saw O that I couâ—d forget the sight Just in that Bower mark what I say Semanthe I saw thee sit and in a short time after Lord Ithocles came with a lovers speed Imbrac'd Carress'd thee you requited him With Amorous looks soft kisses twining arms With these kind words O my dear Ithocles Let us be still thus Secret in our Loves And keep it close from the deluded King Seizes Semanthe roughly by the Hands But by the Honour of Anoynted heads Were both of you hid in a Rock of fire Guarded by flaming Ministers of Hell By Heav'n I have a sword shou'd make my way Through fire and darkness furies Death to hew Each Gangreen'd Limb of thee Infernal Sorceress Sem. Mercy Protect me will you murder me Alas I cannot guess the cause of this King O Pardon me Semanthe do not blame me For such another dream wou'd quite distract me But tell me love was 't not a dreadfull vision Sem. It was indeed my Lord a wond'rous one Yet but a dream for shou'd so great a guilt Hang on my Honour 't were but Justice in you If you shou'd tear my false disloyall heart out King Thy heart nay Strumpet even thy very Soul Seizes her again Tear it with fury from thy Cursed Carkass And damn it ever in Immortall Death Sem. Alas what mean you Sir King O I am mad Forgive me dear Semanthe for methinks I dream anew and it distracts me so That I take Idle visions to be reall Leave me Semanthe when these dreadfull thoughts Have left my troubl'd breast I 'le visit thee Sem. The Heav'ns preserve you from those frightfull dreams That thus disturb the quiet of my Lord Ex. Sem. Manet King King Can she be false no 't is impossible The vision I have now related to her Was only what Menaphon sayd he saw If she were Guilty there must needs appear Something of a mistrust she was discover'd But she looks sweet as Roses and appears Like virgin Lillies in unsully'd Infancy If she be Chast then Menaphon beware For I will have a dire revenge on thee The torments us'd in Bloudy Massacres And more if any more can be invented Shall surely fall upon thee but if not If she be false Destruction Ruine Horrour Bloud bloud and Death fair Infidell's thy doom And if for Injur'd love's Consummating vengeance Beyond the Grave one Hotter place there be In all the hideous sphear of wrath divine The very Center of damnation's thine Ex. King The End of the Third Act. The Fourth ACT. SCENE I. Enter Menaphon Orgillus Meeting Armena Org. WElcome Armena what is the deed done Arm. Speak softly ' t is Org. How Long Arm. Full half an hour Have you perform'd the same by Ithocles Men. At least an hour ago The King too is Conceal'd at my Apartment And those few Nobles that Attended him He has disper'd on severall Occasions I 'le to him straight mean while be it your care To fix 'em both ' th' posture that I order'd The darkness of the Night so well befriends us That you with ease may secretly Convey him To the Queens Lodgings which when you 've perform'd I 'le bring the King to see the Dreadfull sight That Gorgon like will turn him into stone Ex. Men. Arm. O Orgillus where do you mean to lead me My heart fore-bodes this ruinous design Will by the means of the Almighty powers Those Sacred Guardians of the Innocent Fall on our heads Org. An Idle fear Armenia For 't is not in the Power of fate it self To hinder the design we 've so well lay'd It is impossible it shou'd be discover'd Unless to one another we are false Arm. I hope my Orgillus does not doubt me I who for love of thee cou'd thus betray A Queen so kind so Innocent and Good Wou'd not at last discover the dear man Whom I have forfieted my faith to serve Org. No my best life thou dearest kindest Creature To doubt thee were a Sin unpardonable As much as 't is impossible to make A Return kind enough for thy deserts But see my Brother and the King approach Let us retire and fix the dreadfull Scene Ex. Omn. SCENE II. Enter King and Menaphon King O Menaphon thou 'st set me on the wrack What! an Appointment O my tortur'd Soul If that the Center now this very moment Labour'd to bring forth Earthquakes and Hell open'd Her wide stretch'd Jaws and let out all her furies I 'de rather stand the shock the brunt of all Then but to think 't is true that thou hast told me Men. My Leige shou'd I not be a desperate mad man To tell you this were I not Certain on 't By Heav'n I heard the dark Appointment made Nay more this very hour saw him go To 'th Queens Apartment King O Perfidious Monster But hast away shew me the Scene of Lust Let me behold her dallying in his Arms That I may shoot with swifter fate upon 'em Then the Keen'st Bolt in all the Forge of Heav'n Men. My Leige I will but yet 't were requisite Her Brother were a witness of her shame And for the greatest Plague to Ithocles Let his Marcelia too be a Spectator King It shall be so send speedily away And bid 'em meet me in the Queens Apartment Men. Who waits Nearchus Enter Nearchus Near. My Lord. Men. Away Hast to Marcelia and to Meleander And bid 'em instantly attend the King He 'le be i' th' Queens Apartment King Nearchus Here take my signet and release Marcelia And bid 'em not to make a moments stay Ex. Near. Men. Come Sir now you shall find how true I love you Now you shall see the care of your poor Servant With how much pains h 'as watcht these brooding Monsters And how at last h 'as ta'ne 'em in the toil King Light'ning and Earthquakes Horrour and despair O the high Billows of my Stormy Soul If it be so Mark mark me Menaphon No Lybian Lyons rob'd of her young Rowzes her self more fiercely from her Den Then I will do to crush this pair of Vipers O thou sha't see with what a brave Revenge I 'le tear the heart from the Adulteress And make the blood of the false Scorpion cure me Men. 'T will be but Justice for to wrong a King O Heav'n defend me it is so damn'd a Crime That Hell it self before ne're bred a Feind Cou'd entertain a thought so infamous But Sir the time draws near will you away King Yes I will go With Light'ning in my eyes in my heart Vengeance Exeunt Omnes SCENE III. The Scene drawn discovers Ithocles and Semanthe A-sleep on a Couch Arm in Arm. Enter Menaphon with a Light followed by the King Meleander and Marcelia King Patience you Gods hold hold my boyling blood O 't were a rare and Exquisite revenge To join their Hearts on my Swords point as close As their Ingend'ring lips Mele. What do I see Vengeance and Horrour do I wake or dream What Arm in Arm O I
THE Treacherous Brothers A TRAGEDY Acted by Their MAJESTIES SERVANTS AT THE Theatre Royal WRITTEN By GEORGE POWELL Licensed and Entred according to Order LONDON Printed for James Blackwell at Bernards-Inn-Gate Holbourn and Sold by Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall 1690. The Epistle Dedicatory To the Patentees and Sharers of their Majesties Theatre Gentlemen FOR Incouragement of this Address to you my worthy Friends I am oblidg'd to acknowledge that a worthless Fruit like this stands no less indebted to the Courteous Gardner that lent the warm Bed to rear it then to the indulgent Palates that were so favourably pleased to relish it Your Favour therefore that admitted it to the Stage and the kind pardoning Audience that received it there divide my equal Gratitude I confess indeed if I durst for there was no good will wanting I had the same itch with the greater Brothers of the Quill of committing this pubish't Bawble into some Noble protecting Hands had not a riseing check of Grace call'd a Blush withheld me I consider'd possibly the highest Quality may forgive the loss of two short hours at a poor homely Entertainment much easier then publickly admitting so mean a Trifle Dedicated and laid at the Feet of Honour The first of the two Favours is but a generous Condescension e'en passant But the prefixing a great Name in lasting Print before so undeserving a piece of scrible is a Concession on their side too low and and an Ambition on mine too aspireing And therefore though I durst be bold with it on a Theatre and make 'em all my Patrons there my Confidence the Talent of the â—â—ge I wear not beyond my Dressing Room and durst presume upon Quality no farther To you therefore who were before kind to it I now send it for Protection and choose you Gentlemen my Patrons and on my word I know not where I cou'd have pick't out better for to pride my self in the choice of your Protection and give my Patrons their true Panegyrick I must avow to the World that if ever there were a true Mecaenas of Poetry at least in Modern Story that name properly and rightly belongs to none Gentlemen so much as your Selves and to prove this just Honour no Complement but your lawful due which indeed is more then the Laws of Dedication oblige me to if the Town wou'd allow me able to read as that they 'll hardly do I 'de venture to quote one stanza of Gondibert for my Justification giving this Account of Poetry Oh! hireless Science and of all alone The Liberal meanly the rest each State With Pension treats but this depends on none Whose worth they reverently forbear to rate Now if the World has made so little Provision for the maintenance of the Muses as kind Davenants too true Oracle tells us I 'm afraid upon due Examination that little Bread they gather will be found almost all glean'd from a Theatre one kind honest Actor that frets and struts his hour upon the Stage as the Immortal Shaksphear has it is possibly a greater Benefactor to the Muses then the greatest Family of Grandees that run Pedigrees and track Originals up from the Conquest The time has been when as old Ben ended his Grace with God bless me and God bless Ralph viz. the honest Drawer that drew him good Sack So some Modern Authors with the same Equity might full as Pathetically have furnish'd out one Article of their Prayers not forgetting the present Props of the Stage with God bless Mohun and God bless Hart the good Actors that got 'em their good third Days and consequently more substantial Patrons then the greatest gay Name in the Frontispiece of the proudest Dedication Poetry thrives so little now that I much fear the famous Suckling himself was mistaken in his own Laureat for there are those wou'd be glad to find that kind rich Alderman his Appollo gave the Bays to that out of all his heaped Coffers wou'd either give or lend to the fairest of the nine Mendicant Sisters No Gentlemen the Pernassus bears no good Crop but upon that part of it lying and scituate within your own Garden Walls all the rest of it produces only that unprofitable growth that 't is scarce worth cultivating all other Poetry Dramatick only excepted turns to so little Account that the Toyl's as hopeless as labouring for the Philosopher's Stone the Undertaker is certain to get nothing by it and if he 's born to an Estate to bear his Expences in the Projection his only comfort is he shall not be undone by it If therefore a few stragling Cions of Poetry now and then start up in the World the Incouragement is so much your own that they wholly root with you And if the greatest Dons of Wit that carry the highest merit with 'em are in Honour oblig'd to this Confession how much greater ought my Acknowledgments to be who owe my Access to the Stage meerly to your Act of Grace In turning this dowdy Brat therefore into the World a like bound to the Midwife and the Godfathers Your generous administring kindness in handing it into light and the no less generous Audience for standing Vouchers for it I take this Opportunity of publishing my self Gentlemen Your most obliged and most obedient Humble Servant George Powell THE Preface to the Reader THE time was upon the uniting of the two Theatres that the reviveing of the old stock of Plays so ingrost the study of the House that the Poets lay dorment and a new Play cou'd hardly get admittance amongst the more precious pieces of Antiquity that then waited to walk the Stage And since the World runs all upon Extremes as you had such a Scarcity of new ones then 't is Iustice you shou'd have as great a glut of them now for this reason this little Prig makes bold to thrust in with the Crowd 'T is true some of the Poets the great Dramatick Professors began to murmur that such diminutive Interlopers as my self should be suffer'd and cou'd scarce forbear railing at the Injustice of the Company in indulging such inconsiderable Invaders of their Province the Stage Now I think my Masters 't is a little hard that those greater first-rate Wits shou'd come with top and Top Gallant and thunder their Broad sides amongst you and a poor little Fan Fan should be denied giving the Town a small Pot-Gun Besides they have more Cause to be pleased at the exposing of so witless a trifle as this if 't were no more than for a Foil to their own more exalted Sence for Faith some of 'em need one After this Apology for their Favors I am affraid kind Reader I shall find it a harder Task to Court yours however to make some Essay towards it First I must tell you that it if the Play wants Language or any thing else or rather all things to please you nevertheless to take the modish way of Prefacing and not undervalue my self I assure you to the Credit of
path may Fortune be your Guide Ex. Org. Enter King Guards and Attendants King How now my Lord possess'd with serious thoughts Men. I 'm thinking Sir what 't is to wrong a King And in what pain that honest man must live That sees him wrong'd and dares not tell him on 't King I think that man who knows his Prince abus'd And yet conceals it from him most disloyall For sure it is a Crime unpardonable To think a wrong 'gainst an Annoynted head Men. But Sir when those that do it are in Power And a poor shrub is all that can accuse 'em He 'd hardly gain belief of what h 'as seen And death must pay the honest fool his wages King Not if he can shew Proof of what he says Men. My Liege I beg a moments Privacy For I 've a wond'rous secret to impart King Retire a while Ex. Attendants Now Menaphon your bus'ness Men. O Sir I 've such a Story as will scorch Your boyling veins into so hot a Feaver Will make your heart-strings burst and set a float The burning Lake within ' em King Ha! be quick Men. If it were possible I 'de keep it in But â—t has long strugled in my breast for vent My Lord I know too sure that you are wrong'd King Ha! Men. Wrong'd in the highest Point wrong'd in your honour Upon my knees I kiss this Prost'rate Earth And humbly beg that which my tongue shall speak Since it proceeds from nought but Love and duty May either be forgiven or forgot King You have it rise discharge an open breast Men. O my dread Leige my words will raise a Storm Able to stagger all your Royal reason I wish my Loyall heart could cover sin But love and my Allegiance bid me speak King Speak then and do not wrack me with delay Men. Women why were you made for man's affliction The first that ever made us tast of grief And last of whom in Torments we complain Ye Devills shap'd like Angells through whose deeds Our forked shames are made most visible No Soul of sense wou'd wrong bright Majesty Nor stain their blood with such Impurity King Nay good my Lord leave off this Mistick speech And give me knowledge from a plainer phraise Men. Then Plainly thus my Lord your bed's abus'd O foolish Zeal that makes me desperate Your Queen has sin'd and done a double wrong To you her self and sacred Chastity O she has lost her honour she that looks All health without within is all Contagion King How Menaphon Beware think where thou' rt going Endeavour not to blast Semanthes virtue Had'st thou thy sence about thee 't were impossible Thy tongue cou'd utter such blasphemous Sounds Therefore I pardon thee for what thou 'st said And think it only the effects of madness But if like this you add one Syllable more Thou dost Pronounce upon thy self a sentence That Earthquake-like will swallow thee Men. Let it open Better that I and thousands more shou'd perish Then live to see our Royall Lords Dishonour King Ha! Offers to draw Men. Do I lay my bosom bare before you Kill me because I love you and speak truth Is this the merit of a Roman faith Have I for this then play'd the watchfull Argos To sound the very depth of her designs I had been mad indeed a doating fool ' T' have told you this without I 'd had some proof But know my Leige did not your Rage devour you And passion too much oversway your reason I cou'd relate a tale so full of horrour 'T would startle all mankind to here it told But since I find you 'd rather hug your shame Then bravely to Revenge the wrongs you suffer Send to the Grave this forward Zealous fool That durst attempt to tell his King the truth King Had I Just cause I wou'd pursue such injuries Through fire ayr water earth nay were they all Shuffled again to Chaos but there 's none And therefore thou that hast Blasphem'd her virtue Sha't have thy Just reward Draws Men. Yet hold my Lord Since I am Enter'd in this desperate cause And you think Death to be my due reward Let me before the fatall Blow is given Beg one short minute not to Plead for life But let you know I dye for Loyallty King Which if thou dost Men. Which if I do not May the Immortall Powers at the last day Shut all the Shining Gates of Heav'n against me And hurl me head-long to the burning Lake King I know thou' rt Valliant and with valliant minds Slander is worse then theft or Sacrilege A step beyond the utmost Plagues of Hell And therefore I will hear what thou canst say Puts up his sword If thou canst shew me any Certain Proof Which by the Gods it is a Sin to think That my Semanthe's false instead of threats Thou sha't in ev'ry thing find favour from me But if thou dost not by my Fathers Soul Imagine what makes man most miserable And that shall fall upon thee Men. Willingly I do Embrace this kind Proposall Sir Know then the man or rather Stile him Monster That does thus Impiously defile your Bed Is Ithocles King Well Menaphon go on I 'le patiently hear every word you utter But shall expect strong proofs e're I believe Men. Which if I do not give my life 's the forfeit King I 've done Men. My Lord you know early this morning You went your self to take a view o' th' Army No body left behind but I and Ithocles For having long before had some suspition I did indeed neglect my duty too To try if I cou'd gain a farther Proof Of what before I but suspected only And having watch'd the Queen in the Garden I plac'd my self unseen behind the Bower When streight I spy'd Lord Ithocles approach With all the hast belonging to a Lover He flew to the Embraces of the Queen And sigh'd and gaz'd and kiss'd and Curs'd his fate That he cou'd not Possess that Heav'n alone She threw her snowy Armes about his Neck Imbrac'd him Close O Ithocles says she Thou darling of my Soul be ever thus Thus wise thus secret in the scene of love And keep it safe from the deluded King King What shou'd I think he durst not sure say this Were he not very Certain of the truth Besides the man was ever Counted honest Aside He 's young and handsome Valliant and discreet And I my self have prov'd his Loyalty These are not Marks belonging to a Villain O thou hast wak'd me and thy piercing words to him Have split my sence in sunder and cou'd I Live to behold at once the general end And see the World wrap'd in its funeral Flame When the Bright Sun shall lend its Beams to burn What he before brought forth and water serve Not to Extinguish but to Nurse the Fire It wou'd not give me half the Torturing Pangs As does the thoughts thou 'st raised within my breast But yet I must expect an Occular Proof For tho'