Will follow us Mor. Nobly resolv'd and either wee 'le restore The Prince or perish in the brave attempt Yee Gods since what we meane to execute Is your high office to avenge the innocent Assist us with a fortune equall to The justice of our action lest the world Should thinke it selfe deluded and mistrust That you want will or power to be just Ex. Enter Haly. Ha. 'T is done and 't was my master-piece to worke My safety 'twixt two dangerous extreames Now like a skilfull sayler have I past Scylla and Charybdis I have scap't the rocke Of steepe Ambition and the gulfe of Jealousie A danger lesse avoyded 'cause lesse fear'd Enter Mirvan Mir. What 's done my Lord Ha. Enough I warrant you imprison'd and depriv'd of sight Mir. No more this but provokes him can you thinke Your selfe secure and he alive Ha. The rest o' th' businesse will doe it selfe He can aswell endure a prison as a wilde Bull the net There let him struggle and toyle himselfe to death And save us so much envy Mir. But if his father should relent such injuries Can receive no excuse or colour but to be Transfer'd upon his Counsellors and then The forfeiture of them redeemes his errour Ha. We must set a marke upon his passion And as we finde it running low What ebbes from his into our rage shall flow Why should we be more wicked Then we must needes Mir. Nay if you sticke at conscience More gallant actions have beene lost for want of being Compleatly wicked then have beene perform'd By being exactly vertuous 'T is hard to be Exact in good or excellent in ill Our will wants power or else our power wants skill Exit Enter Solyman and Tormentors Sol. But Gentlemen was the King in earnest I can scarce beleeve it Tor. You will when you feele it Sol. I pray have any of you felt it to tell me what it is Tor. No Sir but Some of your fellow Courtiers can tell you That use something like it to mend their shapes 'T will make you so straight and slender Sol. Slender because I was slender in my wits must I be drawne Slender in my waste I 'de rather grow wise And corpulent Tor. Come Sir 't is but a little stretching Sol. No no more 's hanging and sure this will be the death of me I remember my Grandmother died of Convulsion fits Tor. Come Sir prepare prepare Sol. I for another world I must repent first Tor. Quickly then Sol. Then first I repent that sinne of being a Courtier And secondly the greatest sinne one can commit in that place the speaking of truth Tor. Have you no more sinnes Sol. Some few trifles more not worth the remembring Drinking and whoring and swearing and such like But for those let 'em passe Tor. Have you done now Sol. Onely some good counsell to the standers by Tor. We thanke you for that Sir Sol. Nay Gentlemen mistake me not 'T is not that I love you but because 't is a thing of course For dying men Tor. Let 's have it then Sol. First then if any of you are fooles as I thinke that But a needlesse question be fooles still and labour still In that vocation then the worst will be but whipping Where but for seeming wise the best is racking But if you have the luck to be Court fooles those that have Either wit or honesty you may foole withall and spare not But for those that want either You 'le finde it rather dangerous then otherwise I could give you a moderne Instance or two but let that passe but if you happen to be State fooles then 't is But fooling on the right side and all 's well then you shall at least be Wise mens fellowes if not wise mens masters But of all things take heed of giving any man good counsell You see what I have got by it and yet like a foole must I be doing on 't againe Tor. Is this all Sol. All but a little in my owne behalfe Remember Gentlemen I am at my full growth and my joynts are knit and yet My sinewes are not Cables Tor. Well wee 'le remember 't Sol. But stay Gentlemen what thinke you of a bottle now Tor. I hope you are more serious Sol. If you but knew how dry a thing this sorrow is Especially meeting with my constitution which is As thirsty as any serving-mans Tor. Let him have it it may be 't will make him confesse Sol. Yes I shall I shall lay before you all that 's within me And with most fluent utterance Here 's to you all Gentlemen and let him that 's good Natur'd in his drinke pledge me Drinkes So me-thinkes I feele it in my joynts already It makes 'em supple Drinkes againe Now I feele it in my braines it makes 'em swimme As if the racke would be a shipwracke Tor. You are witty Sir Sol. This is nothing but a poore clinch I have A thousand of 'em a trick I learn't amongst the Statesmen Drinks again Tor. Hold Sir you have no measure of your selfe Sol. What doe you talke of measure you 'le take Measure of me with a vengeance Well racke I defie thee doe thy worst I would thou wert Man Gyant or Monster Gentlemen now if I happen to fall asleepe Upon this Engine pray wake me not too suddenly You see here 's good store of wine and if it be Over-rackt 't will come up with lees and all There I was with you againe and now I am for you Exeunt Enter Prince being blinde solus Prince Nature How didst thou mocke mankinde to make him free And yet to make him feare or when he lost That freedome why did he not lose his feare That feare of feares the feare of what we know not While yet we know it is in vaine to feare it Death and what followes death 't was that that stamp't A terrour on the brow of Kings that gave Fortune her deity and Jove his thunder Banish but feare of death those Gyant names Of Majestie Power Empire finding nothing To be their object will be nothing too Then he dares yet be free that dares to die May laugh at the grim face of law and scorne The cruell wrinkle of a Tyrants brow But yet to die so tamely O'recome by passion and misfortune And still unconquer'd by my foes sounds ill Below the temper of my spirit Yet to embrace a life so poore so wretched So full of deaths argues a greater dulnesse But I am dead already nor can suffer More in the other world For what is Hell But a long sleeplesse night and what 's their torment But to compare past joyes with present sorrowes And what can death deprive me of the sight Of day of children friends and hope of Empire And whatsoever others lose in death In life I am depriv'd of then I will live Onely to die reveng'd nor will I goe Downe to the shades alone Prompt me some wittie some revengefull Devill His Devill that
A Guard there Enter Mirvan and others King Seize him Ha. Seize them now Though 't is too late to learne yet know 'Gainst you are King again what 't is to let your Subjects Dispose all offices of trust and power The beast obeyes his keeper and looks up Not to his masters but his feeders hand And when you gave me power to dispense And make your favours mine in the same houre You made your selfe my shadow and 't was my curtesie To let you live and reigne so long King Without there Enter two or three and joyne with the others What none but Traytours Has this villaine Breath'd treason into all and with that breath Like a contagious vapour blasted loyaltie Sure hell it selfe has sent forth all her Furies T' inhabit and possesse this place Ha. Sir passions without power Like seas against a rock but lose their furie Mirvan Take these villaines and see 'em strangled 1 Bash. Farewell Sir commend us to your son let him know That since we cannot dye his servants Wee 'll dye his Martyrs King Farewell unhappie friends A long farewell and may you find rewards Great as your innocence or which is more Great as your wrongs 2 Bash. Come thou art troubled Thou dost not feare to dye 1 Bash. No but to lose my death To sell my life so cheap while this proud villaine That takes it must survive 2 Bash. We shall not lose our deaths If Heaven can heare the cries of guiltlesse bloud Which sure it must for I have heard th' are loud ones Vengeance shall overtake thee Ha. Away with 'em King Stay Haly they are innocent yet life when 't is thy gift Is worse than death I disdaine to ask it 1 Bash. And we to take it Ha. Do not ask it Sir For them to whom you owe your ruine they have undone you Had not they told you this you had liv'd secure And happie in your ignorance but this injurie Since 't is not in your nature to forgive it I must not leave it in your power to punish it King Heaven though from thee I have deserv'd this plague Be thou my Judge and witnesse from this villaine 'T is vndeserv'd Had I but felt your vengeance from some hand That first had suffer'd mine it had been justice But have you sent this sad returne of all My love my trust my favours Ha. Sir there 's a great resemblance Between your favours and my injuries Those are too great to be requited these Too great to be forgiven and therefore 'T is but in vaine to mention either King Mirza Mirza How art thou lost by my deceiv'd credulitie I 'le beg thy pardon Ha. Stay Sir not without my leave Go some of you and let the people know The King keeps state and will not come in publike If any great affaires or State addresses Bring 'em to me King How have I taught the villaine To act my part But oh my son my son Shall I not see thee Ha. For once you shall Sir But you must grant me one thing King Traytour dost thou mock my miseries What can I give but this unhappie life Ha. Alas Sir it is but that I ask and 't is my modestie To ask it it being in my power to take it When you shall see him sir to dye for pitie 'T were such a thing 't would so deceive the world And make the people think you were good natur'd 'T will look so well in storie and become The stage so handsomely King I ne're deny'd thee any thing and shall not now Deny thee this though I could stand upright Under the tyranny of age and fortune Yet the sad weight of such ingratitude Will crush me into earth Ha. Lose not your teares but keep Your lamentations for your son or sins For both deserve 'em but you must make haste sir Or hee 'll not stay your comming He looks upon a watch 'T is now about the houre the poyson Must take effect King Poyson'd oh Heaven Ha. Nay sir lose no time in wonder both of us Have much to doe if you will see your son Here 's one shall bring you to him Exit King Some unskilfull Pylot had shipwrackt here But I not only against sure And likely ills have made my selfe secure But so confirm'd and fortifi'd my state To set it safe above the reach of Fate Exit Haly. Enter Prince led servants at the other doore Princesse and Soffy Serv. Sir the Princesse and your son Prince Soffy thou comst to wonder at Thy wretched father why dost thou interrupt Thy happinesse by looking on an object So miserable Princesse My Lord me thinks there is not in your voyce The vigour that was wont nor in your look The wonted cheerfulnesse Are you well my Lord Prince No but I shall be I feele my health a comming Princesse What 's your disease my Lord Prince Nothing but I have ta'ne a Cordiall Sent by the King or Haly in requitall Of all my miseries to make me happie The pillars of this frame grow weak As if the weight of many yeares oppresse 'em My sinewes slacken and an icie stifnesse Benums my bloud Princesse Alas I feare hee 's poysoned Call all the help that Art or Herbs or Minerals Can minister Prince No 't is too late And they that gave me this are too well practiz'd In such an Art to attempt and not performe Prin. Yet trie my Lord revive your thoughts the Empire Expects you your father's dying Prince So when the ship is sinking The winds that wrackt it cease Princesse Will you be the scorne of fortune To come neere a Crowne and only neere it Prince I am not fortunes scorne but she is mine More blind than I Princesse O tyranny of Fate to bring Death in one hand and Empire in the other Only to shew us happinesse and then To snatch us from it Prince They snatch me to it My soule is on her journey do not now Divert or lead her back to lose her selfe I' th' maze and winding labyrinths o'th' world I prethee do not weep thy love is that I part with most unwillingly or otherwise I had not staid till rude necessitie Had forc'd me hence Soffy be not a man too soone And when thou art take heed of too much vertue It was thy fathers and his only crime 'T will make the King suspitious yet ere time By natures course has ripened thee to man 'T will mellow him to dust till then forget I was thy father yet forget it not My great example shall excite thy thoughts To noble actions And you deare Erythaea Give not your passions vent nor let blind furie Precipitate your thoughts nor set 'em working Till time shall lend 'em better meanes and instruments Than lost complaints Where 's prettie Fatyma She must forgive my rash ungentle passion Princesse What do you meane sir Prince I am asham'd to tell you I prethee call her Princesse I will sir I pray try If sleep will ease your
torments and repaire Your wasted spirits Prince Sleep to these emptie lids Is growne a stranger and the day and night As undistinguisht by my sleep as sight O happinesse of povertie that rests Securely on a bed of living turfe VVhile we with waking cares and restlesse thoughts Lye tumbling on our downe courting the blessing Of a short minutes slumber which the Plough-man Shakes from him as a ransom'd slave his fetters Call in some musike I have heard soft aires Can charme our sences and expell our cares Is Erythaea gone Serv. Yes sir Prince 'T is well I would not have her present at my death Enter Musike SOmnus the humble God that dwells In cottages and smoakie cells Hates gilded roofs and beds of downe And though he feares no Princes frowne Flies from the circle of a Crowne Come I say thou powerfull God And thy Leaden charming Rod Dipt in the Lethaean Lake O're his wakefall temples shake Lest he should sleep and never wake Nature alas why art thou so Obliged to thy greatest foe Sleep that is thy best repast Yet of death it beares a taste And both are the same thing at last Serv. So now he sleeps let 's leave him To his repose Enter King King The horrour of this place presents The horrour of my crimes I faine would ask What I am loth to heare but I am well prepar'd They that are past all hope of good are past All feare of ill and yet if he be dead Speak softly or uncertainly Phy. Sir he sleeps King O that 's too plaine I know thou mean'st his last His long his endlesse sleep Phy. No Sir he lives but yet I feare the sleep you speak of will be his next For nature like a weak and wearie traveller Tir'd with a tedious and a rugged way Not by desire provokt but even betray'd By wearinesse and want of spirits Gives up her selfe to this unwilling slumber King Thou hast it Haly 't is indeed a sad And sober truth though the first And only truth thou ever told'st me And 't is a fatall signe when Kings heare truth Especially when flatterers dare speake it Prince I thought I heard my father does he think the poyson Too slow and comes to see the operation Prince awakes Or does he think his engine dull or honest Lesse apt to execute than he to bid him He needs not 't is enough it will succeed To his expectation King 'T is indeed thy father Thy wretched father but so far from acting New cruelties that if those already past Acknowledg'd and repented of can yet Receive a pardon by those mutuall bonds Nature has seal'd between us which though I Have cancell'd thou hast still preserv'd inviolate I beg thy pardon Prince Death in it selfe appeares Lovely and sweet not only to be pardoned But wisht for had it come from any other hand But from a father a father A name so full of life of love of pitie Death from a fathers hand from whom I first Receiv'd a being 't is a preposterous gift An act at which inverted Nature starts And blushes to behold her selfe so cruell Kin. Take thou that comfort with thee and be not deafe to truth By all that 's holy by the dying accents Of thine and my last breath I never meant I never wisht it sorrow has so over-fraught This sinking bark I shall not live to shew How I abhor or how I would repent My first rash crime but he that now Has poyson'd thee first poyson'd me with jealousie A foolish causelesse jealousie Prince Since you beleeve my innocence I cannot but beleeve your sorrow But does the villaine live A just revenge Would more become the sorrowes of a King Than womanish complaints King O Mirza Mirza I have no more the power to doe it Than thou to see it done My Empire Mirza My Empire 's lost Thy vertue was the rock On which it firmly stood that being undermin'd It sunk with its owne weight the villaine whom my breath created Now braves it in my Throne Prince O for an houre of life but 't will not be Revenge and justice we must leave to heaven I would say more but death has taken in the out-works And now assailes the fort I feele I feele him Gnawing my heart-strings farewell and yet I would Dies King O stay stay but a while and take me with thee Come Death let me embrace thee thou that wert The worst of all my feares art now the best Of all my hopes But Fate why hast thou added This curse to all the rest the love of life We love it and yet hate it death we loath And still desire flye to it and yet feare it Enter Princesse and Soffy Princesse Hee 's gone hee 's gone for ever O that the poyson had mistaken his And met this hated life but cruell Fate Envied so great a happinesse Fate that still Flies from the wretched and pursues the blest Yee Heavens But why should I complaine to them That heare me not or bow to those that hate me Why should your curses so out-weigh your blessings They come but single and long expectation Takes from their value but these fall upon us Double and sudden Sees the King Yet more of horrour then farewell my teares And my just anger be no more confin'd To vaine complaints or selfe-devouring silence But break break forth upon him like a deluge And the great spirit of my injur'd Lord Possesse me and inspire me with a rage Great as thy wrongs and let me call together All my soules powers to throw a curse upon him Black as his crimes King O spare your anger 't is lost For he whom thou accused has already Condemn'd himselfe and is as miserable As thou canst think or wish him spit upon me Cast all reproaches on me womans wit Or malice can invent I 'le thank thee for them What e're can give me a more lively sence Of my owne crimes that so I may repent 'em Princesse O cruell Tyrant couldst thou be so barbarous To a son as noble as thy selfe art vile That knew no other crime but too much vertue Nor could deserve so great a punishment For any fault but that he was thy son Now not content to exceed all other Tyrants Exceed'st thy selfe first robbing him of sight Then seeming by a fain'd and forc'd repentance To expiate that crime didst win him to A false securitie and now by poyson Hast robb'd him of his life King Were but my soule as pure From other guilts as that Heaven did not hold One more immaculate Yet what I have done He dying did forgive me and hadst thou been present Thou wouldst have done the same for thou art happie Compar'd to me I am not only miserable But wicked too thy miseries may find Pitie and help from others but mine make me The scorne and the reproach of all the world Thou like unhappie Merchants whose adventures Are dasht on rocks or swallowed up in stormes Ow'st all thy losses to
THE SOPHY As it was acted at the Private House in Black Friars by his Majesties Servants LONDON Printed by Richard Hearne for Thomas Walkley and are to be sold at his shop at the Signe of the Flying Horse betweene York-house and Britaines Burse 1642 The Prologue HIther yee come dislike and so undo The Players and disgrace the Poet too But he protests against your votes and sweares Hee 'll not be try'd by any but his Peeres He claimes his priviledge and sayes 't is fit Nothing should be the Iudge of wit but Wit Now you will all be Wits and be I pray And you that discommend it mend the Play 'T is the best satisfaction he knowes then His turne will come to laugh at you agen But Gentlemen if yee dislike the Play Pray make no words on 't till the second day Or third be past For we would have you know it The losse will fall on us not on the Poet For he writes not for money nor for praise Nor to be call'd a Wit nor to weare Bayes Cares not for frownes or smiles so now you 'll say Then why the Devill did he write a Play He sayes 't was then with him as now with you He did it when he had nothing else to doe The Epilogue 'T Is done and we alive agen and now There is no Tragedie but in your brow And yet our Author hopes you are pleas'd if not This having fail'd he has a second Plot 'T is this the next day send us in your frends Then laugh at them and make your selves amends Thus whether it be good or bad yet you May please your selves and you may please us too But look you please the Poet lest he vow A full revenge upon you all but how 'T is not to kill you all twentie a day Hee 'll do 't at once a more compendious way He meanes to write againe but so much worse That seeing that you 'll think it a just curse For censuring this 'faith give him your applause As you give Beggars money for no cause But that hee 's troublesome and he has swore As Beggars do hee 'll trouble you no more Actors Scena Persia ABBAS King of Persia MIRZA the Prince his Son ERYTHaeA the Princesse his wife HALY the Kings Favourite Enemies to the Prince MIRVAN Haly's Confident ABDALL Two Lords friends to the Prince MORAT CALIPH SOLYMAN a foolish Courtier SOFFY the Prince his son now King of Persia FATYMA his daughter 2 Turkish Bashawes 3 Captaines 2 Women Physician Tormentours THE SOPHY Actus Primus Enter Abdall and Moratt Mor. MY Lord you have good intelligence what newes From the Army any certainty Of their designe or strength Abd. We know not their designe But for their strength The disproportion is so great we cannot but Expect a fatall consequence Mor. How great my Lord Abd. The Turkes are fourescore thousand Foot And fiftie thousand Horse And we in the whole Excceed not forty thousand Mor. Mee-thinkes the Prince should know That Judgement 's more essentiall to a Generall Then Courage if he prove victorious 'T is but a happie rashnesse Abd. But if he lose the battaile 't is an error Beyond excuse or remedy considering That halfe the lesser Asia will follow The Victors fortune Mor. 'T is his single vertue And terror of his name that walls us in From danger were he lost the naked Empire Would be a prey expos'd to all Invaders Abd. But is 't not necessary The King should know his danger Mor. To tell him of so great a danger Were but to draw a greater on our selves For though his eye is open as the mornings Towards lusts and pleasures yet so fast a lethargie Has seiz'd his powers towards publike cares and dangers He sleepes like death Abd. Hee 's a man of that strange composition Made up of all the worst extremities Of youth and age Mor. And though He feeles the heats of youth and colds of age Yet neither tempers nor corrects the other As if there were an Ague in his nature That still inclines to one extreame Abd. But the Caliph or Haly or some that know His softer houres might best acquaint him with it Mor. Alas they shew him nothing But in the glasse of flatterie if any thing May beare a shew of glory fame or greatnesse 'T is multiplyed to an immense quantitie And stretch't even to Divinitie But if it tend to danger or dishonour They turne about the Perspective and shew it So little at such distance so like nothing That he can scarce discerne it Abd. 'T is the fate of Princes that no knowledge Comes pure to them but passing through the eyes And eares of other men it takes a tincture From every channell And still beares a rellish Of Flatterie or private ends Mor. But danger and necessitie Dare speake the truth Abd. But commonly They speake not till it is too late And for Haly He that shall tell him of the Princes danger But tells him that himselfe is safe Scaena Secunda Enter King Princesse and Solyman King Cleare up cleare up sweet Erythaea That cloud that hangs upon thy brow presages A greater storme then all the Turkish power Can throw upon us me-thinkes I see my fortune Setling her looks by thine and in thy smile Sits victory and in thy frowne our ruine Why should not hope As much erect our thoughts as feare deject them Why should we Anticipate our sorrowes 'T is like those That die for feare of death What is 't you doubt his courage or his fortune Princesse Envy it selfe could never doubt his courage King Then let not love doe worse by doubting that Which is but valours slave a wise well-temper'd valour For such is his those Gyants death and danger Are but his Ministers and serve a Master More to be fear'd then they and the blinde Goddesse Is led amongst the Captives in his triumph Princesse I had rather she had eyes for if she saw him Sure she would love him better but admit Shee were at once a Goddesse and his slave Yet fortune valour all is overborne By numbers as the long resisting Banke By the impetuous Torrent King That 's but rumour Ne're did the Turke invade our Territory But Fame and Terrour doubled still their files But when our troopes encountred then we found Scarce a sufficient matter for our fury But heark a Post Solyman conduct him in A Horne within 'T is surely from the Prince Enter Post and delivers a Letter King Give it our Secretaries I hope the Prince is well Post The Letter will informe you A Messenger Mess. Sir the Lords attend you Ex. Princesse Enter Lords King What newes from the Army Lords Please you to heare the Letter King Reade it Lords The Turke enraged with his last yeares overthrow Hath re-enforc't his Army with the choice of all his Janizars And the flowre of his whole Empire we Understand by some fugitives that he hath commanded The Generalls to returne with victory
behinde him Enter Morat as in haste Mor. Sir with hazard of my life I 've ventur'd To tell you you are lost betray'd undone Rouze up your courage call up all your counsells And thinke on all those stratagems which nature Keepes ready to encounter sudden dangers Prince But pray my Lord by whom for what offence Mor. Is it a time for story when each minute Begets a thousand dangers the gods protect you Ex. Prince This man was ever honest and my friend And I can see in his amazed looke Something of danger but in act or thought I never did that thing should make me feare it Princesse Nay good Sir let not so secure a confidence Betray you to your ruine Prince Prethee woman Keepe to thy selfe thy feares I cannot know That there is such a thing I stand so strong Inclosed with a double guard of Vertue And Innocence that I can looke on dangers As he that stands upon a Rocke Can looke on stormes and tempests Feare and guilt Are the same thing and when our actions are not Our feares are crimes And he deserves it lesse that guilty beares A punishment then he that guiltlesse feares Ex. Enter Haly and Torturers Ha. This is the place appointed assist me courage This houre ends all my feares but pause a while Suppose I should discover to the Prince The whole conspiracie and so retort it Upon the King it were an handsome plot But full of difficulties and uncertaine And hee 's so fool'd with downe-right honesty Hee 'le ne're beleeve it and now it is too late The guards are set and now I heare him comming Enter Prince stumbles at the entrance Prince 'T is ominous but I will on destruction O'retakes as often those that fly as those that boldly meet it Ha. By your leave Prince your father greets you Prince Unhand me traytors Haly casts a scarfe over his face Ha. That title is your owne and we are sent to let you know it Is not that the voyce of Haly that thunders in my eares Ha. I vertuous Prince I come to make you exercise One vertue more your patience Heat the irons quickly Prince Insolent villaine for what cause Ha. Onely to gaze upon a while untill your eyes are out Prince O villaine shall I not see my father To aske him what 's my crime who my accusers Let me but try if I can wake his pitty From his Lethargicke sleepe Ha. It must not be Sir Prince Shall I not see my wife nor bid farewell To my deare children Ha. Your pray'rs are all in vaine Prince Thou shalt have halfe my Empire Haly let me but See the Tyrant that before my eyes are lost They may dart poys'nous flashes like the Basiliske And looke him dead These eyes that still were open Or to fore-see or to prevent his dangers Must they be closed in eternall night Cannot his thirst of bloud be satisfied With any but his owne And can his tyrannie Finde out no other object but his sonne I seeke not mercy tell him I desire To die at once not to consume an age In lingring deathes Ha. Our eares are charm'd Away with him Prince Can ye behold ye Gods a wronged innocent Or sleepes your Justice like my fathers Mercy Or are you blinde as I must be Finis Act. Tertii Actus Quartus Enter Ab. and Morat Ab. I ever fear'd the Princes too much greatnesse Would make him lesse the greatest heights are neare The greatest precipice Mor. 'T is in worldly accidents As in the world it selfe where things most distant Meet one another Thus the East and West Upon the Globe a Mathematick point Onely divides Thus happinesse and miserie And all extreames are still contiguous Ab. Or if 'twixt happinesse and miserie there be A distance 't is an Aery Vacuum Nothing to moderate or breake the fall Mor. But oh this Saint-like Devill This damned Caliph to make the King beleeve To kill his sonne 's religion Ab. Poore Princes how are they mis-led While they whose sacred office 't is to bring Kings to obey their God and men their King By these mysterious linkes to fixe and tye Them to the foot-stoole of the Deity Even by these men Religion that should be The curbe is made the spurre to tyrannie They with their double key of conscience binde The Subjects soules and leave Kings unconfin'd While their poore Vassals sacrifice their blouds T'Ambition and to Avarice their goods Blinde with Devotion They themselves esteeme Made for themselves and all the world for them While heavens great law given for their guide appeares Just or unjust but as it waytes on theirs Us'd but to give the eccho to their words Power to their wills and edges to their swords To varnish all their errors and secure The ills they act and all the world endure Thus by their arts Kings awe the world while they Religion as their mistresse seeme t' obey Yet as their slave command her while they seeme To rise to Heaven they make Heaven stoope to them Mor. Nor is this all where feign'd devotion bends The highest things to serve the lowest ends For if the many-headed beast hath broke Or shaken from his necke the royall yoake With popular rage religion doth conspire Flowes into that and swells the torrent higher Then powers first pedigree from force derives And calls to minde the old prerogatives Of free-borne man and with a saucy eye Searches the heart and soule of Majestie Then to a strict account and censure brings The actions errors and the ends of Kings Treads on authority and sacred lawes Yet all for God and his pretended cause Acting such things for him which he in them And which themselves in others will condemne And thus ingag'd nor safely can retire Nor safely stand but blindly bold aspire Forcing their hopes even through despaire to climbe To new attempts disdaine the present time Grow from disdaine to threats from threats to armes While they though sonnes of peace still sound th' alarm's Thus whether Kings or people seeke extreames Still conscience and religion are their Theams And whatsoever change the State invades The pulpit either forces or perswades Others may give the fewell or the fire But they the breath that makes the flame inspire Ab. This and much more is true but let not us Adde to our ills and aggravate misfortunes By passionate complaints nor lose our selves Because we have lost him for if the Tyrant Were to a sonne so noble so unnaturall What will he be to us who have appear'd Friends to that sonne Mor. Well thought on and in time Farewell unhappy Prince while we thy friends As strangers to our Countrey and our selves Seeke out our safety and expect with patience Heavens Justice Ab. Let 's rather act it then expect it The Princes injuries at our hands require More then our teares and patience His army is not yet disbanded And onely wants a head thither wee 'le fly And all who love the Prince or hate the Tyrant
the Fates but I Like wastfull Prodigals have cast away My happinesse and with it all mens pitie Thou seest how weak and wretched guilt can make Even Kings themselves when a weak womans anger Can master mine Princesse And your sorrow As much o o'recomes my anger and turns into melting pitie King Pitie not me nor yet deplore your husband But seek the safetie of your son his innocence Will be too weak a guard when nor my greatnesse Nor yet his fathers vertues could protect us Go on my boy the just revenge of all To Soffy Our wrongs I recommend to thee and Heaven I feele my weaknesse growing strong upon me Exeunt Death thou art he that wilt not flatter Princes That stoops not to authoritie nor gives A specious name to tyrannie but shewes Our actions in their owne deformed likenesse Now all those cruelties which I have acted To make me great or glorious or secure Look like the hated crimes of other men Enter Physician King O save save me who are those that stand And seeme to threaten me Phy. There 's no body 't is nothing But some fearfull dreame King Yes that 's my brothers ghost whose birth-right stood 'Twixt me and Empire like a spredding Cedar That growes to hinder some delightfull prospect Him I cut downe Next my old fathers ghost whom I impatient To have my hopes delay'd hastned by violence before his fatall day Then my enraged son who seemes to beckon And hale me to him I come I come yee Ghosts The greatest of you all but sure one hell 's Too little to containe me and too narrow For all my crimes Dies Enter Mirvan and Haly at severall doores Ha. Goe muster all the Citie-Bands pretend it To prevent sudden tumults But indeed to settle the succession Mir. My Lord you are too sudden you 'll take 'em unprepar'd Alas you know their consciences are tender Scandall and scruple must be first remov'd They must be pray'd and preach'd into a tumult But for the succession Let us agree on that there 's Calamah The eldest son by the Arabian Lady A gallant youth Ha. I too gallant his proud spirit will disdaine To owe his greatnesse to anothers gift Such gifts as Crownes transcending all requitall Turne injuries No Mirvan he must be dull and stupid lest he know Wherefore we made him King Mir. But he must be good natur'd tractable And one that will be govern'd Ha. And have so much wit to know whom hee 's beholding to Mir. But why my Lord should you look further than your selfe Ha. I have had some such thoughts but I consider The Persian State will not endure a King So meanly borne no I 'le rather be the same I am In place the second but the first in power Solyman the son of the Georgian Lady Shall be the man what noyse is that Enter Messenger Mess. My Lord the Princes late victorious Army Is marching towards the palace breathing nothing But furie and revenge to them are joyn'd All whom desire of change or discontent Excites to new attempts their Leaders Abdall and Morat Ha. Abdall and Morat Mirvan we are lost fallen from the top Of all our hopes and cast away like Saylers Who scaping seas and rocks and tempests perish I' th' verie port so are we lost i' th' sight And reach of all our wishes Mir. How has our intelligence fail'd us so strangely Ha. No no I knew they were in mutiny But they could ne're have hurt us Had they not come at this instant period This point of time had he liv'd two dayes longer A pardon to the Captaines and a largesse Among the Souldiers had appeas'd their furie Had he di'd two dayes sooner the succession Had as we pleas'd been setled and secur'd By Soffy's death Gods that the world should turne On minutes and on moments Mir. My Lord lose not your selfe In passion but take counsell from necessitie I 'le to 'em and will let them know The Prince is dead and that they come too late To give him libertie for love to him Has bred their discontents I 'le tell them boldly That they have lost their hopes Ha. And tell them too As they have lost their hopes o' th' one they have lost Their feares o' th' other tell their Leaders we desire Their counsell in the next succession Which if it meet disturbance Then we shall crave assistance from their power Which Fate could not have sent in a more happie hower Exit Mirvan Enter Lords Caliph Cal. My Lord Yee heare the newes the Princes Army is at the gate Ha. I I heare it and feele it here Aside But the succession that 's the point That first requires your counsell Cal. Who should succeed but Soffy Ha. What in such times as these when such an Army Lies at our gates to choose a child our King You my Lord Caliph are better read in storie And can discourse the fatall consequences When children raigne Cal. My Lords if you 'll be guided By reason and example Enter Abdall and Morat Ha. My Lords you come most opportunely we were entring Into dispute about the next succession Ab. Who dares dispute it we have a powerfull argument Of fortie thousand strong that shall confute him Cal. A powerfull argument indeed Ab. I such a one as will puzzle all your Logick And distinctions to answer it And since we came too late for the performance Of our intended service to the Prince The wronged Prince we cannot more expresse Our loyaltie to him than in the right Of his most hopefull son Ha. But is he not too young Mor. Sure you think us so too but he and we Are old enough to look through your disguise And under that to see his fathers enemies A Guard there Enter Guard Mor. Seize him and you that could shew reason or example Ha. Seize me for what Ab. Canst thou remember such a name as Mirza And ask for what Ha. That name I must remember and with horrour But few have died for doing What they had di'd for if they had not done It was the Kings command and I was onely Th' unhappie minister Ab. I such a minister as wind to fire That adds an accidentall fiercenesse to Its naturall furie Mor. If 't were the Kings command 't was first thy malice Commanded that command and then obey'd it Ha. Nay if you have resolv'd it truth and reason Are weak and idle arguments But let me pitie the unhappie instruments Of Princes wils whose anger is our fate And yet their love's more fatall than their hate Ab. And how well that love hath been requited Mirvan your Confident By torture has confest Mor. The storie of the King and of the Bashawes Ha. Mirvan poore-spirited wretch thou hast deceiv'd me Nay then farewell my hopes and next my feares Enter Soffy So. What horrid noyse was that of drums and Trumpets that struck my eare What meane these bonds could not my Grandsires jealousie Be satisfied upon his son but now