Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A07974
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Hannibal and Scipio An historicall tragedy. Acted in the yeare 1635. by the Queenes Majesties Servants, at their private house in Drury Lane. The author Thomas Nabbes.
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Nabbes, Thomas, 1605?-1645?
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1637
(1637)
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STC 18341; ESTC S113063
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35,038
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80
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To be the Actor in this benefit Give me thy sword my owne right hand shall guide The point unto my heart I 'le without trembling Open a passage for the crimson drops And smile to see them diaper the pavement As if 't were some conceited workemanship Made by the lookers fancie Massa. E're mine eyes Should suffer such an object to offend Their hitherto pleas'd sense I would dissolve them In their owne humour No Sophonisba This breath shall first wast into empty ayre And leave my naked bones i' th' hallow'd pile E're I prove false to thee Give me some wine I 'le drinke a bridall health to Sophonisba And mixe it with Nepenthe Here 's the juice Will cause forgetfulnesse and mock th' extremity Of any adverse fortune Messenger with wine Sopho. Sure 't is poyson Will Massanissa leave me then unguarded To Scipios violence I have here no father Nor uncle to defend me not so much As a poore teare by weeping to stirre up A Romanes pity I shall only dart An anger from my burning eye to shew The Carthaginian spirit I was borne with Which not with standing will not quit this part From a captivity this Scipios rage Will hurry in his triumph to be gaz'd at And scorn'd by the course rabble Doe not then By such a keeping of it breake thy vow For 't is no lesse to me I must still want The benefice of such a constancy For though himselfe live not to yeeld me up I am expos'd to 't and without least power To make resistance Let me then partake That meanes of best security Massa. Not to have A Monument of lasting Adamant Rais'd to my memory No Sophonisba This is no potion to preserve a beauty In it 's first greene or ripe it to a Summer Or prevent th' Autumme or returne the Winter Into a new Spring This will pale the dye Which thy cheek blusheth when it would cloth modesty In a rich scarlet make that Ivorie brest Now Loves soft bed whereon he play 's the wanton And ambusheth himselfe to catch the flames He shoot's at others from thy eyes as cold As Scythian sands bleak't with continuall freezing Into a seeming christall Scipio dar's not Insult o're thee thy face would check his malice Into a silent admiration of it Or if he sin so much as to deject thee With the least feare of ill the gods themselves Will leave their immortality to be Each others rivals in thy love and strive Which should revenge thee best This must not weaken What is so powerfull Sopho. If my Lord be then Resolv'd to leave me widdow'd being yet Scarce warme in his embraces let me mixe A teare with his last drink that he may carry Something of Sophonisba with him Massa That Hath in 't sufficient vertue to convert All the Thessalian Pontick Phasian aconites Into pretervatives and turne this draught Into an antidote which yet is powerfull 'Bove all that Art and Nature in conspiracy Of mischiefe e're invented We that are Great and yet subject to th' incertainty Of Fortune have this custome to prevent it We affect glory and conclude no slate That end 's not in it selfe is fortunate So Offers to drinke Soph. Let my Lord first give me leave to breath An errant o're it that when he is entred Elysium throngs of Carthaginian Heroes May bid him welcome and informe themselves From him of Sophonisba Massa. Do 't then quickly I 'le beare it and command the King of night Resigne his ravish't Queene to be thy hand-maid Hell I shall now be armed to meete thy horrours With greater power then thine Soph. If there be Fate Why is 't conceal'd The revelation of t Would make us strive to mock eternall providence Th' ingenious Artist that did forme this cup Foresaw not such a use of 't Had he knowne It should have minister'd death to a King His trembling hands could ne're have finish't it With such exactnesse What so e're decree Is written in the Adamantine Tables Of Destiny we must subscribe to Time Though he keepe on his swift and silent pace Death 's sure at first or last to win the race Pray keepe out Scipio I have almost ended So Drink 's Massa. Ha! what hath Sophonisbas madnesse done Oh Aesculapius if thy deity Be not a feign'd one then administer And shew it powerfull in restoring back My Sophonisba to her former safety Numidia shall pay worship to none other But thee and Phoebus Altars shall be rais'd Made of Iberian gold and flame with incense Vntill Arabia's richest earth grow's barren Of gummes and spices Sopho. Why doth Massanissa Invoke vaine aide The gods are mercifull In their denying it and 't is but justice That I should dye m' adulterous easinesse Deserv'd it that without the least resistance Left my yet living husband to embrace His enemy But it had warrant from The end my Countries good and the first love I bare thee Massanissa Now let Scipio Boast of his conquest Sophonisba is Her owne subverter It begin's to worke With a full strength my blood would serve to heate A Salamander and convert his ice Into a flame Aetna's but painted fire To that which burn's my marrow Yet my lookes Are cherefull and erected Victory Was never met more joyfully then I Embrace that death prevents my misery My weake earth totters underneath a weight That sink's it downewards my still living spirit Rid's upon clowds to reach Ioves highest skie Who feare not death but in the worst part dye Dy's Mass. She 's dead Sincke ye supporters of this fabrick Into your deep foundations make them graves For your owne ruines since there is not left A weight worthy your bearing Shee 's not dead Only she hath translated her divinity To it's owne blest abodes and call's on me To pay a mortals duty Shallt have sacrifice And rich too Kings out of devotion shall Offer themselves in flames and from their ashes Rise glorious stars whence learned curiosity Deriving a new art shall teach Astrologers The vertues of an influence shall include Secrets to make credulity astonish't At their presages I will be their president And make this earth already consecrated With Sophonisba's pretious feete an altar Open thy crannies to receive my blood And from it's mixture spring a grove of Balsame Led by whose ravishing odour the new issue Of every Phoenix shall neglect Panehaia To bring her mothers spicy death bed hither That 's likewise her owne cradle But this action Should have more state and ceremony No A King 's the Priest a King 's the Sacrifice His owne sword whilst 't is yet warme with his victory Shall serve forth axe and so Shall I but dye then I 'le live to pay her more then th' expiration Of a short breath and dye to all delights But what I can derive from her faire memory Which shall be treasur'd here and by it's virtue Revive to kill me every life it giv's Causing another death Scene the fifth To him Scipio Lelius
most seeme possessour When she command's a restitution Of her lent favours that she may conferre them Vpon another This consideration Might invite mercy Scip. When superiour justice Mak's us her instrument should we be partiall I th' execution 't were to mock the power And call downe vengeance Yet I grieve for Syphax That he deserv's the punishment whose weaknesse Suffer'd a peece of painted earth to tempt him From his religion and neglect the gods Whom he invok't for witnesse to that vow A woman made him violate Syph. 'T is my hope Shee may deceive thee too and with her charmes Bewitch the boasting Conquerour that 's her slave From 's faith to Rome Massa. His madnesse will betray me To a reproach Syph. It tak's from mine owne suffering To see mine enemy in the same danger When he by his adulterous embraces Receiv's the like infection int' his soule That made me sick of vertue and of all But my disease Scip. Doe you enjoy the Lady Massa. Yes she 's my wife Scip. Yoar act was somewhat rash Before her husbands death Doth the religion You pay Numidia's gods warrant it law full Massa. Syphax is dead in his captivity His life was mine which I but lent him only For Romes great triumph Scip. Wee 'l consult a little And then dispose you Syphax Syph. As your will Adviseth you It is the curse of greatnesse To be it's owne destruction So we see That mountaine Cedars have the least defence Gainst stormes when shrubs confront their violence Exeunt Scene the third Scipio Massanissa remaining Scip. When first you freely did commit your selfe Vnto my charge and promis'd with a vow My liking only should dispose your actions Either you lov'd them or your flattery Pretended admiration of some vertues You thought possest me One I must confesse I glory to be master of that 's continence I have converst with beauties rich as Nature Did ever make art proud to counterfeit Might have commanded some that conquest gave me Yet have I still kept out desire but you Have yeelded to that passion doth betray A weakenesse in you will obscure the glory Of all your other goodnesse Thinke how dangerous 'T is to a yong man on whose expectation Opinions eye is fix't to mixe his actions With wanton pleasures when his thoughts transferre The wicked objects of his humorous sense Vnto his soule that poison all her faculties And make them uselesse Noble Massanissa Your good deeds sung by fame are musicke to me Your errours I had rather you your selfe Would silently consider and reforme Before with any shew of least unkindnesse You force me to reprove them Massa. Let not Scipio Deny those errors an excuse If nature Had a like cloth'd mens dispositions And all did weare one habit of the mind You need not urge th' example of your owne T' instruct anothers continence for all From a necessited and innate temperance Would be as you are Though I doe not boast Command o're pleasures I pursue them not With an intemperate appetite but make Reason my guide that tell 's me to provide For a succession doth become the judgement Of a wise King Posterity may well Be call'd th' eternity of life he never Dy's that hath issue for which I have marryed Her mine owne conquest gave me Scip. Your owne conquest Pray doe not arrogate too much you must not Dispose Romes prisoners whilst you fight her quarrell The warr 's not yours though yours the victory She must attend her sentence from our Senate Which hardly will be partiall to her beauty Though 't were adulterated with more art Then e're lasciviousinesse was mistresse of And rack 't invention for Let Sophonisba Be then deliver'd up Massa. Perhaps your selfe After your boasted continence would have her To be your owne Scip. Is that your jealousie Weake passionate man that through thy blinded reason Foresee'st not thine owne danger by th' example Of others misery and yet art ripe To maintaine grossest errours of thy will And seeme discretions master Had not Syphax Bewitch by magick of her wanton eye Into a dotage broke his faith with Rome He might have flourish't in his height of glory And still commanded over his Division Which Rome will add to Massanissas Kingdome Yeelding up Sophonisba Massa. You would seeme To give me mines upon condition I should restore the gold reserving only The earth to trample on In Sophonisba I have a treature mine owne life shall ransome If she be forc't away and to consent She should be yeelded up to any Romane Were worse then sacriledge though I should scare The hallowed sta'ues of Nunsidias gods Downe from their altars and convert their Temples Into the loathsom'st uses of necessity Kings oathes are equall with decrees of Fate Those I have made I cannot violate Scip. Then I disclaime thee Ther 's not so much danger In a knowne foe as a suspected friend To prevent an incendium it is best To quench a brand before it fire the rest Exit Massa. He 's angry and I must not let it grow To ripenesse of his hate I am resolv'd To be th' example of a constancy Fame shall proclaime for wonder Scene the fourth To him Sophonisba She 's already Come e're my wish could summon her Her sight Begins to shake the weake foundation Of my resolves Like stones shot from an engine She ruin's with the battery of her eye What my intents had built Soph. Why is my Lord Thus clowdy I expected entertainment Of other difference such as cheerefull love Present's desire with from the enterchange Of smiles and amorous glaunces Massa Sophonisba I was new enter'd into meditations Of death and other wretchednesse depend's Vpon mortality Soph. Is that the argument Of your dejectednesse it shew's too much Of womans weakenesse Man should have a spirit Above the feare any consideration Can worke within him Death is but an entrance To our eternity and if our life Merit a blessednesse hereafter we Should runne with joy to meete it Massa. But if one Possest of happinesse beyond the hope Of any greater that denies another Can be in expectation more then what His soule enjoy's already apprehended A separation from it by the malice Of death or other accident 't would force him Weep silently within though shame restrain'd His outward teares Sopho. This circumstance would seeme To prepare something that should have relation Vnto your selfe or me Perhaps the Consull Hath urg'd that I should be deliver'd up To Romes disposing Massanissas vow Made with religious ceremony cannot If he respect the gods consent to it And rather then their tyranny should make me Wretched a new to my first earth returne me The worst remaines of Sophonisba Massa. Dare shee Dye then to quit her feares Sopho. And meete the instrument With greater cherefalnesse then fondest parents Can shew at the returne of their decre child From long captivity This tender frame Lodgeth a masculine and heroick spirit And if thy passionate love deny's thy selfe