way And tells me she and I must never part Ba. Where is the Chariot Or. At the Garden gate Ba. Come then away Oh! Heavens Memnon here Turn from him quickly Me. Hold dear Madam hold Ba. My Lord what mean you thirst you for my Blood Me. Oh! Madam do not entertain those fears Ba. Do not you entertain false dangerous hopes Your Father has this minute left the Field Me. But not his Love to me Ba. You 'l find him quit His Love to you and all Humanity If he shou'd catch you seeking Leagues with me I fear he 's at the Palace Window now Oh! if he be this minute is our last Me. These are vain terrours oh wou'd he were here This Minute were the last of all our Griefs But oh the first of our Immortal Joys And something in me says it will be so Methinks I have a sight of Paradise Ba. Oh! you speak Oracles methinks in you A voice from Heaven has Prophesied our death The Pangs of Death already seize my Heart I tremble swear and I 've scarce Breath to speak Know there is yet another stronger Cause Than any I have nam'd why we must part Me. Another Cause Ba. Oh! do not enquire what If you take any joy in loving me For when I 've told you you must love no more If you have any tenderness for me When I have told you I shall speak no more The secret will tear out my heart Oh! fly If you would love or live or have me live Me. Y 'ave stunn'd me so I have no strength to stir Ba. Oh! he will loyter till his Father comes The Gods will bate my Passion no disgrace Know I 'm a Wife nay more your Father's Wife He faints he faints Now shou'd his Father come And find him in my Arms. Me. faints Ba. runs to him and supports him Or. Madam he 's come Ba. Oh! horrour we are lost my Lord my Lord. Enter Bessus who seeing Me. in Barzana's Arms draws Me. recovers Barzana runs to hold Bessus Be. Oh! Villain Ba. Oh! my Lord Be. Oh! Impudent And foolish Whore wilt thou proclaim thy shame And murder him thou hast a mind to save Had he a thousand lives now he shou'd dye Ba. Oh! hear me first Be. Hear thee encrease thy sins By falsehood is not Incest Crime enough I saw you from the Palace meet Caress And is not this your second meeting ha I will provide for you a third meeting place In Death and Hell thou frightful Monster dye wounds Me. who falls Ba. Unnatural Parricide dire Regicide Be. The fitter match for an incestuous Wife Me. My Lord you wrong us we are innocent I lov'd but knew her not she banish'd me I was now going to obey her doom When Heaven contriv'd this Meeting for our Death We sought it not for ever to prevent All future Meetings she reveal'd her self Then did I sink to Death under surprize And horrour for my faulty unfortunate Love Which is more trouble to me than this Death Oh! I had rather have a thousand Deaths Got by misfortune than your ill-got Crown Dyes Ba. Oh! he has told thee truth thou Murderer He was too excellent for all the Gods Thought him a God and took him to themselves And I will follow him yes I will do 't And we will revel to Eternity And it shall be the chiefest of our Joyes To be the chief of thy Eternal Plagues Be. A damp goes to my Heart I am afraid I 've been too rash I wish this were undone Come take her to my Chariot Ba. Touch me not The Gods be prais'd I 've found my Dagger now I 'le go another way Be. Sh 'as stab'd her self Call help I 'le have her live if possible Ba. I have help here Be. Horrour she tears her wound Hold hold her hands Ba. Then I will hold my Breath Be. Is this thy Vertue thou who canst commit This most unnatural sin against thy self Wou'dst not refuse thy self a sweeter Crime Ba. Indeed I 'm sorry for this sinful Death I wou'd shun Hell if only to shun thee Hell purg'd by Fire has less Offence than thou Be. Oh! thou art most ungrateful to my Love I have more Love for thee than words can speak Ba. I am glad of it then 't will be thy Plague And to encrease it know I 'm innocent So was thy Noble Son he sought my Love But knew me not for I conceal'd my self Cause he had found my secret Love for him And then I cou'd not shew my blushing face Be. You lov'd him then it seems Ba. That I confess I lov'd him but it was e're I was thine Since that I did subdue my self for thee Reveal'd my self and banish'd him for ever And he was taking his Eternal leave When thou oh Murderer tookst his Innocent Life Be. If this be true Ba. 'T is true they 're my last words All my past Life is evidence enough And so is that of thy most excellent Son. For had he any other fault but thee And I had less my Birth was Glorious Yet has my Life honour'd my Royal Birth And now I hope my Death will crown my Life It has some sin which you good Gods forgive Your Justice has had Honour by my fall Oh! honour now the Vertuous part o' me My Soul you know I never sin'd in will Only in Blood and that foul Blood I spill Dyes Be. Oh! horrour horrour Enter Nabarzanes Na. How now why this rage Be. Look there Na. Your belov'd Son and Wife in blood Amazing how came this Be. No matter how They 're dead and I am curs'd nay I am forc'd To curse the Vertues of my Son and Wife The Worlds great Blessings were my Miseries Na. I 'm glad o'th is they did divide your Soul And cut the Stream into small Rivulets It cou'd not bear the Burdens o' the State. Now 't will be all united in the Crown Enter Dataphernes Dat. My Lord the Enemy the Enemy Be. What Enemy Dat. The Macedonians And Alexander Be. Alexander ha Na. How do you know Dat. We had it from our Scouts But go upon the Mountains you may see The Spirit of that Monarch in his March. He wings along the Air in Clouds of Dust And does not march but fly Be. Bring out the King. Na. Ha! what to do Be. What else but take his Life I will not dye in Complement to him Spare him a Guard when we want men our selves I 've bath'd my Sinews in my Son 's hot Blood Now they are strong enough for any thing Na. Hold hold you are too hot let him alone If we shou'd barbarously Butcher him The Crime will have such a grim Gastly face The basest Persian Cowards will be scar'd Out of their Natures into something Brave Cowards oft by flying into Valour fly Our Friends will leave us and our Enemies Fly in our Faces Be. True what shall we do Na. Tempt him to yield Be. I know he scorns to do 't Na. We will
deceive him by seign'd Penitence Be. I do not find him easily deceiv'd Na. Let 's make a Trial if he 'll not be gain'd We 'll murder him unknown to any one Besides our selves and then give out he yields And what we do is by his own Command Be. 'T is well advis'd draw up our Troops with speed To Data And then give out the King and we are friends Ex. SCENE A Prison Enter King in Chains of Gold. Da. A King a Persian King chain'd by his Slaves The Slaves he once so favour'd and so lov'd Oh! the amazing Villanies of men And stupifying Patience o' the Gods The gracious Gods seem only infinite In suffering ill and man doing it Man therefore is most fear'd and most obey'd My Murderers come my griefs are near their end Enter Bessus and Nabarzanes Na. Now if these Chains weigh the Kings Spirit down To our desires we shall be legal Rogues Aside Be. What is it spirits me away to fear He 's in my Chains yet I am in his Power Na. I find it so with me I 've fought my way Through bravest men why am I scar'd by dreams Let 's kneel and speak to him Be. Well do you speak I am an ill Dissembler Na. Royal Sir Kneels We humbly beg you lend a gracious Ear To your poor Slaves by your hard Fortune thrown On th' only things we fear on infamy Your Anger and a seeming horrid Crime Though what we did was all in Loyalty Be. 'T is true we saw Fate quarrel with you Sir. And so we came between to part the fray Da. Oh! you poor Wretches how I pity you Cou'd you have fallen thus miserably in fight There you had been the Envy of the Brave Now y' are the scorn of all As to my self Y 'ave given me endless rest The greatest weight Hangs on these Chains is you ingratitude Oh! how have I deserv'd all this from you Be. You have deserv'd no ill and shall have none Ba. Indeed I do not know the man I 've wrong'd Bring him I 'le give him power to take my Life If I 've offended 't was against my self In all my Kingdom I was the sole Slave I toil'd the most and most observ'd the Laws The great Prerogative I most desir'd Was to be uncontroul'd in doing Good. If I gave fear it was to Potent Kings I was in danger most in Pleasure least My Luxury lay all in my Fair Queen My sole Intemperance was my Love to her My Love and Grief for her admit no bounds And oh how have I Lov'd and Favour'd you I gave you Kingdoms and with greater Joy Than you receiv'd 'em oh methoughts I gain'd What I gave you and these are my Rewards You murder me who wou'd have dy'd for you Alas It is your fault I am not dead Na. Indeed we mean you Good and do no more Than what Priests in Devotion do to Gods. Who fasten 'em from falling or flight We fear'd your flight to Mercenary Greeks Or falling into Macedonian Power And Sir to shew how much we honour you We have given shining Pomp to Misery Since 't is become a Waiter on our King. Be. And if you 'l pardon us and favour us We 'll make you greater than you ever were Da. I favour Treason I assume your Guilt I 'le rather bravely dye then basely Reign Indeed my Children are most dear to me But for that cause I will not taint their Blood And make the Children of a King become The Children of a Traytour to a King. I can and will be great without your help Yes in these Chains I 'le triumph over you I will Reign o're you when y 'ave murder'd me In my Grave punish you All Kings and Gods Will be the Ministers of my Revenge And execute what e're my Blood commands Na. We lose our time come strike Be. I will and home They wound Darius who falls Na. So this is a great work but common Spirits Ha' not reception for things great and high Let us not trust 'em with this spectacle Ho! Guard. Enter a Guard. Guard. My Lord. Na. The King has Kill'd himself We fear false Tongues will lay his Blood to us Therefore conceal his Death till the fight 's past As you regard your Lives In the mean while Cover the Body in a Waggon close That it may pass for Baggage drive it then Into some private place out of all Roads And kill the Horses lest they wander thence Guard carry out Darius Be. Now let us to the Field for there 's our Doom Our Innocence or Treason is to come It is success makes innocence a sin And there is nothing but a Sword between If th' end be glorious glorious is the way They alwaies have the Cause who have the day SCENE A Field A noise of a Battel After shouts Enter Artabazus Patron and Greeks dragging Bessus and Nabarzanes Pa. Oh! thank you for this Justice you good Gods. Ar. Go to King Alexander let him know The Gods have given the Traytors to our Swords Let us enjoy Revenge for our King's Blood And then he shall command our Swords and Lives Pa. Oh! that the King enjoy'd it where have you Conceal'd his Body you damn'd Regicides Enter Persians Per. My Lord my Lord the King Ar. What of the King Per. He 's found a Macedonian Officer By help of Persian Guides searching a Spring To quench his Thirst after the heat of fight He in the woods saw a poor Waggon stray Drawn by faint dying Horses stuck with Darts And looking in it found a dying man Gor'd in his Blood which prov'd to be our King. Ar. Horrour he lives let us away away That he may see Revenge before he dyes Pa. And we will weigh him out exact revenge Here chain and cut 'em as they did their King. Ex. The Scene is drawn a Waggon appears The Horses bloody and full of Darts some falling others fallen Polystratus and Persians support Darius who is Bloody and Faint Pol. Run run for help while we will bind his wounds Da. Ha! who art thou Pol. A Macedonian Sir. Da. My Enemy so kind Pol. A Gallant Man Fights out of Love to Duty and Renown And loves and honours a brave Enemy Da. What is thy name Pol. 'T is Polystratus Sir. Da. Brave Man more kind to me than my Friends are These were the Presents of my once dear Friends Bessus and Nabarzanes Pol. Hellish Dogs Da. 'T is no small comfort in my wretched State My grateful dying thoughts will not be lost Tell thy brave King I dye deep in his Debt I never once oblig'd him in the least And he has nobly treated all my Friends My Mother Brother Children my Fair Queen Granted their Lives and Royal Splendour too They scarce cou'd tell they were unfortunate When my near Kindred and once Bosome Friends Oh whom I Life and Kingdoms have bestow'd Have plunder'd me of all Oh! tell thy King I beg the Gods for Universal Good To make him
Pretending to be more he 's less a Man The worse for Reason by that Artful tool More hurtful than a Beast he kills by Rule But the true Soldier does Mankind create By forcing Reason on a brutal State. When Oaths are Wind and Laws but childish Rods The Soldier comes like Thunder from the Gods. Ex. SCENE A Room in the Palace Barzana sate melancholy attending to a Song Somtimes weeping Oronte waits Ba. Oh miserable me Or. Astonishment in everlasting Sighs Complaints and Tears This must not be it leads her from her Sense Madam She minds me not Madam I beg You will not always listen to your Griefs But to your Friends somtimes Ba. Trouble me not Or. Madam you are a trouble to your self Ba. Be gone I 'de be alone Or. I wou'd you were But you associate with a cruel Grief That does return your kindness very ill You grace a Melancholy that devours The Beauties whence it has its wondrous Grace Nay Madam it is dangerous to your life You neither eat nor drink nor take repose You go to Bed for liberty to weep And the Night leaves you as she found you in tears Day dries not up that Dew you only breath To sigh and not to live Your Reason wasts You see not hear not mind not any thing Somtimes your Fancy hunts a thousand things But e're they 'r found alas your Fancy's lost Be. Thou wilt be troublesome but thou mean'st well Therefore I pardon thee How tyr'd am I With sitting and till now I knew it not Come let us walk Or. Where will you please to walk Ba. I know not where Or. Abroad in the fresh Air Ba. No I shall be disturb'd with company Or. Then in the Gallery Ba. No it wants Air. Or. Then in the Grove Ba. I will not walk at all Fetch me a Book I 'le read let it alone Go call the Musique back again no stay It was too noisy a soft gentle Lute Wou'd please me better But another time How ill you dress me Sir Or. Dear Madam Why Ba. I 'm cumber'd with a thousand needless things Art need not study vanity for us We have too much from Nature Or. Will you please To change your dress Ba. Then you will be a toil Wou'd I cou'd change myself For any thing besides Or. She weeps again Ba. I 'le to my Closet no I will abroad Release me quickly from the slavery Of all this formal and superfluous dress The World 's in War I 'le be an Amazon Tye back my Hair but not with any Art Come a short Robe lay naked my right Arm. A Javelin there shou'd be the only grace My Horse my Horse Oh! I am prest to death Under your earthy sloth Oh! you good Gods That I were now among the Warriors Gaining Eternal Honors to myself Eternal Honors No Eternal Shame Shewing my Follies as I madly do Oh! I am curs'd curs'd by some angry Power That makes a foolish and vile thing o' me And then exposes that to shame for me Gods if you 'l take my Reason take my Life Leave me not Sense only to feel my Grief Or. Oh! Madam Madam in all reverence To your Command and Will I 've born your Griefs Till they have torn your Reason and my Heart I must assault 'em now And on my knees I humbly beg you will discover ' em Ba. Away away Or. No Madam pardon me I will pay all obedience to your self But oh no more to your distractions Ba. Be gone I say Or. I will not cannot go Ba. Thou dost not know how troublesome thou art And to what little purpose shou'd I tell My griefs to thee it wou'd increase 'em more Or. You know not that you have a noble Mind But at the present 't is not in your power My little Counsels now may aid you more Be not so faithful to your Misery Betray it to me Ba. 'T is impossible Oh! I cou'd easier rip my Bosom up And shew the Sun my naked Heart than thee Or. I do not think the dangers o' your Lord Ba. Ay there it is Or. No you are cold to him Oh! there is somthing moâ—e and I must know Ba. Well I will tell thee Or. Do. Ba. Another time Or. When t' is too late consider what you do I know y'have so much kindness for your Lord You wou'd be loth wholly to lose his Heart And there 's a beauteous Amazonian Queen By whom Lord Bessus has a Noble Son. Ba. Undone Undone Thou hast discover'd me Or. Discover'd what Ba. As if you did not find Or. Madam I swear I know not what you mean. Ba. You know too much Had I a Dagger here I 'de lock thy Bosom to Eternity Or. I wish you had and it were in my Breast If any ill has hapned to your Self Ba. She takes a pleasure to repeat my Shame Or. Your Shame Your Shame de' e say Ba. My Hell nay worse Shame is a torment which the damn'd know not The damn'd have darkness to conceal their Shame But mine will suddenly break out to light I cannot bear the torment of my Love. Or. Oh! now your Sorrows shew their mournful Face You love your Husband's Son. Ba. No more no more I tremble at the thought I 'm sick to death If the word Love but touch my Tongue or Ear. 'T is Sin to talk of Sin. Or. Your Love 's no Sin. It is your Glory now you vanquish it Ba. I do not do not cannot vanquish it I dare not trust myself with Love or Life I 'le seek out death by all the ways I can Or. Hold Madam hold Ba. Why Am I fit to live Or. If you be not you are less fit to dye Ba. Death ends my Sin. Or. Murther increases it Ba. It will be Justice on an impious wretch I 'le thrust all Hell into one painful hour And then good Heaven I hope will claim no more Exit ACT III. SCENE The Palace Enter Darius Artabazus Guards Ar. OH Sir the Men are good and penitent And brave as good and I shall see you yet As Happy Great and Glorious as ever Da. No Artabazus no my Queen is dead I never can be happy in this World. But I wou'd give my Kingdom happiness Go call 'em in Enter Bessus and Nabarzanes who prostrate themselvs before the King and wâ—ep Be. Oh! Great and Gracious King Oh! infinite is our conâ—usion We humbly beg you will regard our tears We can express our Grief no other way Da. Indeed I do not know what to regard Nor what you are you seem so strange to me I think you are my Subjects are you not Na. Yes Sir and faithful ones whate're we seem Da. A Subject without terror of his King Is an unnatural thing in Persia You are portentous Omens of my death Be. Oh! narrow World a Virtue that exceeds The common size appears portentous here The World is fallen on your Sacred Head And now we cannot stand on forms of State But we must get you