send us prosperous Gales Our Ships shall fill the Sea the Wind our Sails Exeunt CHORUS IS' t true Or does some Fear our minds deceive That Souls their Bodies do out-live When any wretched Mortal dies And his sad Kindred close his Eyes Does not Death finish all his Pain But must he dye to live again Or rather when our Bodies dye And with our Breath our Souls too flye Is Death the End and Cure of all our Misery Where're all-seeing Phaebus goes Where're the watry Ocean flows Nimbler than both Time posts away Nor Gods nor Men his Course can stay Swift as the rapid Orbs are hurl'd Swift as the Eye of this great World Our basty Sand does downwards run Our Minutes fly our Life is gone And when the slipp'ry Guest takes flight The rest is long Oblivion and eternal Night As Smoak dissolves into the Air And Winds drive Clouds we know not where So when poor Mortals breathe their last Their Souls exhale too in a blast And when the mighty Nothing disappears Death crowns our hopes and cures our fears What place must after Death our Souls receive That where we lay e're we began to live Our Souls as well as Bodies die And all is swallow'd up in vast Eternity Pluto Elysium Cerberus are nought But the loose Image of a shapeless Thought The Poet 's not the Wiseman's Theam The wild Idea of an empty Dream ACT III. Enter Andromache Astyanax and an Old Trojan Andromache WHY wretched Phrygians why d' ye tear your Hairs Why swell your Breasts with Sighs your Cheeks with Tears My Sorrows wear a sadder Livery Troy fell but Now to You Long since to Me. When fierce Achilles my lov'd Hector slew And the dear Corps thrice round our City drew The Chariot groan'd and shook beneath Its weight Whilst each sad Trojan fear'd approaching Fate Hector and Troy at the same time did fall If Tears can quench our Sorrows they 're but small I that have Liv'd would gladly Die his Wife And shew my Death as faithful as my Life But This sad Pledge of our once happy Loves My Fears increases and my Pity moves For His dear sake I live against my will And am contented to be wretched still My Care for Him has cost me many a Tear And robs my mis'ries of the wretched comfort not to Fear No Help no Remedy for all my Care But all is hopeless Sorrow and Despair Troj Madam what Fears distract your restless mind And. Many are Past but more are still Behind Alas our Sufferings must be worse and more Troj What Curses have the angry Gods in store And. All all the mighty Pow'rs of Hell break loose And Death it self will triumph over Us. Had they not slain enough before they bled But must they kill us too even when they 're Dead Must none but Grecian Ghosts return from Thence I thought just Death had made no difference These are the common Sufferings of us All But heavier Sorrows on my Head must fall Troj Speak what sad Omen has Heav'ns anger sent And. 'T was when two parts of the long Night were spent In Sighs and Tears when slumber did surprize My weary Limbs and clos'd my weeping Eyes And straight my lovely Hector's Shade appear'd Not like that Hector whom the Grecians fear'd When fierce as Lightning mongst their Troops He flew And many a treacherous Grecian bravely slew And in the Feign'd Achilles ' Death did wound the True Gone was the sprightly Colour of his Face Sorrow and Death had banish'd every Grace Breathless and pale by my Bedside he stood Stiff was his Hair and clotted all with Blood All Dismal and all Brave he did appear At once he mov'd my Love at once my Fear Once and again his griesly Locks he shook And thus my dear my dreadful Hector spoke Thou equal Partner of my faithful Bed Dear while I Liv'd and Constant now I 'm Dead Dare not to sleep when Danger is so nigh With my poor Boy to some far Countrey fly Or in some secret Cavern let Him lie Weep not for Troy your Tears will do no good But save the little Remnant of my Blood He spoke and straight He left my clouded sight And the loose shape dissolv'd into the Night I woake and starting from my Bed amaz'd Forsook my Child and round about me gaz'd The Airy Shade was lost in my embrace Whilst Fear and Horror fill'd a-round the Place To Astyanax Thou only last dear Hope of Troy and Me The Cause and Comfort of my Misery Too like my Hector and too near his Blood Born of a Race too noble and too good Such was thy warlike Father's lovely Face The same was every Action every Grace Such were his Eyes his Limbs so straight and fair Such was the Length and Colour of his Hair Too soon thou' rt born to Me but Oh! too late Or to prevent thy Own or thy poor Countries Fate When will that dear that wish'd-for Minute come When I shall see Thee bravely leading Home Thy captive banish'd scatter'd Countrymen When shall Old Troy and We revive again Thus I deceive and vainly sooth my Grief And dare not hope that Heav'n will send relief Yet all my Hopes and Fears are bound up in thy Life Alas what place what refuge dare I trust Our strongest Towers are buried in the Dust Of all the stately Structures of proud Troy There 's not enough remains to hide my Boy There is a Tomb where Hector's Ashes lie Fear'd and untouch'd ev'n by the Enemy A Monument of Old Priam's pious Prodigality Here he shall lay Cold Sweat bedews my Face I dread the Omen of the Fatal place Troj These timely Fears both You and Him may save And. With Him my Hopes are buried in the Grave What if some curious Greek my Fraud should spy Troj Whate'er you do be close trust no man's Eye But say that one day buried Him and Troy And. Should they but search this Tomb 't would prove his Last Troj A Conqueror's Rage is fierce but quickly past And. So dangerous a place I dare not trust Troj Others may choose what Helps they please let Him take what he must And. To what far Region dare I trust my Fears What Hope what Help what Remedy appears Thou that didst never fail assist me now Hector avert this sad this fatal Blow Ev'n in thy Death give Me and Troy relief And let thy faithful Ashes save his Life Haste haste get in dear Boy Oh! why dost turn Away and such mean shifts too bravely scorn See He 's asham'd of Fear Come lay aside This early Courage and this useless Pride And make the best of Fortune See what remains of Troy great Hector's Grave A helpless Infant and a wretched Slave Into this hallow'd Vault undaunted come In Life thy Refuge and in Death thy Tomb. She puts him into the Tomb. Troj So now He 's safe and lest your Fears betray Your Hopes be wise and quickly hast away And.
are the cruel Gods yet satisfy'd See how the Lots our Progeny divide A mournful Prey to th' Victors Lust and Pride One seeks Antenor's t'other Hector's Wife Cassandra too is now become their Strife Each shuns My Lot of Me they 'r all afraid Oh! whose unhappy Slave must I be made Why wretched Subjects why d' ye cease to cry My Equals now in all but Misery The mournful noise to fatal Ida send And with loud cries his hollow Vallies rend Reach his proud Top though it ascend to Heav'n And teach him to repeat those Griefs which There were giv'n Chorus of Trojan Women and Hecuba You need not teach us to shed Tears We 've practs'd it for many Years E're since unhappy Paris went to Greece And taught our Pines to plough the Seas Ten times has Ida's head been clad with Snow Ida the sharer of our Woe Our Griefs have made Him bare and naked too Ten times has th'Harvest crown'd our Fields And every day fresh Troubles yields Give You the Signal with up-lifted hands Our Sorrows shall prevent and out-do your Commands Hecub Come dear Companions of my Misery Loose Loose your hair and let it fly About your Necks your Arms prepare And your dishevell'd Tresses tear Your naked Beauties now display Let Modesty to Grief give way And let your Garments loosely flow So this is right and now I know The Trojan Dames Now all your Griefs renew Your Sighs for smaller Losses keep For Hector's Death a more than common sorrow shew For Hector now let 's weep Cho. Great Hecuba we have obey'd And each has strew'd Troy's Ashes on her head Hec. Takes up a handful of Ashes Fill fill your hands This surely is our own Now fling those useless Vestures down Now Sorrow all thy forces try Now all thy skill apply Let Rhaetus join with us and mourn Let hollow Ecchos the sad noise return In loudest Accents let each Rock repeat All Ilium's Groans Beat wretched Matrons beat Your breasts and let Them eccho too Let 's weep for Hector now Cho. To Thee we pay these Tears we send these Cries Accept these mournful Obsequies Thou shed'st thy Blood for Us and we In gratitude do so for Thee Thou wer 't thy tottering Country's Prop Her Guardian Angel and her only Hope By thee she stood with thee she fell Thy noblest Monument how well Did one day finish both your Fates Hec. Change change your Griefs let 's give some proof Of Love to Priam Hector hath enough Cho. Accept this mournful Tribute of our Eyes Thou who hast suffer'd two Captivities Twice have the Grecian Weapons pierc'd our Hearts Twice have we felt Alcides Darts And thou brave Prince who could'st no more enjoy Thy valiant Sons scorn'st to out-live thy Troy Hec. Let us our Grief to some sad Object turn For Priam's Death we need not mourn Since our own sufferings teach us to express Not Grief for 's Death but Joy for 's Happiness Sing Happy Priam now for he With Death has purchas'd Liberty The Grecian Yoke he ne're will bear Nor need he great Atrides or Ulysses fear He cannot now their Scorn and Triumph be Nor feel their glorious Bonds and gilded Slavery Cho. Thrice happy Priam sing we all Who with great Troy did'st fall Thou safely wander'st through th' Elysian Grove And seest the darling Object of thy Love O happy Priam happy who With thy own Fall hast seen thy Country's too ACT II. Enter Talthybius Talthybius WHat long delays our luckless Fleet attend Whether they come from Greece or thither bend Cho. What stays the Grecian Ships Talthybius say What angry God does once more stop your way Tal. My trembling joints are loosen'd all with fear And I am quite unmann'd Prepare to hear Monsters beyond belief Scarce had the Sun with his returning Ray Gilded the World and wak'd the new-born Day When straight the labouring Earth sent forth a Groan And the vast Caverns of the Deep were shown Each frighted Tree his trembling Leaves did move And fearful noises fill'd the hallow'd Grove The Sea began to fear and durst not roar His trembling Waves crept softly by the Shoar The clefted Earth unlock'd her mighty Womb And straight disclos'd the great Achilles Tomb. So full of rage did the dread Prince appear When first he taught the Thracians how to fear Or when with heaps he choak'd up Xanthus flood And stain'd his Silver streams with Trojan blood Or when he drag'd a-round with cruel Joy Dead Hector's Corps and cri'd I 've conquer'd Troy And thus he spake aloud the Valleys round And frighten'd Shoar restor'd the dreadful sound Go Wretches go share your ill gotten Prey And triumph o'er my Ashes bear away Once more those spoils for which so long I fought And with my richest blood so dearly bought Over my Parent-Sea your faithless Navy steer Despise my Anger Greece but know 't shall cost thee dear Till at my Shrine Old Priam's Daughter dies And Pyrrhus vengeful Sword performs the Sacrifice He spoke Ye Grecians credit what I tell And straight to shapeless Air unseen he fell The Sea laid by his anger and grew kind And danc'd to th' gentler murmurs of the Wind Whilst the glad Tritons in one Nuptial Corus joyn'd Exit Talthybius SCENE II. Enter Agamemnon Pyrrhus and Calchas Pyrrhus WHilst with wing'd speed our Ships do homewards fly Must great Achilles unregarded lye Is He forgot whose conqu'ring Hand alone Troy and her mighty Bulwark has o'rethrown And in one Day did for Ten Years attone Had you desir'd to give some nobler Proof Of gratitude You could not do enough See how each Soldier 's laden with their Spoils A noble Recompence for all his Toils And did He for such poor Rewards as these Shake off the Fetters of ignoble Ease Did he for this despise his Mothers Tears And bravely laugh at her prophetick Fears For this did he inspir'd with generous Rage Choose a brave Death before a long inglorious Age And when beset with all Love 's mighty Charms Betray a more than Man-like Thirst for Arms When first proud Telephus would stop his way And the Career of 's growing Glories stay He felt his yet unpractis'd Sword and found From the same Hand a Remedy and Wound Lyrnessus next and Thebes his Conquests prov'd Cilla and Tenedos equally belov'd By Phaebus felt his Arms and Chryse too Found what so young so brave a man could do Towns conquer'd Nations captiv'd Kings o'rethrown Were early signs of what he would have done He still press'd on and did fresh Glories trace He there began where others end the Race So young a Victor this great Man appear'd And made new Wars whilst he for War prepar'd Nor was this all the mighty Prince has done H' out-did himself in Hector's Death alone He bravely won You basely sack the Town Oh! I could ever on this Subject dwell By him the brave unhappy Memnon fell For whom in Sables sad Aurora mourn'd And the great Office of the Day adjourn'd He saw
which you have sold Ulyss Nothing shall stay me And. Hold Ulysses hold By all that 's good or just your Fury stay And please the cruel Gods some other way From this rude violence his dear Ashes save Pyrrhus protect those Gifts thy noble Father gave Ulyss What angry Heav'n condemns I may not spare And. Your blackest Crimes did ne'er proceed so far Our fairest Temples ye have overthrown The Shrines o' th' patient Gods y' have batter'd down But Tombs have scap'd your Sacriledg alone Aside Shall I alone their well-arm'd Rage withstand Revenge shall strengthen Love shall guide my Hand Just as the warlike Maid amidst her Troops Routed the faithless Greeks and dash'd their hopes As the wild Maenade through the Woods did rove And kill'd the darling Object of her Love Thus I 'll undaunted rush amongst them all And for His Ashes Fight or with them Fall Ulyss To his Attendants Can a weak Womans Tears your Passions sway Or will you Heav'ns Commands and Mine obey And. Let me redeem Him though my Life 's the Price Rise my lov'd Hector from Elysium rise Let thy weak Ghost their weaker Rage withstand He comes he comes And see in yon' right hand He shakes his Sword and darts a dreadful light And does not This your rash Attempts affright Or does the airy Phantome cheat my sight Ulyss You rave in vain I 'll break the Mon'ment down And. Aside And shall one Ruin overwhelm my Husband and my Son It must not be I 'll try some gentler way And since I cannot Terrifie I 'll Pray The Stone will quickly fall as if 't were meant To be at once his Death and Monument No let his Blood some other way be spilt Not stain his Father's Tomb with such a Guilt To Him See great Ulysses a sad Mother see That never Kneel'd to any man but Thee Let thy hard Heart be melted with my Tears Pity my Sufferings and receive my Prayers Gently Oh! gently all my Sorrows ease Whate'er you grant the wretched more will please Just Heav'n than all the Pomp and Cost of Sacrifice So may you safe return and end your Life I' th' chast Embraces of your faithful Wife So may your lov'd Telemachus equalize His Grandsires Years his Father's Policies As You to Me and Him shall gentle prove Ulyss Madam produce the Boy and trust our Love Exit Andromache and re-enters with Astyanax Andromache Come forth unhappy Infant come Forsake thy noble Father's Tomb. See great Ulysses see He 's here Whom all Your Thousand Ships did fear To Astyanax Come leave this useless Pride thus low Beneath our Conqueror's Feet let 's bow Since Fortune cannot be withstood Forget the honour of thy Blood Forget great Priam's happy State And let thy Mind be levell'd to thy Fate Come kneel and if thou canst not see Nor feel the burden of thy Misery Yet maist thou learn to weep from Me. Troy long before a Prince's Tears has seen Nor have they unsuccessful been For they even Hercules could win The mighty Hercules whose Name Employs the willing Voice of Fame Who Thither went and Thence return'd whence never Mortal came Mov'd with his harmless Enemies Tears Forgot his Wrongs and cur'd all Priam's Fears Govern said He thy faithless Fathers Land But Rule it with a juster Hand Thus was He setled in his Throne And by his Father's Sufferings gain'd a Crown To Ulysses Learn from Alcides ' Anger to be Kind Or can his fatal Arms alone content Your Mind Before Your Feet no less a Suppliant lies With lift-up Hands and down cast Eyes Let Him his Life alone enjoy We care not what becomes of Troy Ulyss Aside What Rock these Sighs and Prayers unmov'd could hear But all the Grecian Dames with me must fear His Life may cost each Mother many a Tear And. Can this great Pile be rais'd by such a Boy Can these weak Hands re-build or fight for Troy Or can these Arms his tottering Country prop No 't were a groundless and a desperate hope Do we thus Low and yet thus Dreadful lay And can the Lion fear his helpless Prey Can the great Father's Soul inspire the Son Th' Effect remains not when its Cause is gone His Father's Fate a braver mind would quell Fraught with the mighty burden of his ills Rather than Perish let him ever lie Beneath the slavish Yoke of base Captivity What Tyrant can this poor Request deny Ulyss Then Calchas is that Tyrant and not I. And. And dare You vile Dissembler break Your word Base man whose Tongue is smoother than thy Sword And sharper too We suffer not alone But Greece it self beneath thy Crafts does groan Blaspheme not Heav'n Its Deities are more kind By Thee alone this Mischief was design'd Go Midnight-Souldier go dissembling Scout In the Sun's face thou dar'st not venture out Go set Your mighty VVit against a Boy VVho could he wield a Sword should Conquer Thee Ulyss Greece knows my Prowess enough and Troy too well VVhat You have suffer'd sure I need not tell But while in fruitless words I lose the Day The winds swell all our Sails and chide my stay And. Hold whilst this last this parting Kiss I pay Let me with Tears be-dew that lovely Face Let me Oh! let me die in his Embrace Ulyss I w'd gladly if I might this Loss retrieve But take the only Favour I can give And freely use the wretched power to Grieve And. To Astyanax Thou last great Martyr that must die for Troy My much lov'd Hector's no less lovely Boy How have I promis'd Thee the happiness Of Priam's Years and Hector's great Success But Heav'n with scorn on all my Prayers look'd down And now that Head must never wear a Crown Ne'er must those tender Hands a Scepter wield Never Oh! never thy poor Country shield Oft have I wish'd but Oh! I wish'd in vain By Thee t' have seen the cruel Pyrrhus slain And in the Son Revenge upon the Father ta ' en The foaming Boar thou never wilt pursue And teach us what thy riper Years might do Nor in the solemn Pomp o' th' Lustral Year Bravely i' th' head of all thy Mates appear And Ilium's Fate our lost Palladium bear Nor in great Dyndimene's hallow'd Grove Wilt Thou to th' Musick 's tuneful measures move O dismal Fate Our guilty walls must see Than Hector's Death a greater Cruelty Ulyss Madam in vain your Time and Tears you spend Your Sorrows are too great to find an End And. Oh! let these Tears the Messengers of Grief Seal the dear Infant 's Eyes whilst yet h' has Life To Astyanax Go fearless go no longer now a slave Brave though thou' rt Young and Dreadful in the Grave Go see thy Father Death will set Thee free And loose the tedious Bonds of Life and Slavery Ast. Oh! help me Mother Why dost catch my Hand What Power what force can Heav'n and Greece withstand Just so the tender Heifer when she hears The Lion's voice with trembling hast
him fall and learn't from 's Victory That the Gods Sons as well as common Men must die You 'd gladly did you his just Merits weigh A Tribute of Mycenian Virgins pay T' his sacred Ashes Gods d' ye start at this Can You think this a cruel Sacrifice You did not so when for false Helens sake You could an Offering of your Daughter make And can ye can ye cruel Prince deny To sacrifice t' his Ghost an Enemy Agam. We 're taught t' impute Youths Passions to their Age But Pyrrhus thine 's Hereditary Rage Your head-strong Father's Heats we tamely bore And shew'd our Patience equal to our Pow'r Stain not young Man the great Achilles Shade With the base slaughter of a helpless Maid Insult not o're your Captives learn and know What They must suffer and what You must do Fierce Empires like fierce Storms are seldom long Whilst they that are less violent are more strong If that coy Mistress Fortune should prove kind Fortune that governs all things but the Mind Let not our Pride with her light Favours rise But dread the Bounties of the too kind Deities My very Victories have made me know No State so mighty high but it may fall as low Too much upon this suddain Change we swell Who only hold that Place whence others fell 'T is true at first I bore my self too high Big with the Fortune of this Victory But this one Thought does all my Pride allay That she which gives can take her Gifts away That which makes Others blind has made Me see Priam first taught me Pride but now Humility Think not that Honour 's false deceitful Light Which I too well have known can cheat my sight Think not the glitt'ring Emptiness of State Can drown my Cares or make my Crown no weight Less than Ten Years may rob us of our Prey Less than a Thousand Ships may carry All away I must confess I came not to destroy But by my Conquest to have punish'd Troy But all my weak Endeavours prov'd in vain What pow'r a conquering Enemy can restrain Honour and brave Revenge taught them to fight Encourag'd by the terrors of the Night Their Swords once drawn they I wore should never rest Nor e're be sheath'd but in a Trojan's breast Too much on helpless Foes our Fury's spent Conquest and Death 's a double Punishment The Gods forbid that a weak Maid should fall And with her Murder grace his Funeral 'T is I that must be guilty if she bleed He that forbids not when h' has power encourages the Deed Pyr. And is this all Agam. No Pyrrhus no we 'll raise His Name with lasting Monuments of Praise Nations unknown to us shall hear his Fame And Infants shall be taught to lisp his Name But since with Blood we must appease his Shade Our fairest Beeves an Off'ring shall be made Whole Hecatombs we 'll pay him every Year Whose Blood may stand no Mother in a Tear Ask not Rewards which he would blush to take Rewards at which his generous Ghost would shake For who will think that e're his Life was good Whose Death must be appeas'd with Humane Blood Pyr. Vain idle Prince whom both Extremes possess Fear in thy Sufferings Pride in Happiness Does this new Mistress your compassion move To spare her not for Pity but for Love Think you the great Achilles Son to fright And once more rob his Off-spring of their Right No with her Blood my Father's Ghost I 'le feast His Tomb the Altar and my self the Priest Deny me this by Heav'n he shall receive A worthier Victim fit for me to give Since Priam's dead no Sacrifice so good T' appease his Ghost as Agamemnon's Blood Agam. A worthy Deed when tamely he did yield Your Father 's poor Old Suppliant to have kill'd Pyr. He did not as my Father 's Suppliant die I kill'd in him my Countries Enemy But he good Prince had Courage to appear Before my Father when your slavish Fear Forc'd you t' imploy some bolder Messenger You fear'd his wrath more than our Enemy You that then durst not Ask how dare you now Deny Agam. He did not fear who when our Navy lay To both the Elements a helpless Prey Buried in Sloth and Pleasure lay along Feasting his wanton Ears with some lewd Song Pyr. But know his peaceful Lute did Hector scare More than your loudest Instruments of war When in the midst of all your Panick Fear Kind Peace and Safety reign'd securely there Agam. Yes there was Peace when Hector's Father dare Amidst our Fleet his bold Requests declare Pyr. 'T is God-like in a Prince another Prince to spare Agam. Why then by you did poor Old Priam die Pyr. I did but ease him of his Misery Agam. And must your Pity kill his Daughter too Pyr. Can this at last be thought a Crime by You Agam. I spilt my own to save my Subjects Blood A Prince's Darling is his Countries Good Pyr. What Law what Pow'r a Victor's Sword can awe Agam. Where there is none shame must prescribe a Law Pyr. A Conqueror's Pow'r is measur'd by his Will Agam. Where that prevails the Measure is but ill Pyr. Talk you these things to those whom Fate and I Have bravely free'd from Ten Years slavery Agam. How Hotspur and can Scyros make You proud Pyr. Scyros that never blush'd with Brethrens Blood Agam. A floating spot Pyr. But in my Parent-Sea Who knows not Atreus and Thyestes noble Progeny Agam. Go Bastard go thou fruit of stol'n Delight Born of Achilles e're he yet durst fight Pyr. Of that Achilles whose great Ancestors In Fame or Blood shall never yield to Yours To whom the frame of this great World obeys Jove rules Heav'n Aeacus the Shades Thetis the Seas Agam. Of that Achilles whom weak Paris kill'd Pyr. With whom no God dare yet engage in open Field Agam. I could Young Man would I exert my Power Silence that Tongue and bring that Spirit lower But You b' our wonted Clemency have found We never make but always heal a Wound Let God-like Calchas finish our Debate Him I 'll obey whate're he speaks is Fate To Calchas Thou who when angry Heav'n had stop'd our way Shew'dst both the Reason and Rem'dy of our stay Heav'ns Privy Counsellor who know'st the Cause And Change of things and giv'st blind Mortals Laws To whom each Bird each Beast each bearded Star The strange Vicissitudes of Fate declare Thou whose prophetick Mouth has cost me dear Speak Heav'ns Commands and all our Actions steer Cal. Your wish'd Return your wonted Gists must buy Not to be granted till the Virgin die Adorn'd with Nuptial Garments she must come And there be wedded to Achilles Tomb. This Sacrifice the angry Gods will please This will the great Pelidos ' angrier Ghost appease Nor is this all the Deities desire But still a nobler Victim they require Troy's other Hope the Noble Hector's Son From Ilium's highest Tower must be cast down Then the kind Gods will
The more I stay the less still grows my Fear Whilst its dear Object my lov'd Boy 's so near Troj But soft Thesly Ulysses does appear Enter Ulysses And. Aside Earth Hell or Sea unlock thy mighty Womb And let my Boy into thy Centre come Let Him for ever There securely lie Free from Ulysses fatal Treachery Some wretched Phrygian to fresh woes he dooms And big with some new Mischief hither comes Ulyss Madam with Patience my sad Message bear Think not Ulysses speaks what You must hear But Greece whose wish'd Return is sought in vain Whilst the least drop of Hector's Blood remains 'T is That that keeps our Wind-bound Navy here As long as Troy can Hope Greece ought to Fear And. Does this mad Oracle from Calchas come Ulyss Hector had taught us this had He been dumb Hector whose very Name renews my Fears In whose brave Son his Spirit too soon appears So the Young Follower of some numerous Herd Whose budding Horns scarce through his Skin appear'd Straight as the sprouting Branch adorns his Head His mighty Father's Flock does proudly lead The tender Sucker of some ancient Tree Spreads like its Sire and quickly shoots as high Its Branches shade the Earth Its Top out-braves the Sky Just so a small neglected Spark of Fire Does to its great Original aspire Grief Madam is too partial a Judge You could not else so small a favour grudge If the poor Souldier after Ten long Years Grown Old in Sufferings a new Hector fears In whom the only Hope of Troy appears 'T is He alone our Remora does prove And You alone can all our Fears remove Now lest You think me cruel who am come Not by my Choice but Fate to speak his Doom Know had the Lot appointed Me alone I had not stuck to ask Atrides ' Son With Hector's Courage all your Losses bear And learn to suffer from Your Conqueror And. ' Wou'd the dear Boy were lock'd within these Arms Or that I knew what Fate what Art what Charms Had snatch'd him hence not all Your haughty Words Your strictest Tortures or your sharpest Swords Should ravish the dear Secret from my Heart In which Astyanax claims the greatest part What Place what Region hides my Joy my Love Dost thou in some untrodden Desart rove Or do the Clouds of thy poor Countries Smoak Thy dear thy lovely Breath unkindly choak Or dost thou on the mournful Ida lay To all its Birds and Beasts a helpless Prey Ulyss Think not fond Woman that thou art believ'd Think not Ulysses is so soon deceiv'd A thousand Mothers wiles I could out-do Though they were Deities and Women too Come leave these useless Arts. Say where 's the Boy And. Where 's Priam Hector Paris Where 's all Troy You look for One but I for all must seek Ulyss Tortures and Racks shall quickly make you speak And. They scorn your Threats that dare that wish to die Ulyss Death soon will cool this short-liv'd Bravery And. Would'st make me Fear Then threaten me with Life For Death's the Cure and not the Cause of Grief Ulyss Are you so Brave Our stiffest Racks shall tear It from your Breast and teach you how to Fear Tortures shall bend or break your stubborn Will Come let not Rashness hide what Fear must soon reveal And. Death Famine Fire and all the dreadful Train Of Torments all the cruel'st Arts of Pain All that a raging Conqueror's fury dare Inflict and more for Him I w'd gladly bear Ulyss Still resolute This rash this stubborn Love Does the like doubts and fears in th' Grecians move After a tedious War of Ten long Years Less were the Danger Madam less our Fears Were these the last but we must dread new War You for our Sons fresh Enemies prepare And. Must then And do I live to ask must We Heighten your Pleasure by our Misery Rejoice proud Prince once more my Conqueror My dear my lov'd Astyanax is no more Ulyss Can this be true And. Even so may welcome Death Gently and kindly stop my yielding Breath So when in Death I and my Hector meet Soft may our Pillows be our Slumbers sweet As in the Grave Astyanax is laid And all the Funeral-Rites by wretched Me were paid Ulyss The welcom News to th' Grecian Camp I 'll bear News which each longing Greek will gladly hear But stay The well-dissembled Story I receive From Her in whom 't is Piety to deceive Curses to Her no longer they appear Since made to save the All She reckons dear And losing that She nothing else can fear But She has solemnly and deeply sworn What can She suffer more than She has born Now all thy Cunning all thy Arts imploy Be whole Ulysses sound the pious Lie And search her Weakness see her very Fears Her Sighs her Looks her Walks betray her Fears And every word I speak does wound her Ears Her Fear exceeds her Sorrow To her Others indeed may curse the Crimes of Fate Madam Your Loss we must congratulate Had He surviv'd he had but liv'd to fall Down the steep precipice of yon' Turret's wall And. Aside I shake all o're my frozen Blood does start To the forsaken Channels of my Heart Ulyss Aside See see She shakes Once more I 'll try her here Whilst her unwary Love betrays her Fear To his Attendants Go find the cursed Brat where'er he lies If Dead we 'll burn him if Alive he dies 'T is well We have him To her Ha! Why look you back What fearful apprehensions make you shake And. Wou'd I had Cause With him my Fears are gone But who can soon Forget what one has Learnt too long Ulyss Since he has perish'd by a milder Fate And Heav'n has publish'd Its Commands too late To be obey'd thus Learned Calchas says Great Hector's hallow'd Monument we must raze And strew his Ashes in the neighbouring Seas Now since our just Requests you can refuse Heav'n must this pious Sacriledge excuse And. Aside What shall I do From whether shall I part Each claims an equal portion in my Heart Witness Ye Gods by whom we were betray'd Witness thou greater God my Hector's shade Nothing so lovely in my Boy I see As the dear Image that He bears of Thee Then let Him live But shall that sacred place Be raz'd and shall thy Ashes stain the face Of the rude Ocean Rather let him Die And pay that Life again which he receiv'd from Thee But can I see the helpless Infant thrown And rudely hurl'd from yon' high Turret down I can and will but Oh! I cannot bear To see thy Ashes scatter'd in the Air. The Boy has sense to feel their Cruelty But Thou from Sense or Pain too safe dost lie Which must I count the greater Misery How Can I doubt On this side Hector lays 'T is false for Hector suffers either way He lives in Him my only Hopes appear Then let him Live whose Life the Grecians fear Ulyss Break up the Tomb And. What! that
Hopes and Joys are gone Now She alone can call me Mother Dear Girl come hither Oh! how I desire Amidst thy lov'd Embraces to expire See see in pity of my Ills she cries Let none but Tears of Joy bedew those Eyes Come let me kiss those lovely Pearls away How would Cassandra for such Nuptials pray And. 'T is We dear Mother We alone must grieve Whom where they please the faithless Winds must drive Whilst happier She i' th' silent Grave is laid Hel. Knew You Your Fate You w'd think the beauteous Maid Still happier And. Sure my Ills I ha'n't forgot Hel. Then know You 're made unhappy slaves t' a Lot And. Which of my Conquerors must I Master call Hel. Madam to happy Pyrrhus share You fall Hec. Happy Cassandra Sure her Rage will save Her Honour She I hope is no man's slave Hel. The King chose Her Hec. And whom must I obey Hel. You are unwilling Ithacus's Prey Hec. And must I fall beneath a Prince's hand Blind Deities why could Ye not command The fatal Lots more equally to fall Ye might have been more Iust though not more King to all Must I again my Hector's Armour see And with the fight renew my Misery And blush more at my Master than my slavery Now I am truly wretched Yes I 'll go But may my usual Fate go with me too May some great Tempest swell the raging Sea And may the Winds be merciless as They. May all the mighty Ills which I have born Doubly upon my Conquerors Heads return If Heav'n grant this no longer I 'll repine But think Their Sufferings a Reward for Mine But see fierce Pyrrhus hastens to the Place Big with Revenge and Anger in his Face Let Me be wedded to thy Father's Grave And rid Ulysses of a hated slave You kill'd Old Priam pray dispatch me too Sure I am Old enough to die by You. Go thou base Murderer inhumane Priest And glut the oruel Gods with such a Feast Great as my Ills what Curse shall I invent What heavy new unheard of Punishment May You for ever want a Prosperous Gale May none but blust'ring Boreas fill Your Sails And nought but Grief Your Bosoms This on All But on Ulysses Ship may heavier Curses fall CHORUS LEss are the Griefs we undergo When they are felt by Others too Less are our Sorrows less our Fears The more our Company appears Great Griefs like Burdens are more light The more there are to share the Wright And none with Justice can refuse To bear the Fortune Others use Take from the Rich their Gold away And Poor men are as good as They. When we see happier Men we grieve And all our Sorrows are Comparative 'T is this does all our Sufferings ease To see that Others bear no less He only does his Fate bemoan Who in a single Ship alone Has plough'd the Seas and after some great Wrack With a light Ship and heavy Heart comes back Who sees the Dangers of a sinking Fleet Thinks not his Sufferings are so great H' has this sad Comfort of his Misery That All as well as He must die When the proud Master of the Golden Fleece With his dear Burden cross'd the Seas Phryxus with Tears saw Helle drown Well might he weep when he was left Alone So when the only honest Pair That could our wretched Race repair Of all Mankind alone remain'd Each happy in the Other ne'er complain'd Thus by our Conquerors when we 're snatch'd away A helpless but a numerous Prey The Wind shall scatter all our Tears Our Number shall secure our Fears What shall we say when on the Deck we stand And from a-far behold the less'ning Land What shall we think when Ida's Tops grow less And with the Seas our Fears increase And when our Sons shall seek their Native Land Each wretched Mother pointing with her hand The Tears still trickling from her Eyes Shall cry See yonder Ilium lies Where those black Clouds of curling Smoak do rise ACT V. Enter Andromache and Hecuba and to them a Messenger Messenger OH horrid cruel Tyranny of Death My very News has put me out of Breath What Thing so sad has happen'd any Year As neither I dare Speak nor You can Hear Oh! ask not that which in a Womans Ear Would make another Murder Hec. Speak the worst With greater Sorrows sure I can't be curs'd Mess Your To Hecuba Daughter and your To Andromache Son are now no more But Both with Constancy their Sufferings bore And. Describe the dismal Scene but be not brief Speak all for I am harden'd now with Grief Be plain and each Particular declare For I can hear it all without a Tear Mess There is a Tower from the Flames fury free Spar'd only for this greater Cruelty On whose high Top Old Priam us'd to stand And with his Eye and Voice our Troops command Here with his Princely Grand-child oft he stood And to the Boy his Father's Battels show'd This Tower has once our chiefest Bulwark been 'T is now of Blood and Death the dismal Scene Hither the giddy Rabble flock'd to see With greedy Eyes the Royal Infant die From this high Tower a pretty distant space A steep and lofty Hill commands the Place On That a Rock on which the gazing Crowd Big with the cruel Expectation stood On all the neighbouring Trees whole Armies sate The loaded Branches crack'd beneath their weight And one with hast some ragged Mount does climb Another Oh! the sacrilegious Crime Stands on great Hector's Tomb One climbs a Wall Which with its wretched weight does fall Lo the Press breaks and big with cruel Joy The curs'd Ulysses leads the Princely Boy Th' undaunted Youth mounts fearless to the Place With Innocence triumphant in his Face When from the Tower he saw the gazing Rout Round him he flung a scornful Look about So some fierce Lion's whelp whose tender Age Has not as yet well arm'd his toothless Rage With eager Fury whets his horny Claws And tries the utmost anger of his Jaws Thus fearless the young Martyr thither came And fill'd his cruel Enemies with Shame This when they saw straight the relenting Crowd In sighs and tears express'd their Grief aloud Nay even Ulysses wept and ' spight of all His Cruelty resistless Tears did fall Then when the cruel Sacrifice was done Piti'd by All Himself unmov'd alone Down the deep Precipice himself He cast And ' midst his Countries Ruines breath'd his Last And. What barbarous cruel Colehian e'er could hear Much less perform such Crimes What Scythian dare But think upon this Murder and not Fear To be compar'd with These Busiris was too good His Altars ne'er were stain'd with Infants Blood This was a Crime unknown to Diomede He with such tender meat his Horses scorn'd to feed Dear Child to what sierce Beast art ' made a Prey Where shall thy mangled scatter'd Members lay Mess Talk not of Them when from the Tower he flew The Fall destroy'd both Life and Carkass too His innocent Blood the guilty Turret stains He sprinkled all the Grecians with his Brains And nothing now of the dear Boy remains And. Still like his Father Mess When this was done at first the Rabble mourn'd But to a greater Cruelty return'd With eager hast the thronging Grecians came And flock about the curs'd Achilles ' Tomb. This place was destin'd for the Scene of Blood On two near Hills the gazing Army stood Between a fatal Valley stretch'd out wide And Groves of Spears appear'd on every side Here for the beauteous Bride they all attend Some glad that with her Life their Fears must end Some that she was the last of Priam's stock Some seem to hate the Crime on which they gladly look And here and there a Trojan did appear Who came to see her die and shed a Tear Then through a Lane of Grecians in a row Before the Bride Five Nuptial Torches go Next Helen follow'd hanging down her Head Oh! may Hermione such a Husband wed Straight She appear'd alone with Looks might move Grief in each Trojan in each Grecian Love Her Eyes she turn'd with modest sorrow down And in her Face unusual Beauties shone So Evening Blushes grace the setting Sun Her Courage some and some her Beauty prais'd But all with various Passions strangely gaz'd Some sad some sham'd some weeping all amaz'd Thus in slow state the mournful Train was come Where Pyrrhus standing on his Father's Tomb With joyful anger held the fatal Knife Prepar'd to cut the tender Thread of Life Fearless She look'd her Murderers in the Face Whilst silent sorrow fill'd a round the Place Mov'd at her God-like Constancy He shook And scarce had Courage left to give the stroke Straight as the cruel weapon reach'd her Heart A streaming spring of Vital Blood did start Through the wide wound She still out brav'd her Fate And made Achilles ' Ashes groan beneath her weight What Tongue the Grief and Horror can express Which did both Parties equally possess In silent Tears their Griefs the Trojans show'd The howling Grecians spake their Pity Loud About the Tomb at first the Deluge flow'd And straight the thirsty Ashes drank the sinking Blood Hec. Go barbarous Grecians now securely go And let your swelling Canvase loosely flow Now boasty have murder'd all the hopes of Troy Y' have kill'd a harmless Virgin and a helpless Boy Whither Oh! whither shall I bear my Grief Where spend the Remnant of my hated Life Shall I for Priam or for Hector groan Or for them All Or for My self alone Come welcom Death thou best thou only Cure Of all I must or all I do endure From Me alone the cruel Tyrant runs And midst these Swords and Flames a wretched Captive shuns Why cruel Grecians why was I preserv'd To what fresh Miseries am I still reserv'd Mess We must be gone for see the Grecian Sails Are loosen'd to receive the flying Gales FINIS Licensed Feb. 5. 1681. Ro. L'Estrange