ouer-runne And growest nothing when thy rage is done Is vertue bought and sold for loue of good Must Zangers rising from my fall be wonne Poore Zanger I acquire thee of my blood For I beleeue thy hart-hath no impression To ruine Mustapha of his possession Yet tell what they against me vse My fathers loue which way first did they wound Pr. Of treason towards him they thee accuse Thy fame and greatnes giues their malice ground Musta. Good world where it is danger to be good Where guilty people shall liue in good name The guiltlesse onely liue and die in shame Shew me the truth to what lawes am I bound Priest No man commanded is by God to die As long as he may persecution flie Must. To flie were to condemne my selfe and friends To honour those that would dishonor me To ruine those that should my succour be Death do thy worst thy longest paines haue end Besides where can man hide those coward feares But feares and hopes of powers will them reueale For kings haue many tongues and many eares Mischiefe is like the Cockatrices eyes Sees first and kils or is seene first and dies He that himselfe defending doth offend Breakes not the law nor needs not be forgiuen Duty doth end when kings do go astray Misguided by their owne or others will For disobedience is when it doth light To hurt but duty when vs'd as a presse It sets a princes crooked humors right Priest Vse not thy strength to shed thy fathers blood But vse thy strength to do thy father good Rossa while she attends to ruine thee Makes Soliman against his state to sinne Take armes against her do thy father free Translating heires doth ost bring ruine in And since euen vice by good successe seemes good Good fortune will make vertue vnderstood Must. O false and wicked colours of desire Eternall bondage vnto him that seekes To be possest of all things that he likes Shall I a sonne and subiect seeme to dare For Princes sake to set the realme on fire Which golden titles to rebellion are It is not feare of death which ioyes to dye They feare death that from death to mischiefe flie If I be kild I do not ill but suffer It is no paine to die for children do it It is no grace to liue the wicked haue it Let children cry and slaues do ill for feare Death is not strange to men why then repine we Death is of force to man to what end striue we Obedience goes vpright the stubborne fall God burnes his rods but we must suffer all Euen you haue told me wealth was giuen The wicked to corrupt themselues and others Greatnesse and health do make flesh proud and cruell Where with the good sicknesse mowes downe desire Death glorifies misfortune humbles Sorrow seekes peace of God sinne yeelds repentance Since therefore life is but the throne of danger Where sicknes paine desire and feare inherit Soonest escapt from him that holds it dearest Euen of men the least worth the most beloued A double death to them that hold it so And hauing nothing else must it forgo Should I that know the destinie of life Do that to liue that doth dishonor life My innocency bids me not to feare My loue and duty for a father looke Worthines he shewes that can misfortune beare The heart doth iudge of vertue not the booke I know my strength and in my strength resolue To do that wicked men may thinke me weake And now that all the world knowes I might liue That power vnto my father I freely giue Priest Wilt thou both kill thy selfe and be the cause Thy father may offend Gods holy lawes The world knowes cowards kill themselues for feare First let thy father know lie doth thee wrong They often bide death that cannot danger bide And in these duties afterwards be strong Must. Tempt me no more good will is then a paine When her words beat the heart and cannot enter I constant in my counsell doe remaine And more liues for my life will not aduenter Deere Rossa doe thou for my sake still liue By thee my father may repent my fall When thy heart of my truth shall witnesse giue Stay thou till time and destinie doe call Warne Acmat and Camena they aduise Least they like rage that doth her owne selfe beare Seeking to helpe or to preuent my fall Ruine themselues while they for me intreat My life in your liues I shall thinke preserued When you know I haue worse then I deserued Come let vs goe for kindnesse doth betray The heart that firmely on it self doth stay Chorus Tartarorum Religion thou vaine and glorious stile for weaknesse Sprung from the deepe disquiet of mans passion To dissolution and dispaire of nature The text brings princes titles into question Thy prophets sat on worke the sword of Tyrants They manacle sweet truth with their substractions Let vertue bloud teach cruelty for Gods sake Fashioning one God but him of many fashions Like many headed errours in their passions Mankinde trust not this dreame Religion Feares Idols pleasures religues sorrowes treasures She makes the wilfull hearts her onely pleasures The rebels vnto gouernment her Martyrs temples No no thou child of miracles begotten Miracles that are but ignorance of causes Lift vp the hopes of thy abiected Prophets Religion worth abiures thy painted heauens Sicknes thy blessings are miserie thy tryall Nothing thy way vnto eternall being Death to saluation and the graue to heauen So blest be they so angel'd so eterniz'd That tie their senses to thy senselesse glories And die to cloy the after-age with stories Man should make much of life as natures table Wherein she writ the cipher of her glory Forsake not Nature nor mis-vnderstand her Her mysteries are read without faiths eye-sight She speaketh in our flesh and from our senses Delluers downe her wisedome to our reason If any man would breake her lawes to kill Nature doth for defence allow offence She neither taught the father to destroy Nor promis'd any man by dying ioy ACTVS IIII. SCENA I. Zanger alone Nourisht in Courts where no thoughts peace is nourisht Vs'd to behold the Tragedie of ruine Ruine from whome all Monarchies haue florisht Brought vp with feares with fellow Princes fortune Yet am I like him that hath lost his knowledge Or neuer heard one storie but of misfortune My heart doth fall away fearefull vpon me Tame Rumor that hath bin mine old acquaintance Is to me now like Monsters fear'd and wondred My loue begins to plague me with suspition My first delights beare likenes of displeasure My mothers promises of my aduancement Her doubtfull speeches her vnquiet motions Make me grow iealous of my owne aduancement The name of Mustapha so often murmured With whose name euer I haue been reioyced Now makes my heart misgiue my spirit languish Man then is Augur of his owne misfortune When his ioy yeeldes him arguments of anguish ACTVS IIII. SCENA II. Acmat Zanger Acm.
which God hartens so That feare shall not fore-see their ouerthrow Solym. Those are weake hearts that while their feares they see Would ruine all men lest they ruinde be I do suspect yet there is nothing done I loose my fame if so I kill my sonne Rossa The Gods when they leaue men to beasts a pray His reason with his pride they do betray Solym. Gods medle not where power and will agree But when at once men good and euill be Though I yet know not he hath done amisse I doubt and heauy Princes doubting is Though I resolue I will not kill him there It mortall is when Kings do say they feare ACTVS II. SCENA II. Belyarby Nuntius Solyman Rossa Beliar. Fond man distraught with diuers thoughts on foot That rack'st thy selfe and Natures peace do'st breake Iudge not the Gods aboue It doth not boote Nor do thou see that which thou dar'st not speake Power hath great scope not in the priuate waies Of truth she walkes vertues of common men Are not the same which shine in Kings aboue And do make feare bring forth the fruites of loue Admit that Mustapha not guilty be Who by his Prince will rise his Prince must please And they that please iudge with humility Knowledge a burden is obedience case Who loues good name is free to follow it Who seekes Kings loues he must their humors fit When owners doe resolue to ouerthrow The stately oke for gaine or clearer sight Who loues the shadow with the fall seekes wo When others gather wood and go vpright Like wheeles of wood or rather like dead loggs With other sinnowes drawne and lead about Admit Kings be yet all men see not all Who rockes with chaines will moue from whence they sit Must spend their force to draw themselues to it Yonder they are whose charge must be discharged In Rossaes face me thinkes desire speaketh He keepes the lawes that all lawes forme breaketh Solym. Rossa you now shall know feare is a coward Sworne to mistrust her selfe to worship power Tyrant to man that should rule and obeyeth And tyrant-like betrayed or betrayeth Is Mustapha in health and comming Belyar. My Lord already come for what can stay Where loue and duty both teach to obey Solym. Go rest hereafter you shall know our pleasure Rossa our Patriarke saw the heauens open And in their throne this wisedome there appear'd A virgin by Eternities hand sitting In beauties of the earth and heauen clothed Containing in her shape all shapes and fauours And in her life the life of liuing creatures Still one and neuer one mortall and yet immortall A Chaos both of Reason Sence and Passion Working in plants onely to grow and fade To pleasure others both with fruit and shade In beasts both life and sence created she And but desire to no law bound they be When man she made and this same sparke diuine Reason infus'd in him that onely he In time might diuers from the Angels be Then least this spright free-denizend on earth Should of the world take pride and so forget That vnto vs it but in lease is let She doth within the body where it liues Place life and senses drawn from beasts and plants To warre with Reason and shew what it wants And if beliefe the life of true Religion Could not giue credite to this Reuelation Euen feeling which giues life to good beliefe Within my selfe makes my selfe an example Mustapha is come and by his comming Hath glutted my desire and of his comming Hath made me doubt my doubts suspect my malice Nature against my ielousie ariseth Feare of ill doing threatens feare of suffering Worth assures greatnes greatnes brings worth in question Truth is me thinkes both with him and against him And as for Reason that should rule these passions I finde her so effeminate a power As she bids kill to saue bids saue and doubt not Keeping my loue and feare in equall ballance That I with Reason may thinke Reason is A glasse to shew not helpe what Reason is Thus like the corne vpon the weake stalke growing I bow my head with euery breath of wether And Mustapha that now I would haue slaine I now resolue to giue him life againe Rossa Sir nature doth not disclaime her right in monsters Which are but errors in her expectation Nature with loue doth steale the hearts of fathers Her end is to make all her makings perfect But Steele hath rust Time change and Nature error No maruel then though Mustapha in Nature Be found as well as Lucifer in Heauen Let not these childrens sticks gilt to the show Make you forget that wormes in them may grow Remember what true grounds of his Ambition Made you resolue his greatnes was your danger And shall selfe-fondnesse put out iust suspition Conceit must not be guide of Loue or Anger For mischiefe while her head shewes in the clouds In Plutoes Kingdome she her body shrowds Lay hands on him your feare may worke your woe From wrong there is no other way to goe Solym. How should I thinke my Sonne doth seek my blood Rossa By being safe doubt onely is withstood Soly. Can Kings be safe from wrongs that wrongs shal doe And wrong it is in things not knowne or done For any Father to destroy his Sonne Kings loose their Crownes that oft doe loue or feare More then the Crownes that they themselues doe weare VVhat Kings doe thinke another man may doe An other man may thinke and doe it too Solym. Power headlong is Kings wrath like thunder blasts Doth feare the world and that it hits it wasts It cannot touch but it must ouerthrow Where Kings doe let their power rule their wit Better vnmade then doe a misse with it Rossa But he that with his wit can rule his wit Doth iudge and measure where his power shall light Thunder because it ruin's if it hit The Gods themselues haue power ouer it Solym. So for that Kings haue power of all below Their wrath must not before their knowledge goe Rossa Heauen may be slow where all at once is knowne In Man where till they fall Faults may be found VVhile doubt is curious Helpe is ouerthrowne Solym. They doe against themselues that doubt and doe Rossa Who doubt against themselues doe danger wooe Solym. Arguments of doubt accused him to mee And Arguments of loue doe set him free Ross. My Lord your doubt from arguments did rise Of wanton Greatnesse Ambitious-seeking loue Good Nature is not natured to be wise If doubt with cause without cause it remoue Solym. Suspition is but onely tryals ground Fame is like breath breath'd from the inward part Rossa Where it is death to thinke or to conspire There Kings may kill before they doe enquire Where Kings but onely for themselues doe feare Both strength and honor is it to forbeare I am no more vntill more I doe heare Chorus Sacerdotum O wearisome condition of humanity Borne vnder one law to an other bound Vainely be got and
neuer to be repaired And honour lost mankind hath lost his fashion Honour and shame are slaues to them that prosper Ross. One signe that humaine worth with power is raised Is that Kings do to make their doings praised Rosten Who forceth man is fear'd but not beloued Praises of feare are tyranous dispraises Rossa Praises for feare do shew that we are great Who seeke for loue and may commaund a feare Are sitter to clime vp then tarry there I whome most men haue thought haue ruled all And with my Lord his ruine vndertaken Now liue in this life to behold my fall Our credit with our Soueraigne is our honor And ere thou suffer that to haue despight Thinke Innocencie harme vertue dishonour Wound truth and ouerthrow the state of right Sexes haue vertues apart States haue there fashions The vertues of authority are passions But stay looke where our messenger returneth ACT. II. SCENA IIII Rossa Rosten Belyarby Nuntius Beliar. Rossa and Rosten while you stand debating The ioyes are fortunes of your priuate fortune Rossa Rosten make haste goe hence and carrie with thee My life my fame desire and my fortune You vgly Angels of infernall Kingdome You spirits resolute to dwell in darknesse You who haue vertuously maintain'd your being In equall power like riualls to the heauens If as they say who say it for reproch You are at hand to those that on you call Refusing none but such as doe refuse you Reuenge your selues of this false title vertue This vertue which hath sildome beene assailed By you but she hath still her seruants failed My shame my feare my loue I offer to you Let me raigne while I liue in my desires Or dead liue with you in eternall fires Rossa doing not praying merits heauen or hell Mischiefes doe rise and set themselues against thee Misfortune hath euen now conspired thy ruine Intreat no enemies for they forgiue not But humble thou thy selfe vnto the heauens I feare to tell I tremble to conceale it Thy blood euen with thy destiny is infected I would yet would I not I durst reueale it Fortune vnto the death is then displeased When remedies doe ruine her diseased Rost. Vse not these parables of coward feare Feare hurts lesse when it strikes then when it threatens If Mustapha shall liue all feare is fallen Danger lighted desire lost hope banisht If Mustapha shall die then feare from hope Losse from desire danger and paine are vanisht Bel. If Mustapha shall die his death miscarries Part of thy End thy Fame thy Friends thy Ioyes No man to hurt his foes his friends destroyes Ross. Friends who are they but those that serue desire My Gods my Friends my Father and my Mother Are but those steps that helpe me to aspire Duty and loue tooke knowledge of no other Let me and all the world with him be staine I will not wish to be aliue againe But tell what is the worst Bel Aske not in rage rage brings it selfe to woe Vnlesse the wings whereon it flies be slow Ross. I charge you tell me how I am fortune-bound That if I harme him I my selfe confound Bel. Camana must with him a traytor be Or Mustapha for her sake must be free Ross. O cruell Fates that doe in loue plant woe And in delight make our despaires to grow But speake what hath she done Bel. Vndone thy doing Discouered vnto Mustapha his danger Vertues sweete fame with loue of mercy wooing And great suspitions from these relicks grow That what she knowes both Sonne and Father know I that am yours durst not make you a stranger And yet was loth with duty to offend In childrens faults a mothers wisdome showes Loues perfect try all is in flame of anger Malice to Mustapha must be forgot That your belou'd Camena perish not Rossa Nay pale Auernus I doe so adore thee As I lament my wombe hath bin so barren To yeeld but one to offer vp before thee Who thinkes the daughter harme can mother stay From end whereon a mothers heart is set Knowes not wisedome wickednesse beget Boldnesse in malice dazels humane reason Camaena thy false blood shall doe me right Bel. Rossa is rage so mad as to imagine It masters heauen Ross. Is rage so mad As it will stay reuenge to hope for heauen Where ages are but houres Bel. Is wrath so cruell Are lawes of loue so soone forgotten Is mercy dead Ross. Would you haue wrath so foolish As it should stay vntill it be abused Is Nature vnder such fond lawes be gotten As Loue must giue it selfe to be abused Bel. Yet by the Loue of mothers to their children By all the paines of trauell with your children Punish but spare the life of faulty children Life may amend and well deceiue an other Death doth but cut off one to warne an other Ross. I doe protest before you spirits infernall That gouerne in your darknes vniform'd By all your plagues and miseries eternall By all your vgly shapes and soules transform'd Neither to haue bin made a heauenly Angell Honour'd aliue and after this life famous Would I loue of my children haue disclaymed But since by her my life is brought in question Since she is out of daughters duty gotten My mothers tender care shall be forgotten They still that haue good will to kill or perish And they do erre that others erruor cherish Camena then since thy desires would make Thy mothers harme examples of thy glory Since thou do'st leaue me for a brothers sake Since thy heart feeles not what makes others sorry Thy triumphe shall bee death thy glory shame For so die they that wrong a mothers name Thy treasures with thine owne arts are discarded I will do something not to be forgotten The giuers of examples are regarded CHORVS ACT. III. SCENA I. Achmatt alone Achmat. Who standing in the shade of humble valley Lookes vp and wondèrs at the height of hils When he with toyle of weary lims ascends And feeles his spirits melt with Phaebus glaies Or sinewes starke with AEolus bitter breathing Or thunder blasts which comming from the skie Do fall most heauy on the places high Then knowes though further seene and further seeing They multiply in woes that adde in glories Who weary is of natures quiet vallyes A meane estate with chast and poore desires Whose vertue longs for knees blisse for opinion Who iudgeth pleasure paradise in purple Let him seeme no gouernor of Castle No pitty princes choise whose weake dominions Make weake vnnoble councels to be currant But Basha vnto Solyman whose scepter Nay seruants haue dominion ouer Princes Vnder whose feet the foure forgotten Monarches The foote-stooles lie of his eternall glory Euen I thus raised this Solymans beloued Thus caried vp by fortune to be tempted Must for my Princes sake destroy succession Or suffer ruine to preserue succession O wretched state of ours wherein we liue Where doubt giues loues which nature can forgiue Where rage of Kings not onely ruine be But where
hold their right Euen fame of kings estate a miserie We Bassaes that do distribute at wil And for that we the best mens rising feare With bruit and tumor good desert we kill This fashion and not Mustapha's offence Hath had an ambush to intrap your loue But Sir awake a kings iust fauorite Is truth All broken wayes not borne of faith but will Do but hale danger while that multiplies Where there is cause of doubt lawes do prouide Restraint of liberty where force of spight Lies in the liuing dead till it be tried Where kings too oft vse their prerogatiue The people do forbeare but not forgiue My Lord the state delayes are wisedome where Time may more easie wayes to safety shew Selfe murder is an vgly worke of feare And little lesse is childrens ouerthrowes For truths sake spare your sonne and pardon him Mens wit and duty oft haue diuerse wayes Duty with truth which doth with strength agree Duty of honour striueth wit to please Who stands alone in counsels of estate Where kings themselues euen with adulse see feares Stands on the headlong step of death and hate For good lucke enuie ill lucke hazzard beares For fashions that affect to seeme vpright To hide their faults must ouerthrow the right Sir Mustapha is yours moreouer he Is not for whom you Mustapha ouerthrow Suspition common to successions be Honour and feare euer together go Who must kill all they feare feare all they see Your subiects sonnes nor neighbourhood can beare So infinite the limits be of feare Soly. Acmat no more mischance doth oft o'reshoote All vnder kings desires without all feare Your Bassaes know for mischiese seekes the roote Not boughes which but the fruit of greatnesse beare Mercy and truth are wisedomes popular And like the raine which doth in rich the ground They spend the clouds of which they owned are Princes estates haue this one misery That though the men and treasons both be plaine They 're vnbeleeu'd while Princes are vnslaine If thy care be of me enough is sayd Go waite my pleasure which shall be obeyd Acuts tertius Scena tertia Enter Solyman Beliarby nuntius Beli. If you will Rossa see aliue You must make hast Soly. Fortune hast thou not molds enough of sorrow Must thou yet these of loue and kindnesse borrow Yet tel me whence grew Rossaes passion Bel. When hither I from Mustapha returned And had made you account of my Commission Rossa whose heart in care of your health burned Curiously after Mustapha enquiring A token spies which I from hence did beare For Mustapha by sweete Camena wrought Yet gaue it not for I began to feare And something more then kindnes in it thought No sooner she beheld this pretious guift But as inrag'd hands on her selfe she layd From me as one that from her selfe would shift She runnes nor till she found Camena stayes I follow and heare both their voyces high The one as doing the other as suffering paine But whether your Camena liue or die Or dead if she by rage or guilt be slaine If she made Rossa mad or Rossa mad To hurt things deerest to her selfe be glad Or where the bounds of vnbound rage will stay If one or both or which is made away I know not but O Solyman make hast Actus tertius Scena quarta Enter Rossa and Solyman Rossa What am I not my owne who then dare let me From doing with my selfe what my selfe listeth Nature hath lied she saith life vnto many May be denied but not death vnto any Come death art thou afraid of me that beare All wickednes by which you caused were Soliman stand from me I am not thy Rossa But one that death the diuell and hell do flie Yet vnto death the diuel and hell do hie Soly. What fury is the God of this strange spirit Rossa how art thou lost or how transformd Leaue it to me or take or leaue thy breath And shew thy fault thy fault shall giue thee death Rossa That were to loose the benefit of death Solym. Then liue Ross. That is the cruelty of death Soly. Then tell and die Ross. Nay tell and liue a worthy death To her that so had lost the good of death Solym. What should be councell to the mariage bed Rossa All things vnworthy of the mariage bed Solym. Yet tell me for my loue I long to know Rossa For loue I keep what loue would feare to know Soly. Ignorance is dangerous and ouer feares Ross. Ignorance is dangerous and cannot feare Soly. Yet tell me I am Prince I do command Ross. Kings long to heare and hate what they haue heard Good sir let it be lawfull to say nothing And lesse of kings men can desire nothing Soly. Then liue and let this multiplie thy anguish That all diseases of my mind and state Iniuries of loue contempts and wounds of fauours Treachery aspiring death suspitious ruine Consulted are by thee to make me languish Thou guidest me and my fortune vnto error Rossa O Soliman of grace let me say nothing For if I speake thy neuer falling iustice Must force thee to take vengeance of offences In odious facts the solemne forme of death Melts humane powers great states to get compassion For mankind when it sees man loose his breath Their harts not vnto truth but pittie fashion And death well borne shall make a wicked spirit Stir pitty vp to make the law seeme might Let these vilde hands to this vilde hart be cruell Selfe death which gods abhorre is fit for treason Mercie by ill successe seemes lacke of reason Solim. Yet speake for one of mischiefes plagues is shame Rossa You Gods that gouern these star-bearing heauens Whose onely motion rules the mouing Seas And thou still changing glory of the darknes Whose growing hornes and ensignes of his Empire Beare witnes with me neither truth nor kindnesse Shame nor remorce desire to doe things honest Delight of others good nor seate of mischiefe Duty to God or man but one i glome The badge which Euill giues doth tel this storie Your daughter in whom you and I had blisse By these imbrued fingers murthered is : Solim. What fault would not a mothers loue forgiue Rossa The fault she made was that she let me liue For knowing she conspird her fathers death By whom I hold my honor she she breath How could she thinke I could her crime forgiue Sol. What cause had she to thinke so vile a thought Or by whom could she thinke to haue a wrought Rossa Mischiefe it selfe is cause of mischiefe done Whome should she feare to winne when she had woon Vnto this mischiefe Mustapha thy sonne Solim. Did she confesse or who did her accuse Ro. This Guidon with her own hand wrought and sent Beares perfect record what was her intent Solim. Expound what was the meaning of this work Vnder whose are the acts of mischiefe lurke Rossa The clouds they be the house of iealousie Which fire and water both within them beares Where