very rich Reward Bat. Well I will serve his Highness That is if he succeeds I 'l stay till then Aside If he does not succeed I will inform The Senate and help them to hang up him If he gets all the Town into his power I 'l help him to be King and hang the Senate A Shout Asd See what 's the meaning of that Shout Enter Gentleman Gen. The Spartan General and Hamilcar have treated with Regulus about delivering the Town Asd Now the truth comes to light Gen. A Roman Tribune was privately convey'd under ground to Lord Hamilcar's house about that design The People have learnt the Story thousands are run to the Lord Hamilcar's house to pull it down thousands are come to your Palace to beg you to protect 'em against the Romans and Hamilcar both Hiar. Where 's the Spartan General Gen. Gone out o' Town to bring Regulus in The people have shut the Gates and are resolv'd to kill him if ever he comes near the walls Asd I 'l among the good people and serve ' em Ex. SCENE the Roman Camp Enter Fulvia and her Women a Song sung to her The SONG Ah me to many Death 's decreed My Love to War goes every day In every Wound of his I bleed I die the hour he goes away Yet I wou'd hate him shou'd he stay Ah me to many Death 's decreed By Love or War I hourly die If I see not my Love I bleed Yet when I have him in my Eye He kills me with excess of Joy Ful. Go bid the Musick cease I find it vain Dark thoughts of late have my mind their haunt I thought to lay th' ill Spirits by sweet Sounds But 't will not do who 's that Commander there Wom. Lepidus Madam Ful. Oh! a gallant Man And one I love because he loves the Consul Go call him hither I wou'd speak with him Enter Lepidus Good morning Lepidus what news to day Lep. Oh! Madam joyful News the gracious Gods Have stoop'd to be our Pioneers to night And undermin'd the Carthaginian Wall Thrown to the ground no little part of it We have an open passage into Town And we 'l accept the invitation The Consul will in person view the Breach Then order an Assault Ful. Oh! Lepidus I taste no Joy in this Lep. Good Madam why Ful. I am distemper'd with oppressing Fears Which deaden all delight to me I 've none Even in my lov'd my ador'd Regulus Lep. How none in Regulus Ful. None even in him My Sorrow comes from him Lep. What is his Fault Ful. He has no Fault from thence my Fears arise We always find Men have a check by death When they approach near Gods in excellence If they will be ador'd they must ascend And put off mortal Natures Had he Faults To moderate my Bliss and make it fit For humane Creature I shou'd have more hope But nothing mortal must presume to reach At perfect happiness the lot of Heaven Lep. You hunt out Griefs as they were hard to find And study Arts how to perplex your self Consider Madam how belov'd he seems By Fortune how she fondly clings to him Caresses him with strange extravagance At his first landing here she tore in two This Empire and gave him the fairest piece Now she has torn yon' Wall as she were mad To have him nearer faster in her Arms. And the truth is he has her now so fast She cannot if she wou'd break from him now Ful. I know his Fortunes are like his Deserts In great Excess but all Excess destroys Excessive Lustre like excessive Heat Frail Man bears not We very rarely find Men in intemp'rate Glories are long-liv'd Oh! he is near his end Lep. Nay this is strange Ful. I must lament his death before he dies For when he 's dead I shall run mad with grief And the dear Man will fall unmourn'd by me Lep. Misery deserves not sure this great Respect That you shou'd run to meet it e're it comes Ful. You make me mad have I more fear than you Or any in the Camp did not this Morn Spread Terrors through you all Lep. Then have you heard Ful. I cou'd hear Thunder sure Thunder which seem'd to burst the Firmament And I cou'd see the ruddy Face of Morn Turn'd o' the sudden black one wou'd ha' thought The Night had wheel'd about and strangled her Night ne're was clad in such thick woven Blacks As were of late spread like a Funeral Pall O're day as day were dead Lep. 'T was wonderful Ful. Why d' ye abuse me then and hide the truth As I were th' only Woman in your Camp The boldest of you all was turn'd this Morn To things like heartless Women at the least And by a Woman too by something less The shadow of a Woman I 've heard all Lep. I 'm sorry for 't Ful. Day turn'd away its Face That a dead Beauty boldly might appear In all the wretched nakedness of Death To the great Man to whom she once was fair The Consul Did not his late beautiful Chaste modest Wife the dead Apamin Appear to him this Morning in his Tent Ay and to you and many more great Officers Assembled there Lep. She did if we dreamt not Ful. Oh! you were far from such repose as sleep The Fantom whiter than the Shroud she wore Dissolv'd you all into a thin cold dew You lay all vanishing beneath her eye Which brightly shone thro' the dim mists of death She was the firmest substance of you all Bating the Consul he remain'd the same And was the only living person there Whom yet she seem'd to say with speaking looks She pitied much she pierc'd his eyes with hers As with their points she wou'd upon his Soul Engrave her pitying thoughts Lep. 'T was so indeed But they were much to blame who told you this And frightned you I wou'd no more ha' don 't Than thrown a poyson'd Dart into your breast Ful. VVhy should you hide from me what is my own I 've in this dismal story too much share More than my understanding can dispose 'T will make me mad Ah! may I lose my wits E're I lose him that I may have no sence VVhen the Blow comes Lep. VVhy do you think 't will come Ful. VVhat else should move the dead Apamia To bear the light which living beauties shun But to have him Oh! that 's her Errant here Lep. I 'll not presume to combat with your fear One will soon do it who can conquer it He conquers all things 't is your Regulus Your griefs and fears have reach'd his ear and heart And he will come to ease your soul and his Trumpets He 's come I see his Guards I see himself I sâ—â—â—our Father the Proconsul too Enter Regellus Metellus an Augur Reg. Most beautiful reward of all my Labors In whose kind Love I am before hand paid And overpaid for all my Sword can do Permit me to be careful of my Treasure And lodge you safely
domestic strife We measure all things equally to all So none like Billows rise to make a Storm Even Priests and Lawyers live in quiet there El. Have you no Titles and Distinctions there Xan. Only what Merit makes we mind not Blood Nor a vain Title floating on that Stream Only great Actions there beget great Sounds Your high-sprung Blood in Sparta will be lost I mean all your Precedencies of Birth You must give place to aged Matrons there Whose greatest Riches are their silver Hairs El. Let me have the Precedence in your Heart And let who will take all the World beside Xan. Oh! we shall be luxurious in Love But that will be no breach of Spartan Laws El. Well when shall we enjoy this happy Life And leave our Carthaginian Prison here So the victorious Romans make this Town Xan. I do not know I 'll try my Fate this day This day shall be the last deciding Battle I 'll be a Conqueror a Slave or Ghost Elis A Ghost a damp evapo'rates from the word Which sickens me to death Xan. Ha! ha ha El. D' ye laugh at me Xan. My Dear thou put'st me in mind of Novices Who when they first meet danger duck at Arrows But when their maid'nly terrors are all o'er Laugh at themselves as thou wilt do in time El. Sure when your life 's expos'd I shall not laugh Xan. A Soldiers life lies wholly in his honour And that lives best in danger If thou hear'st My honour 's lost shed pitying tears for me And think thou art a widow though I live But if my honour lives though I am kill'd Triumph and shed no tears but those of Joy For that 's the manner of a Spartan Wife And so farewell El. Thou shalt not go Xan. Away He rushes out El. Then can you cast me off Oh! cruel man Lead lead me to my bed and bind my hands Or I shall do some violence to my self Shall I be thus when I am married I do not find all Soldiers wives are thus Marriage perhaps may teach me wit and I May learn to let my Husband fight and dye Exit ACT II. SCENE Continues Enter Spy and Batto at several Doors Bat. OH how dost thou do when wast thou with our Chapmen the Romans Spy I just came from ' em Bat. How went off our Commodities Spy Our Swords went off but dully there having not been a Battle a good while they ha' not lost many Swords But they have shot away a abundance of Arrows against the Town and were in great want of Arrows So they gave us any thing for our Arrows Bat. That 's well Spy We are a couple o' pure Rogues We sell Arms to the Romans to cut the Throats of our own Countrymen the Carthaginians Bat. Ay but we sell our Arms so dear we cut the Throats o' the Romans too What News of Italian Wine Could you meet with a Bargain Spy A rare Bargain You must know Regulus is a severe man he won't suffer any man in his Army to drink VVine unless he be sick So Sir there came the other day a Ship from Italy loaden with VVine and thought to come to a great Market here because all the Vineyards here are cut down and spoil'd E'gad Regulus having Wine enough to serve sick men on occasion would not suffer a drop of it to be sold to his Army so I bought it for a Song Bat. That 's well it comes in rare season Wine is very scarce among us and our Countrymen will have Wine Drunkenness is an honorable Quality amongst us VVine they will have and have no stoppage of VVine here give my Trade the Strangury In what Condition did you find the Roman Army Spy A very good one Bat I am glad of it Then the Blockade will continue and so Corn must rise 'T is true thanks be to the Gods there is a pretty good convenient Famine amongst us which makes Corn a good Commodity and I have a large stock But I 'll keep my Corn a while longer and make the best o' the Famine Spy Oh! you inhumane Rogue your Corn already grinds all the Town hast thou no Conscience Bat. I don't see any body has any Conscience after they come to years of Discretion Most People have it when they are young as they have the Small Pox but when they are once cured of it they are seldom troubled with it any more Spy If thou hast no regard to the Gods thou mayst have a little to the Commonwealth Bat. Hang the Commonwealth Does not every body cheat the Commonwealth as much as he can why should I be honest all alone by my self Spy Does your Priest of Hercules teach you no better Bat. He has no more Religion than myself Drinking has cup'd the humor out of him VVell is this all you have to say to me Spy No I have News for you worth a Talent every Syllable Bat. VVhat is' t what is' t Spy I 'll trust you with it for I know how to make my Pen'orths out of you If you be false to me I 'll get my own Pardon and hang you Apply your self to my Lord Hamilcar Bat. To him The People are ready to knock out his Brains and have set up Asdrubal Spy The People are Asses and meddle with that they do not understand State Affairs A Roman Tribune has engaged to put Regulus into the Spartan General 's hands 'T will be done to day and then the People will knock out Asdrubals Brains and set up Hamilcar Bat. Nay if the Romans begin to sell one another we 'll deal with ' em I 'll to my Lord Hamilcar presently but for fear this business should not succeed I 'll to my Lord Asdrubal too Spy VVell Sir remember I have you by the Neck If you get into business put me in or I 'le hang you Ex. SCENE Asdrubals Palace Enter Asdrubal Hiarbas Gisgon Gisg Oh! Sir how rarely your Highness dissembled to day Asd VVhat did I dissemble Gis Your desire to the Crown Asd Who told you I desire the Crown Gis Did you take all this trouble for a parcel of Fellows they call the Country You are of more worth than a Thousand such Countries I love a Court and Pomp and Gallantry I hate a Nation where the People are ador'd Hiar. Adore the People they are Antigods nothing they make but every thing they mar Asd They made too much in Carthage a great man is only Clay till they breath life in him Gis Oh! Sir I am glad to hear so much come from you we shall have more shortly I 'd feign see you a King great as the Persian King as absolute Head Hang Starve whom you will Ah that 's great that 's right Asd Would you like it Gis Ay! why not Sir You should never have my Head I warrant you Why should you I 'll do whatever you please Asd And would your Reverence like it too Hiar. I ha' more reason to like it than he has
in the Fort of Clypea The Enemy have met with some Recruits And make a shew of fighting us to day If fighting will oblige them I will serve them Retire my Love from danger for the sake Of me and Rome else I shall fight to day Greatly disorder'd by my fears for you Ful. I know the pleasure which you take in Glory That a brave Enemy who fights you well Does entertain you well I would not dare To call you from the Glory you pursue VVith so much ardor were I not compell'd By many Thousand Omens and Presages VVhich seem to me the Messengers of Heaven I beg you for the sake of Rome and me You 'll stay till some few threatning days are past Reg. Stay till those days bring all the ills they threat Succor to Carthage infamy to me Met. To joyn in consort with a womans fears And beg a Consul to forsake his Post To please a VVoman and to cure her frights VVould not suit well with a Proconsuls voice Yet Consul for my Daughter this I 'll say Her fears are all for you She has no sence Of her own dangers I have seen her oft In bloody Fields gaze on your Victories With the same unconcern she 'd see a Masque Yet I must counsel you to what she prays That you would let some frowning hours go by I do not second her let her fear on It suits her Sex and is a proof of Love I plead for one more excellent than she I mean Religion I beseech you Sir Give her those rights which are her due by Law You know our Laws give her the casting Voice In all our Councils both of Peace and War No Roman dares start a great Enterprize Till she has given the sign and she has mark'd This day for bad by many a black Portent And charg'd you not to interfere with it Lest it should drop some horrors on your head As this learn'd Augur better can inform Aug. 'T is true Sir all the flights of birds to day And all the entrails o' the victim'd Beasts Threaten much ill Reg. In reverence To our own Laws Augur I reverence you You are our Scout to discern coming ills Our Spy on Heaven and I 'll be rul'd by you When I am not otherwise advis'd by reason Which I think soars higher than birds can do And can discover more of Heaven's will A Noise of a Storm Lep. Ha! all the Heavens are troubled once again Reg. Let 'em be troubled Lep. And it thunders loud Thunder Reg. Well let it thunder Met. Would you take advice Reg. Of Thunder 't is no Counsellor o' mine The Ghost of Apamia rises Lep. Oh! Sir I see another Counsellor Look there in you dark cave so dark the night Seems to skulk there in day to rob the day Apamia stands Reg. Let her stand there I see her Ful. What d' ye see Reg. Nothing Love you frighten Fulvia Ful. I heard you name the dead Apamia What should make her leave Heaven but for you She has some knowledge you are hasting to her And rushes through the bars of death to meet you But I 've more right to you than she has now Her death has cancell'd all your bonds to her But those you made to me are new and firm I 'll keep my right I will not let you go Reg. Must I give such a fatal proof of Love To leap from Honor into wanton Ease And be no more a Consul well I 'll do 't Consul and Shame suit not Now come my Dear let us to private shades For darkness and dishonor best agree My noble Friends eternally farewel For after this I must not shew my face I pray conceal what has befallen me Report you saw me like great Romulus Assum'd to Heaven is not this a Heaven Pointing to Fulvia 'T is like one it resembles Fulvia 'T is not that warlike Virgin I confess But 't is her Image and my Love is such To Fulvia's Image I will sacrifice A Roman Consul Ful. I will strive no more Since 't is your pleasure Go but I believe After this fatal day we shall not meet Except in Fetters or in Blood or Death Met. Something within my heart divines the same Reg. Your fears are against reason the Recruits Come to the Enemy are few and heartless Dispirited and cowed by fear of us And if we baffle them Carthage is lost At our next meeting Fortune shall be fetter'd And this short parting shall be all the Death Your fears have boded Ful. No we will not part Reg. Yes you must to the Fort I to the Field Ful. I 'll to the Field so was I woo'd and won Your Battles were the Courtship of my Love And so will I return your glorious Love Nor Enemies nor worlds shall part us long Stars shew your selves worthy to shine in Heaven By guarding this great man but if you must Resign him up to death I shake to think of it If among all the doors Nature has made To let us into death I can find one My Ghost within few hours shall be with his Met. Thou hast well vow'd daughter perform thy vow Reg. Could we not meet elsewhere there were enough To make me rush on death but our next meeting Shall be attended with unequall'd Glory Ful. Nay we 'll be great and blest befal what will We will so dye if Death must be our doom We 'll triumph o're all ages in our Tomb. Ex. ACT III. SCENE A Field Enter Regulus Metellus Lepidus Roman Guard Reg. THE Spartan General is a Souldier He manages with skill the advantages I let him have Met. I do not think it safe To give so great a man advantages Reg. The chief advantage I bestow upon him Is opportunity to perish bravely He has Recruits indeed but what are they African Slaves whose Lords I 've often beat I blush to fight so base an Enemy Met. You would blush more should you be beaten by them Lep. You let 'em have a Chance for Victory Which Sir you may deny 'em if you please Reg. Yes we may lodge our selves on yonder hill Like frighted Birds on Trees to keep from danger And be the mockery of the Enemy Which of you can endure the Shame an hour See he comes bravely on and tempts you all Who 's not fir'd by that alluring sight And finds not in his blood a lust to fight Ex. SCENE Carthage an Alarum Enter Asdrubal Hiarbas Gisgon Gis Sir we beseech you do not venture your self Hiar. We beg you Sir Gis What should you venture for Asd You know for what a Crown Gis Sir you may have a Crown without venturing Do not yonder men fight for you Asd If I do not fight I shall have an inglorious Crown I must fight for Glory Gis You may have Glory without fighting too The great Persian King has got much Glory by wal and never saw a fight in his Life Hiar. A great Prince Sir like a great Palace will ring with
like breach o' faith Met. A glorious man Aside Lep. Will you forsake your friends To perish by your barb'rous enemies Reg. I do not perish if my honour lives But if I stay shall not my body dye Then shall I lose the honour I can keep To preserve life which is not i' my power By keeping faith o're Carthage I triumph A Roman Ghost will triumph over her Not by short pomp which blazes but some hours My triumph shall go on from age to age While Rome shall stand which shall the longer stand For my example of unshaken Faith For what Foundation to a State like Faith Met. Sir I 'm the less amaz'd at what I hear For all your life has been with wonders fill'd But I have not so great a heart as yours I cannot let you go Lep. He shall not go I will bring all the Army to his feet Reg. Is' t possible I do command you stay Perform your duties both to Rome and me Let Rome have Carthage and leave me to Heaven Metellus why de' e wrong your self and me Your Spirit equals mine and for the World You wou'd not have me leave this glorious path Like Romans now receive my last adieus Lep. He shall not go his Troops shall stop his way Aside Now take your leaves Ex. Lep. Man Commanders Met. Oh! Sir what you resolve Has so much glory in 't I envy you But I must pity those whom you forsake My self your Children my poor Fulvia Reg. Metellus be assur'd those you have nam'd Are dear to me as they can be to you But Generals must discipline their thoughts The honor of the Gods and good of Rome Must first command next them I rank my friends These have o're me so great authority I 'm jealous o' my weakness and their power And dare not trust my self with seeing ' em I 'll ne're see Fulvia more Met. Not see her Sir Reg. Oh! no an enterview will raise our griefs To such a tumult 't will not become me To be seen in it I 'll serenely part And so retain my greatness to the last And this may less harm her Met. Oh! Sir she comes Reg. Then I must fly I cannot stay with her Ex. Enter Fulvia and her women Ful. The Consul Sir the Consul where is he A minutes absence more I cannot bear Met. Oh! my unruly griefs will betray all Aside Ful. You sigh nay more you strive to smother tears Met. No you mistake Ful. I do not Sir I see 't Met. Your fears impose on you Ful. Convince me of it And let me see the Consul Met. Wait awhile Ful. I perish then Met. Y' are rash command your self Ful. I cannot do it Met. You must he 's busied now in a great work The greatest that was e're design'd by Man Ful. Oh! what and where Met. Be not inquisitive Fulv. Oh! why Sir why shall I not have a share In all his Fortunes Met. Ay too much poor Girl aside Let it suffice to know his aims are now Above what mortal Man ever attain'd And he will reach his aims now seek no more Exit Ful. I must I must enquire I cannot rest This is all darkness and confusion Enter Lepidus Lep. Oh! Madam Madam save the Consul's Life Ful. Now the dire Mystery begins t' unvail I 'm dying speak whilst I have Life to hear Lep. He cannot make an honorable peace So he is only come to command war Now to keep faith with faithless enemies Returns to dye Ful. Y 'ave struck me to the heart Lep. Fly Madam or you 'll never see him more His Army at the present bar his way But all their force will without you be vain Ful. My reason sence and life before me fly The Consul will enjoy his cruel wish Nothing of mine will ever reach him more Unless my shreiks cut through the wounded air Or Winds hurl to him my torn scatter'd hair ACT V. SCENE Continues Regulus appears beset by Lepidus an Augur all the Army who in suppliant Postures surround him Reg. WHO has betraid me thus and brought my Troops To besiege me Lep. Sir I confess 't was I. Reg. Y' are grateful Lepidus I advanced you To honor you 'd sink me to the lowest shame Make me appear a Coward and be forsworn Lep. Well Sir we have not sworn you shall return We are not perjur'd if we hinder you Reg. Yes but you are y' are sworn to obey me Lep. We may oppose you without Perjury If you destroy your self Reg. I save myself When I am false I 'm Regulus no more But a foul Spectre which in little time You 'll hate and loath whatever you think now Lep. Sir this perhaps might force you from our hands If y' only went to die for then you went To the good Gods you go to Furies now Who will torment you Reg. Not beyond my strength I 've got this profit by calamity That I have learnt to bear calamity I never did believe it was an evil But now I do not think it troublesome Misery by use into our nature grows I by enduring pains will torture them And burn them with their own infernal rage Lep. But Sir you 'll also torture your dear Friends We dare not let you go Reg. How shall I scape Enter Metellus But the Proconsul comes he 'll do me right Sir set me free from my distracted Friends Who would take from me more than Carthage can My Honor Innocence and their own Love For will they love me when I 'm infamous Met. Sir something so divine appears in you I prostrate even my reason to your will Sir if you wou'd resolve to stay with us No earthly power shall take you from our hands But if you will return I offer up My self my Child as Victims to your will For be assur'd we perish Sir with you Reg. I perish if I stay then set me free Met. I 'll do you then this dismal service Sir If I am able but I doubt it much I hardly can believe the Legions Which oppose your commands will obey mine Reg. I 've thought upon a way a word give out Carthage has given me my mortal bane And in a sence it has aside Met. A fatal truth I will do 't Sir Pray Gentlemen draw near Follow no longer your mistaken Love It leads you to no purpose from your way The Carthaginians have the Consul fast They 've given him his death Lep. What poyson'd him Met. They have his life 't is theirs do what you can They 've torn it to a wretched Remnant now Not worth his keeping therefore give it 'em It is the price of their Damnation And let him have the glory he desires Lep. Oh! treacherous Murderers Met. Nay you trouble him Take hence your griefs the Consul has enow Go throw 'em on his bloody Enemies Lep. The Villains are too few for revenge And oh too vile to recompence our loss The Carthaginian Nation cannot do 't Oh! Consul since we must not hope
for you And your stay here reprieves your Murderers We will release you to release our selves To our just vengeance Reg. Now I know you all I was afraid I had lost all my Friends That Punick air breath'd Punick souls in you And that you slighted Faith which I believe No Roman does except a Roman Priest Mourn not for me for that implys I 'm fallen Rather calamity falls under me Applaud my happy fortunes for I go In triumph to a higher Capitol And more magnificent than that in Rome One in the Heavens where living Jove resides True I must first put off my flesh by death But that I with as small concern can do As men do Sandals at a Temple gate Now Friends farewel thank you for all your Love And when I am in Carthage storm the Town Ex. Lep. Army Now Sir thank you for an immortal life For you have open'd me the way to it And at no small expences to your heart Oh! Fulvia there 's my last great agony Met. Sir I have eas'd you of some part of it I met her flying t' ee and stopp'd her way But might have spar'd the labor for alas Her sorrow often flung her dead on earth I left her senceless in her womens arms You may escape her now Oh! no! she comes Comes like a Torrent there 's no stopping her Reg. Nay then what sufferings have I to bear I fear my strength and dare not meet her Eyes Enter Fulvia Ful. Oh! Consul Consul what have you decreed Met. Daughter away Ful. I cannot cannot Sir Pray pardon me I 'm not in my own power Oh! Consul will y' abandon all your friends For Slavery and Death tormenting Death Met. He 's bound by Oath Ful. Was he not so to me And by a Thousand Oaths he had no right To give himself away without my leave He 's true to Murderers and false to me Reg. Dear Fulvia calm your self and use your reason You 'll find I 've acted as became a Man Who durst pretend to such a heart as yours Should such a Man betray the Rights of Rome To save his life Ful. Your death will ruine Rome And me and all the World Reg. No Fulvia By dying I preserve the Rights of Rome Advance her Glory and mine and therefore yours Now Rome will be my lofty Monument 'T will stand upon my Tomb where I shall rest In a Bed fit for him whom Fulvia loves Ful. Where shall I rest when Regulus is dead You take no care for me Reg Will you not rest In my repose can our united hearts Have any joys or griefs both do not feel Ful. I do not know your heart but I believe Your griefs afflict me more than they do you Reg. Too much too much More than a Slave as I am can deserve Ful. You are my Lord more dear if possible To me than ever by your fall my heart Is greatly bruis'd and tend'rer than before More sensible of Sorrow and of Love Then pity me for my sake go with me Reg. I dare not do 't because I love you more Than to permit your sorrow to deceive you You seek to take with you a Slave a Coward A Thief a Murderer all this I must be If I return not I shall break my Oath To steal my Freedom from the gallant Spartan Who trusted me and if I break my trust I expose him to all my Sufferings And perhaps prove his bloody Murderer Would you have such a Villain as this with you Ful. Oh! these are arts to hide your want of Love You love me not ne're lov'd you have deceived me Met. Now Daughter you are too importunate Ful. Oh! by my Love I know he does not love I for no Joy on Earth could part with him He flies from me to Torments and the Grave Met. No no to Justice Piety Renown Ful He is unjust I have a right in him I never did I never will renounce To take himself from me is Robbery And cruel Murder it will be my death And this he knows but he regards not me He can be tender of his Enemies And not of me Reg. Oh! Madam say not so Ful. Go go to Carthage let her have her right And I 'll have mine I 've title to partake whate're is yours It seems Chains Misery and Death are yours And all the forrune you have left your self Well I 'll to Carthage wi' you and have my share Reg. To Carthage Ful. Do you think I dare not do 't Yes valiant Consul I in some respects In resolution will transcend even you You are divine above all sence of ill I 'm a weak Woman I have tender sence I can feel torments yet I 'll rush upon ' em Reg. Sweet Fulvia hear me Ful. Oh! I love too much To hear and see you would I lov'd it less My misery and misfortune would be less Would I had never lent an Ear to you Yet you would now be heard What should I hear Bloody Decrees against yourself and me Oh! I have heard too much too much o' them And why should you expect I should hear you You regard not my Love my Tears my Blood Met. Hold Fulvia hold you harm a dying Friend Who dyes for you and me and for all Rome Why say you Misery is all the fortune Of this great Man is Glory of no price Are you a Roman and want sence of glory All Ages will adore this wondrous Man Whom you wrong heavily See see I swear Sh' as wrung Tears from him now but that I know What thou hast said proceeds from raving Love For this great Sacriledge I 'd strike thee dead Reg. Oh! Sir you now commit the cruelty You charge her with you wound a wounded heart I know her heart is bleeding now for me And what she says comes from her pain not her She is most kind in what she seems unkind Ful. Inndeed I am and though your Love were lost Reg. Oh say it not Ful. I do not think it is But if it were yet I must love you still Nay in calm thoughts adore you and believe You are too excellent that 's all your fault And my misfortune was I lov'd too high Met. Now Daughter you judge well and do him right Ful. Oh! 't was my madness wrong'd him and not I. Reg. I know 't sweet Fulvia and can I be false To so much love before I knew you lov'd I lov'd you so that you were my chief aim In seeking Glory I sought chiefly you I fought for you and now I dye for you By glorious Death more to deserve your Love And therefore be more lov'd for if I dye To keep my Faith with mortal Enemies Oh! think how firm my heart must be to you But shou'd I poorly live by breach of faith I should for ever lose you in both worlds You 'd shun me here with scorn and after death I for my Perjury shou'd shine in shades While you wou'd shine in Heaven there is a
Heaven This shred of Life cannot be all the Web Nature has wrought to cover divine Spirits There is a Heaven because there 's misery The divine Power ever blest and good Made not the World for an ill natur'd jest To sport himself in pains of those he made Ful. True but for Heaven what must you endure Reg. No more than what you cou'd endure for me Ful. Oh! that I might I 'd run to it with joy Reg. Then cannot I for you sweet Fulvia Met. So y 'ave prepared balm for the parting blow And that you may the better bear it to Take from each other your entangling Eyes I 'll interpose and hide 'em now my Lord. Metellus goes between Regulus offers to go Fulvia holds him Ful. Hold hold I cannot will not let you go I 'll lose my arms before I 'll lose my hold I know what you resolve is glorious But I 'm a Woman and my Love prevails And the more brave you are the more I love And the less able am to part with you Reg. Oh! I am in a tempting dangerous snare Ful. Nay do not grieve you cannot scape from me I shall release you soon my heart will break The Ghost of Apamia rises Fulvia shreiks and falls in her Womens Arms. Met. She shreiks and dies her heart is broke indeed Poor Girl Reg. Oh! now I see what made her shriek A frightful Messenger is come for me Met. From Carthage Reg. From the dead 't is my dead Wife Ghost sinks Met. I perceive nothing dead but my poor Child I hope she 's dead life would afflict her now Reg. Take notice Heaven what we all endure Only for Vertue This one sweet last touch Of this fair hand is the only recompence I shall receive for all I lose on Earth Met. I 'll see you to the Lines then take my leave Ex. Fulvia recovers Ful. Oh! he is gone he is for ever gone Fond tears be gone such vain and vulgar sorrow Does not become the grave of Regulus I 'll strew his Tomb with Carthaginian Ruines And this whole Nation for his bloody death Shall weep to death in blood Ho Lepidus Enter Lepidus Where is your Consul Lep. He is near the Walls Where Thousands of us will be presently We are preparing for him a revenge Ful. Come follow me I 'm now your Consul his Soul lives in me We 'll bury Carthage so that where it stood In future ages shall to few be known Some shall believe here never was a Town Ex. SCENE Carthage Enter Asdrubal Senators and Attendants Asd Most noble Senators will you be pleas'd To tell my honorable Lords the Senate I 'll only give some necessary orders About their Service then attend their Pleasures Sen. We shall my Lord. Ex. Senators Asd I fee the Senates craft I 'm only us'd like Physic for a need With loathing forc'd upon 'em and the wish'd Effect once wrought I shall be flung away For Commonwealths cannot bear glorious men By the confessions of the Priest and Gisgon I am in danger but I 'll try to quash ' em I order'd the confessing Gentlemen To his Attend. Should be brought to me 1. They are come my Lord. Enter Hiarbas Gisgon Batto guarded Asd How the Rogues look and tremble for my sport aside I 'll let their terrors worry 'em a while Gisg What will he do with us Hiar. I do not know I 'm under dreadful consternation Gisg How are y' afraid of death now it is come I 've heard you crow over death on your own Dunghil Bat. Oh! no profaneness in affliction pray Gis Oh! now the wind sits there y 'ave a sore Throat At other times your swallow's large enough Asd The Rascals wrangle and how pale they look The Priest there has a face just like a Goose White every where except about his Bill His Nose is faithful to the dye Wine gave it Well now my grave my cheating face goes on aside Oh! Gentlemen I love and honor you Come to my arms Hiar. What 's this come to his arms aside Gis Has he not got an engine there to flash us aside Asd You lov'd the Commonwealth above my life Or your own credit you are honest men You play'd the part of Spies oh you did well To tell you truth it was a part I play'd I was a Spy on you Gisg Indeed my Lord Asd Indeed But you had one great quality Most fit for Spies of which I had no share You scorn those scorns which always are the vales Of that unlucky Office I confess I was kept under by the fear of shame And partly by some tenderness for you I love you Gentlemen Gisg Your humble Servant Hiar. Your Excellencies very humble Servant Gisg A noble Gentleman Bat. A gallant Man Asd Besides I found no great necessity To do you harm when I had power enough To hinder you from doing the State harm But that I never meant to wrong the State I swear before the Gods Do not I know It is impossible to be King here Speak your minds Gentlemen you never thought I was so foolish as to be in earnest And stake my life at a sure losing game Hiar. We knew not what to think of your Highness We acted as our Consciences directed Asd Oh! You did very well y' are honest men Bat. I can swear for your Highness you never said one word to me of being King Asd Th' ast done me right so must these Gentlemen Or they will bring great guilt upon themselves For Gentlemen had you thought me in earnest You 'd have inform'd when first you knew my guilt Instead o'th at you never let it go Till you cou'd purchase your own lives by it For Sirs can you deny the fear of death Had not a mighty hand in this great work Gisg It had a little finger in 't indeed Asd Well Gentlemen y 'ave serv'd the Senate well Now he that is an entire honest Man Does right to all Men clear my innocence Then both the Senate and myself must love you For having serv'd us both most honestly And let me tell you it is in my power To raise or ruine you which I shall do According as I find you good or bad Hiar. We had best stick to him he 's a great man aside to Gis Gis Ay and a very devillish cunning Man aside Bat. Ay and an honest man for ought I know He never said a word to me of being King aside Hiar. This Fellows evidence too will mischief us We 'll serve your Highness Asd You are honest men Come we will to the Senate they are sate Ex. SCENE The Senate House The Senate sitting the Pretor in the Chair Enter Asdrubal Hiarbas Gisgon Batto Asd Most Honorable Venerable Lords I have an infinite desire to serve you It is my sole ambition whatsoe're Some Men may tell you but alas my arm Is wither'd by a blast these Gentlemen Have blown upon me I must do 'em right They have inform'd