Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A62415
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Tachmas, prince of Persia an historical novel which happen'd under the Sophy Seliman who reigns at this day / render'd into English by P. Porter.
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Segrais, Jean Regnauld de, 1624-1701.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing T100; ESTC R24077
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23,123
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120
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a Civil complaisance and that respect which he owed to her Sex and Merit But the fatal moment was come wherein Love resolved to subjugate this Prince to his Empire to abandon him afterwards to the persecutions of Fortune which made him her Victim It was upon a day as he entertained the Princess alone in the Appartments of Begona the Sophie's Mother where she was bred and where she passed the most part of her time Tachmas fancied a more than ordinary briskness and fire in the Eyes of Negara her Words more graceful and her Wit more acute he felt secret motions which until then had been unknown to him and his heart shewed its disquiet by the often changing of his Countenance his Looks grew passionate his Discourses wild and interrupted with sighs and it is not to be wondered if his Conversation was not so divertising at that time since he was now no more his own He leaves Negara's company much in disorder this sudden change surprised him so much the more because he always had enjoyed a great tranquility of mind but when he considered the object of his Passion with the eyes of a Lover when he represented to himself that confused and flattering Idea of Beauties Vertues and Perfections he found this his bondage more pleasing to him than his former indifference He resolves to declare himself to the Princess upon the first opportunity he should meet with which happened the next day Finding her in a Room accompanied with one of Begona's slaves who out of respect withdrew he endeavoured several times to discover his passion to her but was hindered still by a kind of secret timorous diffidence which stopped the passage of his speech all he could do was to let his Eyes speak some part of the Sentiments of his heart When he was returned to his own Appartment he condemned his fears and foreseeing no reason that might hinder the Princess from giving him a favourable hearing he took a strong resolution not to let slip the next occasion of discovering his passion to her he went therefore the next day to visit her and finding her alone he spoke to her after this manner I come Madam to confess a fault to you for which I hope you will easily grant me your pardon which is That I have lived so long without being in love with you but what I have suffered since we last entertained one another is so strong and so far beyond what all other Lovers endure that the excess of my Love ought to repair the time of my indifference I offer you neither Crowns nor Scepters I have no other Empire to give you but that of my Heart If a Passion that shall ever inviolably burn for you and which shall never fix upon any other object whatever Liberty my Blood or our Laws may give me If a Complaisance which I shall ever observe to you If an unblemished Faith may win you I am ready solemnly to swear it to you at the foot of our Altars Though Tachmas had not used much action in the delivery of these words yet the Eloquent language of his Eyes and his sighs were persuasive enough to evince them It is so sweet a triumph for a Woman to see the grandeur of a Prince humbl'd at her feet and to disarm with the Charms of her Beauty a Courage that no dangers or perils of War could shake that there is no Vertue so austere that would not relent when the Question is to preserve such a Captive Though Negara were descended from the Blood of the Sophies yet she was much inferiour in Quality to Tachmas She was pleasingly surprised with the Prince's Discourse not to betray her Joy she thought it not enough to receive the Prince's offers in the most obliging manner imaginable but she assures him That she ever had a secret tenderness for him which she should have endeavoured long since to make him sensible of if the rules of Modesty and Decency had not hinder'd her and that she would most willingly shut her Eyes to all the Crowns upon Earth to open them to his Virtues alone Negara in that very instant believed that her Heart disowned her words and that it was the desire she had to see her self suddenly if not the Queen at least the first Subject of Persia that drew from her this declaration but she was ignorant of her own thoughts since her Tongue was then the faithful interpreter of them this Discourse was followed with killing-looks wherein Love appeared with all its Charms We all have a natural bent to believe what we passionately desire and this blind propensity is no where more impetuous than in the heart of a Lover one little favourable word would suffice to convince Tachmas of the sincerity of Negara's Love insomuch that he abandon'd himself to all the excesses of Joy which the imagination and assurance of an approaching felicity can raise in the soul of a passionate Lover To hasten the accomplishment whereof he told the Princess as he took his leave of her That he would go immediately to Allagolikan to charge him to acquaint the King his Brother with this Affair It was with this precipitancy this unfortunate Prince run to his utter ruine when he hoped to raise himself to his greatest happiness Allagolikan was a man that wholly swayed the Heart of Seliman though the Power of the Persian Ministers be extreamly limited and that to weaken their Authority those Kings distribute the management of their Affairs into many hands Yet this Favourite had suprised the affections of the young Sophy with so much address he had insinuated himself into his very soul with a Zeal so passionate such flattering submissions that he was the only Ruler and Director of all his Councels He was likewise indued with all the accomplishments of a perfect Courtier He was full of dissimulation and his intentions and his words were seldom or never of one accord He had a servile Complacency with all the desires of his Prince He patiently bore with all his contempts and indignities but was above measure insolent to all other people He was a man of no Faith seldom kept his word with any man He willingly sacrificed Innocence to Treachery and believed Virtue the greatest of Crimes when it stood betwixt him and his Designs His aim was to remove from Court all those whose Virtue or Understanding might render necessary or acceptable there for he held it for an infallible Maxim That two Favourites no more than two Kings can never subsist in one Sphere Although Tacbmas's birth seemed to place him above the reach of his Jealousie Allagolikan was infinitely pleased to find that the Sophy had very sinister intentions towards his Brother He made use of all his Craft to maintain him in his wicked inclinations But there was yet a particular reason that made Allagolikan a sworn Enemy to the Prince This imperious Minister had one day spoken insolently to Tachmas whereof he complained to his