Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A69868
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Don Sebastian, King of Portugal a tragedy, acted at the Theatre Royal / written by Mr. Dryden.
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Dryden, John, 1631-1700.
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1690
(1690)
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Wing D2262; ESTC R16736
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85,331
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150
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a seal'd Paper to the King Untouch'd and Seal'd as when intrusted with me Such I restore it with a trembling hand Lest ought within disturb your peace of Soul Sebast tearing open the Seals Draw near Almeyda thou art most concern'd For I am most in Thee Alonzo mark the Characters Thou know'st my Fathers hand observe it well And if th'Impostors Pen have made one slip That shows it Counterfeit mark that and save me Dorax It looks indeed too like my Masters hand So does the Signet more I cannot say But wish 't were not so like Sebast Methinks it owns The black Adult'ry and Almeyda's birth But such a mist of grief comes o're my eyes I cannot or I wou'd not read it plain Alm. Hea'vn cannot be more true than this is false Sebast O Coud'st thou prove it with the same assurance Speak hast thou ever seen my Fathers hand Alm. No but my Mothers honour has been read By me and by the world in all her Acts In Characters more plain and legible Then this dumb Evidence this blotted lye Oh that I were a man as my Soul 's one To prove thee Traytor an Assassinate Of her fair same thus wou'd I tear thee thus Tearing the Paper And scatter o're the field thy Coward limbs Like this foul offspring of thy forging brain Scatt'ring the Paper Alv. Just so shalt thou be torn from all thy hopes For know proud Woman know in thy despight The most Authentique proof is still behind Thou wear'st it on thy finger 't is that Ring Which match'd with that on his shall clear the doubt 'T is no dumb forgery for that shall speak And sound a rattling peal to eithers Conscience Seb. This Ring indeed my Father with a cold And shaking hand just in the pangs of Death Put on my finger with a parting sigh And wou'd have spoke but falter'd in his speech With undistinguish'd sounds Alv. I know it well For I was present Now Almeyda speak And truly tell us how you come by yours Alm. My Mother when I parted from her sight To go to Portugall bequeath'd it to me Presaging she shou'd never see me more She pull'd it from her finger shed some tears Kiss'd it and told me 't was a pledge of Love And hid a Mistery of great Importance Relating to my Fortunes Alv. Mark me now While I disclose that fatall Mistery Yhose rings when you were born and thought anothers Tour Parents glowing yet in sinfull love Bid me bespeak a Curious Artist wrought 'em With joynts so close as not to be perceiv'd Yet are they both each others Counterpart Her part had Juan inscrib'd and his had Zayda You know those names are theirs and in the midst A heart divided in two halves was plac'd Now if the rivets of those Rings inclos'd Fit not each other I have forg'd this lye But if they joyn you must for ever part Seb Seb. pulling off his Ring Alm. does the same and gives it to Alv. who unscrues both the Rings fits one half to the other Now life or death Alm. And either thine or ours Alm. I 'm lost for ever swoons The Women and Morayma take her up and carry her off Seb. here stands amaz'd without motion his eyes fixt upward Seb. Look to the Queen my Wife For I am past All Pow'r of Aid to her or to my self Alv. His Wife said he his Wife O fatall sound For had I known it this unwelcome news Had never reach'd their ears So they had still been blest in Ignorance And I alone unhappy Dor. I knew it but too late and durst not speak Seb. starting out of his amazement I will not live no not a moment more I will not add one moment more to Incest I 'le cut it off and end a wretched being For should I live my Soul 's so little mine And so much hers that I should still enjoy Ye Cruell Powers Take me as you have made me miserable You cannot make me guilty 't was my fate And you made that not I. Draws his Sword Antonio and Alv. lay hold on him and Dorax wrests the Sword out of his hand An. For Heav'ns sake hold and recollect your mind Alvarez Consider whom you punish and for what Your self unjustly You have charg'd the fault On Heav'n that best may bear it Though Incest is indeed a deadly Crime You are not guilty since unknown 't was done And known had been abhorr'd Seb. By Heaven y 're Traytours all that hold my hands If death be but cessation of our thought Then let me dye for I would think no more I 'le boast my Innocence above And let 'em see a Soul they cou'd not sully I shall be there before my Fathers Ghost That yet must languish long in frosts and fires For making me unhappy by his Crime struggling again Stand off and let me take my fill of death For I can hold my breath in your despight And swell my heaving Soul out when I please Alv. Heav'n comfort you Seb. What art thou given comfort Wou'dst thou give comfort who hast giv'n despair Thou seest Alonzo silent he 's a man He knows that men abandon'd of their hopes Shou'd ask no leave nor stay for sueing out A tedious Writ of ease from lingring Heaven But help themselves as timely as they cou'd And teach the fates their duty Dorax to Alv. and Anto. Let him go He is our King and he shall be obey'd Alv. What to destroy himself O Parricide Dor. Be not Injurious in your foolish zeal But leave him free or by my sword I swear To hew that Arm away that stops the passage To his Eternal rest Anto. letting go his hold Let him be Guilty of his own death if he pleases for I 'le not be guilty of mine by holding him The King shakes off Alvarez Alvarez to Dorax Infernal Fiend Is this a Subjects part Dor. 'T is a Friends Office He has convinc'd me that he ought to dye And rather than he should not here 's my sword To help him on his Journey Seb. My last my only Friend how kind art thou And how Inhuman these Dor. To make the trifle death a thing of moment Seb. And not to weigh th' Important cause I had To rid my self of life Dor. True for a Crime So horrid in the face of Men and Angells As wilfull Incest is Seb. Not wilfull neither Dor. Yes if you liv'd and with repeated Acts Refresh'd your Sin and loaded crimes with crimes To swell your scores of Guilt Seb. True if I liv'd Dor. I said so if you liv'd Seb. For hitherto ' was fatall ignorance And no intended crime Dor That you best know But the Malicious World will judge the worst Alv. O what a Sophister has Hell procur'd To argue for Damnation Dor. Peace old Dotard Mankind that always judge of Kings with malice Will think he knew this Incest and pursu'd it His only way to rectify mistakes And to redeem her honour is to dye Seb. Thou hast