may'st thou live thy thousand years in peace And see thy AEry progeny increase So may'st thou still continue young and fair Fed by the blast of pure AEtherial Air. And thy full term expir'd without all pain Dissolve into thy Astral source again Dam. Name not my hated Rival Gemory And I 'le speak true whate're thy questions be Nig. Thy Rivals hated name I will refrain Speak shall the Emperour his love obtain Dam. Few hours shall pass before your Emperour shall be Possess'd of that he loves or from that love be free Placid Shall I enjoy that Beauty I adore Dam. She Suppliant-like e're long thy succour shall implore And thou with her thou lov'st in happiness may'st live If she not dies before who all thy joys can give Nig. Say what does the AEgyptian Princess now Dam. A gentle slumber sits upon her brow Nig. Go stand before her in a golden dream Set all the pleasures of the world to show And in vain joys let her loose spirit flow Dam. Twice fifty Tents remove her from your sight But I 'll cut through e'm all with rays of light And covering other objects to your eyes Show where intranc'd in silent sleep she lies Damilcar stamps and the Bed arises with S. Catharine in it Dam. singing You pleasing dreams of Love and sweet delight Appear before this slumbring Virgins sight Soft visions set her free From mournful piety Let her sad thoughts from Heav'n retire And let the Melancholy Love Of those remoter joys above Give place to your more sprightly fire Let purling streams be in her fancy seen And flowry Meads and Vales of chearful green And in the midst of deathless Groves Soft sighing wishes ly And smiling hopes fast by And just beyond e'm ever laughing Loves A Scene of a Paradise is discovered Placid Some pleasing objects do her mind employ For on her face I read a wandring Joy SONG Dam. Ah how sweet it is to love Ah how gay is young desire And what pleasing pains we prove When we first approach Loves fire Pains of Love be sweeter far Than all other pleasures are Sighs which are from Lovers blown Do but gently heave the Heart Ev'n the tears they shed alone Cure like trickling Balm their smart Lovers when they lose their breath Bleed away in easie death Love and Time with reverence use Treat 'em like a parting friend Nor the golden gifts refuse Which in youth sincere they send For each year their price is more And they less simple than before Love like Spring-tides full and high Swells in every youthful vein But each Tide does less supply Till they quite shrink in again If a flow in Age appear 'T is but rain and runs not clear At the end of the Song a Dance of Spirits After which Amariel the Guardian-Angel of S. Catharine descends to soft Musick with a flaming Sword The Spirits crawl off the Stage amazedly and Damilcar runs to a corner of it Amar. From the bright Empire of Eternal day Where waiting minds for Heav'ns Commission stay Amariel flies a darted Mandate came From that great will which moves this mighty Frame Bid me to thee my Royal charge repair To guard thee from the Daemons of the Air My flaming Sword above 'em to display All keen and ground upon the edge of day The flat to sweep the Visions from thy mind The edge to cut 'em through that stay behind Vain Spirits you that shunning Heav'ns high noon Swarm here beneath the concave of the Moon What folly or what rage your duty blinds To violate the sleep of holy minds Hence to the task assign'd you here below Upon the Ocean make loud Tempests blow Into the wombs of hollow Clouds repair And crush out Thunder from the bladder'd Air. From pointed Sun-beams take the Mists they drew And scatter 'em again in pearly dew And of the bigger drops they drain below Some mould in Hail and others stamp in Snow Dam. Mercy bright Spirit I already feel The piercing edge of thy immortal steel Thou Prince of day from Elements Art free And I all body when compar'd to thee Thou tread'st th' Abyss of light And where it streams with open eyes canst go We wander in the Fields of Air below Changlings and Fooles of Heav'n and thence shut out Wildly we roam in discontent about Gross-heavy-fed next man in ignorance and sin And spotted all without and dusky all within Without thy Sword I perish by thy sight I reel and stagger and am drunk with light Ama. If e're again thou on this place art found Full fifty years I 'le chain thee under ground The damps of Earth shall be thy daily food All swoln and bloated like a dungeon toad And when thou shalt be freed yet thou shalt ly Gasping upon the ground too faint to fly And lag below thy fellows in the sky Dam. O pardon pardon this accursed deed And I no more on Magick fumes will feed Which drew me hither by their pow'rful steams Ama. to S. Cath. Go expiate thy guilt in holy dreams Ex. Dam. But thou sweet Saint henceforth disturb'd no more With dreams not thine thy thoughts to Heav'n restore The Angel ascends and the Scene shuts Nig. Some holy Being does invade this place And from their duty does my Spirits chase I dare no longer near it make abode No Charms prevail against the Christians God Exit Placid How doubtfully these Specters Fate foretell In double sense and twi-light truth they dwell Like sawning Courtiers for success they wait And then come smiling and declare for Fate Enter Maximin and Porphyrius attended by Valerius and Guards But see the Tyrant and my Rival come I like the Fiends will flatter in his doom None but a Fool distastful truth will tell So it be new and please 't is full as well Placid whispers with the Emperour who seems pleas'd Max. You charm me with your news which I 'le reward By hopes we are for coming joys prepar'd Possess her Love or from that Love be free Heav'n speaks me fair if she as kind can prove I shall possess but never quit my Love Go tell me when she wakes Exit Placidius Porphyrius seems to beg something of him Porphyrius no She has refus'd and I will keep my vow Por. For your own sake your cruel vow defer The time 's unsafe your Enemies are near And to displease your men when they should fight Max. My looks alone my Enemies will fright And o're my men I 'le set my careful Spies To watch Rebellion in their very eyes No more I cannot bear the least reply Por. Yet Tyrant thou shalt perish e're she dye Aside Enter Valeria Valeria here how Fortune treats me still With various harms magnificently ill Max. Valeria I was sending to your Tent To Valeria But my Commands your presence does prevent This is the hour wherein the Priest shall joyn Your holy Loves and make Porphyrius mine Val. aside Now hold my Heart and Venus I implore Be Judge
grant Such Graces sure your Empress does not want Max. Beauty has bounds And can no more to every heart be so Than any Coin through every Land can go Some secret Grace which is but so to me Though not so great may yet more pow'rful be All guard themselves when stronger Foes invade Yet by the weak surprizes may be made But you my Son are not to judge but aid Por. What is it Sir you can require of me Max. I would from Berenice's bonds be free This yoke of Marriage from us both remove Where two are bound to draw though neither love Por. Neither the Gods nor man will give consent To put in practice your unjust intent Max. Both must consent to that which I decree Por. The Souldiers love her Brother's memory And for her sake some Mutiny will stir Max. Our parting therefore shall be sought by her Go bid her sue for a Divorce or dye I 'le cut the knot if she will not untye Haste to prepare her and thy self return Thy Hymen's Torch this day with mine shall burn Exit Por. Rather my Funeral-torch for though I know Valeria's fair and that she loves me too Gainst her my Soul is arm'd on every part Yet there are secret Rivets to my heart Where Berenice's Charms have found the way Subtile as Lightnings but more fierce than they How shall I this avoid or gain that Love So near the Rock I to the Port must move To him Valeria attended Val. Porphyrius now my joy I may express Nor longer hide the Love I must possess Should I have stay'd till Marriage made us one You might have thought it was by duty done But of my heart I now a present make And give it you e're it be yours to take Accept it as when early fruit we send And let the rareness the small gift commend Por. Great Monarchs like your Father often give What is above a Subject to receive But faithful Officers should countermand And stop the gift that passes through their hand And to their Prince that mass of wealth restore Which lavish'd thus would make whole Nations poor Val. But to this gift a double right you have My Father gives but what before I gave Por. In vain you such unequal presents make Which I still want capacity to take Such fatal bounty once the Gaules did show They threw their Rings but threw their Targets too Bounty so plac'd does more like ruine look You pour the Ocean on a narrow Brook Val. Yet if your Love before prepares a Boat The stream so pour'd drowns not but makes it float Por. But when the Vessel is on Quick-sands cast The flowing tide does more the sinking hast Val. And on what Quick-sands can your heart be thrown Can you a Love besides Valeria's own Por. If he who at your feet his heart would lay Be met with first and robb'd upon the way You may indeed the Robbers strength accuse But pardon him who did the Present lose Val. Who is this Thief that does my right possess Name her and then we of her strength may guess From whence does your unwonted silence come Por. She bound and gag'd me and has left me dumb Val. But of my wrongs I will aloud complain False man thou would'st excuse thy self in vain For thee I did a Maidens blush forsake And own'd a Love thou hast refus'd to take Por. Refus'd it like a Miser midst his store Who grasps and grasps till he can hold no more And when his strength is wanting to his mind Looks back and sighs on what he left behind Val. No I resume that heart thou didst possess My Father shall my injuries redress With me thou losest his Imperial Crown And speedy death attends upon his frown Por. You may revenge your wrongs a nobler way Command my death and I will soon obey Val. No live for on thy life my cure depends In Debters deaths all obligation ends 'T will be some ease Ungrateful thee to call And Bankrupt-like say trusting him lost all Por. Upbraided thus what gen'rous man would live But Fortune will revenge what you forgive When I refuse as in few hours I must This offer'd grace your Father will be just Val. Be just say rather he will cruel prove To kill that only person I can love Yet so it is Your int'rest in the Army is so high That he must make you his or you must dye It is resolv'd who e're my Rival be Aside after a pause I 'le show that I deserve him more than she And if at last he does ingrateful prove My constancy it self rewards my Love Exit Por. She 's gone and gazing round about I see Nothing but death or glorious misery Here Empire stands if I could Love displace There hopeless Love with more Imperial Grace Thus as a sinking Hero compass'd round Beckens his bravest Foe for his last wound And him into his part of Fame does call I 'le turn my face to Love and there I 'le fall To him Berenice Erotion Ber. I come Porphyrius to congratulate This happy change of your exalted Fate You to the Empire are I hear design'd And fair Valeria must th' Alliance bind Por. Would Heav'n had my succession so decreed That I in all might Maximin succeed He offers me th' Imperial Crown 't is true I would succeed him but it is in you Ber. In me I never did accept your Love But you I see would handsomly remove And I can give you leave without a frown I always thought you merited a Crown Por. I never sought that Crown but on your brow But you with such indifference would allow My change that you have kill'd me with that breath I feel your scorn cold as the hand of death Ber. You 'l come to life in your Valeria's arms 'T is true I cannot boast of equal Charms Or if I could I never did admit Your Love to me but only suffer'd it I am a Wife and can make no return And 't were but vain in hopeless fires to burn Por. Unkind can you whom only I adore Set open to your Slave the Prison-door You use my heart just as you would afford A fatal freedom to some harmless bird Whom breeding you ne're taught to seek its food And now let flye to perish in the Wood. Ber. Then if you will love on and disobey And lose an Empire for my sake you may Will a kind look from me pay all this score For you well know you must expect no more Por. All I deserve it will not all I wish But I will brave the Tyrants rage for this If I refuse my death must needs ensue But you shall see that I dare dye for you Ber. Would you for me A Beauty and an Empire too deny I love you now so well that you shall dye Dye mine 't is all I can with honour give Nor should you dye if after I would live But when your Marriage and your Death I view That makes you false
but this will keep you true Por. Unbind thy brows and look abroad to see O mighty Love thy mightiest Victory Ber. And yet is there no other way to try 'T is hard to say I love and let you dye Por. Yes there remains some help which you may 〈◊〉 If you as I would dye for Love would live Ber. If death for Love be sweet sure life is more Teach me the means your safety to restore Por. Your Tyrant the AEgyptian Princess loves And to that height his swelling passion moves That fearing in your death the Souldiers force He from your bed does study a Divorce Ber. Th' AEgyptian Princess I disputing hard And as a Miracle her mind regard But yet I wish that this Divorce be true Gives her hand Por. 'T is Madam but it must be sought by you By this he will all Mutinies prevent And this as well secures your own content Ber. I hate this Tyrant and his bed I loath But once submitting I am ty'd to both Ty'd to that Honour which all Women owe Though not their Husbands person yet their vow Something so sacred in that bond there is That none should think there could be ought amiss And if there be we should in silence hide Those faults which blame our choice when they are spy'd Por. But since to all the world his crimes are known And by himself the Civil War 's begun Would you th' advantage of the fight delay If striking first you were to win the day Ber. I would like Jews upon their Sabbath fall And rather than strike first not strike at all Por. Against your self you sadly prophesie You either this Divorce must seek or dye Ber. Then death from all my griefs shall set me free Por. And would you rather chuse your death than me Ber. My earthy part Which is my Tyrants right death will remove I 'le come all Soul and Spirit to your Love With silent steps I 'le follow you all day Or else before you in the Sun-beams play I 'le lead you thence to melancholy Groves And there repeat the Scenes of our past Loves At night I will within your Curtains peep With empty arms embrace you while you sleep In gentle dreams I often will be by And sweep along before your closing eye All dangers from your bed I will remove But guard it most from any future Love And when at last in pity you will dye I 'le watch your Birth of Immortality Then Turtle-like I 'le to my Mate repair And teach you your first flight in open Air. Exit Berenice cum Erotio Por. She has but done what Honour did require Nor can I blame that Love which I admire But then her death I 'le stand betwixt it first shall pierce my heart We will be stuck together on his dart But yet the danger not so high does grow I 'le charge death first perhaps repulse him too But if o'repow'r'd I must be overcome Fore'dback I 'le fight each inch into my Tomb. Exit ACT IV. SCENE I. Indian Cave Placidius Nigrinus Nigrinus with two drawn Swords held upward in his hands Placid ALL other means have fail'd to move her heart Our last recourse is therefore to your Art Nig. Of Wars and Bloodshed and of dire Events Of Fates and fighting Kings their Instruments I could with greater certainty foretell Love only does in doubts and darkness dwell For like a wind it in no quarter stays But points and veers each hour a thousand ways On Women Love depends and they on Will Chance turns their Orb while Destiny sits still Placid Leave nothing unattempted in your pow'r Remember you oblige an Emperour Nig. An earthy Fiend by compact me obeys But him to light intents I must not raise Some Astral forms I must invoke by prayer Fram'd all of purest Atoms of the Air Not in their Natures simply good or ill But most subservient to bad Spirits will Nakar of these does lead the mighty Band For eighty Legions move at his Command Gentle to all but far above the rest Mild Nakar loves his soft Damilcar best In AEry Chariots they together ride And sip the dew as through the Clouds they glide These are the Spirits which in Love have pow'r Placid Haste and invoke 'em in a happy hour Nig. And so it proves for counting sev'n from Noon 'T is Venus hour and in the wexing Moon With Chalk I first describe a Circle here Where these AEtherial Spirits must appear Come in come in for here they will be strait Around around the place I fumigate My fumigation is to Venus just The Souls of Roses and red Corals dust A lump of Sperma Ceti and to these The stalks and chips of Lignum Alöes And last to make my fumigation good 'T is mixt with Sparrows brains and Pigeons blood Nigrinus takes up the Swords They come they come they come I hear 'em now Placid A death-like damp sits cold upon my brow And misty vapours swim before my sight Nig. They come not in a shape to cause your fright Nakar and Damilcar descend in Clouds and sing Nakar Hark my Damilcar we are call'd below Dam. Let us go let us go Go to relieve the care Of longing Lovers in despair Nakar Merry merry merry we sail from the East Half tippled at a Rain-bow Feast Dam. In the bright Moon-shine while winds whistle loud Tivy tivy tivy we mount and we fly All racking along in a downy white Cloud And lest our leap from the Skie should prove too far We slide on the back of a new-falling Star Nakar And drop from above In a Gelly of Love Dam. But now the Sun 's down and the Element's red The Spirits of Fire against us make head Nakar They muster they muster like Gnats in the Air Alas I must leave thee my Fair And to my light Horse-men repair Dam. O stay for you need not to fear 'em to night The wind is for us and blows full in their sight And o're the wide Ocean we fight Like leaves in the Autumn our Foes will fall down And hiss in the Water Both. And hiss in the Water and drown Nakar But their men lye securely intrench'd in a Cloud And a Trumpeter-Hornet to battel sounds loud Dam. Now Mortals that spie How we tilt in the Skie With wonder will gaze And fear such events as will ne're come to pass Nakar Stay you to perform what the man will have done Dam. Then call me again when the Battel is won Both. So ready and quick is a Spirit of Air To pity the Lover and succour the sair That silent and swift the little soft God Is here with a wish and is gone with a nod The Clouds part Nakar flies up and Damilcar down Nig. I charge thee Spirit stay and by the pow'r To Damilcar Of Nakar's Love and of this holy Wand On the North quarter of my Circle stand Sev'n foot around for my defence I take To all my questions faithful answers make So
once again could some new way invent To take upon my self your punishment I sent for you to let you know that still Though now I want the pow'r I have the will Placid Can all this Ocean of your kindness be Pour'd upon him and not one drop on me Val. 'T is pour'd but falls from this ungrateful man Like drops of water from a rising Swan Upon his breast no sign of wet remains He bears his Love more proudly than his Chains Por. This thankless man his death will soon remove And quickly end so undeserv'd a Love Val. Unthankful as you are I know not why But still I love too well to see you dye Placidius can you love and see my grief And for my sake not offer some relief Placid Not all the Gods his ruine shall prevent Your kindness does but urge his punishment Besides What is it I can for his safety do He has declar'd himself your Father's Foe Val. Give out he is escap'd and set him free And if you please lay all the fault on me Por. O do not on those terms my freedom name Freed by your danger I should dye with shame Placid I must not farther by your prayers be won To her All I could do I have already done Val. To bring Porphyrius only to my sight Was not to show your pity but your spight Would you but half oblige her you adore You should not have done this or should do more Placid Alas what hope can there be left for me When I must sink into the Mine I see My heart will fall before you if I stay Each word you speak saps part of it away Yet all my Fortune on his death is set And he may love her though he loves not yet He must and yet she says he must not dye O if I could but wink I could deny To them Albinus Alb. The Emperour expects your Pris'ner strait And with impatience for his death does wait Placid Nay then it is too late my Love to weigh Exit Alb. Your pardon Madam if I must obey Por. I am prepar'd he shall not long attend Val. Then hear my pray'rs and my submissions end Placidius know that hour in which he dyes My death so well I love shall wait on his Placid O Madam do not fright me with your death Val. My life depends alone upon his breath But if I live in him you do not know How far my gratitude to you may go I do not promise but it so may prove That gratitude in time may turn to Love Try me Placid Now I consider it I will Musing a little 'T is in your pow'r to save him or to kill I 'le run the hazard to preserve his life If after that you vow to be my Wife Val. Nay good Placidius now you are too hard Would you do nothing but for meer reward Like Usurers to men in want you prove When you would take Extortion for my Love Placid You have concluded then that he must dye Going with Porphy Val. O stay if no price else his life can buy My Love a ransom for his life I give Holding her Handkerchief before her face Let my Porphyrius for another live Por. You too much value the small merchandise My life's o're-rated when your Love 's the price Enter Albinus Alb. I long have list'ned to your generous strife As much concern'd for brave Porphyrius life For mine I to his favour ow'd this day Which with my future Service I will pay Placid Lest any your intended flight prevent I 'le lead you first the back-way to my Tent Thence in disguise you may the City gain While some excuse for your escape I feign Val. Farewel I must not see you when you part Turning her face away For that last look would break my tender heart Yet let it break I must have one look more Looking on him Nay now I 'm less contented than before For that last look draws on another too Which sure I need not to remember you For ever yet I must one glance repeat But quick and short as starving people eat So much humanity dwells in your brest Sometimes to think on her who loves you best Going he takes her hand and kisses it Por. My wandring steps where ever Fortune bear Your memory I in my breast will wear Which as a precious Amulet I still Will carry my defence and guard from ill Though to my former vows I must be true I 'le ever keep one Love entire for you That Love which Brothers with chaste Sisters make And by this Holy kiss which now I take From your fair hand This common Sun which absent both shall see Shall ne're behold a breach of Faith in me Val. Go go my death will your short vows restore You 've said enough and I can hear no more Exit Valeria one way and Porphy and Alb. another Placid Love and good Nature how do you betray Misleading those who see and know their way I whom deep Arts of State could ne're beguile Have sold my self to ruine for a smile Nay I am driv'n so low that I must take That smile as Alms giv'n for my Rivals sake He like a secret Worm has eat his way And lodg'd within does on the kernel prey I creep without and hopeless to remove Him thence wait only for the husk of Love Enter Maximin talking with Valerius Max. And why was I not told of this before Val. Sir she this evening landed on the shore For with her Daughter being Pris'ner made She in another Vessel was convey'd Max. Bring hither the AEgyptian Princess strait To Placid And you Valerius on her Mother wait Exit Valerius Placid The Mother of th' AEgyptian Princess here Max. Porphyrius death I will a while defer And this new opportunity improve To make my last effort upon her Love Exit Placidius Those who have youth may long endure to court But he must swiftly catch whose Race is short I in my Autumn do my Siege begin And must make haste e're Winter comes to win This hour no longer shall my pains endure Her Love shall ease me or her death shall cure Enter at one door Felicia and Valerius at the other S. Catharine and Placidius S. Cath. O my dear Mother Fel. With what joy I see My dearest Daughter from the Tempest free S. Cath. Dearer than all the joys vain Empire yields Or then to youthful Monarchs conquer'd fields Before you came my Soul All fill'd with Heav'n did earthly joys disdain But you pull back some part of me again Placid You see Sir she can owne a joy below Max. It much imports me that this truth I know Fel. How dreadful death does on the waves appear Where Seas we only see and Tempest hear Such frightful Images did then pursue My trembling Soul that scarce I thought of you Placid All Circumstances to your wish combine Her fear of death advances your design Fel. But to that only pow'r we serve I pray'd Till he who