send us prosperous Gales Our Ships shall fill the Sea the Wind our Sails Exeunt CHORUS IS' t true Or does some Fear our minds deceive That Souls their Bodies do out-live When any wretched Mortal dies And his sad Kindred close his Eyes Does not Death finish all his Pain But must he dye to live again Or rather when our Bodies dye And with our Breath our Souls too flye Is Death the End and Cure of all our Misery Where're all-seeing Phaebus goes Where're the watry Ocean flows Nimbler than both Time posts away Nor Gods nor Men his Course can stay Swift as the rapid Orbs are hurl'd Swift as the Eye of this great World Our basty Sand does downwards run Our Minutes fly our Life is gone And when the slipp'ry Guest takes flight The rest is long Oblivion and eternal Night As Smoak dissolves into the Air And Winds drive Clouds we know not where So when poor Mortals breathe their last Their Souls exhale too in a blast And when the mighty Nothing disappears Death crowns our hopes and cures our fears What place must after Death our Souls receive That where we lay e're we began to live Our Souls as well as Bodies die And all is swallow'd up in vast Eternity Pluto Elysium Cerberus are nought But the loose Image of a shapeless Thought The Poet 's not the Wiseman's Theam The wild Idea of an empty Dream ACT III. Enter Andromache Astyanax and an Old Trojan Andromache WHY wretched Phrygians why d' ye tear your Hairs Why swell your Breasts with Sighs your Cheeks with Tears My Sorrows wear a sadder Livery Troy fell but Now to You Long since to Me. When fierce Achilles my lov'd Hector slew And the dear Corps thrice round our City drew The Chariot groan'd and shook beneath Its weight Whilst each sad Trojan fear'd approaching Fate Hector and Troy at the same time did fall If Tears can quench our Sorrows they 're but small I that have Liv'd would gladly Die his Wife And shew my Death as faithful as my Life But This sad Pledge of our once happy Loves My Fears increases and my Pity moves For His dear sake I live against my will And am contented to be wretched still My Care for Him has cost me many a Tear And robs my mis'ries of the wretched comfort not to Fear No Help no Remedy for all my Care But all is hopeless Sorrow and Despair Troj Madam what Fears distract your restless mind And. Many are Past but more are still Behind Alas our Sufferings must be worse and more Troj What Curses have the angry Gods in store And. All all the mighty Pow'rs of Hell break loose And Death it self will triumph over Us. Had they not slain enough before they bled But must they kill us too even when they 're Dead Must none but Grecian Ghosts return from Thence I thought just Death had made no difference These are the common Sufferings of us All But heavier Sorrows on my Head must fall Troj Speak what sad Omen has Heav'ns anger sent And. 'T was when two parts of the long Night were spent In Sighs and Tears when slumber did surprize My weary Limbs and clos'd my weeping Eyes And straight my lovely Hector's Shade appear'd Not like that Hector whom the Grecians fear'd When fierce as Lightning mongst their Troops He flew And many a treacherous Grecian bravely slew And in the Feign'd Achilles ' Death did wound the True Gone was the sprightly Colour of his Face Sorrow and Death had banish'd every Grace Breathless and pale by my Bedside he stood Stiff was his Hair and clotted all with Blood All Dismal and all Brave he did appear At once he mov'd my Love at once my Fear Once and again his griesly Locks he shook And thus my dear my dreadful Hector spoke Thou equal Partner of my faithful Bed Dear while I Liv'd and Constant now I 'm Dead Dare not to sleep when Danger is so nigh With my poor Boy to some far Countrey fly Or in some secret Cavern let Him lie Weep not for Troy your Tears will do no good But save the little Remnant of my Blood He spoke and straight He left my clouded sight And the loose shape dissolv'd into the Night I woake and starting from my Bed amaz'd Forsook my Child and round about me gaz'd The Airy Shade was lost in my embrace Whilst Fear and Horror fill'd a-round the Place To Astyanax Thou only last dear Hope of Troy and Me The Cause and Comfort of my Misery Too like my Hector and too near his Blood Born of a Race too noble and too good Such was thy warlike Father's lovely Face The same was every Action every Grace Such were his Eyes his Limbs so straight and fair Such was the Length and Colour of his Hair Too soon thou' rt born to Me but Oh! too late Or to prevent thy Own or thy poor Countries Fate When will that dear that wish'd-for Minute come When I shall see Thee bravely leading Home Thy captive banish'd scatter'd Countrymen When shall Old Troy and We revive again Thus I deceive and vainly sooth my Grief And dare not hope that Heav'n will send relief Yet all my Hopes and Fears are bound up in thy Life Alas what place what refuge dare I trust Our strongest Towers are buried in the Dust Of all the stately Structures of proud Troy There 's not enough remains to hide my Boy There is a Tomb where Hector's Ashes lie Fear'd and untouch'd ev'n by the Enemy A Monument of Old Priam's pious Prodigality Here he shall lay Cold Sweat bedews my Face I dread the Omen of the Fatal place Troj These timely Fears both You and Him may save And. With Him my Hopes are buried in the Grave What if some curious Greek my Fraud should spy Troj Whate'er you do be close trust no man's Eye But say that one day buried Him and Troy And. Should they but search this Tomb 't would prove his Last Troj A Conqueror's Rage is fierce but quickly past And. So dangerous a place I dare not trust Troj Others may choose what Helps they please let Him take what he must And. To what far Region dare I trust my Fears What Hope what Help what Remedy appears Thou that didst never fail assist me now Hector avert this sad this fatal Blow Ev'n in thy Death give Me and Troy relief And let thy faithful Ashes save his Life Haste haste get in dear Boy Oh! why dost turn Away and such mean shifts too bravely scorn See He 's asham'd of Fear Come lay aside This early Courage and this useless Pride And make the best of Fortune See what remains of Troy great Hector's Grave A helpless Infant and a wretched Slave Into this hallow'd Vault undaunted come In Life thy Refuge and in Death thy Tomb. She puts him into the Tomb. Troj So now He 's safe and lest your Fears betray Your Hopes be wise and quickly hast away And.
The more I stay the less still grows my Fear Whilst its dear Object my lov'd Boy 's so near Troj But soft Thesly Ulysses does appear Enter Ulysses And. Aside Earth Hell or Sea unlock thy mighty Womb And let my Boy into thy Centre come Let Him for ever There securely lie Free from Ulysses fatal Treachery Some wretched Phrygian to fresh woes he dooms And big with some new Mischief hither comes Ulyss Madam with Patience my sad Message bear Think not Ulysses speaks what You must hear But Greece whose wish'd Return is sought in vain Whilst the least drop of Hector's Blood remains 'T is That that keeps our Wind-bound Navy here As long as Troy can Hope Greece ought to Fear And. Does this mad Oracle from Calchas come Ulyss Hector had taught us this had He been dumb Hector whose very Name renews my Fears In whose brave Son his Spirit too soon appears So the Young Follower of some numerous Herd Whose budding Horns scarce through his Skin appear'd Straight as the sprouting Branch adorns his Head His mighty Father's Flock does proudly lead The tender Sucker of some ancient Tree Spreads like its Sire and quickly shoots as high Its Branches shade the Earth Its Top out-braves the Sky Just so a small neglected Spark of Fire Does to its great Original aspire Grief Madam is too partial a Judge You could not else so small a favour grudge If the poor Souldier after Ten long Years Grown Old in Sufferings a new Hector fears In whom the only Hope of Troy appears 'T is He alone our Remora does prove And You alone can all our Fears remove Now lest You think me cruel who am come Not by my Choice but Fate to speak his Doom Know had the Lot appointed Me alone I had not stuck to ask Atrides ' Son With Hector's Courage all your Losses bear And learn to suffer from Your Conqueror And. ' Wou'd the dear Boy were lock'd within these Arms Or that I knew what Fate what Art what Charms Had snatch'd him hence not all Your haughty Words Your strictest Tortures or your sharpest Swords Should ravish the dear Secret from my Heart In which Astyanax claims the greatest part What Place what Region hides my Joy my Love Dost thou in some untrodden Desart rove Or do the Clouds of thy poor Countries Smoak Thy dear thy lovely Breath unkindly choak Or dost thou on the mournful Ida lay To all its Birds and Beasts a helpless Prey Ulyss Think not fond Woman that thou art believ'd Think not Ulysses is so soon deceiv'd A thousand Mothers wiles I could out-do Though they were Deities and Women too Come leave these useless Arts. Say where 's the Boy And. Where 's Priam Hector Paris Where 's all Troy You look for One but I for all must seek Ulyss Tortures and Racks shall quickly make you speak And. They scorn your Threats that dare that wish to die Ulyss Death soon will cool this short-liv'd Bravery And. Would'st make me Fear Then threaten me with Life For Death's the Cure and not the Cause of Grief Ulyss Are you so Brave Our stiffest Racks shall tear It from your Breast and teach you how to Fear Tortures shall bend or break your stubborn Will Come let not Rashness hide what Fear must soon reveal And. Death Famine Fire and all the dreadful Train Of Torments all the cruel'st Arts of Pain All that a raging Conqueror's fury dare Inflict and more for Him I w'd gladly bear Ulyss Still resolute This rash this stubborn Love Does the like doubts and fears in th' Grecians move After a tedious War of Ten long Years Less were the Danger Madam less our Fears Were these the last but we must dread new War You for our Sons fresh Enemies prepare And. Must then And do I live to ask must We Heighten your Pleasure by our Misery Rejoice proud Prince once more my Conqueror My dear my lov'd Astyanax is no more Ulyss Can this be true And. Even so may welcome Death Gently and kindly stop my yielding Breath So when in Death I and my Hector meet Soft may our Pillows be our Slumbers sweet As in the Grave Astyanax is laid And all the Funeral-Rites by wretched Me were paid Ulyss The welcom News to th' Grecian Camp I 'll bear News which each longing Greek will gladly hear But stay The well-dissembled Story I receive From Her in whom 't is Piety to deceive Curses to Her no longer they appear Since made to save the All She reckons dear And losing that She nothing else can fear But She has solemnly and deeply sworn What can She suffer more than She has born Now all thy Cunning all thy Arts imploy Be whole Ulysses sound the pious Lie And search her Weakness see her very Fears Her Sighs her Looks her Walks betray her Fears And every word I speak does wound her Ears Her Fear exceeds her Sorrow To her Others indeed may curse the Crimes of Fate Madam Your Loss we must congratulate Had He surviv'd he had but liv'd to fall Down the steep precipice of yon' Turret's wall And. Aside I shake all o're my frozen Blood does start To the forsaken Channels of my Heart Ulyss Aside See see She shakes Once more I 'll try her here Whilst her unwary Love betrays her Fear To his Attendants Go find the cursed Brat where'er he lies If Dead we 'll burn him if Alive he dies 'T is well We have him To her Ha! Why look you back What fearful apprehensions make you shake And. Wou'd I had Cause With him my Fears are gone But who can soon Forget what one has Learnt too long Ulyss Since he has perish'd by a milder Fate And Heav'n has publish'd Its Commands too late To be obey'd thus Learned Calchas says Great Hector's hallow'd Monument we must raze And strew his Ashes in the neighbouring Seas Now since our just Requests you can refuse Heav'n must this pious Sacriledge excuse And. Aside What shall I do From whether shall I part Each claims an equal portion in my Heart Witness Ye Gods by whom we were betray'd Witness thou greater God my Hector's shade Nothing so lovely in my Boy I see As the dear Image that He bears of Thee Then let Him live But shall that sacred place Be raz'd and shall thy Ashes stain the face Of the rude Ocean Rather let him Die And pay that Life again which he receiv'd from Thee But can I see the helpless Infant thrown And rudely hurl'd from yon' high Turret down I can and will but Oh! I cannot bear To see thy Ashes scatter'd in the Air. The Boy has sense to feel their Cruelty But Thou from Sense or Pain too safe dost lie Which must I count the greater Misery How Can I doubt On this side Hector lays 'T is false for Hector suffers either way He lives in Him my only Hopes appear Then let him Live whose Life the Grecians fear Ulyss Break up the Tomb And. What! that
which you have sold Ulyss Nothing shall stay me And. Hold Ulysses hold By all that 's good or just your Fury stay And please the cruel Gods some other way From this rude violence his dear Ashes save Pyrrhus protect those Gifts thy noble Father gave Ulyss What angry Heav'n condemns I may not spare And. Your blackest Crimes did ne'er proceed so far Our fairest Temples ye have overthrown The Shrines o' th' patient Gods y' have batter'd down But Tombs have scap'd your Sacriledg alone Aside Shall I alone their well-arm'd Rage withstand Revenge shall strengthen Love shall guide my Hand Just as the warlike Maid amidst her Troops Routed the faithless Greeks and dash'd their hopes As the wild Maenade through the Woods did rove And kill'd the darling Object of her Love Thus I 'll undaunted rush amongst them all And for His Ashes Fight or with them Fall Ulyss To his Attendants Can a weak Womans Tears your Passions sway Or will you Heav'ns Commands and Mine obey And. Let me redeem Him though my Life 's the Price Rise my lov'd Hector from Elysium rise Let thy weak Ghost their weaker Rage withstand He comes he comes And see in yon' right hand He shakes his Sword and darts a dreadful light And does not This your rash Attempts affright Or does the airy Phantome cheat my sight Ulyss You rave in vain I 'll break the Mon'ment down And. Aside And shall one Ruin overwhelm my Husband and my Son It must not be I 'll try some gentler way And since I cannot Terrifie I 'll Pray The Stone will quickly fall as if 't were meant To be at once his Death and Monument No let his Blood some other way be spilt Not stain his Father's Tomb with such a Guilt To Him See great Ulysses a sad Mother see That never Kneel'd to any man but Thee Let thy hard Heart be melted with my Tears Pity my Sufferings and receive my Prayers Gently Oh! gently all my Sorrows ease Whate'er you grant the wretched more will please Just Heav'n than all the Pomp and Cost of Sacrifice So may you safe return and end your Life I' th' chast Embraces of your faithful Wife So may your lov'd Telemachus equalize His Grandsires Years his Father's Policies As You to Me and Him shall gentle prove Ulyss Madam produce the Boy and trust our Love Exit Andromache and re-enters with Astyanax Andromache Come forth unhappy Infant come Forsake thy noble Father's Tomb. See great Ulysses see He 's here Whom all Your Thousand Ships did fear To Astyanax Come leave this useless Pride thus low Beneath our Conqueror's Feet let 's bow Since Fortune cannot be withstood Forget the honour of thy Blood Forget great Priam's happy State And let thy Mind be levell'd to thy Fate Come kneel and if thou canst not see Nor feel the burden of thy Misery Yet maist thou learn to weep from Me. Troy long before a Prince's Tears has seen Nor have they unsuccessful been For they even Hercules could win The mighty Hercules whose Name Employs the willing Voice of Fame Who Thither went and Thence return'd whence never Mortal came Mov'd with his harmless Enemies Tears Forgot his Wrongs and cur'd all Priam's Fears Govern said He thy faithless Fathers Land But Rule it with a juster Hand Thus was He setled in his Throne And by his Father's Sufferings gain'd a Crown To Ulysses Learn from Alcides ' Anger to be Kind Or can his fatal Arms alone content Your Mind Before Your Feet no less a Suppliant lies With lift-up Hands and down cast Eyes Let Him his Life alone enjoy We care not what becomes of Troy Ulyss Aside What Rock these Sighs and Prayers unmov'd could hear But all the Grecian Dames with me must fear His Life may cost each Mother many a Tear And. Can this great Pile be rais'd by such a Boy Can these weak Hands re-build or fight for Troy Or can these Arms his tottering Country prop No 't were a groundless and a desperate hope Do we thus Low and yet thus Dreadful lay And can the Lion fear his helpless Prey Can the great Father's Soul inspire the Son Th' Effect remains not when its Cause is gone His Father's Fate a braver mind would quell Fraught with the mighty burden of his ills Rather than Perish let him ever lie Beneath the slavish Yoke of base Captivity What Tyrant can this poor Request deny Ulyss Then Calchas is that Tyrant and not I. And. And dare You vile Dissembler break Your word Base man whose Tongue is smoother than thy Sword And sharper too We suffer not alone But Greece it self beneath thy Crafts does groan Blaspheme not Heav'n Its Deities are more kind By Thee alone this Mischief was design'd Go Midnight-Souldier go dissembling Scout In the Sun's face thou dar'st not venture out Go set Your mighty VVit against a Boy VVho could he wield a Sword should Conquer Thee Ulyss Greece knows my Prowess enough and Troy too well VVhat You have suffer'd sure I need not tell But while in fruitless words I lose the Day The winds swell all our Sails and chide my stay And. Hold whilst this last this parting Kiss I pay Let me with Tears be-dew that lovely Face Let me Oh! let me die in his Embrace Ulyss I w'd gladly if I might this Loss retrieve But take the only Favour I can give And freely use the wretched power to Grieve And. To Astyanax Thou last great Martyr that must die for Troy My much lov'd Hector's no less lovely Boy How have I promis'd Thee the happiness Of Priam's Years and Hector's great Success But Heav'n with scorn on all my Prayers look'd down And now that Head must never wear a Crown Ne'er must those tender Hands a Scepter wield Never Oh! never thy poor Country shield Oft have I wish'd but Oh! I wish'd in vain By Thee t' have seen the cruel Pyrrhus slain And in the Son Revenge upon the Father ta ' en The foaming Boar thou never wilt pursue And teach us what thy riper Years might do Nor in the solemn Pomp o' th' Lustral Year Bravely i' th' head of all thy Mates appear And Ilium's Fate our lost Palladium bear Nor in great Dyndimene's hallow'd Grove Wilt Thou to th' Musick 's tuneful measures move O dismal Fate Our guilty walls must see Than Hector's Death a greater Cruelty Ulyss Madam in vain your Time and Tears you spend Your Sorrows are too great to find an End And. Oh! let these Tears the Messengers of Grief Seal the dear Infant 's Eyes whilst yet h' has Life To Astyanax Go fearless go no longer now a slave Brave though thou' rt Young and Dreadful in the Grave Go see thy Father Death will set Thee free And loose the tedious Bonds of Life and Slavery Ast. Oh! help me Mother Why dost catch my Hand What Power what force can Heav'n and Greece withstand Just so the tender Heifer when she hears The Lion's voice with trembling hast