propose crimes to her seeminglic true And moreover you know that that which is called Beautie in me never gave me vanitie And that I have alwayes taken more pains to be Vertuous then fair Yet I do not deny that there hath been a Picture of Mariamne which has passed among all Princes of the Earth and which perhaps will be a long time preserved there Yes Herod there is an invisible Image of Mariamne which wanders through the World which makes her innocent Conquests and which without her consent makes secret Enemies to you Her high-Birth her Vertue her Patience and your Crueltie are the onlie Colours that are made use of in this Picture And the Blood which I am going to shed shall doubtless perfect the rendering of it adorable to Posteritie But to answer the second Accusation that is made against me which though false hinders not my changing of Colonâ— by the confusion I am in to be constrained to speak of such a thing I shall say with joy that thanks to Heaven I have no other witness against me but you who during the time of this supposed crime was at Laodicea And by Consequence was incapable of answering for my Actions So well am I assured that neither your eyes nor your ears could declare any thing against my innocencie And although that your Court be all composed of your slaves or of my enemies that your veris Sister who hates me and through envie and by interest of State hath observed with Extraordinarie care even the least things that I have done or spoken I say I am verâ—â— certain that she dares not maintain before me â—o have heard on word or remarked one single look which could make the modestie of Mariamne suspected It is noâ— but that I know verie well she can tell a lie 〈…〉 which makes me speak with so much boldness is 〈◊〉 I know me to have more Vertue then she has Malice and that having Heavon for my Protector I cannot believe that if at least I do perish I shall not obtain Grace to die in that manner that your injustice and my innocencie shal be equallie manifested And trulie at this time we need but open our eyes to see that these Accusations which are made against me are but pretexts to loss me For what likelie-hood is there if I were guilty of such a crime that I would have chosen the husband of Salome my cruelest Enemie and Herods confident But a coÌ„fideÌ„t to that degree that all things were trusted to him 〈◊〉 there was no wicked design which was not communicated to him He was partner in all your crimes He was the goaler not lover of Mariamne to say all It was he should plunge the poyniard in my heart to obey your wil. O! Heaven who did ever see such Testimonies of Love Why Herod you might at parting bid me adieu with tears you might look upon as you have done with eyes wherein I saw but signes of Affection and at the same time meditate my death Ah! If you could which I doubt not you might verie well also to day feigne that you believe me culpable to make me die Innocent And tell me not as a favour that this command was the effect of the strong passion you had for me the death of the person beloved can never be a Testimonie of Affection Hatred and Love have not the same operations they may some times reign successivlie in the heart but never together Everie man who loves well lives not without the person beloved yet he can alwaies die without her and her death can never be an agreeable thought to him He should regrate his being separated from her and not regrate that she died not with him But your way of loving is onlie peculiar to your self and your inclinations are so Naturallie cruel that poisons and daggers are the best gifts that can be received from yon when you would testifie your Freindship Pray you tell me how you can Accomodate all those things You say that I have sent my picture to Anthony and consequentlie that I had an intelligence with him and at the same time you again Accuse me of having one with Joseph because say you you having trusted to him the thing in the World which was of â—greatest Importance to you and he having discovered it to me it is impossible but that I should have given my self absolutely to him for that advertisment Consider well Herod what you say Anthony and Joseph could they be both together in my heart were these two rivals of the same qualitie and merit And this Mariamne whose Birth is so great and Illustrious whose Soul is so High and so Glorious that her Noble pride is by some rather taken for a fault then a vertue could she be capable for alike weakness for two men so different who could have no conformitie together if not that it had been equallie impossible for them to have touched my heart when they would have endeavoured it This conquest is not so easie as you think and trulie I wonder that you who could never do it judges it hath cost others so little I do acknowledge that Joseph did discover to me the wicked design that you had against me but I also avouch I believed him not I did immediaâ—lie think that it was a Treacherie of Salome who to make me carrie my self the more excessivlie against you to the end of advancing my death had invented that device imagining with her self that my death would trouble me more then did that of Hircane and of my brother And that which made me the more believe it was so was that I saw him undertake to perswade me that I ought to be infinitle oblidged to you for that excess of love which you testified to me at that time adding also that he told me not the design but when you was readie to return and that so far from making a Misterious Secret he told it in presence of my Mother and before all my Women It is certain that as I ought also to know all from you I doubted the truth of what Joseph told me I thought being the Mother of your Children you was incapable of such barbarous thoughts And in effect without determinating the matter in my mind I waited your return I received you then with the same Melancholie that I have alwayies had since the death of Hireane and Aristobulus without testifying any more and observing all your actions I acknowledge that I ever doubted the truth of Josephs discourse The malice of his Wire made me also more suspicious and when I was speaking to you it is true I rather designed to informe my self of the thing then to reproach you For if 〈…〉 been true that I had a particular Affection for Joseph and that I had taken what he said as the pure effect of of his compassion to me I had sooner died then had spoken of it and that unfortunate man should have also lived Nevertheless
these same Executioners who put me to death will shed their blood or to speak better will make an end of shedding mine I alreadie see you unjust and cruel finishing so many Murders But do not hope to enjoy peaceablie the Fruits of such fatal Victories You seek a repose which you shall not find You shall be your own Accuser your Judge and your Hangman The Ghosts of so manie Kings as I am come of whom you have abused in my Person shall inviron you on all parts Those of Old Hircan and of Young Aristobolus shall disturbe all your Life You shall alwaies see your self covered with the Blood of your Children And the Image of Mariamne pursued by these Executioners who wait on her shall ever follow you foot by foot You shall alwaies see that whither awake or asleep which shall reproach you for her death You shall have Repentance in your heart Shame Confusion and Despare You shall wish for the death you give to others My Vertue shall appear then as pure as it is your Crimes shall seem as great as they are And perhaps you shall have the misfortune to repent without amending And I doubt not but after you have violated all Rights Divine and Humane some will do the same to your self Yes I already see the eldest of your Children for mine will never be capable of it desirous to give you that poison which you accuse me unjustlie of I see I say all the Administratores of your fury become your most cruel Enemies Salome Pherâ—â—â— and Antipater shall be most violentlie obnoxious to you I see you hated of all People detested of all Princes execrable to Posteritie and perhaps you shall become then so odious to your self that after you have shed all the blood of your Race Despair shall put â— Dagger in your hand to deliver the World from so dangerous an Enemie But it may also be that your cause make an end when you would and your shall have the misfortune to indure in this life the punishments that are prepared for you in an other Behold unjust and cruel Herâ—â—â— the Prophesie which the unhappie Mariamne dying unjustlie makes of you who in this 〈◊〉 last day lookes upon you rather as a Subject revolted â—â— as her Tygrant then either as her King or Husband THE EFFECT OF THIS DISCOURSE This afflicted and generous Beauty obtained what she desired from her Husband and from Posterity For the first gave her death and the other hath preserved her glorie I shall think mine great if after so many Ages I could also contribute something to hers and if my Meditations were not thought unworthie of her I would say more if the Author of the holy Court had not said all But as he was too carefull to leave any thing is so Noble a Field I am too Vain to appear unprofitably there after him It suffices that I behold his Triumph without lying me to his chariot and I Love better to quit my Armes then to see him amidst his Trophies CLEOPATRA TO MARK-ANTHONIE THE THIRD HARRANGUE ARGUMENT AFter the losse of the Battle of Actium Occasioned by Cleopatras flight which was followed by that of Anthonie Herhad some opinion that she would Betray him and testisled his Resentments to her But that Lovely and Just Egyptian who desired to take away from him any impression that could be disadvant agious to her Did thus speak to him in behalf of her innocenoie I have surely established these words which I put in the mouth of that Queen upon the Conjectures of Historie And according to my sense see what she could say at that time so that Irritated Lover CLEOPATRA TO MARK-ANTHONIE IS it true then that Anthonie could suspect Cleopatra to have favoured his Enemie that he could think she would with her own hand pluck the Crown from him which Victorie was putting upon his head And to say all in one word that he believed she had betrayed him Ah if it be so and if by my Discourse I cannotremit reason in your Soul by giving it other thoughts of my fidelitie I desire no more life and death is the end of my wishes No Anthonie if I be dead in your heart I will live no longer in the World And perhaps my death will let you see that I have not desired yours But I pray you tell me O Illustrious Emperour what way by what liberalities or by what hopes could Octavius corrupt my fidelitie This surelie cannot be a new Passion that hath surprised my heart in conquering his Since we are equallie unknown to other This could not be so by presents for what could I receive from him which I have not received from you who has given me whole Kingdoms and made me reign over the most part of Asia but if it were true that I could have resolved to leave you and follow his partie what securitie could I have taken from his words where are the pedges he has sent me in assurance of our Treatit What places hath he rendered to me Why Anthonie could I have trusted my self to Cesars word he who is Octaviâ—â— brother He who publicklie deelared War against 〈◊〉 in Rome and who did know me much better 〈◊〉 the name of that Aegyptian more famous said he by her Enchantments then by her beautie then not by that of Cleopatra Why Anthonie could I have been assured of him By that Cleopatra should have loaded her self with Chains she should have with her own hands tied her armes to the Triumphing Chariot of her Enemie and which is also worse Anthonies Enemie And by an imprudence and ungratitude which never had example she should have betrayed a man who betrayed his own glorie for love of her who hath made himself enenmy to his Country for her sake who hath abandoned Cesars sister rather then forsake her Who hath divided his power with her Who hath preferred her interests to those of the Roman Empire and who to say all hath absolutlie given her his heart Ah! My Anthonie all those things are unliklie And it almost suffices to see that I have not forgot my obligations to you to make me be thought innocent But if it be permitted me to add one other Reason I shall say that as none that is generous doth as easilie forget the good deeds of anie other so none loves to loss their own proprietie and seldom would we by injuries deform the good offices which we do to anie Bodie Consider then if it be possible pardon me for speaking so that after I had done all for you that I have done I my self would extinguish the remembrance of it in your Soul And of my own inclination infuse hatred in the heart whose Empire hath cost me so manie Vowes and so much Pains For if you Remember My dear Anthonie you was rather my conquest then I yours fame had given me a Picture of you which possessing me with admiration made me design to overcome in your person the Conqueror
those of Mausole But as I use them we shall be inseparable There is no Tyrrant can trouble my rest because none â—an divide me from my dear lord Behold Socrates what I will have you say of me But for my dear lord forget nothing that may be Glorious to him nor any thing that was Effectually in him Tell that he was feared of his Enemies beloved of his Subjects and in Veneration among the Princes his Neighbours Speak of the great qualities of his Soul as well as of the favours he received from Nature Praise his Valior in War his Sweetness in peace and his Equity and Meekto all the World In fine from the Idea of an accomplished Prince and you shall make the true Picture of Mausole Yet after you have said all things of this Noble Husband Speak zealously of the love he had for me and of that which I had alwayes for him â—aint this passion as strong as pure and as faithfull as it is undeceive these who believe that Crym is the nourisher of Love and who thinks that a Lawfull passion can be neither fervent long or agreeable Let them see that Mausole and I give an exemple which destroyes their Experience and all their Reasons Because as our Love had alwayes much Innocency it did not forbear to have great Zeal in lasting even to death and being infinitly agreeable to us Speak then with the Elogie of that holie Tie which forces two Vertuous Persons to Love each Other Eternally And if possible make haste to satisfie me Employ also your Eloquence toperswade them who work at the Tomb of Mausole to make as great dispatch as they possiblie can in advancing their work for mine begins to be finished The few ashes that remain of my dear Mausole will be quickly consumed and that once done I have no more to do in the World all that is on the Earth can no more touch my Spirit I am insensible of all things but grief and the only desires of my Soul are to be Re-united to my dear Mausole and to know certainly that you take care of his Glorie your own should oblidge you to this compassion should carrie you forward in it and if it be permitted to propose other recompences to Philosophers then the sole desire of well doing consider what the expences are that I am at for Building of this Magnificent Tomb and judge from thence that she who spends so much of her Treasures upon dumb Marbles will not be ingrate when you speak to the Glory of her dear Mausole But whatsoever diligence you make to satisfie me nor the Architectures nor you shall so soon make an end of your work as I shall finish mine and if I be not mistaken I shall dyâ— soon enough to permit you to Illustrat the Panegorâ—â— of Mausole with the death of his Arteâ—â—isa THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THis Vertuous QUEEN obtained her wish Socrates and Theopompus did speak of her dear Mausole but in so advant ageous terms that some-have acoused them of flatterie for her Money As for her it was not without reason that she pressed the Builders for this Sumptuous Monument was scarce finished before she had her Place in it They who did begin this Mervellous work left it not unfinished It was of a long time one of the wonders of the World and Her Glory which had more sollid foundations then it continuous yet in the Memory of Men with that of Mausole and the Illustruous Artemisa MARIAMNE TO HEROD THE SECOND HARRANGUE ARGUMENT FEw are Ignorant that Herod put his Wife to death but all do not know what She said in her defence the two Historians who writ of her One was not in her time and the other was a Flatterer of Her Husband So that it belongs to us to try the Truth in the Ignorance of the one Malice of the other for me I acknowledge I am ranked in Mariamnes party and whither it be by Pittie or Reason whither I say her beauty hath blinded or her Innocency made me clear sighted I cannot believe that a Princess descended from the Macabees Illustrous Bloud had put a blemish on her Reputation But I will rather love to believe that Herod was still Herod I would say an unjust and bloody man Behold then the Apologie of this unfortunat Beauty who hath more Excellencie in her mouth then is in mine Hear her then speak I Conjure you and remark in her Noble Pride the true Caralter of Maâ—iamnes Humor MARIAMNE TO HEROD IT is neither fear of death nor desire of life that makes me speak to day and were I but assure that posterity would do me justice when I shall be no more I my self would help my Accusers and Enemies I would look upon the last of my dayes as the first of my happinesse and would wait the hour of my Death with so great Constancie that it should render these who Persecute me confused But since they would as much against my vertue as my life it were great Coward liness to indure a Calumny without repelling it Innocencie and Glory are two such precious Jewels that all things should be done to preserve them Suffer then my lord if it be suitable for the Grand-Daughter of Hircane to call you so that to let you see the purity of my Soul I recall to your Memorie what you are and what I am to the end that Comparing my past Actions with the Accusations which are now made against me you may some way prepare your Spirit to believe these truths which I ought to tell it Doubtless you have not forgot that I am come of that famous Race which for many Ages by past hath given Kings to Judea That all my Predecessores did Justly hold that Scepter which you have that by their Birth right they carried the Crown which Fortune hath put upon your Head and that if things had been according to ordinar Order so far from being my Judge I might have reckoned you in the Number of my Subjects and lawfullie taken that power of you which you Usurpe over me However as this high birth oblidged me to a not common Vertue Hircane did no sooner command me to be your Wife knowing thâ—â— obedience I owed him without considering the in-equality that was betwixt us I received you for my husband and although that my inclinations thanks to Heaven were quit contrate to yours you know in what manner I have lived with you and if you had need to expect more Complacency and more Testimony of Affection from me when your very Alliance was as Honourable to me as mine was Glorious to you Since that my lord even to the death of Hircan what have I done what have I said what have I thought against you Nothing but that I could not rejoyce in your Victories because they were fatall to my Relations and again because I had a heart as great as the Nobleness of my Birth I could not step upon the Thâ— one of
cause of his Misfortune That I have loaded him with Irones that I made him friend to Carthage and Romes enemie Yes Generous Massinissa I avouch all these things And if I could rob the Romans of You I would esteem my self happie And believe that my death should be trulie worthie the Daughter of Hasdruball Pardon me my dear Massinissa for speakieg so boldlie to You. But since this is the last time perhaps that I shall ever see You I shall joyfullie tell You what have alwaies been my sentiments To the end that by the knowledge I shall give You of that aversion which I ever had to bondage You may be the more easilie induced to think of my Libertie How soon I had opened my eies to the light the first thing I learned was that there Were a People who without anle right but what the strong imposes upon the weak would make themselves Masters of all others And while my infancie lasted I heard no discourse but of the Roman Triumphs Of Kings whom they had chained Of famous Captives which they had made Of the Miseries of these unfortunate men And of all the things that are done in those fatal Spectales where the Romans pride makes up the Noblest fruit of the Victorie Those images were so earlie Imprinted in my mind that nothing could ever banish them thence Since I became more Reasonable by age I have had more Aversion for that Roman Eagle which sees nothing but the rapines it makes And which flies not above the heads of Kings but to take off their Crowns Perhaps it will be said to me that the Romans give so manie Kingdoms as they Usurpe And that they make as manie Kings as they 〈◊〉 to their Chariot But my dear Massinissa if you will rightlie Consider the business You wil find that they give no Scepters but to have the more famous slaves And that if they put Crowns upon their Vassals heads it is but to have the pleasure of seeing them laid at their feet because that by their orders they will have hommage payed to them Vanitie is the Soul of that Nation It is its onlie work It is but for it that it makes Conquests Usurpes Kingdomes Desolates all the World And unsatisfied in being absolutlie Mistris of all that great Part of the Universe which is of its Continent Passes the Seas to come and Disturb our Repose For if onlie a desire of augmenting its Confines and encreassing its riches caused it make War it would be content to overturn Thrones and putting them to death who Lawfullie Possessed them But because pride is their cheif instigator A simple Citizen of Rome must for his Glorie and for the Peoples divertisement Drag Kings chained after his Triumphing Chariot O Gods Is it possible that Conqueros can be so inhumane Is it possible to find Conquered Kings so cowardlie to endure such cruell Usage Yes without doubt and too manie examples of this kind have made it known that all Princes are not Generous Nevertheless it is certain that Irons and Crowns Scepters and Chains are things which should never be seen together A Chaire drawn by Elephants should not be followed by Kings And by Kings tied like Criminall with whom no signs of Royaltie are left but to signalise their shame and the Glorie of their Conqueror But what Glorie can he have who Triumphs in this sort For if these whom he has overcome are baise as there is great appearance because they live It is no just Subject of vanitie to have outbraved them And if these unfortunate men testified courage in their defaite It is great inhumanitie in him who treats thus Princes who have done nothing but defend their Crowns Their Countrie Their Wifes Their Children Their Subjects And their Domestick-Gods But if for the Glorie of their Conquerors and for the Pleasure of the People they would have Triumphs It would be more Glorious for them to cause carrie the Enemies armes whom they have killed with their own hands then to have themselves followed by Kings whom they have not fought Chariots filled with broken armes Bucklers Launces Javelins and Standards taken from the Enemies Would make a show less Lamentable and more agreeable to the eies of the People But Gods Is it possible that Kings are destined for such infamie That these same People who have Combates of Gladiators and of wild Beasts given them for their divertisement Should also be the cause of such fatall Ceremonie And extract their pleasure from the ignominie and misfortune of Kings That it should be that they who delight in seeing four thousand men by a horrid brutalitie kill one another in one day And who find their happiness in seeing Tigers and Lyons devour each other Is it possible I say that Kings opressed with Irons should be draged for these same People For me my dear Massinissa I find something so strange in this sort of Triumph that I doubt if it be more disgracefull to the Conquered then to the Victorious and in my particular I know verie well that I shall neither do the one nor the other Judge then my dear Massinissa if a person who would not enter Rome in a Triumphing Chariot followed by a hunder chained Kings Could resolve to follow with Irons that of the proud Scipio No Sophonisbas Soul is too great for that If I were but a Carthaginean I shall never be capable of it If I were but Hasdrubals daughter I shal never resolve to do it If I were but the Wife of the unfortunate Siphax it is a weakness that shal never come in my mind And If I were but the slave of the Illustrious Massinissa I shall not follow anie other Conquerour But being both together a Carthaginean Hasdruballs daughters Wife to Siphax and Massinissa and Queen of two great Kingdoms Scipio needs not think to make Triumph of Sophonisba No Generous Massinissa if the chains they would give me were of Diamonds And all the Irons Glister with Gold and precious Stones And if they would assure me that I should be immediatlie restored to the Throne how soon I were untied from the Triumphant Chariot I would choose death in prejudice of Royalltie And if my hand should once carrie Irons I should no more think it worthie to carrie a Scepter In fine I have so strong an aversion for slaverie and bondage and my Spirit is so delicate in such matters that if I thought Scipio would cause carrie my Picture in Triumph I would pray you to put all the Limners of Numidea to death But no I condemn my self for that thought For if the insensible Scipio does carrie my Image in his entering into Rome he shall rather publish my Glorie then his own It will be seen that I could die when I could live no longer with honour And that a Feminine courage surpassed the Roman Vanitie I doubt not Generous Massinissa if you do not with all your force oppose Scipios severitie but that you will be compelled to
give me death for acquitting you of your promise For besides the publick interest there is also his own particular He Remembers that his Father and Unckle are formerlie dead in Africa He looks upon me as a fit victime to appease their Ghosts And Joyning together in his heart Romes Glorie and his own vengeance it is not to be believed that Hasdruballs Daughter shall obtain her Libertie Yet Generous Massinissa I think it will be verie unjust if in the same day wherein you Re-take the Crown of Numidea your Wife should be tied to a Triumphing Chariot It is me thinks to make you at once a King and a Slave Because if what you have said to me be true that my sorrow and tears added to the little beautie I have hath touched your heart and forced you to love me as much as your self This will be a Triumphing over you as well as me Consider well Massinissa If you can be my Spectator that day Or if you will not think me unworthie of having done me the honor to Marrie me if I should be capable of disgracing you so much But do not fear that I shall expose you to such sorrow If Scipio be inexorable and you keep your promise to me my death shall vindicat what choise you have made How ever before we have recourse to this last extreamitie do all you can to move the heart of that insensible Creature Tell him I have whollie rendered my self to you That of all the bootie which your Valour hath acquired to the Romans You ask onlie one slave from them But if his unjustice would oblidge you to deliver her into his hands as if you were the meanest Souldier of his Legions Tell him then that this slave is your Wife And that she cannot be made Triumph of without Triumphing over you And that the Blood which you have lost in the service of the Reipublick deserves their giving you Permission to let her live in Freedom Let him know that you have found her in your Kingdom in your Palace and upon your Throne That in Reason she belongs to you And cannot be taken from you without injustice But if these weightie Reasons prevaill not pray him tenderlie And if at last you cannot make him flexible Remember your promise and fail not to keep it I perceive by your eies my dear Massinissa that it will grieve you to present me with such a lamentable gift I well see I say that it will trouble you to send poison to her to whom you have given a Diadem your heart and libertie I know that it is a rigid thought and that it will be a doolefull sight to you to see those same Torches which gave light at my Marriage must burn at my Funeralls And that the same hand which you gave me in pledge of your faith must be that which must open my Tomb But in fine all those things shall be more supportable to you if you be Generous as I believe you are then to see me chained They who say that true Generositie consists in undergoing fatall accidents with constancie And that abandoning life for eviting misfortune is according to their opinion a yeelding the Victorie to Fortune These People I say knows not what is the true Glorie of Princes This thought is good for Philosophers but not for Kings whose whole Actions should be Heroick Patterns of Valour But if quitting of life be allowed which I doubt not it must assuredlie be to shune the infamie of being led in Triumph It is a great unhappiness to a King to have his Subjects revolt But if he should then think of dying I would esteem him baise Because he may fight and punish them It is a great misfortune for a Prince to loss a Battle But because it is often seen that they who are conquered to day may be Victorious to morrow He must stand firme and not abandon himself to despair In fine all misfortunes that can have an honorable remedie should not make us have recourse to the Tomb But when all things are lost there remains no more for our choise but enains or death We must break the cords of life to escape those of bondage Behold my dear Massinissa all I had to say to you Remember it then I conjure you And do not Listen so much to what Scipio will say to you as not to Remember your promise and the discourse which I have made to you It is if I be not deceived so just and rationall that you cannot dissaprove of it Go then my dear and well beloved Massinissa go fight for my libertie and your Glorie against the insensible Scipio Ask him Venerablie if after he was not willing to see the fair prisoners he hath made in his new conquests why he should desire to see a Woman tied to his Chariot whose looks had power to conquer Massinissa Let him fear that I become not his conquerour in stead of his desiring to be mine And that at least the austere Vertue which he professes should serve to hinder his desires of Triumphing over me You may well perceive my dear Massinissa that my mind is not troubled and that I speak to you with abundance of tranquillitie And I do also assure you that in the condition I find my self there is nothing I regrate but my being constrained to be so soon separated from you Doubtless this is the onlie thing can touch my heart For having seen my Countrie desolated Siphax prisoner The Crown fallen from off my head And what is yet worse Sophonisba readie to be Scipios Captive After I say all those things My Tomb shall be a refuge and resting place to me if I could enter there without abandoning you But I have this comfort in my miserie that having ever had an Irreconcilable hatred to the Romans Tirranie I have at least this advantage to have been the captive of a Numidean and not of a Roman But also of a Numidean who is my Husband and Liberator And whose slave I no sooner was but I was absolute Mistris of his Soul Go then my dear Massinissa and faill not to keep your promise to the unhappie Sophonisba Who will with much impatience expect Libertie or Poison THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THis beautifull and deplorable Queen obtained her desire because Massinissa obtained nothing from Scipio He sent death to her because he could not preserve her Libertie free from danger And this Sluggard preferred his interest and the Romans Friendship to the life of that Generous Person I should have patientlie endured his losing of it to have preserved his Glorie if he could do it no other way But that this Gallant man should have lived eightie years after such a loss and still freind to the Romans Is that which hath made me Chollerick against him every time I see this accident in Historie And which also makes me Silent because if I had writ more I must have reproached him Pittie Sophonisba with me my dear
Reader and because I endeavour to divect you be at least so complacent as not to approve of the action of the insensible and too wise Massinissa ZENOBIA TO HER DAUGHTERS THE SIXTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT THis Discourse and the Precedent lets us clearly see that all things have two Faces And that we may arrive at the same end by different wayes I mean at Vertue Sophonisba would die the Valiant Zenobia would live And both would live and die by Principels of Generositie The one beholds Libertie as the Chief good The other believes that Chief good consists in Soveraign Wisdom The one could not indure the Idea of a Chariot because she believed it Ignominious to its Followers The other followed the Chariot without trouble because she thought nothing shamefull but crime The one beheld a Conquerors Triumph with dispair as a mightie disgrace The other considered it with disdain as a chance of Fortune The one died the other lived The one searched Glorie where the other believed it Infamie However as I have said the one and the other had a Vertuous Subject So true is it that all things have diverse Faces according to the byass they are regarded You have heard the Reasons of the one hear also the other and then judge of both ZENOBIA TO HER DAUGHTERS IT is now a long time dear unfortunat Princesses that I have seen your tears trickle in vain My Constancie hath to no purpose taught you that Heroick Spirits can endur great sorrows without despaire The Idea of the Throne which you have lost and of the chariot which you have followed being alwaies fresh in your memorie makes my example Fruitless And all the days of your life renew your affliction You still carrie in your hearts the Irons which you had on your hands that cursed day wherein you entred Rome And without losing anie of that Noble pride which Illustrious Birth inspires in them who are born with that advantage Aurellian Triumphs yet over you everie time you call to minde his Triumph I am verie sorrie O my Daughters that having made you partakers of my disgraces I cannot give you constancie necessar to support them Yet it s the onlie heritage I can leave you a dying and I do most affectionatlie wish that that Vertue may pass from my heart into yours To the end that being unable to live as Queens you may at least reign over your selves If through excess of misfortune anie could with Reason despaire it is certain Zenobia may do it For as she has had more Glorie then anie of her sex could ever obtain So her misfortunes have been more deplorable then any was ever heard of You know that on my side you may reckon the Ptolomees Kings of Aegypt for your fore Fathers and that I am come of the Illustrious Blood of Cleopatra But alace It may be said that the Triumphant Chariot which Augustus appointed for her is come to me by right of succession And that I have onlie followed what was prepared for her Yet Fortune hath treated me with greater inhumanitie For you are not ignorant that I followed a chariot which I thought I led and which I had caused do with design to make Triumph of him who Triumphed over me You also know that the beginning of my life was full of happiness The Valiant Odenat your Father and my dear Lord After he had given me the Crown of Palmiranea would also make me partaker of his Glorious conquests And I can say without vanitie and without wronging that Heros that if he gave to Zenobia the Crown which she carried She did also with her own hand add leaves of Laurell to that which Victorie had put upon his head Yes my Daughters I can say without offending the memorie of Odenat that we together conquered all the East And being encouraged by just resentments we did undertake to revenge upon the Persians the indignities they made the Emperour Valerian suffer whom Sapor keeped prisoner When in the interim the infamous Galienus his Son abandoned himself to all sorts of delight Yet Odenat did not forebear to send him all the prisoners we made in that War We took the best places in Mesopotamia Carres and Nisibea rendered to my dear Lord And pursueing the Victorie we routed at Ctesiphont an innumerable multitude of Persians We made manie Satrapps prisoners their King also fled away And continuing almost whollie Victorious in all our Encounters Renown made such Proclamations of Odenates Valour that Galienus in fine roused himself Then stimulated by fear rather then gratitude he made him Colleague in the Empire And to give him also more honour you know he caused Medalles be made wherein my dear Odenat dragged the Persians captives ever till then I had felicitie Victorie and Fortune equallie favoured me But alace And must I say it When my dear Odenat was assasined with the eldest of my Children I past from one extreamitie to an other And became as miserable as I had been happie Then was it my Daughters that I had need of all my Vertue to endure that misfortune And certainlie Odenates death is that which hath made the loss of my freedom the less rude I had more trouble to follow my dear Lord to the Tomb then I had to follow Aurelians chariot And his lamentable Pompe made me shed mere tears then did all the Magnificence of the Triumph was made of me But though my grief was excessive I spent not too long time in weeping I thought of preserving the Empire for my Children and of washing of the Blood which he shed with that of his enemies And as it might have been said that Valor was the Soul of that Heros I made vows to pass my Life time in gathering Palms to put upon his Tomb That it might be one day said my hand alone had revenged his death Preserved the Empire for his Children And Elevated a Trophie to his Glorie I believed I say that it was more worthie to hang above his Coffine the spoils of these enemies I should conquer then to drown his Ashes with my tears And being this resolved I took armes in one hand and the reins of the Empire in the other I was alwaies of the opinion my Daughters that all Vertues could not be incompatible That it was not impossible for one Person to possess them all That those of men might be Practised by Women That true Vertue affects no Sex That one may be both chaste and Valiant testifie great courage at one time and humilitie at an other Be severe and meek at severall Occasions Command and obey Know how to carrie Irons and a Crown with the same countenance It is by this consideration my Daughters that I have done things so appearentlie different though I have ever been what I am to day But to recount all my life to you you know that death which robbed me of my dear Odenat did not take the happiness of his armes from me On the contrate I
Valor to the oppressed Reipublick Nevertheless after he had done all these things these cowardlie and insensible People exiled him for whom they should have erected atues in all their publick places Yet this great ungratitude wearied not the vertue of Brutus you know O wise Volumnius All that he has done for his Countrey Nor do I tell it to make you learn But to employ that little life that remains in me to speak of his Heroick Actions and to conjure you to make them known to Posteritie Remember then Volumnius that though all the Romans were ungrate to him he desisted not to do all things for them And when these Sluggards in place of one Tyrran had suffered three He had more compassion for them then resentment of their ungratitude And without thinking of his own Preservation what did he not to make them happie Maugre what they had been But these enemies of Vertue are so well accustomed to slaverie that they hoard up their chaines as their deâ—â—est Treasures And all along after that Brutus had broken them they themselves renewed them with care And Rome which manie ages by-past commanded all the Earth now voluntarlie submits to Tyrranie O Cato O Brutus Who could ever have thought it And who could believe that the gods would protect crime and oppress innocence Yet I plainlie see what it is that provockes Heaven to pâ—mish us The death of Brutus is Romes chastisement and the greatest unhappiness that can ever besail it And certainlie it is for Romes punishment that the gods permitted him to end his dayes For Brutus his pains are his reward The Romans ungratitude contributes to his Glorie And his verie death doth so Illustrate his life that it is almost a shame for me to weep Moreover I assure you that I have weeped more for his absence then death I then looked upon my 〈◊〉 as being unlimited And my Soul being ballanced between hope and fear I solaced my self with weeping But to day when I have no more to loss and when I see an infallible way of ending my miserie My Soul is more tranquill And though my grief be greater then anie was ever felt I endure it with less impatience Because I know it shall be quicklie finished Do not then tell me that I ought to live for preserving the memorie of Brutus The action he did is so Heroick and Noble that it shall ever be remembered by all men He shall alwaies be regarded as the first and last of the Romans And the Tyrrans who shall reign after this we have now shall likewaies serve to preserve a Glorious remembrance of him So long as there shall be Kings seen in Rome it will be remembered that the Old Brutus chased them and that the last died in saving that libertie which the first had acquired For I doubt not but Rome shall be continuallie in slaverie Being undoubtable that if its freedom could have been recovered Brutus would have restored it But since he could not do it he had at least the Glorie of dying without being a slave Think it not strange then that being Daughter and Wife to two men who were even free to death I would partake of that Glorie with them And yet to speak truelie Brutus shall not be altogether at libertie If I were so base as to live a Captive There will be somewhat wanting to his Glorie if I forget mine The affection that he had alwayes to me makes our interests unseparable I was of the conspiracie because I knew it before it was executed It is but just then that I should follow Brutus his destinie And know Volumnius that she whose minde was resoluâ—e enough to stab her self with a Proigniard to endure and suppress the smart thereby to testifie to her husband that she could conceall a secret Will not easilie change her resolution of dying The images of Cato and of my dear Brutus do so fill my spirit that I see no other thing And me thinks their death is so worthie of envie that I took upon it as the cheifest good can ever befall me Remember Volumnius that the true zeall of Vertue consists in the desires of imitating it For they who praise Vertuous People without traceing them so much as they can deserves blame raither then praise because they know the good and do not follow it Cato is dead with this advantage to have had it said by Cesar that he envied his death because it deprived him of the Glorie of his Pardon And I wish that Octavius may envie Brutus for having chosen a Wife abundantlie couragious to follow him to the Tomb. It is there we shall enjoy a libertie which we can nomore loss While the Romans shall groan under the weight of their Irons But a day will come when the name of Brutus shall be in veneration among them When they shall desire that good which they refused And when the blood of Cato and Brutus shall confound and make them blush Yes these Roman Citizens who saw themselves Masters of the Earth Who had Kings for their Subjects whose Glorie was without tashe and whose power had no Authoritie above it but that of the Gods shall become infamous slaves And their Bondage shall be so rigid that they shall not be Masters of their own will They shall take from the Tyrrans all their vices And Rome which was a Seminarie of Vertue shall be a receptacle of vile Adulatores O Heavens That the Inclinatons of such mightie People should be thus altered in an instant All these millions of men who fought on the plains of Pharsalia under Pompeyes coulors were they all killed in that battle Or have they lost their hearts in losing it All these Kings who hold their Crowns of the Senats authoritie are they all ungrate And is there none who could suffer Brutus to unburthen them of their chains The desire of freedom which is so strong among all the creatures who live upon the Earth is it extinguished among men And is the bloud of a dead Tyrran so dear to the Romans that to honor his memorie and to wear mourning they must load themselves with chains all their life Yes all the Roman Legiones have lost their hearts All the Kings own Vassals are readie to lay their Crowns at their Tyrrans feet All the Romans do preferr servitude to libertie Cesars Ashes are in veneration among them And for their last misfortune Brutus hath abandoned them However do not think Volumnius that he desired to forsake me It is true when we parted in the Citie of Elea he would not let me go with him although I did all things possible for it Because said he the journey would be verie troublesome to me And because I might be of more profit to him at Rome Then in this armie But at that time it was not so I know Brutus minded me a dying He expects me in the place where he is And he doubts not but Porcia remembers that the Illustrious
said that love was a shamfull passion when its object was honest On the contrare I thought it a sign of great Spirits because all the Horces of antiquitie were capable of it I thought I say that when this passion reignes in a Generous Soul it inspires it with new desires of acquireing Glorie Nevertheless I plainlie see that this is not the Emperours nor the Senates opinion And that I am deceived in my conjectures Had you chosen for the object of your love a person absolutlie unworthie of you their complaints should be more tollerable and I should merit the treatment I receive if I had in fused any baise or shamefull thought in the Soul of Titus but if I be not mistaken they cannot reproach you of having made an Alliance too unequall Alexander thought that he did nothing against his own Glorie when he Married Roxana though she was both a Captive and Stranger And that error which love caused him commit hindered not the noise of his Victories from coming to us Nor his being ranked among the most Illustrious Heroes The fault which you are reproached off hath nothing comparable to that For in fine you know I am Mariamnes grand-Daughter I have all the ancient Kings of Judea for my Predecessors and I my self do carrie a Crown which me thinks should oblidge the Senat not to treate me so cruellie Yes Titus Palestina hath had Heroes as well as Rome The Jonathanes the Davids the Solomons from whom I am come have perhaps done as brave actions as the Romules the Numa Pompiliuses or the Cesares And the Noble and Rich spoils which you took in the Temple of Jerusalem and wherewith you adorned your Triumph makes Rome too much see the Grandure and magnificence of my Fathers If I were of a blood that were enemie to the Reipublick as formerlie Sophonisba Hasdruballs Daughter was I would say that they had reason to fear that after having conquered the Generous Titus I would make my Victorie fatall to the Senate And at last cause him do actions contrare to his Authoritie But I am of a Race accustomed to receive Crowns from the Roman Emperours The great Agrippa my Father did hold the Kingdom of Lisania of Cajus his liberalitie as well as that of Chalsis whose Scepter I carrie this day The second Agrippa my Brother received the same favour from the Emperour your Father And his death made it sufficientlie known that he was not ungrate It was in your presence he lost his life having a desire to oblidge the inhabitants of Gamalia to render themselves and acknowledge Vespasians authoritie However to comfort me for his death they banish me like a Criminall They say I would overthrow the Empire And scarce can they find a corner of the Earth fart enough from Rome wherein to send me in exile Yet you know O my dear Lord that I have committed no other fault but the receiving the honor which you have done to me by giving me the Glorious Tittle of your Wife the innocent conquest that my eves made of your heart is that which makes me culpable The Romans would have you be their Captive and not mine They would I say dispose of your love and hatred as they please And choose a Wife for you according to their fancie and not according to your inclinations Moreover my dear Lord I know my tears may be suspected by them who know me not They of my enemies who will see my grief doubtless will say that I regrate the Empire as much as Titus And that Ambition hath a greater share of my Soul then Love But if you truelie love me as much as you have told me You will judge my thoughts by your own And You shall certainlie know that your person onlie causes all my sorrow as it did all my felicitie No Titus the Roman Magnificence hath not transported me The Throne which You expect Contributed nothing to the affection I have for You And the Vertues of your Soul and the love which You testified to me were the onlie things I considered when I did resolve to love You. Take then when You please a Person with whom You shall divide the Soveraign Power You shall one day have without thinking I wish her anie harme But for favours sake never divide the heart where You made me reign It is an Empire which belongs to me and which You cannot take from me without injustice You cannot my dear Titus accuse me of asking too much Because I demand nothing but what you gave me No more can you say that this heart is not in your power That Vespasian holds it in his hands That the Senate disposes of it And in fine that you are not its Master All slaves though as stronglie fettered with chains as they possiblie can enjoy this priviledge They love and hate what seems good to them And their will is as free in the Irons as if they were on the Throne Since it is so you must certainlie enjoy the same freedom and shall not resuse me the favour I ask from you You may get a Wife for the Illustrious Titus to content the Capricoes of the People But you must not give a Rivall to Berinicea She must be single in your Soul as you are in hers And though she be separated from you yet she shall ever be present in your minde If it be so I shall patientlie endure my exille But Gods can I think never to see you again No Titus it is absolutlie impossible for me my fate is inseparable from yours and though Vespasiane and the Senates authoritie doe all they can I must not quit you It would be imbecillity to abandone you you might reproachfullie say to me that fear of being male-treated made me too ready to obey the order I received for going out of Rome and in fine you might accuse me of little love But no I will contradict that thought It would be ingratitude to use it so Berinicea must not cost you the Empire Preserve it then and let her depart It is enough to her that you complain And that when you are arrived to the Crown you then call to mynd that the possession which you shall have did cost you Berinicea Truelie Titus there is some strange thing in our adventure For it should be the least thing to think that these same people who alreadie prepare themselves to acknowledge you for Master of all the Earth would be Law givers to you in an affaire of such importance to you and of so little to them And that these same persons over whom you shall have an absolute power to dispose of their fortunes and lives May not suffer you to love me Am I Wife or enemie of all the Romans Have they jealousie or hatred to me Fear they that I will prevaill with you to rebuild the walls of Jernfalem Have I interprised any thing against the common good or have I offended any of them in particular No Titus I have
not have you oppose the Emperor I will not have you acquire the Senats hatred I will not have you irritate the People against you I will not have you endeavour to make the Legions Rebel I will not have you refuse the fair Arricidea who I know is appointed for you I will not I say have you lose the Empire for love of me On the contrare I counsel and conjure you to obey the Emperor to follow the Senats advice to content the humours of the people to keep your legiones to make new conquests to receive on the Throne the too happy Arricidea and preserve the Empire which Fate promises and birth gives you But when to my prejudice you have satisfied all the World be so just as to remember that Berenicea should by your only passion If I obtain this favour from you I shall depart with some pleasure Maugre all my sorrows so far from making imprecationes against my Enemies I shall make Vowes for their felicity as I shall doe for your preservation May you then O Titus gain so many Victories as you give Battles May you Reign over your people with as much Authority as clemency May you be feared of all the Earth May you have so much Glorie 〈◊〉 you merit May your Reign be as happy as I am unfortunate In fine may you doe so many brave actions both by your excellent Vallour and rare goodness That by consent of all Nations you may one day be called The love and delight of mankind THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THese wishes were too passionate no to be èxâ—â—ushed Titus Was as great and as much beloved as Berenicia did wish And if the since of Historie deceive me not she was his last passion according to her desires So that it may be said that she obtained all that she asked though she parted from Râ—me and abandoned Titus PANTHEA TO CYRUS THE NINTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT PAnthea Queen of Susania being taken prisoner of War by the great Cyrus was favourablie treated in acknowledgement of which courtesie she obliedged Abdradates her Hushand to for sake the Lydeane partie and joyn his Armes with those of this invincible Conqueror But that mightie man of War to signalise his gratitude and courage asked permission from Cyrus to fight in the advance guards in the day of Battle That glorious favour being granted to him he did prodigious things and so little spared himself that he gained the Battle and loft his life His body was brought back all covered with wounds to â—he inconsolable Panthia And Cyrus having gone to comfort her or rather to hear a part of her affliction for a loss equal to them both this sorrowâ—â—ll Princess spoke to him in these words PANTHEA TO CYRUS YOu see O Great aâ—â— Generous Cyrus what the Victorie hath cost you Abdradates hath been the Victime which has made the Gods Propitious to you His Bloud hath dyed the Laurels which are wreathed about your head He is dead in Crowning of you And to speak trulie of the matter Cyrus and Panthea are rather the cause of his death then the Lydeans Valor Yes Cyrus your Generositie his gratitude and mine have put him in the deplorable condition that he is in You see him all covered with his own bloud and with that of your enemies The great manie wounds he hath received over all his bodie are certaine proof of what he gave to them who fought him His mightie Courage changed that of the Aegyptians into despair And that Illustrious hand which they have almost separated from his arm alace what an object to Panthea makes it sufficientlie seen that he quitted not his armes but by quitting his life He was seen Generous Cyrus fight with such Ardencie that it was said that the gaining of that Battle ought to put the Crown of the World upon his head He hath retributed the obligations I had from you with his person his blood and his life And in this manner O invincible Cyrus as I have told you alreadie your Generositie his Gratitude and mine have caused his death and my miserie However I do not accuse you I am too just to do that On the contrate I thank you kindlie for offering your assistance to comfor me I praise in you O Cyrus that Generous sentiment which makes your shed tears the verie day of your Victorie And which makes you greive more for the death of your freind then rejoice for the gaining of the Battle and defaiting all your enemies But after I have done your Vertue this justice suffer me without either accusing you or repenting me to complain of the rig our of my fate which owing the preservation of my honour to you would oblidge me my self to expose my dear Abdradates to a fight where multitudes made him Succumb It was onlie for the love of me that he abandoned Cresus forces For though he had just enough cause not to serve him the memorie of the dead King his Father who loved him dearlie made him not abandone the Son though less Vertuous But I no sooner made my obligations from you known to him then he freelie offered to acquitt me with you for so sensible an obligation Your fame had formerlie disposed his heart to consent to what I asked And having alreadie esteemed you infinitlie it was easie for him to love you In fine Cyrus you know he testified at that time great Gratitude to you and great love to me No said he to me Generous Panthea Abdradates cannot be your Protectors enemie He hath dried up your tears and I must spend my blood in his service he hath been carefull of your glorie and my Valour must increase his He hath lost a man whom he verie much loved by Protecting you I ought to repaire that loss And if it be possible not let it be perceived in the day of Battle that Araspes is not there Yes said he to me a loud I shall loss my life or I shall testifie to Cyrus that they who receive benefits as they ought are some times as generous as they who give them Wo is me Must I tell it I never gain-said this discourse And without apprehending any fatall Event from so Noble an Intention I praised his resolution and designe I thanked him for that which was to become the cause of my supream misfortune contributing to my own unhappiness I excited his courage to do thins which have caused his death to day And yet which will make him live Eternallie O cruell Remembrance O injustice of Fortune of all the Conquerours why should Abdradates onlie been overcome And having so profitably shed his blood for gaining of the Battle why should he almost have been the onlie one who enjoyed not the Fruits of the Victorie But it was not in this encounter alone that I contributed to my own Disaster So great was my blindness that I expected that fatall day like a day of Triumph My spirit was filled with nothing but hope My
alace can I tell it Yes Lucretia for your vindication and chastisement thou must to day be altogether thy accuser thy witness thy partie thy defender and thy judge Know then Collatinus that that Lucretia who did ever love her honor better then her life or yours Whose chastitie was alwayes without blemish The puritie of whose Soul is incorruptible Hath suffered in your place a base an infamous Person the son of a Tirran and a verie Tirran himself Yes Collatinus the perfidious Tarquin whom you called your friend when you brought him to me the first time that I had seen him and would to the Gods it had been the last day of my life That Traitor I say hath made Triumph of Lucretias chastity By despising his own Glorie he hath lessened yours by having absolutlie benighted mine Aud by a crueltie which never had example he hath reduced me to the most deplorable condition that Woman whose whole inclinations are Noble could ever see I perseive Generous Collatinus that my discourse astonishes you And that you are in pain to believe what I say Yet it is a certain truth I am witness and asociate of Lucretias crime Yes Collatinus though I am yet alive I am not innocent Yes my Father your daughter is guiltie for having survived her glorie Yes Brutus I merit the hatred of all my Neighbours And when I have commited no other crime but the giving love to a cruell Tirran who by the abuse he hath done to me hath altogether violated the Laws of men of friendshp offended the Roman People and despised the Gods It is enough to merit the hatred of all the World Wo is me Is it possible that Lucretia could inspire such base thoughts that her fatal beautie could kindle a flame which should be her own destruction And that her looks which were so innocent could give such criminall desires But what is thy wonder insensible that thou art Rather wonder that thou did not tear thy heart before thy great misfortune Then was the time Lucretia wherein you should have testified courage and the love that you had to Glorie You should have then died innocent Your life would have been spotless and without question the Gods would have â—een carefull of your reputation Butinfine the busifiess is not so I am unhappie unworthie to fee the right Unworthie of being Spurius Lucretius his Daughter Unworthie of being Collatinus his Wife And unworthie of being a Roman Now Collatinus I ask of you what punishment Lucretia deserves Deprive her of your affection Blot her our of your Remembrance Revenge the abuse that has been done to her onlie for love to your self and not out of love her Look upon her no more but as infamous And though her misfortune be extream deny her that compassion which is had of all that are miserable But nevertheless if it were permitted me after I have spoken against my self to say some what in my defence I would say Collatinus without contradicting truth That I have not obscured my Glorie but by having loved Glorie too well Tarquins cajolleries did not touch my heart His passion gave me none His presents did not at all suborn my fidelitie Nor love nor ambition brangled my Soul And if I desired to speak for my self I can onlie say that I loved my Reputation too much Yes Collatinus Lucretias crime was that she preferred fame to true Glorie When the insolent Tarquin came into my Chamber I being awaked saw a Poiginard in his hand And having brought it to my Throat to hinder my out-cries he began to speak of a passion he had for me The Gods knows what were then my thoughts And if death appeared terrible to me In that condition I equallie despised the praiers and threats of the Tyrran His demands and offers were equallie rejected Neither love nor fear had anie place in my Soul Death did not affright me And so far from apprehending I manie times desired it My Vertue had nothing to fight against at that time I was not pendulous to preser death to the Tyrrans love And I know no horrid pain which I would not have joyfullie endured to have preserved my honour But when my coustancie had wearied the Tirrans patience That he saw neither his praiers tears presents promises threats nor death it self could move my heart That Barbarian inspired by the furies said it I resisted his desires anie longer he would not onlie kill me But to make me infamous to Posteritie he would 〈◊〉 slave who accompanied him To the end that 〈…〉 him dead in my bed it should be thought that I 〈◊〉 forgot my honour for that slave and that he wing 〈…〉 zeal to you had punished us as being guiltie of that crime I avouch with shame that that discourse wrought on my Spirit what the certaintie of death could not do I lost strength and reason I yeelded to the Tirran And the fear of being thought infamous is the onlie thing that made me so No Collatinus I cannot endure that Lucretia should be accused to have failled in her honour That the memorie of it was eternallie blasted And thinking that she should be execrable to you hindered her from dying at that instant and makes her live till now I did all things to oppose the Tyrrans violences except killing my self I desired to live that I might preserve my Reputation and that I should not die unrevenged And a false image of true Glorie taking possession of my heart made me commit a crime which I feared to be accused of However the Gods are my witnesses that my Soul and desires are whollie pure my consent contributed nothing to that doolefull accident neither in the beginning progress nor end of it You know Generous Collatinus that when you brought the Tirran as your Friend I was not voluntarlie the cause of his unjust passion I scarce lifted up my eies to look upon him And that Illustrious Victorie which my Modestie gained to you that day should make you sufficientlie remember that I have not drawn upon my self the misfortune that is befallen me After that I did not see the treacherous Tarquin untill that dismall day wherein he made prise of Lucretia Vertue But what do I say Tirrans have no power over the will I am yet the same Lucretia who so much loved glorie Because it is certain that mine is altogether innocent The tears which flow from my eies are not the effects of my remorse I repent not for the fault I have committed but onlie that I died not before that of another We were two in the crime and but one Criminall And my conscience does check me of nothing but my having preferred my reputation and revenge to a Glorious death That which hath caused my misfortune is that I believed the Glorie of my death would not be known I doubted the equitie of the Gods at that time And without remembering that they do miracles when they please and that they are protectors of innocence
I have lived longer then I ought because I have survived my chastitie Think not Collatinus that I will diminish my crime to appease your furie I see in your eies more splen against Tarquin then hatred to Lucretia Doubtless you rather pittie then accuse me and all the former actions of my life assist to vindicate me in your heart And moreover as I have said alreadie though I am unwillinglie guiltie yet I consent that Collatinus do love me no more I speak not this to flatter you But onlie to carrie you the more ardentlie on to revenge Me thinks in vindicateing my self I make the Tirran the more odious The more innocent I appear the more guiltie he seems The more unhappie I am the more he deserves to be and the more tears I shed the more blood you should make him shed Behold Collatinus the cause of my discourse of my tears and of my life Let me not be said to have lived infamous to no purpose Think of revenge Generous Collatine consider what you are and what your enemie is or to speak better the publick enemie You are a Roman you are Vertuous you are Noble And if I dare also say so you are Lucretias husband But for him he is of a strange race he is the son and Grand-Son of Tyrrans The Proud Tarquin you know mounted not the Throne but by pulling a Vertuous Prince from it whose Daughter he married The Scepter which he holds cost the life of him who formerlie carried it And to secure himself in his dominions he has committed more crimes then he hath subjects Behold Collatinus who is the Father of my ravisher If I be not deceived his mother does not make him more considerable For in fine I cannot be live that the son of the infamous Tullia who dared to drive her Chariot over her Fathers bodie that she might arrive at the Throne she aspired to Had not so manie enemies at Rome as there are Vertuous men in it And more over the Vertue of Sextus Tarquinius did not deface the crimes of his predecessors The best action that he did was the betraying a great manie People who trusted in him Behold Collatinus what an enemie you sis go then go and assault him couragiouslie You shall no sooner speak of the abuse he hath done to me but you shall have all the Romans on your side It shall be both a Generall and Particular quarell to them They will be feared for their Wives Their Daughters And their Sisters They shall all look upon the treacherous Tarquin as their enemie And if their yet remain anie who will follow him they will certainly be cowardly esteminate whom it wil be no hard matter to overcome The Senate waits but a pretext to declare themself The People are wearie of carrieing chaines They will seek a hand to unbind them And the equitie of the gods shall favour your partie You shall see that the Tirrans verie Relations shall tear the Crown from off his head Yes I see Brutus listening to me with intention to revenge my abuse Doubtless he will follow you in such a generous design And if the confidence whsch I have of Heaven deceive me not I alreadie see the Proud Tarquin chased out of Rome His infamous Son die by some unknown hand And all bloodie fall in the dust For I doubt if the gods will suffer him to die by so Illustrious a hand as yours Yes Collatinus the Victorie is yours I alreadie see all his Souldiers revolt and all the Citizens mutiny Hatred to the Tirran and desire of libertie shall equallie press them And would to the gods that I may be the Victime to obtain from their goodness my countreys libertie Yes Collatine all the Souldiers who are in his camp who fight to day under his colours shall become worse enemies to him then they of Ardea whom he now besidges Go then and make my misfortune known over all And believe Collatine that you shall not publish my crime but onlie that of Tarquin And moreover I am verie certain not to hear what the People will say For having been my own accuser my witness my partie and my defender I must be also my judge and Executioner Yes Collatinus I must die Do not tell tell me then that because my inclinations are innocent I ought to live that I might have the pleasure of seeing how you revenge my injuries It is enough that you promise me And therefore I can sweetlie die But I can have no pleasure in life There is a Lucretia within me whom I cannot endure I must separate from her she is insupportable to me I cannot see her I cannot suffer her I owe herblood to the others justification and to the revenge which you will take When the Roman people shall see Lucretia killed by her own hand because she would not survive her misfortune They will the more easilie believe that a Woman who loved glorie better then life was not capable willinglie to loss it That last action shall justifie all mine The blood which I shall shed will beget Souldiers to you to help your punishing the Tirran And in this manner I my self shall assist to my revenge My tears shall doubtless have some effect And moreover though I am unhappie I dare believe that my death will trouble you Yes Collatinus Yes my Father you shall be sensible of my death And finding your selves oblidged both together to revenge the honor and life of your Wife and Daughter You shall be the more irritated against the Tirran Say not to me that my death is use-less or that it will be evillie explicated No they who judge sincerlie of affairs will not take it for the effect of my crime Remorse doth ordinarlie shed more tears then blood And if I be not mistaken death is the remedie of the generous or desperat Repentance is alwaies a sign of weakness And whosoever is capable of having it may live after they have fâ—â—lled I have the Authoritie of all ages for me Which lets it appear that almost everie day they who have emploied their hands against their own life do it onlie to dissapoint Fortunes crueltie To shun a shamofull death Or to hinder themselves from being slaves and not for their punishment When we have erred we are alwaies favorable judges to our selves And there are few people who condemn themselves to death Let none tell me then that the blood which I shall shed will rather blemish my life then deface what the Tirran hath done to it No Collatin my intention is too pure and the gods are too just to suffer all men to be unjust to me I die not through remorse or despair I die with reason I have told you what causes I have do not then oppose my design for you cannot hinder it Think of vengeance and not of my preservation Because the one may be glorious to you and the other will be unprofitable Further Lucretias example shall perswade
joy and would have come unto Rome to retake the bootie which the Roman Legins had for merlie taken from them In fine Lepidu He would have acted like a tyrran and usurper and not like a citizen I do avouch that Cesar desired to reign but it was in the Romans hearts and not in Rome He did them everie day new favours He considered onlie their felicity and their glory And in the verie time wherein they were meditating his death he employed all his pains to make them live happily Lepidus was there ever a more Ilustrious Heroe then Cesar Repass all his life with himself you shal not find on single blemish but you shall their find all vertues in the highest degree the victorys which he gained were not of those which fortune gives blindlie to them who confide in it absolutlie He gained them both by valour and reason and when he gave any thing to chance it was because reason would have it so The stadefastness of mind that he alwayes testified in all the dangers wherein he exposed himself for the republick is ane incomprehensible thing He ever beheld good and evil fortune with the same countenance Love Choller Hatred Revenge and Ambition did never make him guilty of anie imbecillitie He was alwaies Master of his passions and did never let himself be surmounted but by Clemencie Nevertheless there are men there are Romans who have been so wicked as to look upon Cesar as a Tirran But no Lepidus the business was not altogether so The particular haâ—red which Cassius did bear to Cesar because he preferred Brutus to him in designing to make him Consull to his prejudice was that which made the conspiracie It was not for having violated the Roman Laws it was not for having male-treated the Senators It was not for causing put citizens to death It was onlie for revenging Cassius But if Cesar was to die for preferring Brutus to Cassius it should not have been Brutus who was to stabb Cesar for revenging Cassius whom Cesar did not abuse but by oblidgeing Brutus No Lepidus if Cesar had been what he was not I would say the cruellest Tirran that ever was the sword of Brutus ought not to have been tainted with his blood And he should have been the last of all the Romans in abandoning him after what he had done for him Ah let none say to me that the more ungrate he appeared to Cesar the more thankfull did he seem to his countrey No Lepidus Generositie is not compatible with ungratitude Vice and Vertue cannot be together And none can be ungrate and thankfull equallie Whosoever receives an obligation engadges themselves to the person oblidging Therefore they who have a high spirit do never receive benefits but from their friends and in the choice of the two they love better to oblidge their adversaries then not to be oblidging If Brutus could not have lived happie while Cesar was alive he should have alwaies appeared under his enemies coulors He should have refused all the honors which Cesar gave him He should not have rendered himself to him And rather then to have received that life which Cesar gave him he should with his own hand have killed himself as the generous Cato did But having received his life from Cesar Having accepted the first offices of the Republick After that by a kindlie resentment Cesar had preferred him to Cassius That he should have let him self been perswaded by Cassius to stab Cesar Is that which cannot comprehend Is that which cannot be approved off by anie rationall person And is that which could not have been glorious to Brutus although Cesar had been a Tirran Nevertheless Lepidus that was the ungrate this is that Traitor who was chief of the conspiration who gave him his deaths wound Why Brutus Why cruell Could thou strick him who saved thy life Why Barbarian why did not the sword drop from thy hands when the Illustrious and Great Cesar seeing you come to him like the rest did forebear to defend himself and also said to you with more affection then splen And thou also my Son Why Tyger these words touched not thy heart and thou could strick Cesar Ah no Brutus It thou hadest had anie reason thou shouldest have changed such a wicked design Thou shouldest have fought for Cesar rendered to him that life which he gave thee or if thou could not thou should have deleated thy ungratitude with thy blood and killed thy self upon the dead bodie of Cesar But what do I Lepidus My grief transports me That dolefull image of Cesars death irritates my displeasure and anger everie time that it comes in my mind And without having any dessign to it I change both discourse and subject Let us return then to my first intention And say that if Cesars innocence could be questioned by the actions he did dureing his life it hall be fullie justified by what is come to pass at his death and after his death The extraordinare care that the Gods took to advertise him of the misfortune that was to befall him le ts the puritie of his Soul be sufficentlie seen All those signs which appeared in Heaven Those defective Victimes those dreams which frighted me The hands of these Souldiers which appeared in fire He who Prognosticated to him that the ides of March would be fatall to him And all these other things which thought to impede the effects of the conspiration makes it abundantlie known that Cesar was not an ordinaric man If Cesars death could have been for the good of the Republick the Gods would not have given so manic presages of it They foretell misfortunes thereby to make men shun them But of the felicitie that they send them they never give so manic signs Perhaps it may be said to me that Brutus was sufficientlie forewarned of his death But that horrid Phantasmc which a pâ—eared twice to him was rather sent for his chastisement then to give him means of escaping the misfortune that was prepared for him Further who did ever see dead Tirrans venerated When they are alive they are feared but when they are dead their bodies are dragged through the publick places they are torn in pieces The laws which they have made are changed Their statues are demolished Their memories are in execration And they who killed them live insastie and with honour But for Cesar all dead as he was he hath been respected The places which were marked with his blood were worshiped by the Romans and seemed to be sacred Nis bloodie Gown all peirced with the wounds he received excitted sorrowin the Souls of all the Citizens His Testament which enriched them all was given carto as that of the Father of the countrey The People made him a pile more Glorious for his memorie then if they had given him the noblest funerall that Kings are honored with Because this was an effect of his affection And that because the same fire that did consume my dear Cesar desired
to embrace the houses of his murtherers The Senate changed none of the ordinances which he made They gave him new honours All his assasinates took the flight and by an universall consent he was ranked among the Gods Who ever faw a Tirran deified after his death Alexander himself who was the greatest Prince of all Antiquitie did not pass for Jupiters son but dureing his life But Cesar hath that advantage above this Illustrious Here 's that what Alexander freinds did while he was alive the witnesses of Cesars merit have done to him after he ceased to live The Gods also after they had given sinister presages of his death desired likewaies to testifie That it had infinitlie offended them That terrifying Comet which appeared seven whole days after his death was alreadie a sign of the vengeance they would take The Sun also that was a whole year without giving his accustomed hear and brightness has made it known to all the earth that by Cesars death the Republick had lost its greatest ornament and best lustre And also to testifie his innocence better the vengeance of Heaven hath pertinaciouslie pursued even to death all them who onlie by their Counsells had contributted anie thing to that unjust conspiration They all died violent deaths without so much as one escaping They found to Element where they could live quietlie The Sea was fatal to them as well as the land they who escaped the furie of their enemies killed themselves with their own hand Cassius peirced his own heart with that same sword wherewith he struck Cesar And in that manner he is punished with these same armes with which he committed the crime Brutus you know ended his dayes that same way And in fine I know that none of Cesars murtherers remains anie more in the World Judge from that Lepidus if he is not fullie justified If his death be not as Glorious to him as his life because it hath shown to us that all nature was interessed in it And to speak rationallie if Cesar was not 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 and Father of his countrey then the Romans Tyrran THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE IT belongs not to me to tell you the effect of this Hard range it belongs to you to let me know it For its object it has had the design of perswadeing you it belongs to you then to let me understand if you be It is you she hath spoken to under the name of Lepidus it belongs to you to tell me if it hath hits its aime For me I do assure you if I have seduced your reason it is but because my own is seduced And because I do not endeavour to make you believe but what I believe my self I have so great veneration for Cesar that I can have noevil thought of his intentions And Me thinks we owe that respect to all great men not to condemn them upon slight conjectures They are deceitful Great mens designs are fecret Let us then respect them and not onterprise to judge them LIVIA TO MECENAS THE SIXTEENTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT IT is to the glorie of good learning that this Harrangue is consecrated But though this be its principall object it may be said that it doth not alienate me from the Generall design of my Book because Poesie being one of the most agreeable emploiments of Ladies and one of their dearest divertisments It vindicates their pleasure to make the merit be seen Beheld them what I have proposed to my self by this discourse which if I be not deceived is raâ—ier more reasonable then interessed At least I know if I defend this cause it is because I think it good and also because I do not contravert the oath of Orators which oblidges them not to defend any that they find evill Judge of it Reader and hear Livia speak to Mecenas upon his subject the famous Protector of the Muses But be not astonished to hear her speak to the depth of this matter Augustus loved verse too much 〈…〉 them too often not to haveinspired that same inclination in her who possessed his heart and she was too industriâ—â— not to be complacent So then if I have chosen I had reason and none shall have anie to blame me LIVIA TO MECENAS I Know Illustrious Mecenas that Augustus oweth the Em pire to your Conselles That the Romans owe to you the felicity they enjoy under a reigne so differing from Tyrranie And also that I owe to you that quality I have to day Yes Mecenas it was you who surmounted the powerful reasons of Agrippa in that day wherin Augustus becoming enemie of his own glory and of the Romans repose disputed with himself Whither he should preserve the supreame power or whither he should remit it into the disposition of the people That great Emperous would with his own hand have taken off the crown that was upon his head for saken the reines of the Empires descended from the throne whereon he was seated by so many toylings And by a retreat more shameful then Anthonies flight was from the battel of Actium Altogither lost the fruits of so many victories that he gained It might be said that at that time love caused Anthonies flight But in this encounter can Augustus be accused of any thing but imbecility It might have been said that his hand was not strong enough to carrie the scepter which it held and that he onlie abandoned what he could not keep However Mecanes you had no feeble enimes to fight with at that time Augustus and Agrippâ—â— that is to say the two first men of the world were they who opposed you their opinion seemed to be the juster as appearing the more generous And it hath been said that heshould have had more glory by destroying the Empire then by establishing of it And more advantage in obeying then in commanding Nevertheless you was conquerour in that famous battle And yet by a most extraordinar chance the conquered continued crowned And you contented your self with obeying him for whom you preserved the authority That obligation which the Emperour has to you doubtless is veric great But in my opinion he is more redeuable to you for the care you took to reconcile him to the good will of the Muses then for all the things which you have done for him It is truellie by that mean that you can give him immortality and also give it to your self It is for that that Augustus his age can call it self happy And I mantain it to be more glorious for the Emperour to be beloved of Virgill of Horace of Titus Livius and of the famous Mecenas who is protector of these favorites of Apollo then if he had bein feared of all the earth Fear by rendring him redoubtable to all nations doubtless would have made him obeyed while he was alive But the praises of Virgil and of Horace shal render him venerable to all ages to come Certainlie Mecenas if all Kings were truelie inspired with desire of glorie
to become learned Otherwayes nature would be unjust in the dispensationes of her treasures Neverthelesse we see every day that uglinesse is seen in our Sex and stupidity in the other But if it were true that beauty was the only advantage which we receive from heaven All women would not onlie be fair but I also belve they would be so till death That time would respect in them what it destroyes every moment And that not being sent it to the world but to let their beautie be seen They would be fair so long as they should be in the world In effect this would be a strange destiny to survive ane age for one onlie thing that could render us recomendable And of the many years which doe conduct us to the tombe not to passe but five or six with glorie The things which nature seemes to have made for the ornament of the Universe do almost never lose that beautie which it hath once given them â—old Pearles Diamonds presetve their brighstnâ—â—â—eâ—o long as they have being And the â—â—cuix her self as is said of her dies with her beautie that it may resuscitate with her Let us say then after this that because we see no roses not lilies upon the faireâ—â— complexiones which the rigour of some winters will not blast that we see no eyes which after they have been brighter then the sun doe not coyer themselves with darknesse And which after they have made a hundered famous conquests do find themselves to be in condition of almost noâ— seeing any more the conquests of others I say let us say that since we see every instant of our life robbe us in spight of our selves and in spight of our cares of the finest things which we have That tine makes our youth impotent That these threeds of Cold wherwith so many hearts have been caught shall be one day no more then threeds of silver And in fine that this air of beautie that so agreeablie mixes with all the traits of a fair countenance and where a ray of divinity seemes to appear is not strong enough to conquer diseases time and old age Let us conclude I say that wein ust of necessity have other advantages then that And to speak rationalie of it beautie is in our Sex what valor is in that of men But as that quality doeth not hinder their loving the studie of good learning so this advantage does noâ— hinder us from learning and knowing of it But if there be any difference betwixt men and women it should onlie be in affaires of war It belongs to the beautie of my Sex to conquer hearts and to the valor and strength of men to conquer Kingdomes Natures intention does appear so clear in this encounter that it cannot be opposed I consent then that we let townes be taken battles given and armies conducted by them who are born for it But for things which doe onlie require fancie vivacity of spirit memorie and judgement I cannot endure that we should be deprived of them You know that men for the most part are wholly our slaves or our enemies if the chains which we cause them wear seem to be too weightie for them or if they break them they are the more irritated against us however let us not dispute neither the beautie of imagination the vivacitie of spirit nor the force of memorie But for judgement some have the unjustice to maintain that they have moâ—e of it then we Nevertheless I think that the moderation and modestie of our Sex makes it sufficientlie seen that we do not want it And moreover if it be true that we posiess these first advantages in the highest degree it is almost impossible for us not to possess the other But if our imagination demonstrat things to us as they are if our spirit understand them perfectlie And if our memorie serve us as it ought By consequence our judgement cannot erre The imagination when it is livelie it is a faithfull mirrour the spirit when it is enlightned doth so deeplie penetrate tâ—ings And the memorie when it is fortunate and cultivated Instructs so stronglie by example that it is impossible for the judgement not to form it self Believe me Erinna it is impossible to make ship-wrack when the Sea is calme the worst Pilor can enter the harbours And there are no rocks but may be shunned when they are seen and when the waves are not swelling For me I avouch to you that I do not comprehend how they who leave imaginarion spirit and memorie for our poâ—tion can boast of having more judgement then we For it is not to be thought that their imagination not showing them things as they are That their â—pâ—â—it not knowing them perfectlie and that their memorie not being fair full to them I say it is not to be thought that upon such false similitudes their judgement can act equitablie No Erinna that is not possible And that we may be more ration all then any among them Let us say that among them and among us there are persons who have both fancie spirit memorie and judgement It is not if I would but I could make appear by a strong and puissante inducement that our Sex can boast of being more richlie furnished with spiritual treasures then that of men For conside Erinna that almost universal order which is to be seen among all animals who live in woods and in caves you see that they who are born with strength and courage are verie often unskillfull and of litle understanding and ordinarlie the weak have a stronger instinct and come nearer to reason then they to whom nature hath given other advantages Judge you then that according to this order since Nature has given more strength and more courage to men then to women It should have also given more spirit and more judgement to us But again Erinna let us grant to them that they have as much as we provided that they also consent to our having as much as they Perhaps you will say to me that when by consent of all men I have obtained that declaration I shall not for all that be able to perswad that the knowledge of good learning is decent for a woman because by an established custome of men for fear of being excelled by us studie is as much forbidden to us as war making of verses is the same thing as to give battles if we will believe them And to say all we have nothing permitted to us but what should be rather forbidden to us See Erinna we have a good fancie a clear sighted spirit a fortunate memorie a solid judgement and must we employ all these things to frisle our hair and to seek after Ornaments which can add something to our beautie No Erinna that would be an unprofitable abuse of the favours which we recive from Heaven They who are born with eyes to make conquâ—… need not joyn art to graces of nature And that would be a giving of an
if her glorie be not better established this way then the other But I have this aâ—swer to give you that what ever Elogies can be given to you it will be more glorious for you to have made verses for all the Illustrious of your time if you doe them well then it can be to you when they have all been made for you Believe me Erinna it is much better to give immortalitie to others then to receive it from any other And to find ones own glorie with themselves them to hear of it elsewhere the pictures which shall be this way made of you perhaps shall not passe one day with posterity but as tablets made for pleasure The Poets imagination will be more admired then your beauty And the Copies in fine shall passe fore the original But if from your own hand you doe leave some signes of what you are you shall still live with honor in the memories of all men They of your age who have praised you shall then pâ—sâ—â— for true And they who have noâ— done it for stupid or envious Nevertheless doe â—ot pretend that you should make your own â—â—cture That you shonld speak of your beautie Oâ— your vertue And of all the â—â—re qualities that me in you No I will not impose such a hard thing upon your modestie Poesie has manic other priviledges you need not speak of yourself to make posterity know you You need but speakâ— legantlie and you shall be sufficiently known Yes Erinne when you make no other use of your pen but to blame the vices of your age your praise shall not be forgotten Consider also again I conjure you how feeble and undureable is the reputation that is founded upon beautie Of all the infinit numbers of beautiful women who doubtless have lived in these ages which preceded ours we have scarse heard two or three onlie spoken of And in these very ages we see the glorie of most men solidlie established by the wreatings which they have left behind them let not Erinna tyme old age and death robb you of any thing but Roses And not take away all your beautie Triumph over these enemies in everie good thing Put your self in condition to sustain the glorie of our Sex by your example make our common enemies avouch that it is as easie for us to conquer with the force of our spirits as with the beauty of our eyes Let your judgement appear by despiseing the sottisness that the vulgare will say of your resolution Let all the earth see such fine tablets of your imagination such noble efforts of your spirit Such brave effects of your memorie And such good testimonies of your judgement that you alone may have the advantage of having reestablished the glorie of all women Doe not contemn then what I say to you But if for a false shame you will not resolve to follow me And will make all your glorie consist in your Beautie you shall lament while you are alive the losse of that beautie You shall be spoken of as if you had been of ane other age And you shall then find that I had reason to say to you this day what I think I have said formerly in some of my verses Your looks and all that charming grace Of rose and lilies in your face Your heav'nly orbes so clear and bright Tho'emblems of Eternall light Must all decay your beauty wither Death makes you both forgot together But learning does immortality gaine Andvictory o'rdeath and the grave make obtain THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE IT cannot be said that this harrangue had no Effect If things be taken literally For it well appears that she to whom it was adrest let her self be caried where it was desired because a Greck Epigrame hath told us that by how much Sapho excelled Erinna in Lirick Poesie so much Erinna did surpass Sapho in hexami erverse But if any differ from the literall sense to come nearer my intentions I shal be verie happy if I can perswade our Ladies to what this fair Lesbian perswaded her freind But yet more if I could perswade all the earth that this beautifull Sex is worthie of our adorations That thereby Temples and Altars might be one day consecrated to them as I do now consecrate THIS TRIUMPHING ARCH WHICH I HAYE ELEVATED TO THEIR GLORIE FINIS
abandon you that all my subjects betray me and join with the stronger partie if I say it come to pass that all those things befal us we shal stil find our Tomb in Alexandria And to merit from our enemies the favour of letting our Ashes remain there together we must Signalise our death by shunning bondage and in that manner we shall Rob them of the Noblest fruits of their Victorie and conquer Cesar himself by death THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THey who Love let themselves be easily perswaded by things which can please them And the volâ—â— of this fair Monster of Nilus failed not to Attract Anthonies minde to what she desired He did not follow Cleopatra to forsake her afterward And his Choller being the Effect of his love as well as his flight had been it was as easie to apease it as to flie He then believed all she said to him He repented that he had suspected her fidelity But repenred not the loss of the Empire of the World for preserving Cleopatra He followed her to Alexandria Where though she was more Generous that second then the first time they were not alwayes happy And of all the things which she promised him Cleopatra could give Anthonie but the half of her Tomb. SISIGAMBES TO ALEXANDER THE FOURTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT AFter Conquering the Indians Alexander the Great Married Statira one of Darius his Daughters Then was it that Sisigambes Mother of that Princess abandoned her Soul to the joyes and Inclinations which she had for that Invincible Conqueror She at that time Remembered all that he had done for her And as her Soul was Noble she immediatlie testified her gratitude to him in this manner SISIGAMBES to ALEXANDER IT is truelie this day O Invincible Alexander that I believe you to be the son of Jupiter an ordinarie man cannot be capable of so much Vertue There have been severall times Victories and Conquerors known But there was never a person found like you who has made the portion of the Conquâ—red equall with the Victorious Nor none who have divided the Empire which they have Conquered with the Children of their enemies In fine Alexander though you were of Humane Blood and not of that of the gods It is most certain that you deserve Incense and Altars I leave to the Famous Testimonies of your Valour the Publication of those Marvellous Exploits you have done in making you Master of the World For I Propose to entertain you onlie with your Clemencie and Goodness You know Generous Alexander if I should for your glorie Erect a Trophie of your Enemies Spoils I should there find Subject of making sorrowfull Tears flow abundantlie in a day wherein I ought to express joy This does not proceed from my not knowing that I shall not there see the Bodie of my Son For I Remember you was so generouslie good as to cover it with your Royall Cloack and bedew it with your Tears When coming to the Place where he expired by the cruelties of Treacherous Bessus you saw that great Prince in so deplorable a condition No. Alexander in this Juncture of affairs I should not look upon you as the old enemie of Darius but as the revenger of his Death as the protector of his Mother and Wife as the Husband of his Daughter and as the lawfull Heir of the great Cyrus his Throne In Effect you know what were my Sons last words He testified his Gratitude of the Obligations that I was indebted to you for He made Vowes for your Glorie He assured you he died your Friend and Servant And without imploying those few Moments he had to live in Deploring his Misfortune He wished you Conqeror of the Universe He hoped you would revenge his Death That you would take care to perpetuate his Memorie and he also left to you the rewarding Polistratus for that little water he gave him that he might the more distinctlie pronounce those things which he had to say for your Glorie O my dear Darius you was truelie my Son in speaking so of Alexander I give thanks to the gods that at last you had Power to acknowledge what we owe to his Clemencie and Goodness It is for those two Vertues O Invincible Heros That I admire you this day The whole Earth is filled with the noise of your Victories you are the Master aâ— Conqueror of all men the meanest of your Exploits are known to all The verie Playes of your infancie shall be Patterns to all Kings that come after you What your Conquests have been is everie where known None are ignorant of what a Glorious War you made in Greece The Splendid Ruines of Thebes which you razed are eternall signs that you was its Conqueror The Battle which you gave at the passage of the Garnick equallie manifests your conduct and courage None can be ignorant of what you did in the day of Issus Nor of what passed at the famous Seidge of Tyre The Battle of Arbella had too remarkable Circumstances not to be known of all the Earth The Conquest of the Indians and the defaite of Porrus on the Banck of Hidaspes are Eternal Monuments of your Glorie For not onlie is it known that you excelled that great King But it is also known that after you had Conquered his Kingdom you Restored it to him greater then it was before And in this manner if it be allowed so to speak You may not onlie be called the overcomer of this Prince but the Conqueror of Porrus Because it seems you did not fight but to make him greater The Cittie of Oxidraxes where you so resolutlie 〈◊〉 your self is seen of all the Earth It is looked upon as the field of Battle Where your great Heart seemed equallie to defie death and fortune and where you Surmounted both In fine Alexander there may be everie where found Testimonies of your Valour and Conquests Wherefore without speaking to you I content my self with praising your Clemencie and Goodness But what do I say Those two Vertues are as Generallie known as your courage for if as I have alreadie said you are Master and conqueror of all men It may be also said that you are all mens Benefactor It will be said that the gods have remitted into your hands all the favours they used to bestow That they have established you to be the distributor of good deeds And that they have given you Commission to make all the World happie You do no sooner Conquer a Kingdom but you give it your enemies are no sooner your Subjects but they become your friends And you not sooner Conquer them but you become their Protector I have so famous an example in my Person of what I say that I cannot doubt it without being Criminall For O Invincible Alexander I shall never forget the favours I have received from you Yes I shall alwaies remember that dismal-dismal-day wherein my Daughter and I became your Prisoners Fear of bondage had possest our Spirits with such horrid
Visions that death appeared the greatest happiness that could befall us We had lost the Battle with the Throne we believed Darius alreadie lost And that which was most insupportable to us was we thought that we should be necessitated to die by our own hands to shun the Insolence of the Conquerors But alace I did not then know Alexander For said I to my self I am Mother of the greatest of his Enemies because Darius is the most powerfull of all them who resisted him And judging of you by the rest I feared you as much then as I love you now This unjust fear was of no continuance in my minde the sight of you quicklie dissipated it and I also remember the first time I had the honor of seeing you You pardoned me a fault For because I did no know you and because the trouble I was in gave me not libertie 〈◊〉 Reason well on the matter you know I took the Generous Ephistion for you And that without being angrie you said to me that I was not mistaken because he was the second Alexander That sign of Moderation towards me and of Friendship towards your Favorite began to give me juster thoughts of you And to remitt in my Soul that hope which fear had chased from it And surlie you also to day does well testifie that Ephistion is as dear to you as your self Because having designed to Marrie the Eldest of my Daughters your self you gave the other to this second Alexander Since that what have you not done for me You have not onlie treated me as a Queen though I was Captive But you have treated me as your Mother and you have done me the favour alwaies to call me so Everie time that anie new Subject of grief did befall me you have had the goodness to Solace me I have seen you in consideration of me weep for your Victories I have seen you Regrate Darius his Death I have seen you carefull of his Funeralls and Tomb I have seen you expose your life to Revenge his death I have seen you punish the Traitor Bessus who did assasine him I have seen you reward them who were faithfull to him And I see you also this day restore Darius to the Throne by placing there his Daughter and mine But the most wonderfull of all the Actions that I have seen you do for Darius Is that I have some times seen this Alexander Conqueror of the Universs have so much Vertue as not to trust to his own And not to expose himself to the eyes of Darius his Wife fearing least he should be Conquered by her beautie Ah! After all this it must certainlie be acknowledged that all that can be said of you is far below your merit you have both together the chastitie of my Sex and the Vertues of all the Heroes who have onlie preceeded you in age There can be no good qualities which are not to be found in your Person in the highest degree And it may be said that Vertues are Perfectionated in your Soul and take a new luster That which is Temeritie in anie other is but simple Effect of your courage and excesse of good cannot be vicious in you You give profuselie and yet without prodigalitie Because you do not onlie proportionat the presents you make to them who receives them but to him who gives them So that Townes whole Provinces Millions of Gold Scepters and Crowns are things which Alexander can give without being Prodigall For as he has received more favours from Heaven then anie other it is also he should give more then all others This truth is so well known to you and you practise it so perfectlie That after having Conquered all the World and having given it almost whollie to diverse Persons when you have been sometimes asked what you would Reserve for your self You have answered Hope And truelie I have often wondered to see that you no sooner had anie thing in your power but you did put it in that of an other And nevertheless you desisted not to be alwaies giving This Reflection made me think that Alexander might be said to be like the Sea which no sooner receives in its Vast Breast the Tribute which all the Fountains the Rivers and the Floods carrie to it but it renders it with Usurie to some other part of the World What she takes from the Persians she gives back to the Greecks The Ship wracks which she makes does not enrich her She makes no bodie poor but to augment some others fortune And without keeping anie thing either of what is given her or of what she Usurpes She alwaies rolles her Vawes with an equall Motion Just so is it with things that you receive from the Gratitude of your Subjects of the tributes they pay to you or of the Conquests you make You receive them with one hand and gives them with the other The verie booties which you take from your Enemies does but make Rich your Souldiers 〈◊〉 So that be it in Peace or in war during a Tempest or during a Calme you equallie do good to all without doing anie to your self Yet there is this difference between the Ocean and you that all which goes from the Sea returnes to it but what goes from your hands never comes back to them again Further it shall be glorious for you to see People in your Historie who have refused your gifts because you gave too much And that there shall be none found Complaining that you gave too little Your liberalitie is so much the more Execllent in that it is not blind You do good to all the World but you do it not alwaies without choice All the daies of your life are not those of Donationes to the People where without distinction you throw Treasures among the crowd Where the happie onlie have the advantage Aristotles Disciple knows better how to use Riches and knows better how liberalitie must be practised Yes Alexander You have reconcilled Fortune with Vertue We see Philosophers Poets Musicians Limners and Sculptors in abundance and yet do not work but onlie for your Glorie and their own We see I say Philosophers practise that Policie which they teach in Governing great Kingdoms We see Poëts carrie at once a Harp of Gold and a Quiver of Ibonie To sing your Triumphes and command your Provinces We see Musicians whose Luttes are of Ivorie Who emploie not their voices but to praise you and to speak of your felicitie We see Limners as Rich as the Mightie Princes have been formerlie who emploied them to work We see Sculptors not onlie make use of Marble Alabaster and Porphire in their statues but have Palaces of their own where all those things are seen In fine all good Sciences and all good Arts flourish under your reign Also it shall be said that as the gods have made a Miracle of you Nature was likewaies desirous to make its chiefest works for love of you You have Aristotless Xenophantess Apelless and
in knowing how to fight enemies Do not you then oppose the victorie that I will have of my self And to make it more glorious let me surmount you as well as my self Doe not expose your self to be conquer ed by Anthonies power and let your self be overcome by Octavia But because I doe not see in your eyes that you are yet in condition of yeelding your self to my prayers and teares Suffer me my Lord to goe and wait for your resolution in my husbands house becauseit is the only place wherein I can dwelwith honnor so long as Anthonie permitts me However I do assure you that whereas I doe make no vowes gainst Anthonie while I Im in your palace I shal make none against Cesar when I am in the house of Anthonie THE EFFECT OF THIS HARRANGUE THis fair and Vertuous person obtained from the freindship of Augustus all that she asked And he permitted her to live in her husbands house so long as she could conveniently Yet she was not there long For Anthonie was so unjust to her and so complacent to Cleopatra that he sent her a command to goe out of it She did it with the same modestie that she had alwaies testified And for all the disgraces that burried after this unfortunate both dureing her life and after his death she was ever what till then she was I would say afamous and rare example of conjugal freind ship AGRIPINA TO THE ROMAN PEOPLE THE NINTEENTH HARRANGUE ARGUMENT After the death of Germanicus Agrippina his wife carried his Ashes back to Rome to put them in the to mb of Augustus All the people did goe with her even to Brundusium and testified by their sadness that they complained of the malice of Tiberius That generous wife whose imperious and bold spirit could never disguise its thoughts did nomore conceal them at that time But on the contrare letting her self be transported with greif as with her natural humor she thusspake to the Roman people who were hearing her AGRIPPINA TO THE ROMAN PEOPLE GERM ANICVS the grand-Son of Augustus and the Nephew of Anthonie Germanicus the terror of Germanie and the love of the Romans Germanicus in whom all vertue shined equallie Germanicus whose whole Actions have been glorious Germanicus husband to the unfortunate Agripin grand-Daughter to Augustus In fine Germanicus the bravest the most valiant the most modest the most equitable and the most accomplished that shall ever be Is now no more but a few ashes and this Urne contains O pitifull accident him whose valor might have conquered all the Earth if he had been but suffered to have lived a little longer Yes Romans see your Germanicus in a state of needing you to make him live eternallie See him there equalie uncapable to serve you and to revenge himself of his and your enemies See him now in condition not to excit anie more envie against his vertue He hath conquered this Monster by death For the least circumstances of his life are so glorious that calumnie it self can find nothing in them to repeat Lament then Romans our common misfortune Because if I have lost a husband you have lost your Protector Look I pray you round about this Urne upon Germanicus his six Children all clouded with tears Take pittie of their youth and of their misfortune And fear with me that by their father his abandoning of them he hath not taken from them all their vertue If his life had been so long as rationallie it might have been his example if they had had perverse inclinations would have alwaies led them to good But to day in the condition that things are who shall he be who can instruct them Who shall he be who will correct them Who is he who will lead them into the War Who is he who will make them hate Vice and love Vertue I doubt not but that Tiberius will have for them the same sentiments which he had for their father For his inclinations are not easilie changed But since the Emperour did not hinder him from having enemies envyers persecutors and from dying by poison it may also be that the care he will take for their education will not be profitable And I wish to heaven that all I apprehend of Caligula do not come to pass Let us Romans let us leave what is to come under the providence of the Gods And let us onlie speak of the misfortunes which are befallen us They are great enough to merit all our tears Divide them not I conjure you Let them all be shed for my dear Germanicus and remember that he was of the blood of the Julius Cesareses of the Anthonies of the Marcelluses and of the Augustuses It belongs to you Romans to weep of his death and to Celebrate his memorie And for the stronger testifying the esteem you had for him hate them who hated him Detest his enviers his enemies and his murtherers Fear not to speak of the wickedness of Piso nor of the ambition of Pâ—ancina publish without apprehension that these dead bodies which were found without their Tombes That these imprecations which were made against Germanicus That his name that was engraven upon blades of lead And all those signes of enchantments which have been known are manifest proofes of the designs which were had against his life Publish I say that poison hath finished what charmes could not do And do not fear that you will be punished for this crime The death of Germanicus hath so over joyed them who caused it that for a long time they shall not be in condition to take notice of your sadness nor of your discourse This Victorie that they have gained of the most valiant man that ever was doubtless gives them vanitie enough to slight your resentment And not to trouble themselves for what you will think of that accident I do also believe that they are so much blinded by their ambition as to be verie glad that posteritie should know that they have put Germanicus to death They aspire more to the reputation of great Politicians then of vertuous men And conditionallie that it be said that they did know how to loss him who could oppose their unjust authoritie it is no matter to them to pass for â—ruell for un-naturall for impious for perverse and for bloodie yes treacherous Piso Yes cowardlie enemies of Germanicus it will be said that you did know how to reign it wil be known that you put him to death It will be known that you have violated by his person all sorts of Laws It will be known that you have not respected in him the Noblest blood among the Romans It will be known that you have cut the threed of the most Illustrious life that shall ever be It will be known that the number of his vertues hath shortned that of his dayes It will be known that you did not extinguish that bright light but because it made the blackness of your lives the clearer And in fine it
will be known that the excess of your crimes and that of his Vertues are the true causes of his death I shall make no stope O Generous Romans to repass exactlie to you what all the enemies of Germanicus were It is not that fear doth hinder me from naming of them for Agripina is incapable of it But it is because I know that they are all known to you You know the cause of their hatred nor do I speak to you this day but of the pittifull effects of that dangerous passion But ye Gods How is it possible that Germanicus could be hated What had he done in all his life That could have acquired enemies to him Let us repass it I conjure you Let us be rigid Judges to him And let us see if he could have merited the punishment that he suffered First as to abmition never was anie man so voide of it And all the earth hath seen that the more opportunitie he had to pretend to the Empire The greater affection did he testifie to Tiberius and did deviate himself the more from what would have conducted him to the Throne Ah! would to the Gods That he had rather followed my counsells then his own inclinations It was he who caused present an oath of fidelitie to the Bdlgiks a Neighbouring Nation of Germanie It was he who appeased the revolr of the Legions and who rather then listen to the offers which they made to him of following him everie where would peirce his heart with the blow of a dager Behold Romans what Germanicus did for Tiberius at that time He would die for him And perhaps by another way and by other sentiments hath he had the same destinie But though it be so let us not continue upon such a doleful discourse Let us remember that Germanicus commanded me a dying to lose some of that noble serocity that innocence gives me and the illustrious Blood from which I am descended Let us â—ay then simply that without lying it may be affirmed that Germanicus preserved the Empire for Tiberius because it was he who remitted obedience and military Discipline among the greatest part of the Legions with out whom the Emperours could not have enjoyed the Soveraign power The disorder was so great the complaints which were made against Tiberius so injurious the demands of the Souldiers so insolent their proceedings accompanied with so much violence that Germanicus was conitrained to cause me go out of the Camp searing I might receive an abuse in it However I did what I could that I might not be separated from him at that time For as I have already told you fear had no place in the heart of Agrippina and no humane power could oblidge her either to be silent or to speak until that it pleased her and that Reason required it But generous Romans Germanicus did not only appease the sedition of the Souldiers but he caused the same Souldiers who would no more know a Commander who only followed their own fancies who would hear nothing but their own fury who did not arm themselves but to oppose the Emperours will return under their Colours render themselves capable of Reason hear the commands of Germanicus and take up their armes to follow him with fervency in all the dangers wherein he exposed himself at that time and from which he retired with glory It was with these same Souldiers that he revenged the defate of Varus that he did retake the Eagle of the nineteenth Legion that he past thorow the Brustores that he wholly ransacked all that is betwixt the Rivers Amisa and Luppia and unsatisfied with testifying his valour in the Wars he did let his piety be seen as well as his courage For coming to the same place where Varrus had been defated and where there is yet to be seen an infinite number of blanched bones scattered upon the plain or cumulated together in great heaps according as the Souldiers fled or fought Where I say there is yet to be seen shivered launces and quantities of other broken armes horses heads tied to trees altars whereon the Barbarians had immolated the Tribunes and the Centurians where they who had escaped from the defate shewed the places where the Commanders had received their deaths wounds where the Eagles had been taken where Varrus had received his first wounds and where quickly after he died by his own hand I say Germanicus being come to that horrid place and there seeing such fatal Reliques of a Roman army expelled bloody sighs poured out tears and abandoned his invincible Soul to sorrow and compassion He exhorted the Souldiers to render the last duties to these unfortunate men of whom some had been their Relations and their Freinds he inspires their hearts with sadness thereby to carry them on afterwards with the more zeal to revenge and with his own hand did lay the first turf to the tomb that was builded for these unfortunate worthies However Tiberius did not approve of that laudable action He did not comprehend that a man could be equally valiant and pious give burial to his Freâ—nds and conquer his Enemies and in sine he belived that Piety was a Vertue unworthy of a great Spirit he wished that Germanicus had trode upon these dead mountains without remembering that they had been Romans like himself that they had fought as he was going to fight that the same â—nemies waited for him that to render him victorious over them who had conquered these he must make the Gods propitious to him and infuse desire of vengeance into the souls of his Souldiers thereby to encrease that of fighting and of gaining the victory But the maximes of Tiberius and these of Germanicus were very different they did also lead them to very different wayes Romans Tiberius reignes and Germanicus is dead Render to him at least the same honours which he gave to Varrus his Souldiers and because he had courage enough to revenge their death be you at least so generous as to mourn for his Nevertheless let us not leave him any longer in the shad of this terrifying field all covered with dead bodies let us behold him in hisconquests let us lock how the Valiant Arminius dares not wait for him and let us see with what skill what conduct and with what courage he pursued and excelled so generous an enemy Germanieus at that time joyned prudence with valour And surprising the Cattaneans when they least thought of him he ransacked all their countrey took the town of Martium Capitoll of the Province He set it on fire he had many prisoners in it And after he had carried terrour everie where he retook the way to the Rhine without the enemies dareing to follow him From thence he relived Segesta which they of his countrey hold besidged in favours of Arminius who afterward by a tromperie of war seemed rather to flee then to retire But it was onlie untill Germanicus was arrived at an Ambusca doe that was laid for him and