forth From baptism he doth send me unto death If you could comprehend the little worth Of this frail life and the eternal sweets That follow after death But to what end Is it to speak of those concealed treasures To souls whom God hath not inspired yet Paul Cruel for it is time my grief break forth And that a just reproach oppress a soul Ingratefull Is this that fair fire thou boasts of Are these thy oaths expressest thou for me The smallest sentiments I speak not to thee Of that deplorable estate wherein Thy death will leave thy poor disconsolate Wife I think that love should speak enough of that But that love so firm and so well deserv'd Which thou didst promise me and I bare thee When thou wilt leave me when thou mak'st me dye Can it not draw one sigh one tear from thee Ingratefull thou dost quit me yea with joy Thou hid'st it not but wilt that I should see it And thy hard heart insensible to my sad Attractions figureth unto it self A happiness that I shall never see Is it then the disgust that Marriage brings Am I grown odious after having given My self unto you Pol. Alas Paul How that alas came hardly forth Yet if it happily shew'd any sign Of a repentance Oh how charming were it Although inforc'd but courage he is mov'd I see he sheds tears Pol. True I weep Paulina And would to God that therewith this heard heart Might happily be pierc'd the sad estate Wherein I leave you doth deserve the plaints My love doth give me and if one can carry Griefs unto Heaven I carry them to see The excess of your misfortunes but if in This luminous abode of highest glory This God all just and good allow my Prayer If He vouchsafe to lend an ear unto Conjugall love He will display his light Upon your blindness Lord I do beseech thee Let me obtain this of thy goodness she Hath too much vertue not to be a Christian It pleased thee to give her too much merit Not to know Thee and to adhere unto Thee To live still an unfortunate Slave of hell And to die as she 's born under that yoak Paul What say'st thou miserable what dar'st thou wish Pol. That which with all my blood I fain would purchase Paul That rather Pol. T is in vain to make resistance This God toucheth the heart when least we think on 't That happy moment is not yet arriv'd It will come but the time 's not known unto me Paul Leave this Chymera come and love me still Pol. I love you much more then my self but pardon me Less then my God Paul In the name of that love Forsake me not Pol. In the name of that love Follow my steps Paul Dost thou not eare to quit me wilt thou then Seduce me Pol. Car'st thou not to go to Heaven I will conduct you there Paul Imaginations Pol. Coelestiall truths Paul Strange blindness Pol. Rather everlasting lights Paul Thou prefer'st death before Paulina's love Pol. You the base world before the divine goodness Paul Go cruell go and die thou never lov'dst me Pol. Live happy in the World and suffer me To die in peace Paul Yes I will leave thee trouble not thy self I go Scena Quarta Polyeuctes Paulina Severus Fabian Guards Paulina BUt what design Severus brings you here Is this done like a generous Cavaleer To come to brave here one in misery Pol. Paulina you treat ill so rare a merit At my sole prayer he renders me this visit I have committed incivility Noble Severus which I know you 'l pardon And impute to my want of liberty Being possessor of a Treasure which I was not worthy of before I die Suffer me to resign it unto you And to leave the rar'st vertue that a Woman Could e're receive from heaven unto the hands Of the most valiant and accomplish'd man The earth hath honour'd or Rome hath produc'd Y' are worthy of her she is worthy you Refuse her not Sir from a Husbands hand If he hath dis-united you his death Will make amends and joyn you both again Let not a fire which sometimes was so fair Become less now give her your heart and take Her faith to you live happily together And dye like me it is the glorious good Which Polyeuctes wisheth to you both Guards lead me to my death I 've nothing more To say come all is finish'd Scena Quinta Severus Paulina Fabian Severus I Am confounded In my astonishment to see his blindness His resolution 's so unparalel'd That scarce can I believe mine ears a heart That holds you dear but what heart is so low That could have known you and not cherish'd you A man belov'd by you assoon as lie Possesseth you without regret he leaves you Nay he doth more he doth resign you over And as if your fires were a fatall present He himself makes a gift on 't to his Rivall Surely the Christians either have strange whimsies Or their felicities must be infinite Since to pretend thereto they dare reject What one should purchase at an Empires price For my part if my destiny a little Sooner propitious had been pleas'd to honour me With your fair Nuptials I should have ador'd No glory but the lustre of your eyes I would have made of them my Kings and gods They should have first reduced me to dust Before that Paul Sir no more of this discourse I fear I 've heard too much and that this heat Should thrust forth some unseemly consequence Unworthy of us both Severus know My Polyeuctes wholy doth take up Paulina's thoughts he hath but a short moment To live you are the innocent cause thereof I know not if your soul might have presum'd To frame some hope to your desires upon His ruine but assure your self there is No death so cruel whereunto I would not With fearless steps address nor in Hell horrors So dreadfull which I would not rather suffer Then fully my fame to espouse a man After his sad fate who in any kind Might cause his death and if you should believe me Of so unsound a mind the Love I bear you Would turn all into hatred you are generous Be so unto the end My Father is In a condition to deny you nothing He fears you and I will be bold to adde This word that if he doth destroy my Husband It is to you he sacrificeth him Save this unfortunate use your interest for him Indeavour pray to serve him as a Prop I know t is much what I demand of you But how much greater the indeavour is So much more is the glory on 't preserve A Rivall that you 'r jealous of it is A tract of vertue which belongeth not But unto you if this be not sufficient Renown unto you t is much that a woman Sometimes belov'd and yet perhaps whose love May touch you should owe that to your great heart Which she esteems most dear Lastly remember You are Severus after
In these assaults that vertue doth break forth We doubt that heart that hath not combated In Rome where I was born this wretched face Captiv'd the courage of a Roman knight Called Severus Pray excuse the sighes Which yet a name too dear to my desires Snatches out of my bosome Strat Was it he That not long since at th' expence of his life Sav'd th'Emperour Decius from his enemies Who dying drew the victory from the Persians And turn'd the chance upon the Roman Eagles He that amongst so many bodies sacrific'd Unto his Master could not be found out Or at least known to whom Decius at last Made sumptuous monuments to be rais'd in vain Paul Alas it was the same and never did Our Rome produce a greater heart nor saw A braver man since thou hast understood him I l'e speak no more of him Statonica I lov'd him he deserved well but whereto Serves merit where blind fortune is defective The one is great in him the other weak And common too invincible obstacle O're which a vertuous Lover very seldome Triumpheth with a father Strat. Fair occasion And worthy a rare constancy Paul Rather say An overnice foolish and base resistance What ever fruit one might receive from thence T is not a vertue but for who would faile In this great love which I had for Severus I still expected from my Fathers hand A Husband and my reason never own'd The amiable Treason of mine eyes He did possess my heart my thought my wishes I hid not from him how much I was wounded We sigh'd together and wept our misfortunes But he in stead of hope had nought but tears And notwithstanding his sweet sighs and prayers My Father and my duty were inexorable Lastly I left Rome and this perfect lover To follow here my father in his government And he even desperate went unto the Army To seek th' illustrious fame of a fair death Thou know'st the rest my comming to this place Made me see Polyeuctes and I pleas'd His eyes My Father finding that he was The chief of the Nobility was ravish'd With joy that he should take me for his Mistress And he believ'd himself by his allyance Sure to be more redoubted and considerable He lik'd his love and did conclude the marriage And I seeing me destin'd to his bed Gave unto his affection through duty All what the other had through inclination If thou canst doubt thereof judge by the fear Wherewith for him thou seest my soul is troubled Strat. You love him I believe as well as one Can love but after all what dream could have Disturb'd you Paul This last night me thought I saw Th' unfortunate Severus with revenge In hand and with an Eye flaming with anger He was not covered with those sorry rags A desolate shade doth bring with it from graves He was not pierced with those glorious strokes Which cutting off his life assure his memory He seem'd triumphant like unto our Caesar When on his Charriot he victoriously Doth enter Rome after a little fear Which his sight gave me carry unto whom Thou wilt the favour that is due to me Ingratefull said he and this day expir'd Lament at leisure him thou hast preferr'd Before me At these words I trembled My soul was troubled afterward an impious Assembly of the Christians to advance Th' effect of this fatall and sad discourse Threw Polyeuctes at his Rivals feet Forthwith I call'd my Father to his ayd Alas 't is this that most doth trouble me I saw my Father enter with a Ponyard In hand and his arm rais'd to pierce his bosom There my grief too strong hath conceiv'd those Images The bloud of Polyeuctes hath contented Their furies I know neither how nor when They kill'd him but I know that to his death All have contributed Behold my dream Strat. 'T is true t is sad but your soul must resist Those fears the vision of it self may give Some horror but no just fear unto you Should you a death fear from a Father who Doth love your Husband and doth honour him And whose just choice hath given you unto him To make himselfe thereby here in this Countrey A sure and firm support Paul He hath himself Told me as much and laugh'd at my alarms But I do fear the Christians plots and charms And that upon my Husband they 'l revenge The bloud my Father hath so freely shed Strat. Their Sect is mad impious and sacrilegious And in their Sacrifice use sorcery But this their fury goes no further then To break our Altars its pursues the Gods But reacheth not to mortals whatsoever Severity our anger doth display Upon them they do suffer without murmur And die with joy and since the time they were Treated as criminals of State one cannot Charge them with any murther Paul Peace my Father Scena Quarta Felix Albin Paulina Stratonica Felix DAughter thy dream hath plung'd me in strange fears Since yesterday I doubt th' effects thereof Which seem t' approach Paul I do beseech you tell me What i st you feel Felix Severus is not dead Paul What evil doth his life do unto us Felix He is the Favourite Of th' Emperour Decius Paul After having saved him From the hands of his Enemies the hope Of such a rank justly might be allow'd him Thus Fortune to great hearts so often cruel Resolvs her self sometimes to do them justice Felix He 's comming here himself Paul What is he comming Felix Thou shalt receive his Visit. Paul That 's too much But how do you know this Sir Felix Albin met In the adjacent field a troup of Courtiers Attending him in crouds which shewed plainly His rank and credit but Albinus tell her That which his People told thee Albin You know Madam What that great Expedition was which made us So fortunate by his loss where th' Emperour A Prisoner disâ—ingaged by his hand Confirm'd again his almost conquered party Whilst that his vertue fell amongst the number You know the honours that he caus'd to be Done to his shadow when his body could not Be found amongst the dead The King of Persia Witness of his high acts though to his damage Caused him to be carry'd off and brought Into his Tent he did desire to know His face though dead every one did lament him Covered with wounds though jealous of his glory Within a while he shew'd some sign of life This generous Monarch was o're joy'd therewith And though o'recome thought not of his misfortune To honour vertue in its very Authour He caus'd that speciall care should be tane of him His cure was secret and at a Months end His health was perfect when the King to gain him Offer'd him dignâ—ties allyance treasures And us'd a thousand means when all things fail'd After high prayse bestow'd on his refusall He sent to Decius to propose exchange And presently the Emperour transported With pleasure offered to the Persian His Brother and a hundred chiefs
this Petition I 'le go without an Answer and if you Be not the same which I le presume to vaunt To prize you still I will be ignorant Exit Scena Sexta Severus Fabian Severus FAbian What feel I what new clap of Thunder Falls on my fortune and reduceth it To dust the more I do esteem it near The farther 't is I find all lost when I Think all is gain'd and envious Destiny Resolv'd to hurt me still cuts off my hope As soon as it is born Before I offer My fair devotions I receive refusals Sad alwaies and asham'd to see that basely It durst spring up again that yet more basely It durst appear and lastly that a Woman In an afflicted state should give me lessons Of generosity Your fair soul Paulina Is as high as it is unfortunate But t is as cruel too as generous And your griefs tyrann ze with too much rigour Upon a Lovers heart that 's wholely yours T is not enough to lose you then unless I give you I must serve a Rivall when He doth abandon you and by a cruell And generous triall to give you unto him Must snatch him from his death Fab. Leave this ingratefull family to their fate Let it accord the father with the Daughter The Husband with the Wife and Polyeuctes With Felix What reward hope you to have For such a cruel triall Sev. Only Fabian The glory to shew to this beauteous soul Severus equals her and doth deserve her That she was due unto me and that Heaven In taking her from me was too injurious Fab. Without accusing Heaven or Destiny Think on the danger you draw on upon you By such an Act you hazard very much Consider well you enterprise to save A Christian you cannot be ignorant What is and always was the hate of Decius Unto that impious Sect t is unto him A crime so great so capitall that even To you his only Favourite may be fatall Sev. This were good counsel for some common soul Though he hold in his hand my life and fortune I am Severus still and all this great And mighty power can nothing on my glory Nothing upon my duty honour here Obligeth me and I will satisfie it Let fortune afterward shew her self kind Or cruel as her nature 's still inconstant Dying in glory I shall dye content I 'le tell thee more but with some confidence The Christian Sect is not the same we take it We hate them and the reason for 't I know not And I can see Decius unjust in nothing But in this point for curiosity I fain would know them they are held for Sorcerers Whose Master Hell is and on this belief The secret mysteries which we are not able To understand are punished with death But Ceres Eleusina and the goddess Bonna at Rome and in Greece have their secrets Like them we suffer likewise in all places All kind of gods their God only excepted All the Aegyptian Monsters haue their Temple In Rome our predecessors as they lik'd Made a god of a man and their blood with us Retaining still their errors we fill Heaven With all our Emperors but to speak truly Of so much Apothaesis the effect Is very doubtfull of these Metamorphoses The Christians have but one God absolute Master Of all whose only will doth execute What he resolves but if I durst to speake Between us what I think ours very often Me thinks agree together very ill And should their anger crush me 'fore thine eyes I must speak this we have too many of them To be true gods Perhaps these publick faiths Are but inventions of wise Polyticks To keep the People under and to awe them And to establish their power on their weakness Lastly the manners of the Christians Are innocent vertues do flourish with them Vices appear not never an Adulterer A Traytor Drunkard Murtherer or Thief Is seen amongst them there is nothing else But love and charity they live together Like Brothers they pray for us that do persecute them And have we ever since the time we first Tormented them seen them in mutiny Have we seen them rebellious have our Princes Had Souldiers more faithfull fierce in war They suffer our tormentors patiently Lions in fight they dy as meek as Lambs I 've too much pitty for them not to help them Come let us find out Felix presently And so by one sole action satisfie Paulina my compassion and my glory The End of the fourth Act. Actus Quintus Scena Prima Felix Albin Cleon. Felix ALbin perceiv'st thou Severus plot Seest thou his hate and my sad misery Alb. I see nought in him but a generous Rivall And in you nothing but a rigorous Father Fel. How ill thou know'st him all he doth's but shew In heart he hates me and disdains Paulina And though he sometime lov'd her he esteemes now A Rivals Relique too unworthy of him He speaks in his behalf prays threatens me And sayes he will destroy me if I grant not Pardon unto him pâ—ssing from generous He thinks to fear me but the Artifice Is too gross not to be discovered I know the Court and all its subtle windings Before him I 'm acquainted with its plots And all its practises it is in vain For him to storm and faign to be in fury I see what he intendeth to the Emperor Of that which he requests me he 'd accuse me Sparing his Rivall I should be his Victime And if he had to do with some young Novice The plot is wel laid without doubt he would Destroy him easily but an old Courtier Is not so credulous he seeth well When one 's in jeast and when he is in earnest And for my part I 've seen so many of them Of all kinds that if need were I could give Lessons even unto him Alb. Gods how you torture Your self by this distrust Fel. To stand in Court It is the highest skill when once a man Hath cause to hate us we ought to presume That he seeks all the wayes he can to ruine us Then all his friendship is to be suspected If Polyeuctes forsakes not his Sect What ever his Protector intends for him I 'le boldly follow th' order is prescrib'd me Alb. Pardon Sir pardon let Paulina's prayers And tears obtain it Fel. Th' Emperours pardon Albin Shall not come after mine and so far am I From drawing him out of this perilous pass As not to do what will destroy us both Alb. But Sir Severus promiseth Fel. I mistrust him And know better then he the hate of Decius In favour of the Christians if he should Oppose his anger without doubt he would Ruine himself with us I will try yet Another way Bring Polyeuctes here to Cleon. And if I send him back again if he Remain insensible of this last attempt Cleon returns At his departure hence he surely dies Alb. Your order is too rigorous Fel. I must follow it If I 'le prevent disorder which may