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A34249
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The famous tragedy of Osmond the great Turk, otherwise called the noble servant written by Lodowick Carlell, Gent.
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Carlell, Lodowick, 1602?-1675.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing C579; ESTC R7498
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36,247
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62
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THE FAMOUS TRAGEDY OF OSMOND The great TURK Otherwise called the NOBLE SERVANT Written by LODOWICK CARLELL Gent. LONDON Printed for Humphrey Moseley at his shop at the Princes Armes in St. Pauls Church-yard 1657. Drammatis Personae Melcoshus Emperour of Tartary Orcanes His Son Osmond The noble Servant Calibeus A jealous Cham. Odmer Faithfull to the Emperour Haly An aspiring Traitour Hosa Servant to Orcanes. Eunuch Prisoners Souldiers Captains Mutes Messenger  Despina A fair Christian Slave Ozaca Wife to Calibeus OSMOND the great TVRK Or the NOBLE SERVANT Actus Primus After an Alarum and people running over the Stage Enter Osmond a Tartar with his Sword bloody Osm THe City reekes with the warm blood of murder'd Christians whose avarice hath made them their wealth our prey Sword thou hast shed much blood and of the first and noblest not added by this arme for thou to it lentst vigour a vertue thou retainst since Melcoshus my great and royall Master buckled thee on my thigh for which so unaccustomed favour and many other when I forget still to adore him equall to our Prophet may my death quickly follow now if any thing charge like danger 's left that dare appeare I le meet it Exit Enter two Souldiers and Despina 1. Sold. Villain hold off thy hands shee 's my prize what though thou first seizedst on her is she a prey for so base a slave 2. Sold. How slave I le prove my selfe thy better Desp Unhappy maid must I become the cause of bloodshed tho even of Tartars our Enemies heavens forbid hear me you wrathfull men by your great Prophets name I charge you we Christians pacifie our rage for our deare Masters sake make a division of me and of my cloathes he to whose lot I fall I le be his faithfull slave 1. Sold. I am content so I who am a Janisarie may have the better share of her person 2. Sold. No I le have that take thou her cloaths and Jewels 1. Sol. Then I le have all Desp Alass why strive you for this worthlesse person so far as lies in my ability I le serve you both 2. Sold. A good kinde wench 1. Sold. I am agreed so I may first lie with her to share her cloaths and jewels Des How lie with me 2. Sold. Wee 'l cast lots 1. Sold. Agreed Des Divinitie assist me what meane these men went I about to save their lives for this 2. Sold. I am first 1. Sold. You lie shee 's mine Des Oh I feare Would that sword that peirc'd my Noble Fathers heart had cut me from the world e're this unhappie houre of my dishonour 2. Sold. Leave her or thy life Exeunt striving for her Enter Melcoshus Odmer Haly Captaines and Prisoners Mel. Thus Souldiers though cold hunger and all impediments of war seem to block up our way we have made passage by our unwearied valour the gods were forc't to give us victory and such a victorie as makes your King an Emperour and you in honour and riches equall to Kings I meane our Chams each private souldiers wealth equals some Christian Lords Odm. Our riches lives and honour we hold from our magnificent Emperour great Melco••us and as his slaves thus low prostrate we kisse his happie feet Mel. You see doggs it is not with us as with your ruin'd Maister who when he pleaded with his best eloquence as I have heard to make his greedy Subjects open their Cofers for their own safety could not prevail with them for they both base and foolish rather chose to perish with their Idols than to relieve the generall necessity and so have hazarded saving both life and honour which makes me not restraine the Souldiers from any insolency though I know a cittie taken by assault to be the only stage where rape murther and sacriledge is acted to the life Haly. Melcoshus is godlike-wise in all those who forget their Emperour under whom they live deserve no pitty from a conquering Enemie our prophet hath appointed you his scourge mercy unto his Enemies were cruelty to him Cap. Haly doe not incite to blood he is nearest faultiness that way of any should he grow thirsty by custome we have not Christians enough alwaies ready to quench that thirst or glutted with these our owne blood may be found perchance more sweet if we grow rich or popular Haly. Captaine it is true the fox would rather strive to abate than increase the Lyons feirceness since forc'd to obey and serve him Mel. Honest Odmer thou carefull servant of thy Masters honour and safety their taxes shall be lessened though their revolt cannot fright us let all the Greek Prisones of note be at our banquet that Osmond seems to whisper we may glory in our triumph over them some of their deaths wee 'l honour with our presence These are base traitorus betrayers of their country selfe-murtherers by their owne avarice away with them and let the Souldier exercise his rage upon them Enter Osmond and Despina Pri. We are justly punished Osm Dread Lord behold a present which the meanest of your slaves intends to make you Mel. I st a boy or a woman unvaile and shew me Osm Sir a while your pardon untill I let you know that ignorantly I part not with this jewell for I so well do understand the value that were the citty-spoiles laid in one ballance the Empire too and but this in the other nay an assurance of a happy reigne added to that and on the other side but to enjoy this creature to whom no attribute of excellence can be given high enough one year here were my choice Mel. Osmond tho I have lov'd thee of a child yet doe not tempt that frown that 's death think not that state that I am now possest of admitts any comparison of happiness yet not content with this thou dost contemne my fortune shew me that argument of thy presumption though excellent but if not worthy our longing expectation perhaps the cause of thy destruction Majestie delights not to be plaid with Osm Pardon dread sir that man who shall affirme he hath an humbler soul towards great Melcoshus then Osmond I dare him to the triall with this sword or faithfuller which makes me sir assure you you are in danger of your liberty see not her face for t' is a woman so farr I le warne you a weeping one untill you doe withall consider shee 's your slaves slave I meane my prisoner were she less worthy she had been my Mistress but being thus excellent who can deserve to look on her but you let her be covered still for if I draw this vaile you then must yeeld the thought of all your glories laid asside and in her heavenly eyes read your aptivity Mel. Osmond I see thou doatest thy selfe and thinkst we must doe so delay no longer he unvailes her Osm Prepare then for a bondage which will bring delight above all freedome Mel. More more by all my glories than
strike him dead before he draw his sword or call for help if he see to morrow's Sun he 'l know too much of our designes ere night for us to see it set Odmer suspects our conspiracy shrewdly and suddainly will finde the truth 2 Cap. Delay no time then Osm What 's this I hear how ere in me it is but justice to take Melcoshus life in them 't is damn'd treason which I 'le prevent nor shall they frustrate me of my revenge their hands are far too base Hal. Draw and dispatch him They sight Haly be Captains slain Osm Sink down to hell Haly thou root of treason with these thy cursed branches Mel. Osmond let me embrace thee in these wounded armes I fear to death Thou wert ordained to be the lasting pattern of love and duty Osm Forbear this kindnesse for know how e'rel did preserve you from their swords I come my selfe to kill you for Despina's sake her innocent blood cries for revenge and by those powers I am ordained to see their j•stice satisfied by taking life from him who cruelly extinguished that pure light which for a long time they intended should have been a comfort to the world and a great witnesse of their power Mel. Nay if my Osmond be a traitour but in thought once he shall not need to use his sword I would not wish to live beyond his faith for can there be a love or truth left in a subject when 't is not to be found in him Now I perceive the murder I committed was most horrid since he that lov'd me more then her she she being alive would now rob me of life to revenge her Osm Know Tyrant I lov'd thee once when thou wert worthy to be my Prince and Master more than my selfe But thou when thou hadst satisfied thy beastly lust to please the ignorant multitude thou mad'st a sacrifice of her to them to whom thou rather shouldst have made them offer sacrifice on perill of their lives Mel. Osmond thou art here more cruell in thy accusation then in thy intent to kill me For from the danger of thy sword there 's a divinity that waits upon the person of a Prince that would protect me but against the thoughts of thy unexpected treason there is no armour for thy unkindnesse so invades my soul that all that blood that should supply these nerves flies to my heart to tell it Osmond no longer does wish to have a being there if so to split it will be kindnesse Osm Me thinks I finde my resolution of revenge begin to bate its force Mel. If the consideration of your faith and love to me so far prevail above your own affection that you dispens'd with it to make me happy believe likewise from the consideration of that care a King should have over his subjects which wholly was and ever should have been whilst she did live by me neglected I rather kill'd her than that my love was ought diminished for had I lov'd her lesse she might have lived but I believing her to be so excellent could think of nothing whilst she lived but her embraces Osm And therefore would you make her suffer for your sault was that the justice of Melcoshus Your Son offended and you punished him but here you spared your selfe striking an innocent Mel. 'T is true I struck her being innocent yet did not injure her or any but my selfe I broke no Lawes of Gods nor men to prove which I ask no more of heaven but that the taper of my life which now growes dim may burn some minutes longer then shall I shew my Osmond by their light of reason that my unhappy Starrs are rather guilty of Despina's death than I she was a Captive and a Christian which by our Lawes we freely may dispose of as we please her death then had I been but a subject was no breach of them Osm She was a creature for whose sake you would have once have broken all Lawes Mel. I could break none my power being unconfin'd But interrupt me not lest I do faint ere I can make an end The Souldiers were so far from being displeased that they acknowledged her death a Jubilee Our prophet Mahomet might most rejoyce to see her breathlesse whose perfections being a Christian so far out-went all those that honour'd him that some in time might justly doubt our God to be lesse powerfull than theirs and so the reverence we now pay grow cold Osm All this I grant but for your injuries to her what art can salve them Mel. She was the advocate of all those of her faith and at my hands procured much mercy for them The perfect Christian is so proud of nought as Martyrdom and the more innocent from crime the greater joy they take in death Although Despina was not martyred for her faith I grant but by the force of her unequall'd beauty made a sacrifice to save my honour yet amongst those of her sect she cannot misse the adoration of a Saint And so I only sent her to a greater happinesse You may alledge it was a happinesse Osm Oh divine Despina Mel. She did not yet desire to dy but rather wisht to live with me she lov'd To this again I answered that I so much did doat upon her excellence that I should have forgot to rule and she must then have liv'd to see me miserably depriv'd of state and honour Yet as it now falls out my fortune then had been more favourable for then had Osmond's love been left a pattern to posterity and I should sure have found the comfort of his faith when all men else were traitours But now Osm He hath delivered this Apologie with so much griefe majesty and love that my own reason makes me know 't is truth and bids me justly turn that hatred which I hither brought against him upon my guilty selfe for I have been a heinous traitor Oh dread Sir your pardon But why should I once hope I that have stood so strictly on my faith and by a thousand obligations been fast tyed in bands of duty yet thus to break without a just cause just cause as if there could be any pretence for treason Shall injuries make men cease to be vertuous Mel. Let my soul part with joy since Osmond sees his errour thy love to me to vertue and Despina have fought so nobly that it still overcames which was most vertuous thy love made thee present her to me thy faith made thee refuse to take again what thou hadst given when she did offer it and when thou thoughtest that cruelly and most unjustly I had killed Despina thy noble anger made thee pursue revenge but now that thou dost finde that anger was unjust thy faith overthrowes it nay turns it on thy selfe since 't was my fate not I was guilty of her death which let my pardon mitigate so at my death thou shalt expresse obedience for now I feel his messenger approach nor does it grieve