Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A07330
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The tragedie of Cleopatra Queen of Ægypt. By T.M. Acted 1626
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May, Thomas, 1595-1650.
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1639
(1639)
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STC 17717; ESTC S112548
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31,432
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84
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The news that I shall bring will make him worse And fright that little reason that is left Quite from his brest LU. It cannot so Canidius Perchance to hear th' extremity of all Will cure his fit it cannot make him worse For death it self were better and more noble CA. How weak a thing is man that seats his hopes In fortunes slippery and unconstant favours And seeks no surer strengths to guard his soul Wanting a strong foundation he is shaken With every winde orethrown by every storm And what so frequent as those storms in fortune Whose fairest weather never brings assurance Of perpetuity but come what will I 'll tell him all LU. Do good Canidius ANT. Well Alcibiades I am resolv'd I 'll to the wars again and either conquer Mine enemies or take a course to starve And kill up my own souldiers and so be Reveng'd on some body One of these two May easily be brought to passe How think'st thou ARI. Yes yes but le ts to Court and there consult Enter MARDIO See who comes here now for our bawdy project Here is a servant I must needs preferre Well vers'd in bawdry Master of the art Come neer brave Mardio come MAR. My businesse Is not to you ARI. Mark him but well and tell me How he would execute the place MAR. My Lord The Queen entreats your presence at the Palace The grieved Queen who in your absence pines Who suffers in your grief ARI. Well urg'd old Eunuch ANT. Ha! what of her will she revolt to Caesar MAR. She 's farre from that my Lord ANT. What i' st he says ARI. He says the constitution of her body Cannot hold out unlesse you visit her MAR. The Queen shall know it Aristocrates ARI. Did you not say she pin'd and languish'd Sir And what 's the difference tell your tale yourself ANT. What does she say does she not hate me man MAR. Oh no my Lord she loves you as her life No spite of fortune that she has endur'd Or can hereafter fear grieves her so much As does your absence and strange melancholy ARI. Well Mardio thou art fittest for the place CAN. My Lord Antonius AN. Ha! mo men upon us CA. I come to bring thee heavy news Antonius The forces all which thou didst leave encamp'd At Actium horse and foot are gone to Caesar And all th' auxiliary Kings no strength At all is left thee but what here thou hast At Alexandria AN. Ha! LU. This sinks into him CA. It makes a deep impression in his passion ARI. And may perchance expell his other fit AN. All you here yet then I have friends I see But tell me can you be so mercifull As to forgive that most unmanly fit I have been in oh I am all in blushes CA. My Lord take better comfort AN. Dearest friends I will be proof 'gainst any fortune now Plutarch Come let 's together to the Court and there Drown sadnesse in rich cups of Meroë wine And laugh at Fortunes malice for your sight More cheers my spirits then her frowns can dull them Exeunt Actus Quartus CLEOPATRA GLAUCUS GLA. MAdam all drugs with pain and torment kill That kill with speed No easie way to death Is wrought but by a slow and lingring course Where Natures strength is by degrees subdu'd And yielding so decayes insensibly No art at all can make a drug that 's quick And gentle too No poyson but the Aspe Of all the mortall brood of Libyaes Snakes Kils with a suddain and yet easie death As if brought forth to contradict our skill By envious Nature who disdains frail man Should hope to finde her secrets wholly out None but that Serpent Madam can effect Plutarch What you desire of which I here have brought CLE. Leave it good Glaucus leave the potion too T is quick thou sayst GLA. Yes Madam but too painfull And violent CLE. Well leave them both with me Exit Glaucus Let none adventure on prosperity But with a spirit still prepar'd to die Let them keep certain death still in their power That dare be great and happy nought but that Frees states when they are fall'n Well did wise And liberall Nature on mankinde bestow A gift so soveraigne as power to die An Antidote 'gainst Fortunes cruelty That is the deere preservative that must Controll the spite of Fortune and redeem A wofull life from lothed servitude One venome 's gentle tother rough and cruell But t is not safe to trust mine honour so On doubtfull props the poysons both may fail Or differ farre from what vain fame reports Their operation T is experience That must confirme me Mardio is return'd Enter Mardio with two prisoners MAR. Here are two men Madam condemn'd for murder To cruell death and are to die to morrow CLE. Come neerer both and tell me dare you die Dio. 1 PRI. Great Queen necessities strict law imposes Plutarch That doom upon us in forc'd actions Courage can have no triall CLE. Dare you die A lesse dishonorable way to scape The common hangman's hand and from a Queen Receive your death and that an easier death BOTH Most willingly great Queen we are prepar'd CLE. Give them their lots Mardio the shortest lot Is to die first 2 PRI. That lot is mine CLE. The Aspe shall be thy fate now Aspe confirme What fame reports of thee stay thou thy draught Till he be dead feel'st thou no pain 2 PRI. A faintnesse seizes me and I would sleep MAR. How gently he lies down and scarcely strives Against his death at all CLE. I think he 's dead Already Sure he feels but little pain I am confirm'd MAR. He 's dead and stiffe already CLE. Wee 'll try no more as for thy draught of poyson Thus we discharge thee of it and from death Doom'd by the law our royall pardon frees thee Publish it Mardio PRI. The Gods preserve Royall and gracious Cleoptrae's life Exeunt CLE. I am resolvd' nought but the Libyan Aspe Shall be renown'd for Cleopatraes death Thou precious worme that canst redeem alone The losse of honour at a rate so easie That kill'st as gently as the hand of age And art miscall'd a plague of Africa Since thou alone mak'st barren Afrike envy'd By other lands though fruitfull wanting thee Who crosse the Seas and hence at highest price Transport the Aspe as choisest Merchandise On thee I trust one gentle touch of thine Can free this life from lothed servitude From Caesar's triumph the base peoples mocks Proud Liviaes scorn and mad Octaviaes spight But why are all my thoughts turn'd to despair Why think I now of death me thinks my Genius Checks this cold fear and Fortune chiding tels me I am ungratefull to distrust her now My race of life and glory is not run Nor Cleopatraes fortunes yet arriv'd At that great height that must eternize her And fix her glorious name aboue the stars I long to hear what answer Caesar sends I do not know his temper but he 's young And why should
honour a meer shadow Of Royall state and such a feeble Crown As warre could threaten treason undermine And every puffe of Fortune blow it off My state is constant now my thoughts above The fear of dangers or opposing foes MAR. What new addition has she got off state GLA. I cannot tell nor can I guesse her meaning CLE. Glaucus and Mardio leave the room a while Exeunt Glaucus and Mardio Come hither Girles I will no longer hide My joys from you in such attire as this I go to meet my dear Antonius CHAR. Madam he 's dead CLE. Alas thou art deceiv'd He lives my Charmio in the other world And stays for me I have been too too slack In comming to him this that here lies dead Was but the house that lodg'd my dearest Lord That earthly Mansion that did once contain The kindest noblest and the truest soule That ever liv'd and this our second meeting Is farre more sweet and full of noble love Then when we first met in Cilicia When our magnificence and pomp did fill The world with wonder and astonishment Why weep you girles is it to see your Mistris Greater then ere in Glory if you lov'd me You 'd weep to see great Cleopatra led A wretched captive through the streets of Rome Before proud Caesar's chariot mock'd and flowted And from a Queen become Octaviaes drudge No no my girles I will be still my self And from this seat of state look down in scorn On Rome and Caesar's threats as things below me EI. Nor heer shall my attendance leave you Madam I 'll wait upon you to th' Elisian shades CHAR. Nor will poor Charmio be left behinde CLE. My earthly race is run and I descend As great a ghost as Theban Semele When her ambitious love had sought and met The Thunderers embraces when no Pile Of earthly wood but Jove's celestiall fire Consum'd her beauties reliques and sent down Her soul from that Majestick funerall Farewell thou fading remnant of my Love When I am gone I 'll leave these earthly parts To keep thee company never to part But dwell together and dissolve together Come Aspe possesse thy mansion freely feed On these two hils upon whose snowy tops The winged Cupid oft has taken stand And shot from thence the proudest hearts on earth Corruption now and rottennesse must seize This once admired fabrick and dissolve This flesh to common elements again When skilfull nature were she strictly bound To search through all her store-house would be pos'd To tell which piece was Cleopatra once Sweet Aspe I feel thy touch and life begins From these cold limbs to take her gentle flight A slumber seizes me farewell my girles Thus let the Romans finde me dead and know Maugre the power of Rome and Caesar's spleen That Cleopatra liv'd and di'd a Queen CHAR. She 's dead and Eira too I heare a noise There is no dallying now I must be speedy And use the common and sure way to death She stabs her self Enter CaeSAR AGRIPPA TITIUS PLANCUS GALLUS EPAPHRODITUS PROCULEIUS Cae. We come too late and all in vain I fear Our care has been EPA. Here lies her servant bleeding Not dead speak Charmio how dy'd the Queen CHAR. A death that well beseem'd her royall birth 〈◊〉 AGR. See Caesar see the mark upon her brest And here the fatall authour Cae. 'T was the Aspe Be speedie now and use your utmost power Sueton. Dio. You skilfull Psyls call back this royall soul To her fair seat and take from Caesar's bounty Above your wish suck thou the wounded place And mutter thou thy strongest charms to fright Pale death from thence and you infernall Gods If ere to humane prayers you could lend An exorable eare 't is Caesar begs Caesar whose sword has sent to your black shades A hundred thousand souls and still has power T' enlarge your Empire begs in lieu of all But restitution of one soul alone TI. How royally she dy'd PLA. No conquer'd Prince Did ever finde a nobler way to death Had feeble Perseus known so brave a course He had redeem'd his captive life from shame And not depriv'd the Conquerour of fame Cae. Is there no hope PSY. She 's gone past all recoverie Cae. We will no longer strive 'gainst destiny Though thou art dead yet live renowm'd for ever And let this action speak thee to the world A fo not shaming Caesar's victory No other Crown or Scepter after thine Shall Aegypt honour thou shalt be the last Of all the raigning race of Ptolomey And all and more then what thy letter crav'd Will Caesar grant with dead Antonius In richer state then ere proud Memphis saw Sueton. Dio. Plutarch Her Kings inter'd shall Cleopatra lye Thy dying figure carv'd in fairest stone Shall my triumphant chariot wear for all To gaze and wonder at thy form and worth Aegypt no more a Kingdome now a Province Cornelius Gallus is thy government And here let Caesar sheath the civill sword Whose fatall edge these twenty years has ripp'd The bleeding entrails of afflicted Rome Heer let our labours end advance brave friends Our prosperous Eagles home to Italy To reap the fruit of all our wars and toils And fill great Rome with conquer'd Aegypts spoils FINIS The Speakers Antoniani Aegytii Caesarei Marcus Antonius Marcus Titius Munatius Plancus C. Canidius Crassus Caius Titius Domitius Lucilius Aristocrates Cleopatra Eira Charmio Achoreus Sossius Seleucus Glaucus Mardio Caesar Augustus Marcus Agrippa Cornelius Gallus Pinnarius Scarpus Euphroneus Proculeius Thyreus Epaphroditus The Scene AEGYPT