This is reviving news the King has now Considerable strength see my Lord 's here Enter Bessus Barzana Oronte Oh! my Lord Bessus welcome from the Grave For the devouring Fields you left behind Are but one Grave of many miles extent Be. 'T is true where half the Kingdom lies interr'd Where is the King my Lord Ar. I do not know I mean the Glorious King you saw to day March to the Field with pomp that made the day It had more light from him than from the Sun. Here 's a despairing and deserted Prince That came to Town a private Charioteer And has not only lost Dominion Over great Nations but his Royal Self His Passions rule which they ne'r did before And rule so ill the gallant Enemy Wou'd I 'm sure treat him with more gentleness Be. No wonder he has had a heavy blow Ar. What Lady have you there Be. My Wife my Lord. Ar. Oh! Madam I 'm in doubt if I may say I 'm glad your life is safe for I believe 'T is better to be dead than as we are Be. Not so my Lord we may recover all I find great numbers of brave Men in Town The King has yet great Provinces entire And chiefly Bactria where I command There are a thousand Towns well fortified Where the proud Conquerors Fortune may be lost As in a Labyrinth with a thousand doors And the King scape and re-ascend his Throne Therefore he need not much submit to grief Ar. Alas He grieves not only for himself But all his suffering Friends for you and me The griefs and losses of his faithful Slaves Are all of ours that he wou'd ever share Other Proprieties he 'd never touch Though he be Lord of all but wou'd neglect All Right but what he has in his Friends tears Those he too carefully collects himself Now in the midst of his great Monarchy He 's all alone as in a Wilderness I 'le go to him and when I can have leave To speak to him I 'le tell him you are come 'T will greatly comfort him he loves you much Be. The Gods preserve him Ar. Madam your sweet Youth Ex. May live to better days Heaven grant you may Be. Madam your Beauty may make better days At least with me let Fortune do her worst Wou'd it please you But Sorrow pleases you More than my Love and ever has done so Since first you saw my Face How Saw my Face I do not know you ever look'd on me Your Eyes are turn'd away or veil'd in tears Madam this cannot easily be born I am less safe with you than among all The Macedonian Swords I 've scap'd from them Yet dye with torments in Barzana's Arms. I am resolv'd I will find out the cause Ba. Alas I fear he will discover me aside One whispers Dat. Dat. My Lord my Lord I 've joyful news for you Your belov'd Son Lord Memnon is come safe Barzana starts Ba. Lord Memnon ha aside My Lord I beg your leave I may retire I 'm weary and not well Be. Madam I wish you may have more repose Than you can find in me Ba. Nay Why my Lord Will you be cruel to your Self and Me I pray forbear if you desire my life Be. More than my own I 've done all health to you Ex. Ba. Oron. at one Door At another Enter Mem. Well I will trace her Sorrows to their Spring So Here 's another joy Welcome young Man Come to my Arms for you deserve my Love. Y 'ave done me in the Field no little Grace It wou'd be strange if thou should'st not be brave Thy Mother had more Manhood than our Men. Well thou art come into a ruin'd World Where thy great Virtue will have no reward Me. My Lord I am rewarded in your Love. Our Honour and our Friends is wealth enough Be. 'T is true indeed there is great wealth in Love. Oh! Son I 've Married so much Excellence Me. So I am told my Lord. Be. Do not admire I never â—rought thee yet into her sight I durst not do it for to produce thee Had been too bold a boast of my past Love To thy fair Mother to affront my Wife And I wou'd not offend her for the World. Me. My Lord You need not make excuse for this You but observe the custom o' the place 'T is thought a horrid profanation To Persian Beauties to be visible They are conceal'd like Divine Mysteries A Sister does not see a Brother here Be. True and I prithee come not in her sight I brought her from the Battle She 's in Town Me. How shall I shun her For I know her not Be. Do not approach this Palace here She 's lodg'd With other Beauties that escap'd the Fight Me. I shall observe your pleasure carefully Be. Now go thy ways here is another Friend Exit Me. And Enter Nabarzanes Na. Lord Bessus I am glad to see you safe Be. I doubt we are not safe the King is strong Na. In what Be. In Persians Na. Strong in Persians They can be strong in nothing but Perfumes They have no Spirits but from Essences Be. They 'r above thirty thousand Na. Say they be Be. Danger breeds Valour They who poorly fell Were Embrio's and miscarriages of War. But Danger has gone out her time with these Then he has Patron and four thousand Greeks Na. They I confess give the King's Sword an edge Be. And I have scarce four thousand Bactrian Horse Na. True and my Scythian Archers are no more Be. And then he has a Guard which all Slaves fear Religious awe of Kingly Majesty Na. When other Forces fly that never stays That Kings have the Militia on Earth Is fit shou'd they have that of Heaven too Vain Panique fears and Superstitions I 'l suffer none to List among my Troops Be. He has one Guard I fear that 's Misery It somthing touches me but that 's not all I 've an insatiable and burning Love For Glory and to fall on a fallen King Will much deface the Beauty of my Fame Na. We 'l serve the King save him from misery Fortune declares her Self his Enemy And we will lay him safe out of her way He shall enjoy the ease and pomp of Power And we 'l endure the danger and the toil Be. Ha! 't is well thought The King will yield to this Na. We 'l make it our request Be. Do I agree Na. Where is he now Be. He is shut in with Grief And Artahasus the Old General Na. Let us prepare our Friends and watch our time Be. Do 't is a brave design to save one King And beat another save a ruin'd King And beat his Conqueror then save the World From both by Liberty it will be great It will be Glorious we shall be ador'd Na. There will be cause while Glorious Murderers Destroy mankind to form a Tyranny We 'l destroy Tyranny to form Mankind Be. 'T is true how Cruel is it and unjust Whole Nations shou'd in Sorrow Live
is there and almost all The Royal Blood but what is in his veins His Mother Brother Daughters little Son Nay more his beauteous Queen are slaves to those To whom they once scorn'd to be Sovereigns Two Royal Virgins in their early Spring Lye like fallen Blossoms at their Mother's feet At her fair Bosom hangs her Infant Son A withering branch torn from his once great hopes He who was lately Heir of half the World Is now not Lord of his poor little Self His greatest happiness is Ignorance He does not know the Glory he has lost But hugs the Enemy that ruins him The Conqueror cannot see this without Tears And cursing his unfortunate success And then oh Can it be endur'd by us But I may spare all this to Men so brave So tryed as you have to your Glory been Lord Bessus Nabarzanes and your Troops Na. We may one day be tryed upon your selves aside Be. Silence Lord Nabarzanes have a care aside Ar. Fortune Lord Bessus seems afraid of you She 's Alexander's Mistress but you Slave She gives him Favours but you ravish ' em At our great blow at the Cilician Streights All came off safe as priviledg'd from Fate That kept within the precincts of your Sword. Be. Indeed my Lord my Bactrians did well Ar. And you Lord Patron and your valiant Greeks Must give me leave to give you your due praise These gallant Men are to our Fortune tyed By indispensable Allegiance But you are strangers loose from any bonds Pa. My Lord we are for ever bound to you By Gratitude and Honour Greece indeed Gave us our birth but you our happiest hours That our best Blood is yours Ar. Most Noble Lord Well If we fail to morrow 't will be strange We have the strength of this vast Monarchy The justice of our Cause Necessity Ay and th' inconstancy of Fortune too That mutability which ruin'd us In the last Field may be our Friend the next Now to your Tents and take a brief repose That so prepar'd you may not be surpriz'd The King suspects these Macedonian Thieves Will act like Thieves and steal on us by night They will not dare to look on us by day And therefore he has wisely given Command Great part o' th' Army be in Arms all night And all be ready at the Trumpets sound Be. 'T is wisely order'd Ar. Now my Lords Good Night Be. My Lord we wish your Excellence Good night Heaven give us all to Morrow a Good Day Ex. Ar. Pa. I 'le to my Charge my Lords Good night to you Ex. Pa. Be. Good Night Lord Patron this is a brave Greek Na. And our old General a brave Persian Be. He 's like the Sun a Largesse to the World And not to be consum'd by age or toil Na. The King and he are th' only gallant Men In this whole Nation Be. Memnon to your Tent. Mem. Good Night my Lord. Ex. Mem. Be. He 's honest but he 's young Our talk has too much weight for his green youth Na. And our Affairs I think have so much weight We shall not sleep beneath 'em much to night Be. 'T is true my Lord come let us to my Tent Come with us Dataphernes Da. Ay my Lord. Ex. All go out and re-enter immediately SCENE Bessus's Tent. Be. Our Fortune places us in a strange Post For we are bound to fight against our selves Let who will conquer we shall be subdued For say the Persian Army gets the day We know they cannot do it without us The noble fruits of our own Gallantry Will all be set in this luxurious Soil Our Swords will be as barren as our Lands These Cowards must rule the Brave by whom they rule Dat. They Govern us they ha' not power to rule Men Wine or Women or their own Silk-worms The Men are all devour'd by Luxury And Alexander only has the Orts. Na. Therefore they 'r nauseous both to Heaven and Earth And it is insolence in mortal Man To force upon the Gods what they disgust Cram Nations down the throat of Providence Which it throws up again in every field Dat. I do declare I 'd no more fight to guard The King's Dominions over heartless Cowards Than I wou'd fight for Eagles to defend Their Principality over the Birds Be. Nay I have ever thought a Persian King Was at the most but Master of a Mint Persia has Gold and Jewels but no Men It has been long depopulated all By Slavery and Vice by Women too Women shou'd fill and they unman their Towns War lays 'em not so wast War mars and makes This War has made more Men than it has kill'd The slaughter'd heaps were only loads of Clay Where there was the Image of a Man. Na. My Lord they are all Images of Whores They march into the field rather equipp'd Like Ladies for a Ball than Troops for War. like Women too with weapons weaponless They dye unwounded by the sight of Wounds And serve the Ravens up in massy Plate The Persian Crows are fed in greater pomp Than Kings of Macedon Dat. Oh! never cowards Were at more cost nobly to hide themselves The Men cannot be seen for Plumes and Gold. Nor can the Gold for Diamonds be seen The Royal Metle is opprest by Jewels Their modest Swords which abhor nakedness Though Heaven knows in State of Innocence Sleep in their Scabbards as in Velvet Beds Under rich Coverlids of cluster'd Pearl Na. And to what end is this they only prove Fine Sumpter Hoâ—ses to the Enemy To carry Baggage for 'em to the field Be. Yet they must Lord it o're brave Nations Who can subdue both Men and Elements How does our naked flesh vanquish the cold How oft is Snow our only Winter Shirt Na. Yet does our Gallantry far exceed theirs We have no Ladies Favours on our Swords But Victories the Favours of the Gods Are always there Be. No thanks to Persians Who do not only quit us in the field And so most cowardly expose our lives But stint our Troops that they may starve our Fame I have five thousand Horse and only fight To be a slave to Cowards Na. Nay to Brutes Europeans are Men for they enjoy Their Reason wisely gather'd into Laws Here they are Brutes for only strength commands Our only Law is that there is no Law. All things are lawful here to Power but Laws The only rule of Justice here is Might The strong devour the weak and no wrong done The Wolf is not unjust that eats the Lamb. The Lamb is in the wrong to be a Lamb. Be. In short the Nature of the King is mild But cruel is the Nature of his Crown Then to whose lot soever it befals If I survive they shall not keep it long Not that I mean to fix it on my Head But to Crown Nature Freedom and Sense In which all Men have equal shares with me Na. My Lord you 'l have a Crown in those great Thoughts Not what 's without but what
out what way we can And Sir indeed we thought this was the best But now because 't was bold it appears bad Da. What cou'd befal me worse that what you â—ought Tamely to yield my Crown at your demand And serve my Slaves nothing can throw me down So low as that but my own cowardize I will not yield the Conqueror my Crown I 'le rather singly fight with all his Troops For by 'em aâ—l I can be kill'd but once But yield my Crown I suffer many deaths In my own Shame and my dear Childrens Tears Who then no more are Children of a King. And wou'd you wish me cowardly infamous And cruel to my Children Oh! Is this Your kindness to me You ingrateful Men. Oh! Who wou'd not ha' thought you were my Friends Who wou'd ha' thought you cou'd be otherwise For I beset you with my Favours so No Hearts but yours cou'd scape from loving me And now for you to hurt your King and Friend And at this time when I am prest to death Under a fallen Throne a ruin'd House My Mother Brother little only Son Both my sweet Daughters in captivity And my Queen dead Na. Oh! Sir No more no more Be. Yes Sir Go on go on and break our Hearts For we desire to dye since we grieve you Da. You deserve it for your cruelty Had you by private Treasons stollen my life You had shewn more Humanity than now For then I had not felt the barb'rous blow That had shewn Reverence call'd me a Dread King This calls me Fool and Coward to my Face I shew'd no fear o' the brave enemy Why shou'd you think I wou'd be seiz'd by you Na. We did not hope to work upon your Fear We know you have no Fear but on your Love. We know you have a truly Royal Soul That love your People with paternal Love And we petition'd Sir for all our Lives Which hourly perish by your destiny Be. Yes Sir 't is plain while you are in the Field We fall in heaps you are no sooner gone But as your Chariot wheels turn'd Heaven round Success is ours and the whole day is chang'd And we wou'd six our Fortune to your Crown Your dangers to our Heads in off'ring this We have discharg'd our Duties and can dye Na. Nay wish to dye to ease you of your fears Better we dye than you shou'd want repose We pray not for our Lives Sir but your Love. Da. Oh! now you vanquish me come to my Arms Be. Oh! excellent King. Na. Too Good too Gracious Da. I will not sacrifice great things to vile Men good and gallant to revenge and fear No do your Duty Sirs and I 'le do mine Leave the dispose of Crowns to Kings and Gods. Preserve your Honours that 's enough for you Conquer a Conqueror not a fallen King. And your own King you want no Enemies Oh! make not any for your selves by crimes The Macedonian King pursues us fast And I perhaps shall perish by his Sword That you may spare the guilt of murd'ring me Be. Oh! Horror Do you think we have the thought Na. Oh! you suspect us that is worse than death Da. No no I only counsel you in love For you possess my Heart though I 've lost yours Be. Oh! say not so Da. I hope 't is otherwise Na. But you believe it not Da. Well I ha' done Be what you seem and all shall be forgot And what we do le ts do like gallant Men. Who bravely fall have this one happiness Above the Conqueror they share his Fame And have more Love and an unenvied Name Ex. Da Ar. Guards Na. This was the only way to vanquish him I found we cou'd not gain the Perâ—â—â—s I often talked to 'em of Liberty Alas they understood not what I meant For in the Persian Tongue is no such word they answer'd nothing but the King the King His Sacred Majesty long live the King That mighty comprehensive word the King Had all the Sense a Persian Thought cou'd hold So I thought this our only secure way We cou'd not fight the Greeks and Persians Be. Now I cou'd easier have fought 'em both Than stoop'd to all this base Hypocrisie I think 't is harder to subdue him now Than if he had his Millions at his heels For Sovereign Power springs out o' the Sword. If I had conquer'd him in a fair Fight I had both gain'd his Kingdom and his Right Now on our Selves and our brave Friends we fall And turn 'em into Fools and Villains all Glory I court and I wou'd have my Love Fair and complete as She 's enjoy'd by Jove Na. And so you will Jove did for Empire frame A World of Fools and Knaves we do the same Were there no Knaves what use of Sovereign sway And if there were no Fools Who wou'd obey Ex. SCENE Another Apartment in the Palace Enter Bar. and Or. Ba. Now I have told the secrets of my Heart I have much eas'd my Heart it is more cool My Reason does begin to come in play Though I find great misfortune in Love I have this comfort there is no great guilt I lov'd the Son e're I the Father saw It pleas'd the Gods I know not for what sin In the great Field at the Cilician Streights First to begin the dreadful day on me Darted into my Eyes into my Soul The shining the confounding killing charms Of the most Noble Youth they ever form'd At the first sight of him my Soul dissolv'd It was some time e're I had breath to speak At length I hid my Face and whisp'ring you Bid you enquire who that Commander was Or. You did I thought 't was Curiosity And gave you information Ba. To my Joy. He quickly rode away oâ—â— o' my sight But left such strong impressions on my Soul. Though many thousands fell before my Face The day was lost nay my own liberty I saw it not Memnon was in my Eye But oh my misery soon waken'd me And then I shriek'd more out of fear For Memnon than my Self for I despair'd To see him more except amongst the dead As we were led over our slaughter'd Friends Envying their gory mangled Carkasses The same brave Youth whom I had in my Heart Came shining once again into my Eye With new and brighter splendors than before For he brought Honour Conquest Liberty Dispers'd the Enemy as Winds do Sand And quickly made free passage for my flight You must remember it for you were there In the same Chariot with me Or. Yes I was And so was he I think Ba. What do you mean Or. I 'm sure his Eye was and I think his Heart Ba. Away but if it was so much the worse For then his misery wou'd be like mine Or. Wou'd it afflict you to be lov'd by him Ba. Yes to his grief else 't wou'd extremely please Or. I know not if he loves this I am sure He was your Guard your Beauty was his Guide For all the way
's within the Brow Shou'd be the mark of Sovereign Dignity Be. How goes the night away Na. The Morning Star Long since gave Darkness warning to be gone Dat. See fee 't is gone the day possesses Heaven Be. Nay then 't is time we wait upon the King. Na. 'T is more than time no doubt he 's come abroad I see his Golden Chariot guild that Hill. Be. Then he is there viewing the Enemy Dat. Now all the shining Crowd descend this way Let us go pay our adorations Na. Our Adorations to a mortal Man ha ha Be. Now Gods aid us whoever you destroy These Kings but for one Man their Swords employ Each for himself has all his Force design'd We fight for you and for all your Mankind They wou'd be Sovereign Lords but I contend Only to be your Creatures Sovereign Friend Ex. All sorts of Martial Musique Enter Priests bearing Fire on Silver Altars Then a train of Officers in Golden Robes and Collâ—rs Then Darius followâ—d by Artabasus Bessus Nabaâ—zanes Memnon Patron The King surveys 'em and all prostrate themselves and kiss the ground Patron excepted who only bows Da. I gave command the ground where I expect The Enemies Horse to Charge shou'd be stuck full Of sharp and bearded Irons but with marks For us to know and shun ' em Is it done Ar. 'T is Mighty Sir. Dat. 'T is well I am inform'd Our rash fierce Enemies are become wise The sight of this vast dreadful multitude Has cool'd their boiling Blood. Be. Sir so we hear Mem. Sir 'T is no more than Truth and what I saw I was commanded with a thousand Horse To make discovery how the Enemy lay Fear was to them a multiplying Glass They believ'd all your Army was come down And cryed Darius Arm Darius here Your Royal Name alone half routed ' em Nay I was told even Alexander fear'd The dreadful Shouts of your vast multitudes Shook Forests Mountains and the Conqueror's Heart And gave us time to make a good retreat Pa. Nay if that Prince has Fear it comes from Heaven For Terror is not natural to him Da. 'T is true the Omen appears promising Enter Dataphernes Da. The Eunuch Tyriotes Royal Sir That lately did attend upon the Queen Has made escape out of the Enemies Camp And brings some mournful news Da. Ha! from my Queen Dat. His Eyes are drown'd in Tears and Garments torn Da. Nay then it is my turn to tremble now If ill but threatens her it destroys me Bring hither Tyriotes bring my death Be. Were it not better Sir defer the news And not begin the day Da. Dispute my Will Enter Tyriotes Come hither speak while I have sense to hear Silence is vain thy Garments and thy Eyes Plunge me into a thousand tort'ring fears Speak Do not spare me ' cause thou see'st me Grieve For I have learnt to be unfortunate And to the wretched 't is a little ease To know how far their Misery will extend Oh! I distrust one thing I hate to think Much more to speak Thou com'st to let me know She whom I prize above my Crown and Life Has in her miserable vassalage Receiv'd Indignities I cannot name Say ease my Torments stabb me with the Truth Ty. Oh! let not Sir vain fears afflict your Heart Your real cause of sorrow is too much But oh the generous Conqueror paid your Queen All Honours that a Slave cou'd give his Prince He rather did appear a slave to her But now She is no more your Queen is dead Ar. How the Queen dead Da. Martyr'd for Chastity T is so t is so She did oppose his Lust And he has murther'd her Barbarian What injuries have I done to thee and thine That thou shou'dst take this infamous revenge There 's no just reason for thy War on me But say 't is Glorious to subdue a King Can it be so to violate a Queen Cou'dst thou not spare her Beauty and her Sex Ty. Oh! Sir he did again y'afflict your self With Visions Shadows She receiv'd from him All kind and honourable usage Sir. Da. Ha! kind Ty. Yes Sir for when She dyed he wept You cannot more lament Da. Ha! This is worse There was a friendship grown between them then And he had Favours from her it was so Men lament not the death of Enemies I cannot bear the Thought Ty. Oh! hear me Sir. Da. I wou'd have privacy away be gone Ex. all but Da. and Ty. This is not sit for any Ears but mine No nor for mine for it will make me mad Ty. Oh! Sir indeed Da. Preparing to deceive Ty. No Sir Da. It will be folly have a care For now my Grief is height'ned into Rage My Tears are turn'd to Fire then do not lye By Lying thou wilt fool thy self not me For if I find thou dost conceal the Truth The Rack shall force it from thee Ty. I 'l speak Truth Da. Do thrust me not upon extremities For Cruelty and I never agreed In sparing thy own self thou wilt spare me I do conjure thee by the love thou bear'st Thy self or me deliver me the Truth Tell me oh Whither am I going now But must go on though the way lead to Hell. Tell me if Alexander fortunate Victorious young and brave did not attain What I 'm asham'd to ask and dread to know Ty. No Sir indeed Da. Lye not Ty. I will not Sir What should I gain by telling you untruth Da. Hopes of my Favour by soft flattery Ty. Sir here I freely offer up these Limbs To any torment that can be endur'd There 's strength enough in truth to bear e'm all And then I hope you will believe me Sir. Da. This is all cunning to avoid the Rack But that thou shalt not do ho bring the Rack Ty. With all my heart Da. So bold I like it well He cannot love my Ease more than his Flesh Bring torments on himself to soften mine Thou hast half won me to thee speak I 'm calm Ty. Then I appeal to all the Powers Divine Oh! now attest my Truth attest your selves If I deliver Fictions to the King You are all Fictions if you spare my Head. The virtuous Conqueror did treat the Queen With all the Honour Virtue and the pure Religion due to one so much Divine He never saw her beauteous Face but once And then to give her comfort for her loss Her Divine Beauties only tempted him To greater Virtue and he did not serve His Pleasure but his Glory by her charms He serv'd her Honourably in her life And when She dyed he mourn'd the publick loss And gave her Royal pompous Funerals Da. Oh! Alexander thou hast vanquish'd me Till now thy Fortune only conquer'd mine But now thy Virtues have subdued my Soul Have thrown me down into a weeping Slave I blush to shew my Face But all these Tears Must not be thine my Queen must share with thee Whose Honour I have wrong'd Oh! thou bright Shade Of my chaste Queen forgive