is decreed Semanthe thou shalt sleep though but in ashes Leave me Bassanes and Lattinius leave me Lat. Sir I cannot leave you Ex. Bass. Mele. What saist thou boy Lat. Indeed I dare not leave you Your Clouded brow foretells some storm at hand And I much fear 't is on your self 't will fall Your Sisters Death is strongly working in you And makes me dread the fatal Consequence Mele. Thou art mistaken boy my Sisters death I meet with all serenity and calmness For if she 's guilty 't would be most unfit A thing so Leprous shou'd infect the Earth If innocent those Pow'rs that take her hence For all her wrongs her Thorny Coronets Her bleeding Veins and her more bleeding fame Have those bright Jemms in an immortal Crown What vast reserve of Glories to adorn her In the bright Realm of everlasting day As more then all her Losses shall repay Lat. What then disturbs you Mele. My dispairing love Lat. It may not long be so Mele. I fear for ever Then why should'st thou expect that I will live When by my violent Pains too sure I find Slaves at an Oar have greater ease then I Hard'ned to Labours they their Pains defie Dispair in Love 's the only misery We with fresh Agonies our Souls torment View the bright Tracks where th' adored Beauty went And with fresh Pains our endless Plagues deplore To think our setting Sun will rise no more Exeunt Omnes SCENE III. A Wood. Enter Orgillus Org. Where e're I go my Conscience still persues And the pale Figure of the dead Armena Is ever in my view 't was not well done So ill to gratifie the woman lov'd me Besides I only fear'd she might discover What I my self am now inclin'd to do The Queen this day must dye a publick death 'T is not too late I yet may save her from it Horns and Huntsmen at a distance What noise is that the ecchoing cries of Huntsmen Alas the hunted Stagg himself that flies From all those open Mouths of death behind him Is not alarm'd with my pursuing horrors He has but a Life but I a Soul in danger Enter Menaphon behind Men. Thus far Iâ—ve watch'd my Brother whose sad thoughts I fear bodes Ruin to our great design I find his foolish Conscience does perplex him And dare not trust my ' Life in the weak hold Of Consciencious hands although a Brothers He that would manage Glorious mischief safe Shou'd guide his rouling Chariot like the Sun And singly hold the mighty Reins alone Into his Seat no aiding Partner call Lest the misguideing Phaeton hazard all Org. Shou'd I discover it and save her Life And the King's Mercy too shou'd grant me mine Where then is Menaphon What must he dye What an ungrateful wretch shou'd I be counted To leave my Brother tangled in the snare When I my self have pow'r to keep him out But yet the violent love that the King bears To beautiful Semanthe is so great That shou'd I tell him all our Villany I might with ease make Covenants of safety And sign my own and pardon'd Brother's Life Menaphon comes forward Men. Brother with Joy I 've heard your troubled Conscience And am well pleas'd your thoughts keep pace with mine O Brother Brother with such dreams of horrour Since poor Armena's death my fancy 's plagu'd That had not your Remorse of Conscience found you I shou'd alone have told it to the King Org. How My dear generous Brother Men. Yes my Orgillus An Orient Beam of Penitence dawns within me The Shadows of my once benighted Soul All vanish'd and bright day breaks forth in Glory Org. And is kind Heav'n this dear Conversion true Is my kind Brother Men. Yes see here a Profilite Kneels To Heaven Religion Honor Piety Semanthe the Innocent Semanthe dye No I will snatch her from the yawning Precipice And fix her righted Fame and rescu'd Innocence On that Immortal Pyramide of Glory That the admiring World with up lift Eyes And low bent Knees shall pay their joyful tribute At her bless'd Restauration with my own Repenting Hand I 'll twine twine a rich Chaplet Of Flowers and Roses and Eternal Sweets T' adorn her Sacred Brow Org. O my Just Brother Now thou' rt all white again most lovely fair O there 's that Rapture in Divine Repentance No wonder it unlocks the Gates of Heav'n When Oh there blows a Gale a fragrant Gale Of Persumes from the very Air it flies in That sure 't is all a breath of Parradise And shall Semanthe live come to my Arms O nearer to Breast Men. Yes to thy Heart Stabs him Org. Villain perfidious Villain thou hast kill'd me Org. falls Men. Yes lie there Pitty my great Plot was found'ring And I have stop'd the leak Org. Kis'd and Betray'd Embrac'd and Murther'd Men. Yes Religious Fool. Thou wert too good for Earth and I in pitty Have kindly giv'n thee Heav'n so sleep Conscience And now wake wake Revenge agen Org. Oh Groans Horns and Huntsmen agen Men. Ha! Company Curse on this Interruption No matter I am sure I have dispatch'd him And his short breath 's too weak to hurt me now But let me prudently retire unseen My Face has danger in 't now dear dear Vengeance Ex. hastily drawing off Orgillus SCENE IV. The Scene Changes Enter Guards making way for the Queen Guar. Room there bear back room for the Queen Enter Semanthe in white attended with six Ladies in Mourning Bassanes Guards and Attendants Quee. Kind Gentlemen there needs not this formality I am past all State Ceremony now Alas there 's no distinction in the Grave The proudest Sovereign Head when laid in Dust Sleeps on as Course a Pillow as a Pesant's And Oh! there opes that narrow Gate to Heav'n That Majesty it self must stoop as humbly For ent'rance there as the poor crawling Cottager Well Gentlemen you come to see me die To see the scatter'd ashes of your Queen Blown round the spreading Globe but oh my friends Cou'd but my spotless Soul be seen as plainly Oh! to the utmost corners of the Earth The sounding Trump of my immortal innocence Wou'd fill Fame's swelling vollume with a story So full of woe and that unequal fate As tender drowning eyes wou'd melt to read And the hard cause of poor Semanthe dead Even distant worlds and pittying ages plead Exit Omn. SCENE V. The Scene drawn discovers a great many Spikes fix'd in the Ground and a high Battlement above it Enter King Menaphon Meleander Guards and Attendants King Brother I sent for you to see a justice Done on the Monster that has wrong'd us both Haste Amyclas and bring the viper forth Ex. Amyclas Re-enter Amyclas with Ithocles chain'd in 's Shirt and Drawers a night Gown over'em Guarded Itho. My death you have decreed and Heaven permitted But know mistaken King I wear a Soul So free from that black charge for which I dye That at my Launch into Eternity I shall soare lighter then a mounting Angel
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
Fate far worse then those Sicillians Whom his Victorious Arm has Lodg'd in Graves For we have not alone Conspired his fall But what will add more pleasure to revenge His Soul for that short time he lives on Earth Shall feel worse Torments then the damn'd endure O what a Scene have we in one night laid To ruine both a King a Queen and Fav'rite Org. Brother you yet forget the greatest Point The Plot we 've laid we can't perform alone But by the help of some that 's near the Queen We may with ease Accomplish our design Armena Confident to fair Semanthe I once did make some shew of kindness to And till the Fruit I tasted lov'd the Tree And tho' my passion does apace decline To further our design I 'le yet love on At least pretend I do she she shall aid us I know for the past pleasures we have had And for those many more she hopes t' enjoy She 'l be assisting to what e're I ask Men. But Orgillus will she be faithfull to us Org. That is indeed against her Sexes nature But if she 's secret till we 've workt our ends A bowl of Poison stops her tongue with ease Men. O thou art most Ingenions at contrivance By Heav'n I am all Extasy to think With what a brave Revenge I pay her scorn But Orgillus our Vengeance stops not there The Scene of blood will yet far higher grow For when the Hot the fiery Meleander The Brother to this scornfull piece of Beauty Shall from the King hear of his Sisters shame I know his boyling bloud will rise so high That his wild rage will be his own undoing Then then my Brother when the Royal Line Is by the King 's fierce Jealousy destroy'd Who then remains to take the Crown but me Ambition and Revenge have fired my Soul And I 'm Impatient till the work is done Org. Brother be Temperate for rashness often Spoils those designs that have with care been laid And roots up their Foundations See Armena Now smooth-fac'd flattery assist my Cause And dear dissimulation stand my Friend Retire my Menaphon it is not fit You should be seen till I have wrought her to us Men. I go and may success attend thy purpose Ex. Men. Enter Armena Org. Madam you 're grown a perfect stranger to me There was a time when it was otherwise Arm. There was indeed but now that time is past You did obtain my easy Love too soon And scorn the prize which was so quickly won Now other beauties do possess that heart Which once I thought my own but O fond fool Why did my vanity extend so far To think that I had Charms enough to keep One of that Sex which ne're were constant yet Org. Armena I confess I 've been unkind But oh it was not without wond'rous reason Arm. Did I e're give you cause No Orgillus The tender Mother of her sucking Infant Was never half fo fond as I of thee I must confess indeed I was below ye But sure my Love might make amends for that What cause then coud'st thou find so soon to slight me Org. O my best life think not 't was want of love No my Armenia I so truly love thee That to thee I 'le unclasp my burthen'd Soul Empty the store-house of my thoughts and heart Make my self poor of Secrets will not leave One thought untold that dwells within my breast Arm. What e're it be my Lord that does disturb you O Let me know 't that I may bear a part Org. Thou shalt my Love but oh take heed Armena Be very Cautious and keep close the secret For 't is so great my life relies upon 't Arm. Can Orgillus then doubt me Oh unkind That very word Confirms you do not love Org. Pardon me dearest I 'le distrust no more Know then the King the Queen and Ithocles Did all conspire my Ruine and disgrace I once was favour'd and belov'd at Court I was the darling of the King and People But when the King was wedded to Semanthe All that great love which he before had shewn me He took away at once from Orgillus And streight bestow'd it on Semanthe's Brother This I forgave and thought it was my duty To resign place to 'th Brother of my Queen But Oh a worse disgrace he threw upon me For Ithocles this upstart Favourite Crept into the opinion of the Queen And by her mediation to the King Got from me all the Offices I bore and gave 'em all to him This this Armenia hangs upon my Soul More heavy far then lies the Load on Atlas But didst thou Love didst thou but truly Love I yet might find a way to crown my peace Arm. O name it Orgillus and if I fail T' assist in ought that may produce thy quiet May I ne're taste the Joys that are on Earth Nor the Immortal pleasures dwell in Heav'n Org. Thou only Miracle of woman kind How cou'd I merit so much wond'rous Goodness Know then Armena to revenge my wrongs I have design'd the death o' th King and Queen But cannot do 't without thy kind assistance Arm. How Orgillus Org. What d' ye start Armena Nay then I have deliver'd up my life To one that has determin'd to betray me Arm. Indeed my Lord this is the only thing I shou'd i' th least have scrupled to have done But yet to shew how well how true I love I 'le strive in this to serve my Orgillus Org. O let me take thee Closer to my heart My dearest Saint my life my Soul my heav'n Arm. I must Confess I could not easily Embarque in a design of so much horrour But O my Lord you have receiv'd indignities Disgrace so infamous and wrongs so Lowd Enough to shake a Saint wrongs of that weight That I have wonder'd you cou'd bear and Love Nay but to think what crying Injuries What vile injustice the ingratitude Of a false Court has heap'd on my dear Lord Has sometimes Rowz'd that Gall that Just resentment Even in poor poor Armena that I 've wish'd A Masculine Nerve in this female Arm Able to weild a Sword in your hard cause And be my dearest injur'd Love's Avenger Org. My Beauteous Champion my Lovely Heroine In what a mighty Sum shall I be bound Arm. I must be gone the Queen will streight expect me But oh my Orgillus with thee I leave My Heart which shall be ever faithfull to thee And tho' the world my fault will disapprove I 'de venture more to serve the man I love Exit Arm. Manet Orgillus Org. Poor Loving fool with how much ease thou' rt caught That man that wou'd Successfull be in mischief Must by one means or other hook in woman Mischief's they 'r study mischief is their Trade And sure t' was for that only they were made For when a woman once in mischief Joyns She 's sure to gain whatever she designs Enter Menaphon Now Brother Tryumph things exceed our wishes I 've wrought