all compound Honour 's to th' Mind as Beauty to the Sense The fair result of mixed Excellence As many Diamonds together lie And dart one lustre to amaze the Eye So Honour is that bright Aetherial Ray Which many Stars doth in one light display But as that Beauty were as truly sweet Were there no Tongue to praise no Eye to see 't And 't is the Privilege of a native Spark To shed a constant Splendour in the dark So Honour is its own Reward and End And satisfied within cannot descend To beg the suffrage of a vulgar Tongue Which by commending Vertue doth it wrong It is the Charter of a noble Action That the performance giveth satisfaction Other things are below't for from a Clown Would any Conqueror receive his Crown 'T is restless Cowardice to be a drudge To an uncertain and unworthy Judge So the Cameleon who lives on air Is of all Creatures most inclin'd to fear But peaceable reflections on the Mind Will in a silent shade Contentment find Honour keeps Court at home and doth not fear To be condemn'd abroad if quitted there While I have this retreat 't is not the noise Of Slander though believ'd can wrong my Joyes There is advantage in 't for Gold uncoin'd Had been unuseful nor with glory shin'd This stamp'd my Innocency in the Ore Which was as much but not so bright before Till an Alembick wakes and outward draws The strength of Sweets lies sleeping in their Cause So this gave me an opportunity To feed upon my own Integrity And though their Judgment I must still disclaim Who can nor give nor take away a fame Yet I 'le appeal unto the knowing few Who dare be just and rip my heart to you To Antenor on a Paper of mine which J. J. threatens to publish to prejudice him MUst then my Crimes become thy Scandal too Why sure the Devil hath not much to do The weakness of the other Charge is clear When such a trifle must bring up the Rear But this is mad design for who before Lost his repute upon anothers score My Love and Life I must confess are thine But not my Errours they are only mine And if my Faults must be for thine allow'd It will be hard to dissipate the Cloud For Eve's Rebellion did not Adam blast Until himself forbidden Fruit did taste 'T is possible this Magazine of Hell Whose name would turn a verse into a spell Whose mischief is congenial to his life May yet enjoy an honourable Wife Nor let his ill be reckoned as her blame Nor yet my Follies blast Antenor's name But if those lines a Punishment could call Lasting and great as this dark Lanthorn's gall Alone I 'd court the Torments with content To testifie that thou art Innocent So if my Ink through malice prov'd a stain My Bloud should justly wash it off again But since that Mint of slander could invent To make so dull a Ryme his Instrument Let Verse revenge the quarrel But he 's worse Then wishes and below a Poet's curse And more then this Wit knows not how to give Let him be still himself and let him live Rosania shadowed whilest Mrs. Mary Awbrey IF any could my dear Rosania hate They only should her Character relate Truth shines so bright there that an Enemy Would be a better Oratour then I. Love stifles Language and I must confess I had said more if I had loved less Yet the most critical who that Face see Will ne're suspect a partiality Others by time and by degrees perswade But her first look doth every heart invade She hath a Face so eminently bright Would make a Lover of an Anchorite A Face where conquest mixt with modesty Are both compleated in Divinity Not her least glance but sets a heart on fire And checks it if it should too much aspire Such is the Magick of her Looks the same Beam doth both kindle and refine our flame If she doth smile no Painter e're would take Another Rule when he would Mercy make And Heav'n to her such splendour hath allow'd That no one posture can her Beauty cloud For if she frown none but would phansie then Justice descended here to punish Men. Her common looks I know not how to call Any one Grace they are compos'd of all And if we Mortals could the doctrine reach Her Eyes have language and her Looks do teach And as in Palaces the outmost worst Rooms entertain our wonder at the first But once within the Presence-Chamber door We do despise what e're we saw before So when you with her Mind acquaintance get You 'l hardly think upon the Cabinet Her Soul that Ray shot from the Deity Doth still preserve its native purity Which Earth can neither threaten nor allure Nor by false joys defile it or obscure The Innocence which in her heart doth dwell Angels themselves can only parrallel More gently soft then is an Evening-shower And in that sweetness there is coucht a Power Which scorning Pride doth think it very hard That Modesty should need so mean a Guard Her Honour is protected by her Eyes As the old Flaming Sword kept Paradise Such Constancy of Temper Truth and Law Guides all her actions that the World may draw From her one Soul the noblest Precedent Of the most safe wise vertuous Government And as the highest Element is clear From all the Tempests which disturb the Air So she above the World and its rude noise Above our storms a quiet Calm enjoys Transcendent things her noble thoughts sublime Above the faults and trifles of the Time Unlike those Gallants which take far less care To have their Souls then make their Bodies fair Who sick with too much leisure time do pass With these two books Pride and a Looking-glass Plot to surprize Mens hearts their pow'r to try And call that Love which is meer Vanity But she although the greatest Murtherer For ev'ry glance commits a Massacre Yet glories not that slaves her power confess But wishes that her Monarchy were less And if she love it is not thrown away As many do onely to spend the day But her 's is serious and enough alone To make all Love become Religion And to her Friendship she so faithful is That 't is her onely blot and prejudice For Envy's self could never errour see Within that Soul ' bating her love to me Now as I must confess the name of Friend To her that all the World doth comprehend Is a most wild Ambition so for me To draw her picture is flat Lunacy Oh! I must think the rest for who can write Or into words confine what 's Infinite To the Queen of Inconstancy Regina Collier in Antwerp 1. UNworthy since thou hast decreed Thy Love and Honour both shall bleed My Friendship could not chuse to die In better
must cure or not deserve thy Grief Philoclea 's parting KInder than a condemned Man's reprieve Was your dear Company that bad me live When by Rosania's silence I had been The wretchedst Martyr any Age hath seen But as when Traytors faint upon the rack Tormentors strive to call their Spirits back Not out of kindness to preserve their breath But to increase the Torments of their Death So was I raised to this glorious state To make my fall the more unfortunate But this I know none ever dy'd before Upon a sadder or a nobler score To Rosania now Mrs. Mountague being with her 1. AS men that are with Visions grac'd Must have all other thoughts displac'd And buy those short descents of Light With loss of Sense or Spirit 's flight 2. So since thou wert my happiness I could not hope the rate was less And thus the Vision which I gain Is short t' enjoy and hard t' attain 3. Ah then what a poor trifle's all That thing which here we Pleasure call Since what our very Souls hath cost Is hardly got and quickly lost 4. Yet is there Justice in the fate For should we dwell in blest estate Our Joys thereby would so inflame We should forget from whence we came 5. If this so sad a doom can quit Me for the follies I commit Let no estrangement on thy part Adde a new ruine to my heart 6. When on my self I do reflect I can no smile from thee expect But if thy Kindness hath no plea Some freedom grant for Charity 7. Else the just World must needs deny Our Friendship an Eternity This Love will ne're that title hold For mine 's too hot and thine too cold 8. Divided Rivers lose their name And so our too unequal flame Parted will Passion be in me And an Indifference in thee 9. Thy absence I could easier find Provided thou wert well and kind Than such a Presence as is this Made up of snatches of my bliss 10. So when the Earth long gasps for rain If she at last some few drops gain She is more parched than at first That small recruit increas'd the thirst To my Lucasia LEt dull Philosophers enquire no more In Nature's womb or Causes strive t'explore By what strange harmony and course of things Each body to the whole a tribute brings What secret unions secret Neighbourings make And of each other how they do partake These are but low Experiments but he That Nature's harmony intire would see Must search agreeing Souls sit down and view How sweet the mixture is how full how true By what soft touches Spirits greet and kiss And in each other can complete their bliss A wonder so sublime it will admit No rude Spectator to contemplate it The Object will refine and he that can Friendship revere must be a noble man How much above the common rate of things Must they then be from whom this Union springs But what 's all this to me who live to be Disprover of my own Morality And he that knew my unimproved Soul Would say I meant all Friendship to controul But Bodies move in time and so must Minds And though th' attempt no easie progress finds Yet quit me not lest I should desp ' rate grow And to such Friendship adde some Patience now O may good Heav'n but so much Vertue lend To make me fit to be Lucasia's Friend But I 'le forsake my self and seek a new Self in her breast that 's for more rich and true Thus the poor Bee unmark'd doth hum and flye And broan'd with age would unregarded dye Unless some lucky drop of precious Gum Do bless the Insect with an Amber-tomb Then glorious in its funeral the Bee Gets Eminence and gets Eternity On Controversies in Religion REligion which true Policy befriends Design'd by God to serve Man's noblest ends Is by that old Deceiver's subtle play Made the chief party in its own decay And meets that Eagles destiny whose breast Felt the same shaft which his own feathers drest For that great Enemy of Souls perceiv'd The notion of a Deity was weav'd So closely in Man's Soul to ruine that He must at once the World depopulate But as those Tyrants who their Wills pursue If they expound old Laws need make no new So he advantage takes of Nature's light And raises that to a bare useless height Or while we seek for Truth he in the Quest Mixes a Passion or an Interest To make us lose it that I know not how 'T is not our Practice but our Quarrel now As in the Moon 's Eclipse some Pagans thought Their barbarous Clamours her deliverance wrought So we suppose that Truth oppressed lies And needs a Rescue by our Enmities But 't is Injustice and the Mind's Disease To think of gaining Truth by losing Peace Knowledge and Love if true do still unite God's Love and Knowledge are both Infinite And though indeed Truth does delight to lie At some Remoteness from a Common Eye Yet 't is not in a Thunder or a Noise But in soft Whispers and the stiller Voice Why should we then Knowledge so rudely treat Making our weapon what was meant our meat 'T is Ignorance that makes us quarrel so The Soul that 's dark will be contracted too Chimaera's make a noise swelling and vain And soon resolve to their own smoak again But a true Light the spirit doth dilate And robs it of its proud and sullen state Makes Love admir'd because 't is understood And makes us Wise because it makes us Good 'T is to a right Prospect of things that we Owe our Uprightness and our Charity For who resists a beam when shining bright Is not a Sinner of a common height That state 's a forfeiture and helps are spent Not more a Sin than 't is a Punishment The Soul which sees things in their Native frame Without Opinion's Mask or Custom 's name Cannot be clogg'd to Sense or count that high Which hath its Estimation from a Lie Mean sordid things which by mistake we prize And absent covet but enjoy'd despise But scorning these hath robb'd them of their art Either to swell or to subdue the Heart And learn'd that generous frame to be above The World in hopes below it all in love Touch'd with Divine and Inward Life doth run Not resting till it hath its Centre won Moves steadily until it safe doth lie I' th' Root of all its Immortality And resting here hath yet activity To grow more like unto the Deity Good Universal Wise and Just as he The same in kind though diff'ring in degree Till at the last 't is swallow'd up and grown With God and with the whole Creation one It self so small a part i' th' Whole is lost And Generals have Particulars engrost That dark contracted Personality Like Mists before the Sun will from it flie And then the Soul one shining sphear at length With true Love's wisdom fill'd and purged strength Beholds her highest good with open face And
THis is confest Presumption for had I All that rich stock of Ingenuity Which I could wish for this yet would it be Palaemon's blot a pious Injury But as no Votaries are scorn'd when they The meanest Victim in Religion pay Not that the Pow'r they worship needs a Gum But that they speak their thanks for all with some So though the most contemptible of all That do themselves Palaemon's Servants call I know that Zeal is more than Sacrifice For God did not the Widow's Mite despise And that Palaemon hath Divinity And Mercy is his highest property He that doth such transcendent Merit own Must have imperfect Offerings or none He 's one rich Lustre which doth Rayes dispense As Knowledge will when set in Innocence For Learning did select his noble breast Where in her native Majesty to rest Free from the Tyranny and Pride of Schools Who have confin'd her to Pedantick Rules And that gentiler Errour which does take Offence at Learning for her Habit 's sake Palaemon hath redeem'd her who may be Esteem'd himself an University And yet so much a Gentleman that he Needs not though he enjoys a Pedigree Sure he was built and sent to let us know What man completed could both be and do Freedom from Vice is in him Nature's part Without the help of Discipline or Art He 's his own Happiness and his own Law Whereby he keeps Passion and Fate in awe Nor was this wrought in him by Time and Growth His genius had anticipated both Had all men been Palaemons Pride had ne're Taught one man Tyranny the other Fear Ambition had been full as Monstrous then As this ill World doth render Worthy men Had men his Spirit they would soon forbear Groveling for dirt and quarrelling for air Were his harmonious Soul diffus'd in all We should believe that men did never fall It is Palaemon's Soul that hath engrost Th' ingenuous candour that the World hath lost Whose one mind seats him quiet safe and high Above the reach of Time or Destiny 'T was he that rescu'd gasping Friendship when The Bell toll'd for her Funeral with men 'T was he that made Friends more then Lovers burn And then made Love to sacred Friendship turn 'T was he turn'd Honour inward set her free From Titles and from Popularity Now fix'd to Vertue she begs Praise of none But 's Witness'd and Rewarded both at home And in his breast this Honour 's so enshrin'd As the old Law was in the Ark confin'd To which Posterity shall all consent And less dispute then Acts of Parliament He 's our Original by whom we see How much we fail and what we ought to be But why do I to Copy him pretend My Rymes but libel whom they would commend 'T is true but none can reach what 's set so high And though I miss I 've noble Company For the most happy language must confess It doth obscure Palaemon not express To Mrs. M. A. at parting 1. I Have examin'd and do find Of all that favour me There 's none I grieve to leave behind But only only thee To part with thee I needs must die Could parting sep'rate thee and I. 2. But neither Chance nor Complement Did element our Love 'T was sacred Sympathy was lent Us from the Quire above That Friendship Fortune did create Still fears a wound from Time or Fate 3. Our chang'd and mingled Souls are grown To such acquaintance now That if each would resume their own Alas we know not how We have each other so engrost That each is in the Union lost 4. And thus we can no Absence know Nor shall we be confin'd Our active Souls will daily go To learn each others mind Nay should we never meet to Sense Our Souls would hold Intelligence 5. Inspired with a Flame Divine I scorn to court a stay For from that noble Soul of thine I ne're can be away But I shall weep when thou dost grieve Nor can I die whil'st thou dost live 6. By my own temper I shall guess At thy felicity And only like my happiness Because it pleaseth thee Our hearts at any time will tell If thou or I be sick or well 7. All Honour sure I must pretend All that is Good or Great She that would be Rosania's Friend Must be at least compleat If I have any bravery 'T is cause I have so much of thee 8. Thy Leiger Soul in me shall lie And all thy thoughts reveal Then back again with mine shall flie And thence to me shall steal Thus still to one another tend Such is the sacred name of Friend 9. Thus our twin-Souls in one shall grow And teach the World new Love Redeem the Age and Sex and shew A Flame Fate dares not move And courting Death to be our friend Our Lives together too shall end 10. A Dew shall dwell upon our Tomb Of such a quality That fighting Armies thither come Shall reconciled be We 'll ask no Epitaph but say ORINDA and ROSANIA To my dearest Antenor on his Parting THough it be just to grieve when I must part With him that is the Guardian of my Heart Yet by an happy change the loss of mine Is with advantage paid in having thine And I by that dear Guest instructed find Absence can do no hurt to Souls combin'd As we were born to love brought to agree By the impressions of Divine Decree So when united nearer we became It did not weaken but encrease our Flame Unlike to those who distant joys admire But slight them when possest of their desire Each of our Souls did its own temper fit And in the other's Mould so fashion'd it That now our Inclinations both are grown Like to our Interests and Persons one And Souls whom such an Union fortifies Passion can ne're destroy nor Fate surprize Now as in Watches though we do not know When the Hand moves we find it still doth go So I by secret Sympathy inclin'd Will absent meet and understand thy mind And thou at thy return shalt find thy Heart Still safe with all the love thou didst impart For though that treasure I have ne're deserv'd It shall with strong Religion be preserv'd And besides this thou shalt in me survey Thy self reflected while thou art away For what some forward Arts do undertake The Images of absent Friends to make And represent their actions in a Glass Friendship it self can only bring to pass That Magick which both Fate and Time beguiles And in a moment runs a thousand miles So in my Breast thy Picture drawn shall be My Guide Life Object Friend and Destiny And none shall know though they employ their wit Which is the right Antenor thou or it Engraven on Mr. John Collier 's Tomb-stone at Bedlington HEre what remains of him doth lie Who was the World's Epitome Religion's Darling Merchants Glory Mens true Delight and Vertue 's Story Who though a Prisoner to the Grave A glorious Freedom once shall have Till when no
and Visits all would useless grow Love's whole expression then would be its cloud And it would be refin'd to nothing so 16. If I distrust 't is my own worth for thee 'T is my own fitness for a love like thine And therefore still new evidence would see T' assure my wonder that thou canst be mine 17. But as the Morning-Sun to drooping Flowers As weary Travellers a Shade do find As to the parched Violet Evening-showers Such is from thee to me a Look that 's kind 18. But when that Look is drest in Words 't is like The mystick pow'r of Musick 's unison Which when the finger doth one Viol strike The other 's string heaves to reflection 19. Be kind to me and just then to our love To which we owe our free and dear Converse And let not tract of Time wear or remove It from the privilege of that Commerce 20. Tyrants do banish what they can't requite But let us never know such mean desires But to be grateful to that Love delight Which all our joys and noble thoughts inspires A Resvery A Chosen Privacy a cheap Content And all the Peace a Friendship ever lent A Rock which civil Nature made a Seat A Willow that repulses all the heat The beauteous quiet of a Summer's day A Brook which sobb'd aloud and ran away Invited my Repose and then conspir'd To entertain my Phancie thus retir'd As Lucian's Ferry-man a loft did view The angry World and then laugh'd at it too So all its sullen Follies seem to me But as a too-well acted Tragedy One dangerous Ambition doth befool Another Envies to see that man Rule One makes his Love the Parent of his Rage For private Friendship publickly t' engage And some for Conscience some for Honour die And some are meanly kill'd they know not why More different then mens faces are their ends Whom yet one common Ruine can make Friends Death Dust and Darkness they have only won And hastily unto their Periods run Death is a Leveller Beauty and Kings And Conquerours and all those glorious things Are tumbled to their Graves in one rude heap Like common dust as quiet and as cheap At greater Changes who would wonder then Since Kingdoms have their Fates as well as men They must fall sick and die nothing can be In this World certain but uncertainty Since Pow'r and Greatness are such slippery things who 'd pity Cottages or envy Kings Now least of all when weary of deceit The World no longer flatters with the Great Though such Confusions here below we find As Providence were wanton with Mankind Yet in this Chaos some things do send forth Like Jewels in the dark a Native worth He that derives his high Nobility Not from the mention of a Pedigree Who thinks it not his Praise that others know His Ancestors were gallant long ago Who scorns to boast the Glories of his blood And thinks he can't be great that is not good Who knows the World and what we Pleasure call Yet cannot sell one Conscience for them all Who hates to hoard that Gold with an excuse For which he can find out a nobler use Who dares not keep that Life that he can spend To serve his God his Country and his Friend Who flattery and falsehood doth so hate He would not buy ten Lives at such a rate Whose Soul then Diamonds more rich and clear Naked and open as his face doth wear Who dares be good alone in such a time When Vertue 's held and punish'd as a Crime Who thinks dark crooked Plots a mean defence And is both safe and wise in Innocence Who dares both fight and die but dares not fear Whose only doubt is if his cause be clear Whose Courage and his Justice equal worn Can dangers grapple overcome and scorn Yet not insult upon a conquer'd foe But can forgive him and oblige him too Whose Friendship is congenial with his Soul Who where he gives a heart bestows it whole Whos 's other ties and Titles here do end Or buried or completed in the Friend Who ne're resumes the Soul he once did give While his Friend's Honesty and Honour live And if his Friend's content could cost the price Would count himself a happy Sacrifice Whose happy days no Pride infects nor can His other Titles make him slight the man No dark Ambitious thoughts do cloud his brow Nor restless cares when to be Great and how Who scorns to envy Wealth where e're it be But pities such a Golden Slavery With no mean fawnings can the people court Nor wholly slight a popular report Whose house no Orphan groans do shake or blast Nor any riot help to serve his taste Who from the top of his Prosperities Can take a fall and yet without surprize Who with the same august and even state Can entertain the best and worst of Fate Whose suffering's sweet if Honour once adorn it Who slights Revenge yet does not fear but scorn it Whose Happiness in ev'ry Fortune lives For that no Fortune either takes or gives Who no unhandsome ways can bribe his Fate Nay out of Prison marches through the Gate Who losing all his Titles and his Pelf Nay all the World can never lose himself This Person shines indeed and he that can Be Vertuous is the great Immortal man A Country-life HOw Sacred and how Innocent A Country-life appears How free from Tumult Discontent From Flattery or Fears This was the first and happiest Life When man enjoy'd himself Till Pride exchanged Peace for Strife And Happiness for Pelf 'T was here the Poets were inspir'd Here taught the multitude The brave they here with Honour fir'd And civiliz'd the rude That Golden Age did entertain No Passion but of Love The thoughts of Ruling and of Gain Did ne're their Fancies move None then did envy Neighbour's wealth Nor Plot to wrong his bed Happy in Friendship and in Health On Roots not Beasts they fed They knew no Law nor Physick then Nature was all their Wit And if there yet remain to men Content sure this is it What Blessings doth this World afford To tempt or bribe desire Her Courtship is all Fire and Sword Who would not then retire Then welcome dearest Solitude My great Felicity Though some are pleas'd to call thee rude Thou art not so but we Them that do covet only rest A Cottage will suffice It is not brave to be possest Of Earth but to despise Opinion is the rate of things From hence our Peace doth flow I have a better Fate then Kings Because I think it so When all the stormy World doth roar How unconcern'd am I I cannot fear to tumble lower Who never could be high Secure in these unenvi'd walls I think not on the State And pity no mans case that falls From his Ambition's height Silence and Innocence are safe A heart that 's nobly true At all these little Arts can laugh That do the World subdue While others Revel it in State Here
I 'le contented sit And think I have as good a Fate As Wealth and Pomp admit Let some in Courtship take delight And to th' Exchange resort Then Revel out a Winter's night Not making Love but Sport These never know a noble Flame 'T is Lust Scorn or Design While Vanity plays all their Game Let Peace and Honour mine When the inviting Spring appears To Hide-parke let them go And hasting thence be full of fears To lose Spring-Garden shew Let others nobler seek to gain In Knowledge happy Fate And others busie them in vain To study ways of State But I resolved from within Confirmed from without In Privacy intend to spin My future Minutes out And from this Hermitage of mine I banish all wild toyes And nothing that is not Divine Shall dare to tempt my Joyes There are below but two things good Friendship and Honesty And only those of all I would Ask for Felicity In this retir'd and humble seat Free from both War and Strife I am not forc'd to make retreat But chuse to spend my Life To Mrs. Wogan my Honoured Friend on the Death of her Husband DRy up your tears there 's enough shed by you And we must pay our share of Sorrows too It is no private loss when such men fall The VVorld's concern'd and Grief is general But though of our Misfortune we complain To him it is injurious and vain For since we know his rich Integrity His real Sweetness and full Harmony How free his heart and house were to his Friends VVhom he oblig'd without Design or Ends How universal was his courtesie How clear a Soul how even and how high How much he scorn'd disguise or meaner Arts But with a native Honour conquer'd Hearts We must conclude he was a Treasure lent Soon weary of this sordid Tenement The Age and World deserv'd him not and he Was kindly snatch'd from future Misery We can scarce say he 's Dead but gone to rest And left a Monument in ev'ry breast For you to grieve then in this sad excess Is not to speak your Love but make it less A noble Soul no Friendship will admit But what 's Eternal and Divine as it The Soul is hid in mortal flesh we know And all its weaknesses must undergo Till by degrees it does shine forth at length And gathers Beauty Purity and Strength But never yet doth this Immortal Ray Put on full splendour till it put off Clay So Infant Love is in the worthiest breast By Sense and Passion fetter'd and opprest But by degrees it grows still more refin'd And scorning clogs only concerns the mind Now as the Soul you lov'd is here set free From its material gross capacity Your Love should follow him now he is gone And quitting Passion put Perfection on Such Love as this will its own good deny If its dear Object have Felicity And since we cannot his great Loss Reprieve Let 's not lose you in whom he still doth Live For while you are by Grief secluded thus It doth appear your Funeral to us In memory of the most justly honoured Mrs. Owen of Orielton AS when the ancient World by Reason liv'd The Asian Monarchs deaths were never griev'd Their glorious Lives made all their Subjects call Their Rites a Triumph not a Funeral So still the Good are Princes and their Fate Invites us not to weep but imitate Nature intends a progress of each stage Whereby weak Man creeps to succeeding Age Ripens him for that Change for which he 's made Where th' active Soul is in her Centre staid And since none stript of Infancy complain ' Cause 't is both their necessity and gain So Age and Death by slow approches come And by that just inevitable doom By which the Soul her cloggy dross once gone Puts on Perfection and resumes her own Since then we mourn a happy Soul O why Disturb we her with erring Piety Who 's so enamour'd on the beauteous Ground When with rich Autumn's livery hung round As to deny a Sickle to his Grain And not undress the teeming Earth again Fruits grow for use Mankind is born to die And both Fates have the same necessity Then grieve no more sad Relatives but learn Sigh not but profit by your just concern Read over her Life's volume wise and good Not ' cause she must be so but ' cause she wou'd To chosen Vertue still a constant friend She saw the Times which chang'd but did not mend And as some are so civil to the Sun They 'd fix his beams and make the Earth to run So she unmov'd beheld the angry Fate Which tore a Church and overthrew a State Still durst be Good and own the noble Truth To crown her Age which had adorn'd her Youth Great without Pride a Soul which still could be Humble and high full of calm Majesty She kept true state within and could not buy Her Satisfaction with her Charity Fortune or Birth ne're rais'd her Mind which stood Not on her being rich but doing good Oblig'd the World but yet would scorn to be Paid with Requitals Thanks or Vanity How oft did she what all the World adore Make the Poor happy with her useful store So general was her Bounty that she gave Equality to all before the Grave By several means she different persons ty'd Who by her Goodness onely were ally'd Her Vertue was her Temper not her Fit Fear'd nothing but the Crimes which some commit Scorn'd those dark Arts which pass for Wisdom now Nor to a mean ignoble thing could bow And her vast Prudence had no other end But to forgive a Foe endear a Friend To use but slight the World and fixt above Shine down in beams of Piety and Love Why should we then by poor unjust complaint Prove envious Sinners ' cause she is a Saint Close then the Monument let not a Tear That may prophane her Ashes now appear For her best Obsequies are that we be Prudent and Good Noble and Sweet as she A Friend 1. LOve Nature's Plot this great Creation's Soul The Being and the Harmony of things Doth still preserve and propagate the whole From whence Mans Happiness and Safety springs The earliest whitest blessedst Times did draw From her alone their universal Law 2. Friendship 's an Abstract of this noble Flame 'T is Love refin'd and purg'd from all its dross The next to Angels Love if not the same As strong as passion is though not so gross It antedates a glad Eternity And is an Heaven in Epitome 3. Nobler then Kindred or then Marriage-band Because more free Wedlock-felicity It self doth only by this Union stand And turns to Friendship or to Misery Force or Design Matches to pass may bring But Friendship doth from Love and Honour spring 4. If Souls no Sexes have for Men t' exclude Women from Friendship 's vast capacity Is a Design injurious or rude Onely maintain'd by partial tyranny Love is allow'd to us and Innocence And noblest Friendships do proceed
from thence 5. The chiefest thing in Friends is Sympathy There is a Secret that doth Friendship guide Which makes two Souls before they know agree Who by a thousand mixtures are ally'd And chang'd and lost so that it is not known Within which breast doth now reside their own 6. Essential Honour must be in a Friend Not such as every breath fans to and fro But born within is its own judge and end And dares not sin though sure that none should know Where Friendship 's spoke Honesty 's understood For none can be a Friend that is not Good 7. Friendship doth carry more then common trust And Treachery is here the greatest sin Secrets deposed then none ever must Presume to open but who put them in They that in one Chest lay up all their stock Had need be sure that none can pick the Lock 8. A breast too open Friendship does not love For that the others Trust will not conceal Nor one too much reserv'd can it approve It s own Condition this will not reveal We empty Passions for a double end To be refresh'd and guarded by a Friend 9. Wisdom and Knowledge Friendship does require The first for Counsel this for Company And though not mainly yet we may desire Both complaisance and Ingenuity Though ev'ry thing may love yet 't is a Rule He cannot be a Friend that is a Fool. 10. Discretion uses Parts and best knows how And Patience will all Qualities commend That serves a need best but this doth allow The Weaknesses and Passions of a Friend We are not yet come to the Quire above Who cannot Pardon here can never Love 11. Thick Waters shew no Images of things Friends are each others Mirrours and should be Clearer then Crystal or the Mountain Springs And free from Clouds Design or Flattery For vulgar Souls no part of Friendship share Poets and Friends are born to what they are 12. Friends should observe and chide each others Faults To be severe then is most just kind Nothing can ' scape their search who knew the thoughts This they should give and take with equal Mind For Friendship when this Freedom is deny'd Is like a Painter when his hands are ty'd 13. A Friend should find out each Necessity And then unask'd reliev't at any rate It is not Friendship but Formality To be desir'd for Kindness keeps no state Of Friends he doth the Benefactour prove That gives his Friend the means t' express his Love 14. Absence doth not from Friendship 's right excuse Them who preserve each others heart and fame Parting can ne're divide it may diffuse As a far stretch'd out River's still the same Though Presence help'd them at the first to greet Their Souls know now without those aids to meet 15. Constant and Solid whom no storms can shake Nor death unfix a right Friend ought to be And if condemned to survive doth make No second choice but Grief and Memory But Friendship 's best Fate is when it can spend A Life a Fortune all to serve a Friend L'Accord du Bien 1. ORder by which all things are made And this great World's foundation laid Is nothing else but Harmony Where different parts are brought t' agree 2. As Empires are still best maintain'd Those ways which first their Greatness gain'd So in this universal Frame What made and keeps it is the same 3. Thus all things unto peace do tend Even Discords have it for their end The cause why Elements do fight Is but their Instinct to Unite 4. Musick could never please the Sense But by United excellence The sweetest Note which Numbers know If struck alone would tedious grow 5. Man the whole World's Epitome Is by creation Harmony 'T was Sin first quarrell'd in his breast Then made him angry with the rest 6. But Goodness keeps that Unity And loves its own society So well that seldom we have known One real Worth to dwell alone 7. And hence it is we Friendship call Not by one Vertue 's name but all Nor is it when bad things agree Thought Union but Conspiracy 8. Nature and Grace such enemies That when one fell t'other did rise Are now by Mercy even set As Stars in Constellations met 9. If Nature were it self a sin Her Author God had guilty been But Man by sin contracting stain Shall purg'd from that be clear again 10. To prove that Nature's excellent Even Sin it self 's an argument Therefore we Nature's stain deplore Because it self was pure before 11. And Grace destroys not but refines Unveils our Reason then it shines Restores what was deprest by sin The fainting beam of God within 12. The main spring Judgment rectify'd Will all the lesser Motions guide To spend our Labour Love and Care Not as things seem but as they are 13. 'T is Fancy lost Wit thrown away In trifles to imploy that Ray Which then doth in full lustre shine When both Ingenious and Divine 14. To Eyes by Humours vitiated All things seem falsly coloured So 't is our prejudicial thought That makes clear Objects seem in fault 15. They scarce believe united good By whom 't was never understood They think one Grace enough for one And 't is because their selves have none 16. We hunt Extreams and run so fast We can no steddy judgment cast He best surveys the Circuit round Who stands i' th' middle of the ground 17. That happy mean would let us see Knowledge and Meekness may agree And find when each thing hath its name Passion and Zeal are not the same 18. Who studies God doth upwards flye And height still lessens to our eye And he that knows God soon will see Vast cause for his Humility 19. For by that search it will be known There 's nothing but our Will our own And who doth so that stock imploy But finds more cause for Shame then Joy 20. We know so little and so dark And so extinguish our own spark That he who furthest here can go Knows nothing as he ought to know 21. It will with the most Learned sute More to enquire then dispute But Vapours swell within a Cloud 'T is Ignorance that makes us proud 22. So whom their own vain Heart belies Like Inflammations quickly rise But that Soul which is truly great Is lowest in its own conceit 23. Yet while we hug our own mistake We Censures but not Judgments make And thence it is we connot see Obedience stand with Liberty 24. Providence still keeps even state But he can best command his Fate Whose Art by adding his own Voice Makes his Necessity his Choice 25. Rightly to rule ones self must be The hardest largest Monarchy Whose Passions are his Masters grown Will be a Captive in a Throne 26. He most the inward freedom gains Who just Submissions entertains For while in that his Reason sways It is himself that he obeys 27. But onely in Eternity We can these beauteous Unions see For Heaven it self and Glory is But one harmonious
would active be Rome hath too long made an injurious Claim That all men should adore the Roman Name Her lofty Freedom let us now throw down And all her scorn in Pompey's Blood le ts drown Cutting the Root by which that Pride does live To the Worlds Tyrants let 's a Tyrant give Now Fate would chain an Arrogance so fierce Let 's help her to revenge the Universe Rome thou shalt serve and Kings which alwaies yet Th' hast dar'd with so much insolence to treat Will Caesar now with less Regret obey Since thou shalt be enslav'd as well as they Achillas and Septimius lose no time But make us Deathless by this glorious Crime Of Heaven's Resentment I 'le the hazard run Who sent him hither sure to be undone ACHILLAS A Kings Command must no dispute endure PTOLOMY Go then the Scepter whih I bear secure For you by this Commission are become The Destinies of Egypt and of Rome SCEN. II. Ptolomy Photinus PTOLOMY I am mistaken Photin or by this My Sister will her expectation miss Pompey my Father's Will having secur'd Her Coronation she believe's assur'd And she her self the Mistress does esteem Of that divided Scepter left by him Their Antient Friendship she depends upon And inwardly already shares my Throne Whence her Ambition is become so vain That from its Ashes it revives again PHOTINUS Sir 'T was a motive I did not debate And yet which ought to hasten Pompey's Fate He your Pretentions doubtless will decide And by your Father's Will your Claims Divide To which great Trust of Friendship being true You know how much he disobliges you Nor that by this Discourse I would remove The Sacred Ciment of a Brothers Love I banish her not from your Heart but Throne For he Reigns not that does not Reign alone Divided Empire all wise Kings avoid For Pow'r Communicated is Destroy'd And Policy But Sir she does appear SCEN. III. Ptolomy Cleopatra Photinus CLEOPATRA Pompey is come Sir and can you be here PTOLOMY That mighty Warriour I at home attend And him Achillas and Septimius send CLEOPATRA What such Embassadours as those to him PTOLOMY You may go too if they too little seem CLEOPATRA Is your own meeting him too great a thing PTOLOMY I must remember that I am at King CLEOPATRA Can you reflect on that and yet be slow To kiss the hand of him that made you so And pay you homage to a Man so great PTOLOMY Did he that Title in Pharsalia get CLEOPATRA Though none did his misfortunes help afford Hee 's still that Pompey who your Crown restor'd PTOLOMY Rather his shade and but my Father Crown'd By whose Ghost not by me it should be own'd Let him attend his Dust and be content To receive Thanks from his cold Monument CLEOPATRA Hath such a Benefit such usage met PTOLOMY I both remember it and his Defeat CLEOPATRA You do indeed but with a scornful Pride PTOLOMY Time is the Standard by which things are Try'd You that so prize him may his greatness Court But know He yet may perish in the Port. CLEOPATRA What may his Shipwrack in the Port arrive And have you dar'd his Ruine to contrive PTOLOMY I have done only what the Gods inspir'd And what the safety of my State requir'd CLEOPATRA I know but too much Photin and his Crew Have with their wicked Councels poyson'd you Souls that are but of Natures Rubbish fram'd PHOTINUS The Councel Madam will not be disclaim'd CLEOPATRA 'T is the King Photin I discourse with now Stay then till I descend to talke to you PTOLOMY You must a little with her scorn dispense I know her hatred and your innocence But she 's my Sister give her humour vent CLOPATRA Sir If too late it be not to repent Shake off at length a Yoke that is so vile And call your Virtue back from her exile That magnanimity so great and good Which is convey'd to Princes with their Blood PTOLOMY Swell'd with a hope in vain by you foreseen You speak to me of Pompey like a Queen Through your false zeal flashes of Pride escape And Interest does act in Virtues shape Confess it then you had been silent still Were it not for the King our Father's Will You know who keep 's it CLEOPATRA And you shall Know too Virtue alone prompts me to what I do For if I did my own advantage seek I should for Caesar not for Pompey speak Receive a secret I conceal'd before And after that never reproach me more When none that bold Rebellion could withstand Which rob'd our Father of his Crown and Land The injur'd King forsook his Native shore And Romes great Senate did for Aid Implore With him we went their pitty to engage You very Young but I was in an Age When Nature had supply'd my Eyes with Darts Already Active in subduing hearts Caesar receiv'd or else pretended love And by his Actions would his Passion prove But since the Senat 's Pique to him he knew He their lov'd Pompey to our party drew Whose high concern for us on Caesar's score Was the last fruit their Friendship ever bore Of this you do inherit the event But such a Lover not with it content When by th' assistace of so great a Man In our behalf the Roman suffrage ran Resolving further Kindness to impart He gave his Treasure to attend his Heart And from the bounty of his growing flame Those sinews both of War and Power came Those thousand Talents which we owe him yet Forc'd our revolted Egypt to submit On this the King reflecting when he dy'd Betwixt us did his Dignity divide And by his Sovereign Right on me bestow'd A part of what he to my Beauty ow'd Whilst you who this great reason never knew Thought that his Favour which was but my due And Your dread Father partial dar'd to call Who gave me half when yet he ow'd me all PTOLOMY This Story you with Art enough contrive CLEOPATRA I am assur'd Caesar will soon arrive And a few hours will such a change effect As your Dark Policy did least expect And shew you why I spoke so like a Queen Who the loth'd Object of your scorn have been You in the Throne usurp'd my equal seat And as a Slave you did your Sister Treat Till I was forc'd to shun a ruder Fate To stoop and Court your Ministers of State Whose steel or poyson I still fear'd but Know Pompey or Caesar will secure me now And whatsoe're your Sycophants Ordain I now am sure my Scepter to obtain Till when my Pride shall leave you to divine In this Contest what could be my design Ptolomy Photin PTOLOMY What think you Photin of this lofty Mind PHOTIN My spirt Sir to wonder is resign'd And nothing but amazement can express At such a secret as I nere could guess My thoughts are so unquiet and confus'd I scarce know what expedient should be us'd PTOLOMY Shall we save Pompey PHOTIN Had you that decreed Yet it were now
quickly bring her back Achillas then the great Head did expose Which still to speak it self seem'd to dispose At this new injury some warm remain Did in imperfect groans seem to complain I thought his open mouth and ghastly look Recall'd the Soul which scarce her leave had took And his last anger seem'd with dying breath To charge the gods with his Defeat and Death Caesar seem'd Thunder-stricken at this view As not resolv'd what to believe or do Immoveably on that sad Object ty'd He long from us his inward thought did hide And I would say if I durst make a guess By what our Nature uses to express Some such malignant pleasure he enjoy'd As his offended honour scarce destroy'd That the whole World now in his power lies Could not but bring some flattering surprize But though a while this conflict he endur'd Yet his great Soul it self soon re-assur'd Though he loves Power yet he Treason hates Himself he judges on himself debates Each joy and grief at Reason's Bar appears At length resolv'd he first let fall some Tears His Virtues Empire he by force regains And noblest thoughts by that weak sign explains The horrid present from his sight expell'd His Eyes and Hands he up to Heaven held In a few words their insolence repress'd And after did in pensive silence rest Nor even to his Romans could reply But with a heavy sigh and furious eye At last with thirty Cohorts come to Land To seiz the Gates and Ports he does command The Guards he set and secret Orders sent Shew his distrust as well as discontent Egypt he speaks of as a Province won And now calls Pompey not a Foe but Son This I observ'd CHARMION By which the Queen may find The just Osiris to her Vows inclin'd Whilst with this happy News to her I flye Do you preserve her your Fidelity ACHOREUS Ne're doubt it but here Caesar comes go then Describe the Consternation of our Men And whatsoever proves to be their Fate I 'le first observe and then to her relate SCEN. II. Caesar Ptolomy Lepidus Photinus Achoreus Roman and Egyptian Souldiers PTOLOMY Great Sir ascend the Throne and govern Us. CAESAR Do you know Caesar and speak to him thus What worse could envious Fortune offer me Who alike hate a Crown and Infamy This to accept would all my boast confute That Rome did me unjustly persecute Rome who both scorns gives Crowns every where And nothing sees in Kings to love or fear Nay at our Birth does all our Souls enflame To slight the Rank and to abhor the Name This truth you might have learn'd from Pompey who If he such Offers lik'd could shun them too Both Throne and King had honour'd been t' afford Service to him who had them both restor'd So glorious had been even ill success In such a Cause that Triumphs had been less And if your Fortune safety had deny'd To have bestow'd it had been Caesar's pride But though you would not own so brave a strife What right had you to that illustrious Life Who that rich blood to wash your hands allow'd That to the meanest Roman should have bow'd Was it for you Pharsalia's Field I won Wherein so many Nations were undone And did I purchase at so high a rate That you should be the Arbiters of Fate If I in Pompey that could ne're admit Shall you escape o're him assuming it How much is my success abus'd by you Who attempt more than ever I durst do What Name think you will such a blow become Which has usurp'd the Soveraignty of Rome And in one Person did affront her more Than could the Asian Massacre before Do you imagine I shall e're agree You would have been more scrupulous for me No had you Pompey here Victorious seen My Head to him had such a Present been I to my Conquest your Submissions owe When all wrongs had pursu'd my Overthrow You do adore the Conqueror not me I but enjoy it by Felicity Dangerous Friendship Kindness to be fear'd Which turns with Fortune and by her is steer'd But speak this silence does encrease your sin PTOLOMY Never hath my Confusion greater been And I believe Sir you 'l allow it me Since I a King born now a Master see Where at my frown each man did trembling stand And every word of mine was a Command I see a new Court and another sway And I have nothing left but to obey Your very look abates my spirits force And can it be regain'd by your Discourse Judge how I can from such a Trouble cease Which my Respects create and Fears encrease And what can an astonisht Prince express Who anger sees in that Majestick Dress And whose Amazements do his Soul subdue That Pompey's Death should be reveng'd by You. Yet I must say whatever he bestow'd We owe you more then ever him we ow'd Your Favour was the first to us exprest And all he did was done at your Request He did the Senate move for injur'd Kings And them that Prayer to our Assistance brings But all that He for Egypt could obtain Without your Mony Sir had been in vain By that his Rebels our late King subdu'd And you have Right to all our Gratitude We Pompey as your Friend and Son rever'd But when he your Competitour appear'd When of your Fortune he suspicious grew Tyranny sought and dar'd to fight with you CAESAR Forbear your hatreds Thirst his Blood supplies Touch not his Glory let his Life suffice Say nothing here that Rome still dares deny But plead your Cause without a Calumny PTOLOMY Then let the Gods be Judges of his Thought I only say that in the Wars last fought To which so many Wrongs did you perswade Our Vows for your success were only made And since he ever sought your Blood to spill I thought his Death a necessary Ill. For as his groundless Hatred daily grew He would by all ways the Dispute renew Or if at length he fell into your Hand We fear'd your Mercy would your Right withstand For to that Pitch your sense of Honour flies As would to Fame your Safety sacrifice Which made me Judge in so extream an Ill We ought to serve you Sir against your will My forward Zeal th' occasion did embrace Without your leave and to my own disgrace And this you as a Crime in me disclaim But nothing done for you deserves that Name I stain'd my Hands your Danger to remove Which Act you may enjoy and disapprove Nay by my Guilt my Merit higher grows Since I my Glory gave for your Repose And by that greatest Victim have procur'd Your Glory and your Power to be assur'd CAESAR You employ Ptolomy such Crafty Words And weak Excuses as your Cause affords Your Zeal was false if 't were afraid to see What all Mankind beg'd of the Gods should be And did to you such subtleties Convey As stole the Fruit of all my Wars away Where Honour me engag'd and where the end Was of
a Foe subdu'd to make a Friend Where the worst Enemies that I have met When they are conquer'd I as Brothers treat And my Ambition only this Design'd To Kill their Hate and force them to be kind How blest a Period of the War't had been If the glad World had in one Chariot seen Pompey and Caesar at once to have sate Triumphant over all their former Hate These were the Dangers you fear'd should befal O fear Ridiculous and Criminal You fear'd my Mercy but that trouble quit And wish it rather you have need of it For I am sure strict Justice would consent I should appease Rome with your punishment Not your Respects nor your Repentance now No nor your Rank preserves you from that Blow Ev'n on your Throne I would revenge your Guilt But Cleopatra's Blood must not be spilt Wherefore your Flatterers only I condemn And must expect you 'l do me Right on them For what in this I shall observe you do Must be the Rule of my Esteem for you To the great Pompey Altars now erect And to him pay as to the Gods Respect By Sacrifices your Offence expel But have a Care you chuse your Victims well Go then and whilst you do for this prepare I must stay here about another Care SCEN. III. Caesar Antonius Lepidus CAESAR Antonius have you this bright Princess seen ANTONIUS Yes Sir I have and shee 's a matchless Queen With such proportion Heaven never yet All Beauties both of Mind and Body knit So sweet a Greatness in her Face does shine The Noblest Courage must to it resign Her Looks and Language with such ease subdue If I were Caesar I should love her too CAESAR How was the Offer of my Love receiv'd ANTONIUS As doubted and yet inwardly believ'd She modestly declin'd her highest aims And thinks she merits what she most disclaims CAESAR But can I hope her love ANTONIUS Can she have yours As that your Joys so this her Crown secures To gain that Heart can you believe it hard Whose kindness you with Empire can reward Then let your Passion all its Doubts disband For what can Pompey's Conquerour withstand But yet her Fear to her remembrance brings How little Rome hath ever valu'd Kings And more then that she dreads Calphurnia's Love But both these Rubs your presence will remove And your successful Hope all Mists will break If you vouchsafe but for your Self to speak CAESAR Let 's go then and these needless scruples quit Shewing my Heart to Her that wounded it Come let us stay no longer ANTONIUS But first know Cornelia is within your Power now Septimius brings her boasting of his Fault And thinks by that he hath your Favour bought But once ashore your Guards by Orders taught No notice took but hither both have brought CAESAR Then let her enter Ah unwelcome News Which my Impatience does so roughly use O Heaven and am I not allow'd to pay My Love this small remainder of one day SCEN. IV. Caesar Cornelia Antonius Lepidus Septimius SEPTIMIUS Sir CAESAR Go Septimius for your Master look Caesar a Traytors presence cannot brook A Roman who to serve a King could be Content when he had Pompey serv'd and me Exit Septimius CORNELIA Caesar that envious Fate which I can brave Makes me thy Prisoner but not thy Slave Expect not then my Heart should ere afford To pay thee Homage or to call thee Lord How rude soever Fortune makes her blow I Crassus Widow once and Pompey's now Great Scipio's Daughter and what 's higher yet A Roman have a Courage still more great And of all strokes her cruelty can give Nothing can make me blush but that I live And have not follow'd Pompey when he dy'd For though the means to do it were deny'd And cruel Pity would not let me have The quick assistance of a Steel or Wave Yet I 'm asham'd that after such a woe Grief had not done as much as they could do Death had been glorious and had set me free As from my Sorrow then so now from thee Yet I must thank the gods though so severe That since I must come hither thou art here That Caesar reigns here and not Ptolomy And yet O Heaven what Stars do govern me That some faint kind of satisfaction 't is To meet here with my greatest Enemies And into their hands that I rather fall Than into his that ow'd my Husband all But of thy Conquest Caesar make no boast Which to my single Destiny thou ow'st I both my Husbands Fortunes have defac'd And twice have caus'd th' whole World to be disgrac'd My Nuptial Knot twice ominously ty'd Banish'd the Gods from the uprighter side Happy in misery I had been if it For Romes advantage had with thee been knit And on thy House that I could so dispense All my own Stars malignant influence For never think my hatred can grow less Since I the Roman Constancy profess And though thy Captive yet a heart like mine Can never stoop to hope for ought from thine Command but think not to subject my will Remember this I am Cornelia still CAESAR O Worthy Widow of a Man so brave Whose Courage Wonder Fate does pity crave Your generous Thoughts do quickly make us know To whom your Birth to whom your Love you owe And we may find by your hearts glorious frame Both to and from what Families you came Young Crassus Soul and noble Pompey's too Whose Vertues Fortune cheated of their due The Scipio's Blood who sav'd our Deities Speak in your Tongue and sparkle in your Eyes And Rome her self hath not an ancient Stem Whose Wife or Daughter hath more honour'd them Would to those Gods your Ancestors once sav'd When Hannibal them at their Altars brav'd That your dear Hero had declin'd this Port And better known a false Barbarians Court And had not his uncertain Honour try'd But rather on our ancient love rely'd That he had suffered my successful Arms Only to vanquish his unjust Allarms Then he without distrusting me had stay'd Till he had heard what Caesar could have said And I in spight of all our former strife Would then have beg'd him to accept of life Forget my Conquest and that Rival love Who fought but that I might his Equal prove Then I with a content entirely great Had pray'd the gods to pardon his Defeat And giving me his Friendship to possess He had pray'd Rome to pardon my success But since Fate so ambitious to destroy Hath rob'd the World and Us of so much Joy Caesar must strive t'acquit himself to you Of what was your illustrious Husbands due Enjoy your self then with all freedom here Only two days my Prisoner appear And witness be how after our debate I shall revere his Name revenge his Fate You this account to Italy may yield What Pride I borrow from Thessalia's Field I leave you to your self and shall retire Lepidus furnish her to her desire As Roman Ladies have respected been So honour her
Citizen Whilst I with joyful haste come to assure You that your life and Kingdom were secure Th' illustrious Caesar on the course you took Does with less anger than compassion look He pities you who such vile States-men heard As make their Kings not to be lov'd but fear'd Whose Souls the baseness of their birth confess And who in vain great Dignities possess For Slavish Spirits cannot guide the Helm Those too much Power would quickly overwhelm That hand whose Crimes alone do purchase Fear Will soon let fall a Weight it cannot bear PTOLOMY Those Truths and my ill Fate do me perswade How bad a choice of Counsellours I made For had I acted Honourable things I had as Glorious been as other Kings And better merited the Love you bear A Brother so unworthy of your Care Caesar and Pompey had been here agreed And the Worlds Peace in Egypt been decreed Who her own Prince a friend to both had seen Nay he perhaps an Arbiter had been But since to call this back is past our Art Let me discharge to you my Troubled heart You that for all the Wrongs that I have done Could yet Preserve me both my Life and Crown Be truly great and vanquish all your Hate By changing Photin's and Achilla's Fate For their offending you their Death is due But that my Glory suffers in it too If for their Kings Crimes they should punish'd be The Infamy would wholly light on me Caesar through them wounds me theirs is my Pain For my sake therefore your Just Hate constrain Your heart is Noble and what pleasure then Is th' abject Blood of two unhappy Men Let me owe all to you who Caesar charm And with a Look his Anger can disarm CLEOPATRA Were but their Life and Death in me to give My scorn is great enough to let them live But I with Caesar little can prevail When Pompey's Blood lyes in the other scale I boast no Power to Dispose his will For I have spoke and he hath shun'd it still And turning quickly to some new Affair He neither does refuse nor grant my Prayer Yet I 'le once more on that harsh Theam proceed In hope a New attempt may better speed And I 'le believe PTOLOMY He comes let me be gone Lest I should chance to draw his anger on My presence may enflame what t' would make less And you alone may act with more success SCEN. III. Caesar Cleopatra Antonius Lepidus Charmion Achoreus and Romans CAESAR The City now is quiet Beauteous Queen Which had alarm'd with little reason been Nor need they fear the troublesome event Of Souldiers Pride or Peoples Discontent But O great Gods when absent from your Eyes A greater Tumult did within me rise When these unwelcom Cares snatcht me from you My heart ev'n with my Grandeur angry grew And I my own Renown began to hate Since it my parting did necessitate But I forgave all to the single Thought How much advantage to my Love it brought For 't is to that I owe the noble Hope Which to my Flame does give so fair a scope And perswades Caesar that his Heart may prove Not utterly unworthy of your Love And that he may pretend to that since he Nothing above him but the Gods can see Yes Queen if in the World a Man there were That with more glory could your fetters bear Or if there were a Throne wherein you might By Conquering its King appear more bright Less for his Throne would I the Man pursue Than to dispute the Right of serving you 'T was to acquire that valuable Right That my Ambitious Arm did alwayes fight And in Pharsalia rather my Sword drew To preserve that than Pompey to subdue I Conquer'd and the God of Battles less Then your bright Eyes afforded me success They rais'd my Courage and my hand did sway And I owe them that memorable day As the effect of heat by them inspir'd For when your beauties had my passion fir'd That a return might your great Soul become They made me Master of the World and Rome I would ennoble that high stile I wear By the Addition of your Prisoner And shall most happy be if you think fit That Title to esteem and this permit CLEOPATRA I know how much I to my fortune owe Which this excess of Honour does bestow Nor will from you my in ward thoughts conceal Since I know both you and my self so well Your Love did in my earliest Youth appear And I my Scepter as your Present wear I twice receiv'd my Kingdom from your Hand And after that can I your Love withstand No Sir my Heart cannot resist your siege Who so much merit and so much oblige But yet my Birth my Rank and the Command Which I have now regain'd in Egypts Land The Scepter by your Hand restor'd to mine Do all against my innocent Hopes combine To my desires iniurious they have been And lessen me by making me a Queen For if Rome still be as she was before T' ascend a Throne will but debase me more These Marks of Honour will be but my Shame And ruine my Pretences to your Flame But yet methinks the Power you enjoy Might all my Fears with ease enough destroy And I would hope that such a Man as you May justly Romes Capriciousness subdue And her unjust aversion for a Throne She might see cause for your sake to disown I know that you can harder things effect And from your Promise Wonders I expect You in Pharsalia did much greater do And I invoke no other Gods but You. CAESAR There 's nothing humane can my Love withstand 'T is but the over-running Affricks Land To shew my Standards to the rest of those Who did me with so ill a Fate oppose And when Rome can no more of them Advance She will be forc'd to study Complaisance And you shall see her with a solemn State At your Feet sacrifice her Pride and Hate Nay I must have her at your Royal Seat In my behalf your Favour to entreat And with so much Respect these Beauties view That she young Caesars shall request from you This is the only Fortune I desire And all to which my Lawrels do aspire How blest were my Condition if I might Obtain those Wreaths and still enjoy your sight But yet my Passion it s own harm procures For I must quit you if I will be yours While there are flying Foes I must pursue That I may them defeat and merit you To bear that absence therefore suffer me To take such Courage from the Charmes I see That frighted Nations may at Caesars name Say He but came and saw and overcame CLEOPATRA This is too much but if I this abuse The fault which you create you must excuse You did my Crown and perhaps life restore And yet your love I trust will grant me more And I conjure you by its strongest Charms By that great Fortune which attends your Arms By all my hopes and all your high
so ill-guarded it By you I swear it then Mournful remain My only Deity now he is slain That no extinction or decay shall be In that revenge which must enoble me To Caesar Ptolomy by base surprize Rome of thy Pompey made a Sacrifice And I thy injur'd walls will never see Till Priest and God to him shall offer'd be Put me in mind and my just hate sustain O Ashes now my hope as well as Pain And to assist me in that great design Shed in all Hearts what now is felt by mine But Thou who on so infamous a shore Gavist him a flame so Pions though so Poor Tell me what God thy Fortune made so great To pay to such a Hero such a Debt PHILIP Cover'd with Blood and much more dead then he When I had curs'd the Royal Treachery My wandring Feet were by my grief convey'd Where yet the wind upon the Water plaid After long search I on a Rock did stand And saw the Headless Trunk approach the Sand Where th' angry Wave a pleasure seem'd to take To cast it off and then to snatch it back I to it leap'd and thrust it to the banks Then gathering a heap of Shipwrack'd Planks An hasty artless Pile I to him rais'd Such as I could and such as Fortune pleas'd 'T was hardly kindled when Heaven grew so kind To send me help in what I had design'd Codrus an Ancient Roman who lives here Returning from the City spy'd me there And when he did a headless Carcass view By that sad mark alone he Pompey knew Then weeping said O thou who e're thou art To whom the Gods such honours do impart Thy fortune's greater then thou dost believe Thou shalt rewards not Punishments receive Caesar's in Egypt and Revenge declares For him to whom thou pay'st these Pious Cares These Ashes to his Widow thou mayst bear In Alexandria for now she is there By Pompey's Conquerour so entertain'd As by a God it would not be disdain'd Go on till I return this said he went And quickly brought me this small Monument Then we betwixt us into it convey'd That Hero's Ashes which the fire had made CORNELIA With what great Praises should this act be crown'd PHILIP Entring the Town I great disorders found A numerous People to the Port did flye Which they believ'd the King would fortifie The eager Romans fiercely these pursu'd Rage in their eyes their hands with blood imbrew'd When Caesar with brave Justice did Command Photin to perish by a Hangmans hand On me appearing he vouchsaf'd to look And with these words my Masters Ashes took Remainders of a Demi-god whose Name I scarce can equal Conquerour as I am Behold guilt punish'd and till Altars call For other Victims let these Traytors fall Greater shall follow To the Court go thou On Pompey's Widow this from me bestow And whilst with it she makes with grief some truce Tell her how Caesar her Revenge pursues That great Man sighing then from me did turn And humbly kissing did restore the Urne CORNELIA O Formal Grief how easie is that Tear That 's shed for Foes whom we no longer fear How soon revenge for others fills that brest Which to it is by its own danger prest And when the Care we take to right the dead Secures our Life and does our glory spread Caesar is generous 't is true but he By the King wrong'd and from his Rival free Might in an envious mind a doubt revive What he would do were Pompey yet alive His courage his own safety does provide Which does the Beauty of his actions hide Love is concern'd in 't too and he does fight In Pompey's Cause for Cleopatra's Right So many Int'rests with my Husband 's met Might to his Virtue take away my debt But as Great Hearts judge by themselves alone I chuse to guess his honour by my own And think we only make his fury such Since in his Fortune I should do as much SCEN. II. Cleopatra Charmion Cornelia Philip. CLEOPATRA I come not to disturb a grief so due To that affliction which hath wounded you But those remains t' adore which from the wave A faithful freed-man did so lately save To mourn your fortune Madam and to swear You 'd still enjoy'd a man so justly dear If Heaven which did persecute you still Had made my power equal to my will Yet if to what that Heaven sends you now Your grief can any room for joy allow If any sweetness in revenge there be Receive the certainty of yours from me The false Photinus But you may have heard CORNELIA Yes Princess that he hath his just reward CLEOPATRA Have you no comfort in that news discern'd CORNELIA If there be any you are most concern'd CLEOPATRA All hearts with joy receive a wish'd event CORNELIA Our thoughts are as our int'rests different Though Caesar add Achillas death 't will be To you a satisfaction not to me For nobler Rites to Pompey's Ghost belong These are too mean to expiate his wrong No reparation by such blood is made Either to my grief or his injur'd shade And the revenge which does my Soul enflame Till it hath Caesar Ptolomy doth claim Who though so much unfit to reign or live Caefar I know will for his safety strive But though his love hath dar'd to promise it Yet juster Heaven dares it not permit And if the Gods an Ear to me afford They shall both perish by each others Sword Such an event would my hearts grief destroy Which now is such a Stranger grown to joy But if ye gods think this too great a thing And but one fall O let it be the King CLEOPATRA Heaven does not govern as our Wills direct CORNELIA But gods what causes promise will effect And do the guilty with revenge pursue CLEOPATRA As they have justice they have mercy too CORNELIA But we may judge as here events have past They now the first will act and not the last CLEOPATRA Their Mercie oft does through their Justice break CORNELIA Queen you as Sister I as Widow speak Each hath her cause of kindness and of hate And both concern'd are in this Princes Fate But by the blood which hath to day been shed We shall perceive whose vows have better sped Behold your Achoreus SCEN. III. To them Achoreus CLEOPATRA But alas I read no good presages in his Face Speak Achoreus let us freely hear What yet deserves my sorrow or my fear ACHOREUS Assoon as Caesar did the Treason know CLEOPATRA 'T is not his Conduct I enquire of now I know he cut and stopt that secret vault Which to him should the Murtherers have brought That to secure the Streets his men he sent Where Photin did receive his Punishment Whose sudden fall Achillas so amaz'd That on th' abandon'd Port he quickly seiz'd Whom the King follow'd and that to the land Antonius all his Souldiers did command Where Caesar join'd him and I thence do guess Achillas punishment and his success ACHOREUS His
usual Fortune her assistance gave CLEOPATRA But tell me if he did my brother save And kept his Promise ACHOREUS Yes with all his might CLEOPATRA That 's all the News I wish'd you to recite Madam you see the Gods my prayers heard CORNELIA They only have his punishment deferr'd CLEOPATRA You wish'd it now but they have him secur'd ACHOREUS Or Caesar had if he had life endur'd CLEOPATRA What said you last Or did I rightly hear Oh! quickly your obscure Discourses clear ACHOREUS Neither your cares nor ours could save him who Would die in spight of Caesar and of You But Madam in the noblest way he dy'd That ever falling Monarch dignifi'd His restor'd Vertue did his Birth make good And to the Romans dearly sold his blood He fought Antonius with such noble heat That on him he did some advantage get But Caesar's coming alter'd the event Achillas there after Photinus went But so as him did too much honour bring With Sword in hand he perish'd for his King O spare the King in vain the Conquerour cry'd To him no hope but terrour it imply'd For frighted he thought Caesar did intend But to reserve him to a shameful end He charg'd and broke our Ranks bravely to shew What Virtue armed by despair can do By this mistake his vexed soul abus'd Still sought the death which still was him refus'd Breathless at last with having fought and bled Encompass'd round and his best Souldiers dead Into a Vessel which was near he leaps And follow'd was by such tumultuous heaps As by their number overprest the Ship With all its fraight was swallow'd in the Deep This death recovers all his lost Renown Gives Caesar Fame and You th' Aegyptian Crown You were proclaim'd and though no Roman Sword Had touch'd the Life so much by you deplor'd Caesar extreamly did concern'd appear He sighs and he complains but see him here Who better can then I his Griefs relate For the unhappy Kings resistless Fate SCEN. IV. To them Caesar Antonius Lepidus CORNELIA Caesar be just and me my Gallies yield Achillas and Photinus both are kill'd Nor could thy softned heart their Master save And Pompey here no more revenge can have This fatal shore nothing does me present But th' Image of their horrible Attempt And thy new Conquest with the giddy noise Of People who in change of Kings rejoyce But what afflicts me most is still to see Such an obliging Enemy in Thee Release me then from this inglorious pain And set my Hate at liberty again But yet before I go I must request The Head of Pompey with his Bones may rest Give it me then as that alone which yet I can with Honour at thy hands intreat CAESAR You may so justly that Remainder claim That to deny it would be Caesar's shame But it is fit after so many Woes That we should give his wandring Shade repose And that a Pile which You and I enflame From the first mean one rescue Pompey's name That he should be appeas'd our Grief to view And that an Urn more worthy him and you May the Pomp done and fire extinct again His re-united Ashes entertain This Arm which did so long with him debate Shall Altars to his Vertue dedicate Offer him Vows Incense and Victims too And yet shall give him nothing but his Due I but to morrow for these Rites require Refuse me not the Favour I desire But stay till these solemnities be past And then you may resume your eager haste Bring to our Rome a Treasury so great That Relique bear CORNELIA Not thither Caesar yet Till first thy ruine granted me by Fate To these lov'd Ashes shall unlock the Gate And thither though as Dear to Rome as me They come not till Triumphant over thee To Affrick I must this rich burthen bear Where Pompey's Sons Cato and Scipio are who 'll find I hope with a brave King ally'd Fortune as well as Justice on their side And thou shalt see there with new fury hurl'd Pharsalia's Ruines arm another World From Rank to Rank these Ashes I 'll expose Mixt with my Tears t' exasperate thy Foes My Hate shall guide them too and they shall fight With Urns instead of Eagles in their sight That such sad Objects may make them intent On his Revenge and on thy Punishment Thou to this Hero now devout art grown But raising his Name do'st exalt thy own I must be Witness too and I submit But thou canst never move my Heart with it My Loss can never be repair'd by Fate Nor is it possible t' exhaust my Hate This Hate shall be my Pompey now and I In his Revenge will live and with it die But as a Roman though my Hate be such I must confess I thee esteem as much Both these extreams Justice can well allow This does my Virtue that my Duty show My sense of Honour does the first command Concern the last and they are both constrain'd And as thy Virtue whom none can betray Where I should hate makes me such value pay My Duty so my Anger does create And Pompey's Widdow makes Cornelia hate But I from hence shall hasten and know then I 'll raise against thee Gods as well as Men. Those Gods that flatter'd thee and me abus'd And in Pharsalia Pompey's Cause refus'd Who at his Death could Thunder-bolts refrain To expiate that will his Revenge maintain If not his Soul will give my Zeal such heat As I without their help shall thee defeat But should all my Endeavours prosper ill What I can not do Cleopatra will I know thy flame and that t' obey its force Thou from Calphurnia study'st a Divorce Now blinded thou wouldst this Alliance make And there 's no Law of Rome thou dar'st not break But know the Roman Youth think it no sin To fight against the Husband of a Queen And thy offended Friends will at the Price Of thy best Blood revenge their scorn'd Advice I check thy Ruine if I check thy Love Adieu to morrow will thy Honour prove SCEN. V. Caesar Cleopatra Charmion Antonius Lepidus Achoreus CLEOPATRA Rather then You to this expos'd should be With my own Ruine I would set you free Sacrifice me Sir to your Happiness For that 's the greatest that I can possess Though far unworthy to be Caesar's Bride Yet He 'll remember one that for him Dy'd CAESAR Those empty projects Queen are all now left To a great Heart of other Help bereft Whose keen desires her want of Strength confess Could she perform more she would wish it less The Gods will these vain Auguries disprove Nor can they my Felicitie remove If your Love stronger then your Grief appears And will for Caesars sake dry up your Tears And that a Brother who deserv'd them not May for a Faithful Lover be forgot You may have heard with what Regret of mine His Safety to Despair he did resign How much I sought his Reason to redeem From those vain Terrors that surrounded him Which he
all Lands tremble where thy Ensigns go But her to whom thou Romulus dost owe Subdue the utmost Regions of the Earth But spare the Town where Romulus had birth Forget not her from whom thy City draws Her Name and all her strength but Walls and Laws Alba's thy Parent let that thought arrest Thy greedy Sword nor pierce thy Mother's breast For thy triumphant Arms make other choice And in her Children's Fortune shee 'll rejoice Nay would with natural concern disown All Enemies of thine were she not one JULIA This Language much surprize to me affords For since these Cities first unsheath'd their Swords You have so unconcern'd for Alba stood As if your birth had been of Roman blood I wonder'd at a Vertue so refin'd Which to your Husband Alba had resign'd And therefore so proportion'd my relief As if our Rome alone had caus'd your grief SABINA Whilst such a shock my reason did assail As was too weak to weigh down either Scale Till all my flattering hopes of Peace were lost To be entirely Roman was my boast If at Rome's Fortune I displeas'd have been I quickly chid that mutiny within And when her destiny was not so kind If for my Brothers joy seduc'd my mind By Reason's help that motion I suppress'd And wept for all the glory they possess'd But now these Cities must be lost or sav'd That Rome must sink or Alba be enslav'd And after battel there no hope remains To the subdu'd nor stop to her that gains I should too barbarously my Country treat If I could be a perfect Roman yet A little less to one man's love resign'd To neither City I will be confin'd I fear for both and whilst their Fate is try'd I still will be on the afflicted side Equal to each whilst they unequal are And must their Crief but not their Glory share For I resolve in such a sharp debate To mourn the Conquer'd and the Victor hate JULIA How oft does Fortune with an equal blow On different Souls different effects bestow How distant is Camilla's way from this Your Brother loves her her 's your Husband is Yet in each Army with another eye She can a Lover and a Brother spie When in Rome's Fortunes you were most involv'd She was as much confus'd and unresolv'd She feard the storm from every cloud would spread And the success of either side did dread The most unfortunate she did bemoan And whosoe're prevail'd she was undone But when the day she knew was drawing nigh And one great Battel should the Quarrel try A sudden gladness breaking from her brow SABINA Ah Julia how that joy allarms me now Valerius yesterday she smil'd upon And for his sake she Curtius will disown A nearer Object snatches her esteem And two years absence hath deformed him But though my Brother be to me so dear By care of him I must not injure her My groundless jealousie concludes amiss Who can change love at such a time as this How can a heart receive a wound that 's new When such great shocks give it so much to do Yet from joy too this fatal day deters And from contentments which resemble hers JULIA In me it equal wonder does produce Nor do I know what can be her excuse 'T is Constancy enough if we can wait Without impatience so severe a Fate But 't is too much if we shall chearful grow SABINA See some good Genius sends her hither now Her thoughts on this engage her to reveal From you her Friendship nothing can conceal I 'le leave you Sister talk with Julia now For I 'm asham'd my weakness to avow And so much sorrow does my heart invade That I must hide it in some secret shade Exit SCEN. II. Julia Camilla CAMILLA Why does she wish I should with you converse Does she believe my trouble less than hers Or more insensible of this sad day Does she conclude I have no tears to pay With equal terrour I am threaten'd too And I shall lose as much as she can do The man to whom I did my heart resign Must for his Country die or ruine mine And all that I can love such is my fate Must now deserve my sorrow or my hate Alas JULIA Yet her affliction is more strange We may a Lover not a Husband change Receive Valerius love Curtius forget And you 'l no more the other side regret But wholly Ours and recompos'd within You 'l nothing have to lose when Rome does win CAMILLA Ah give me Council more legitimate Nor teach me with a Crime to shun my Fate For though my tide of Woes I scarce can stem I rather would endure than merit them JULIA Can you believe a prudent change a fault CAMILLA And can you think a Perjury is not JULIA What can engage us to our mortal foes CAMILLA But what can disengage what honour owes JULIA You would in vain disguise a thing design'd And which Valerius yesterday did find For the reception you to him did give Hath made his late repining hope revive CAMILLA If to Valerius I then paid respect You nothing thence must for his hope collect Another subject did my joies produce But I your errour now will disabuse And for my Curtius keep a flame too sure Such a suspicion longer to endure You know his Sister was no sooner led By happy marriage to my Brother's Bed But that my Father prest by him desir'd I should reward the love I had inspir'd That time produc'd happy and fatal things At once our marriage and the War resolv'd Our hopes created and those hopes dissolv'd It promis'd all and then snatch'd all away It makes us Foes and Lovers in a day How violent our grief did then appear How many blasphemies Heav'n then did hear And from my Eyes how many Rivers fell I tell you not you saw our last farewell The trouble of my Soul you since have seen And of my vows for Peace have witness been At every news in my distracted breast My Country and my Lover did contest Toss'd with uncertain thoughts I fled for ease To the relief of sacred Oracles Judge if what yesterday I did obtain Might not assure my drooping heart again That famous Greek who at the Aventine dwells And Heav'n's dark purposes to men foretels He whom Apollo never yet betray'd By this reply my stormy thoughts allay'd Alba and Rome to morrow changing face Shall to thy wish'd for peace at last give place And to thy Curtius thou shalt then be ty'd So as no Fortune ever shall divide I wholly on this answer did depend And finding it my utmost hopes transcend My Soul to raptures of Contentment flew Beyond what happiest Lovers ever knew Judge of their height Valerius then I met And could ev'n him behold without regret He spoke of Love too and I that could hear And never thought Valerius had been there His Courtship could from me no anger draw For every thing seem'd Curtius that I saw I thought all sounds told me
That could deserve so sharp revenge as this Or against thee what could my honour doe That thou shouldst it so cruelly pursue But be content t' have forc'd it to a Bay And let me finish this important day Thou hast o're me a strange advantage got But as thou lov'st thy Husband triumph not Go then a doubtful Victory were here unfit 'T is shame enough to have dispatched it O let me bravely end my daies at least SABINA Go fear not me thy party is encreas'd SCEN. VII Old Horace and all the rest Old HORACE How 's this my Sons trifling with Womens charms When Rome and Alba call you to your Arms You must shed blood then why should tears surprize But shun th' infectious sorrow of their Eyes For if you stay their cunning tenderness Will on you both obtain the first success And in such Wars to flie is to subdue SABINA Fear nothing Sir they are too worthy you In spight of us you in them both shall see All that your Son and Son-in-law should be If our tears could an impression give We 'll them to your severer vertue leave Come Sister come let 's no more sorrow lose These Rocks will still resist such floods as those 'T is to despair alone that we must flie Go Tygers fight we 'll find a way to die SCEN. VIII Old Horace Young Horace Curtius Young HORACE Sir by your prudence their escape prevent Or they 'll pursue us with their discontent And with a noise unwelcome and abrupt Their love and grief our fight will interrupt Which may give envy a pretence to stick Upon our names that poor and crafty trick And our great choice would be too dearly bought If we were charg'd with one unworthy thought Old HORACE I shall be careful go your Brothers stay Think only what your Countries claim to day CURTIUS How shall I bid adieu or by what art Old HORACE Ah! do not quite dissolve my trembling heart My tongue so sad a farewel does deny Nor can my heart thoughts strong enough supply See! ev'n my Eyes swell with unwilling tears Go do your parts and let the gods do theirs ACT III. SCEN. I. Sabina alone I Must my party chuse in this sad strife And either be all Sister or all Wife I 'le no more vain divided cares express But somewhat wish and fear a little less Yet ah what party in this dismal Fate Can I a Husband or a Brother hate Nature and love for each does intercede And sence of Honour for them both does plead Let their sublimer thoughts yet govern mine And so my different duties will combine Their Honour is the Object I 'le adore Their Vertue imitate and fear no more Since there 's such beauty in the death they court I must unmov'd encounter the report And no more think my Fate compassion wants But weigh the Cause and not the Combatants The Conquerors I 'le with that gladness view As will from all their Family be due And not reflecting at whose bloods expence Their Vertues raise them to that eminence I 'le in their Houses fame concern'd appear Here I am Wife and am a Daughter there And to each party am so strictly ty'd That I must be on the triumphant side Fortune though thou art studious in thy spight Yet I have learnd thence to extract delight And now can fearless see the fight the slain Without despair the Victors without pain Flattering delusion I sweet but gross deceit My labouring Spirits weak and flying cheat By whose false light my dazled Soul 's misled Alas how quickly is thy comfort fled A flash of Lightning thus relieves the night Making that darker by its hasty flight As these faint beams of joy my Soul betray'd But to involve it in a thicker shade For Heav'n which saw my griefs by this decrease Hath dearly sold me this short minutes peace And my griev'd heart from no one wound is free'd At which a Husband or a Brother bleed Which sad reflection so much terrour draws I onely view the Actors not the Cause Nor can the Conquerours fame salute my thought But to remember with whose Blood 't was bought The vanquish't Family claims all my care Here I 'm a Wife and am a Daughter there And to each party am so strictly ty'd That I must be on the unhappy side Is this the Peace I thought so long deferr'd And thus great Gods have you my Prayers heard What Thunder-bolts then can your anger find Since y' are thus cruel when you would be kind Or which way will you punish an offence If thus you treat the Vows of innocence SCEN. II. Sabina and Julia. SABINA Is it done Julia and what fatal news Must I a Husband or a Brother lose Or to their impious Arms does this befall That angry Heav'n has sacrific'd them all And lest my horrour for the conquering fide Should ease my woes must that too be deny'd JULIA To what is past are you a stranger yet SABINA I am and can you be surpriz'd at it Know you not Julia that the House you see A Prison for Camilla is and me They here confine us both and are afaraid Our pious tears their fury should disswade And that the sorrows of our spotless love Should in both Armies some compassion move JULIA They needed not such Orators as you For they were hinder'd at their interview No sooner they appear'd prepar'd to fight But either Army murmur'd at the sight To see such friends persons so near ally'd Their Country's quarrel chosen to decide This man 's with pity that with horrour fir'd Another highly their brave heat admir'd One with his praises imps their spacious Fame Another calls it by a guilty Name But yet their different thoughts have but one Voice To blame their Leaders and detest the choice All did this barbarous Combat so condemn That with united haste they parted them SABINA O Gods what Incense my contentment owes JULIA Stay yet Sabina e're you pay your Vows You may increase your hopes abate your fears But there 's enough still to deserve your Tears In vain alas the Champions they would save For they remain as obstinate as brave And their ambitious Souls were so much touch'd With the great Glory which they now approach'd That what the Souldiers pity'd they ador'd And seem affronted when they are deplor'd They think that kindness does their fame no right And with both Armies they will rather fight And by the hands that sever'd them be slain Than give their Countreys honours back again SABINA Can so much cruelty their bosoms fill JULIA It did but yet both Armies murmur'd still And universally their purpose held To ask new Champlons or a general Field The Leaders presence they no longer fear'd Their power scarce valu'd or their Voices heard Th' amazed King this mischief to oppose Since every one says he enraged grows Let us on this consult the powers above What impious man dares their command disown When they in sacrifice have
made it known He us'd no more words but these were commands They snatch the Arms from the six Champions hands And that blind thirst of Fame they so intend Sence of Religion does a while suspend Bysome new scruple or a great respect Our Princes Counsel they resolve t' effect Which in both Camps so great a Reverence found As if both Nations had our Tullus Crown'd The Victims death will give us farther light SABINA The Gods will never own that Guilty Fight From this delay some new hopes may be drawn And sure my happiness begins to dawn SCEN. III. Camilla Sabina Julia. SABINA I have news Sister that will please you much CAMILLA I think I know it if you call it such My Father heard it now and so did I But nothing thence my hopes can fortify This delay'd mischief threatens sorer blows And does but lengthen our too certain woes And by the hinderance of this new Contest Our tears are but suspended not supprest SABINA This Tumult was not vainly sure inspir'd CAMILLA But vainly they have of the Gods enquir'd For the same Gods guided our Princes choice Nor speak they often in the Peoples Voice Their counsel shines not in a Vulgar Brest But Kings that represent them know it best In whose Supream Authority we see A secret Ray of their Divinity JULIA You will contribute to your own distress To seek their will but in their Oracles And that which yesterday reliev'd your Care May serve to day to banish your despair CAMILLA An Oracle is so wrapt up in doubt The more we guess the less we find it out There 's nothing certain in 't but this remarque Who thinks all clear must know that all is dark SABINA Let 's give our confidence a larger scope And entertain a reasonable hope When Heaven begins to grant what we have sought They that distrust its smiles deserve them not We hinder often what we so suspect And send back comfort by that rude neglect CAMILLA Heaven governs us without our own consents And we are passive in these great events JULIA Hope then with me that when we meet again A gentler Theam our thoughts shall entertain And that this evening with a welcome care We for your marriage only shall prepare SABINA I hope as much CAMILLA 'T is more than I dare do JULIA Th' event will shew us whose presage is true SCEN. IV. Sabina Camilla SABINA Sister your sorrows I must needs condemn Unless their causes did more warrant them What would you do and at what rate lament Had you my reason for your discontent And if from what these fatal Arms design Your losses could be thought as great as mine CAMILLA Let both our sorrows equally be known For we are all too partial to our own But when compar'd to my distress'd extreams Your griefs will seem but melancholy dreams A Husband's danger is your only care With whom your Brothers never can compare When to another Family ally'd From our own kinred we are quite unty'd Parents with Husbands no dispute admit To follow these we those can gladly quit But love when by a Father's will made good Is less than marriage yet not less than blood And so betwixt them our concern is tost Our choice suspended and our wishes lost But you may find a way amidst your fears To raise your wishes and restrain your tears When if Heav'n still its cruelty intend I can wish nothing but all apprehend SABINA Against each other when such foes are bent There 's small conviction in your argument For blood as well as marriage is a Knot We quit our Kinred but forget them not Never does Hymen Nature undermine Who loves her Husband does not hate her Line Since neither tye will their pretensions lose When life 's concern'd one knows not what to chuse On this side and on that by turns we fall Extremity of sorrow equals all Whereas a Lover most esteem'd is still But a dependent on your sovereign will And a capricious or a jealous hour May make your rigour equal to your power What fancie can your reason may perswade So love no more will Nature's rights invade For 't is a crime to pay no more respect To tyes born with us than those we elect Thus if Heav'ns angry cloud will farther spread I nothing have to hope but all to dread But duty offers to dry up your Tears Aim for your wishes Limits for your fears CAMILLA Ah! Sister I perceive your setled Heart Never knew Love nor felt his venom'd Dart At first indeed we may the Boy resist Who once receiv'd can never be dismiss'd When Duty to his flame does fuel bring He grows a Tyrant from a Lawful King He enters gently but by force he reigns And when a heart once wears his golden chains To cast them off our wills too weak are grown Because that will no longer is our own The fetters glitter but are fetters still SCEN. V. Old Horace Sabina Camilla Old HOR. Daughters I bring you news that 's very ill But it would be in vain now to forbear Since you the fatal story soon must hear Your Brothers fight for so the Gods ordain SAB. I must confess it horrour does contain And the Divinity had once my trust To be more kind at least if not more just Comfort us not for reason tedious grows When such a tide of sorrow 't would oppose In our own hands our remedy we have For who dares dye may all misfortunes brave Perhaps we our despair might seem to scorn And with false constancy our selves adorn But when without a blush we may admit Of grief 't were weakness to dissemble it We to your sex can such a cunning spare And will pretend only to what we are Nor expect we a courage of your strain Should stoop by our example to complain Receive this cruel news without a groan Behold our tears and never mix your own And in a Fortune that is so Forlorn Be still unmov'd but suffer us to mourn OLD HORACE I think your tears so due to your distress That all my Courage scarce can mine suppress And ev'n that Virtue might surrender too Were I as much concern'd in it as you Not that the Albâ—n choice makes me so stern To Sab. To rob your Brothers of my first concern But friendship would in vain pretend to sway When Love and Nature will dispute the Day And my heart no such renderness receives By which a Sister or a Mistress grieves I can look on them as the publick Foes And give my Sons my undivided Vows I thank the Gods their Countrey without shame May assert them as they have done their Fame I saw what Glory all their Brows adorn'd When the compassion of both Camps they scorn'd If any weakness had that pity sought Nay had they not abhorr'd so poor a thought My arm for such a wrong to Vengeance bent Had punish'd that degenerate content But when the Field would needs the choice renew I must confess