torments and repaire Your wasted spirits Prince Sleep to these emptie lids Is growne a stranger and the day and night As undistinguisht by my sleep as sight O happinesse of povertie that rests Securely on a bed of living turfe VVhile we with waking cares and restlesse thoughts Lye tumbling on our downe courting the blessing Of a short minutes slumber which the Plough-man Shakes from him as a ransom'd slave his fetters Call in some musike I have heard soft aires Can charme our sences and expell our cares Is Erythaea gone Serv. Yes sir Prince 'T is well I would not have her present at my death Enter Musike SOmnus the humble God that dwells In cottages and smoakie cells Hates gilded roofs and beds of downe And though he feares no Princes frowne Flies from the circle of a Crowne Come I say thou powerfull God And thy Leaden charming Rod Dipt in the Lethaean Lake O're his wakefall temples shake Lest he should sleep and never wake Nature alas why art thou so Obliged to thy greatest foe Sleep that is thy best repast Yet of death it beares a taste And both are the same thing at last Serv. So now he sleeps let 's leave him To his repose Enter King King The horrour of this place presents The horrour of my crimes I faine would ask What I am loth to heare but I am well prepar'd They that are past all hope of good are past All feare of ill and yet if he be dead Speak softly or uncertainly Phy. Sir he sleeps King O that 's too plaine I know thou mean'st his last His long his endlesse sleep Phy. No Sir he lives but yet I feare the sleep you speak of will be his next For nature like a weak and wearie traveller Tir'd with a tedious and a rugged way Not by desire provokt but even betray'd By wearinesse and want of spirits Gives up her selfe to this unwilling slumber King Thou hast it Haly 't is indeed a sad And sober truth though the first And only truth thou ever told'st me And 't is a fatall signe when Kings heare truth Especially when flatterers dare speake it Prince I thought I heard my father does he think the poyson Too slow and comes to see the operation Prince awakes Or does he think his engine dull or honest Lesse apt to execute than he to bid him He needs not 't is enough it will succeed To his expectation King 'T is indeed thy father Thy wretched father but so far from acting New cruelties that if those already past Acknowledg'd and repented of can yet Receive a pardon by those mutuall bonds Nature has seal'd between us which though I Have cancell'd thou hast still preserv'd inviolate I beg thy pardon Prince Death in it selfe appeares Lovely and sweet not only to be pardoned But wisht for had it come from any other hand But from a father a father A name so full of life of love of pitie Death from a fathers hand from whom I first Receiv'd a being 't is a preposterous gift An act at which inverted Nature starts And blushes to behold her selfe so cruell Kin. Take thou that comfort with thee and be not deafe to truth By all that 's holy by the dying accents Of thine and my last breath I never meant I never wisht it sorrow has so over-fraught This sinking bark I shall not live to shew How I abhor or how I would repent My first rash crime but he that now Has poyson'd thee first poyson'd me with jealousie A foolish causelesse jealousie Prince Since you beleeve my innocence I cannot but beleeve your sorrow But does the villaine live A just revenge Would more become the sorrowes of a King Than womanish complaints King O Mirza Mirza I have no more the power to doe it Than thou to see it done My Empire Mirza My Empire 's lost Thy vertue was the rock On which it firmly stood that being undermin'd It sunk with its owne weight the villaine whom my breath created Now braves it in my Throne Prince O for an houre of life but 't will not be Revenge and justice we must leave to heaven I would say more but death has taken in the out-works And now assailes the fort I feele I feele him Gnawing my heart-strings farewell and yet I would Dies King O stay stay but a while and take me with thee Come Death let me embrace thee thou that wert The worst of all my feares art now the best Of all my hopes But Fate why hast thou added This curse to all the rest the love of life We love it and yet hate it death we loath And still desire flye to it and yet feare it Enter Princesse and Soffy Princesse Hee 's gone hee 's gone for ever O that the poyson had mistaken his And met this hated life but cruell Fate Envied so great a happinesse Fate that still Flies from the wretched and pursues the blest Yee Heavens But why should I complaine to them That heare me not or bow to those that hate me Why should your curses so out-weigh your blessings They come but single and long expectation Takes from their value but these fall upon us Double and sudden Sees the King Yet more of horrour then farewell my teares And my just anger be no more confin'd To vaine complaints or selfe-devouring silence But break break forth upon him like a deluge And the great spirit of my injur'd Lord Possesse me and inspire me with a rage Great as thy wrongs and let me call together All my soules powers to throw a curse upon him Black as his crimes King O spare your anger 't is lost For he whom thou accused has already Condemn'd himselfe and is as miserable As thou canst think or wish him spit upon me Cast all reproaches on me womans wit Or malice can invent I 'le thank thee for them What e're can give me a more lively sence Of my owne crimes that so I may repent 'em Princesse O cruell Tyrant couldst thou be so barbarous To a son as noble as thy selfe art vile That knew no other crime but too much vertue Nor could deserve so great a punishment For any fault but that he was thy son Now not content to exceed all other Tyrants Exceed'st thy selfe first robbing him of sight Then seeming by a fain'd and forc'd repentance To expiate that crime didst win him to A false securitie and now by poyson Hast robb'd him of his life King Were but my soule as pure From other guilts as that Heaven did not hold One more immaculate Yet what I have done He dying did forgive me and hadst thou been present Thou wouldst have done the same for thou art happie Compar'd to me I am not only miserable But wicked too thy miseries may find Pitie and help from others but mine make me The scorne and the reproach of all the world Thou like unhappie Merchants whose adventures Are dasht on rocks or swallowed up in stormes Ow'st all thy losses to
THE SOPHY As it was acted at the Private House in Black Friars by his Majesties Servants LONDON Printed by Richard Hearne for Thomas Walkley and are to be sold at his shop at the Signe of the Flying Horse betweene York-house and Britaines Burse 1642 The Prologue HIther yee come dislike and so undo The Players and disgrace the Poet too But he protests against your votes and sweares Hee 'll not be try'd by any but his Peeres He claimes his priviledge and sayes 't is fit Nothing should be the Iudge of wit but Wit Now you will all be Wits and be I pray And you that discommend it mend the Play 'T is the best satisfaction he knowes then His turne will come to laugh at you agen But Gentlemen if yee dislike the Play Pray make no words on 't till the second day Or third be past For we would have you know it The losse will fall on us not on the Poet For he writes not for money nor for praise Nor to be call'd a Wit nor to weare Bayes Cares not for frownes or smiles so now you 'll say Then why the Devill did he write a Play He sayes 't was then with him as now with you He did it when he had nothing else to doe The Epilogue 'T Is done and we alive agen and now There is no Tragedie but in your brow And yet our Author hopes you are pleas'd if not This having fail'd he has a second Plot 'T is this the next day send us in your frends Then laugh at them and make your selves amends Thus whether it be good or bad yet you May please your selves and you may please us too But look you please the Poet lest he vow A full revenge upon you all but how 'T is not to kill you all twentie a day Hee 'll do 't at once a more compendious way He meanes to write againe but so much worse That seeing that you 'll think it a just curse For censuring this 'faith give him your applause As you give Beggars money for no cause But that hee 's troublesome and he has swore As Beggars do hee 'll trouble you no more Actors Scena Persia ABBAS King of Persia MIRZA the Prince his Son ERYTHaeA the Princesse his wife HALY the Kings Favourite Enemies to the Prince MIRVAN Haly's Confident ABDALL Two Lords friends to the Prince MORAT CALIPH SOLYMAN a foolish Courtier SOFFY the Prince his son now King of Persia FATYMA his daughter 2 Turkish Bashawes 3 Captaines 2 Women Physician Tormentours THE SOPHY Actus Primus Enter Abdall and Moratt Mor. MY Lord you have good intelligence what newes From the Army any certainty Of their designe or strength Abd. We know not their designe But for their strength The disproportion is so great we cannot but Expect a fatall consequence Mor. How great my Lord Abd. The Turkes are fourescore thousand Foot And fiftie thousand Horse And we in the whole Excceed not forty thousand Mor. Mee-thinkes the Prince should know That Judgement 's more essentiall to a Generall Then Courage if he prove victorious 'T is but a happie rashnesse Abd. But if he lose the battaile 't is an error Beyond excuse or remedy considering That halfe the lesser Asia will follow The Victors fortune Mor. 'T is his single vertue And terror of his name that walls us in From danger were he lost the naked Empire Would be a prey expos'd to all Invaders Abd. But is 't not necessary The King should know his danger Mor. To tell him of so great a danger Were but to draw a greater on our selves For though his eye is open as the mornings Towards lusts and pleasures yet so fast a lethargie Has seiz'd his powers towards publike cares and dangers He sleepes like death Abd. Hee 's a man of that strange composition Made up of all the worst extremities Of youth and age Mor. And though He feeles the heats of youth and colds of age Yet neither tempers nor corrects the other As if there were an Ague in his nature That still inclines to one extreame Abd. But the Caliph or Haly or some that know His softer houres might best acquaint him with it Mor. Alas they shew him nothing But in the glasse of flatterie if any thing May beare a shew of glory fame or greatnesse 'T is multiplyed to an immense quantitie And stretch't even to Divinitie But if it tend to danger or dishonour They turne about the Perspective and shew it So little at such distance so like nothing That he can scarce discerne it Abd. 'T is the fate of Princes that no knowledge Comes pure to them but passing through the eyes And eares of other men it takes a tincture From every channell And still beares a rellish Of Flatterie or private ends Mor. But danger and necessitie Dare speake the truth Abd. But commonly They speake not till it is too late And for Haly He that shall tell him of the Princes danger But tells him that himselfe is safe Scaena Secunda Enter King Princesse and Solyman King Cleare up cleare up sweet Erythaea That cloud that hangs upon thy brow presages A greater storme then all the Turkish power Can throw upon us me-thinkes I see my fortune Setling her looks by thine and in thy smile Sits victory and in thy frowne our ruine Why should not hope As much erect our thoughts as feare deject them Why should we Anticipate our sorrowes 'T is like those That die for feare of death What is 't you doubt his courage or his fortune Princesse Envy it selfe could never doubt his courage King Then let not love doe worse by doubting that Which is but valours slave a wise well-temper'd valour For such is his those Gyants death and danger Are but his Ministers and serve a Master More to be fear'd then they and the blinde Goddesse Is led amongst the Captives in his triumph Princesse I had rather she had eyes for if she saw him Sure she would love him better but admit Shee were at once a Goddesse and his slave Yet fortune valour all is overborne By numbers as the long resisting Banke By the impetuous Torrent King That 's but rumour Ne're did the Turke invade our Territory But Fame and Terrour doubled still their files But when our troopes encountred then we found Scarce a sufficient matter for our fury But heark a Post Solyman conduct him in A Horne within 'T is surely from the Prince Enter Post and delivers a Letter King Give it our Secretaries I hope the Prince is well Post The Letter will informe you A Messenger Mess. Sir the Lords attend you Ex. Princesse Enter Lords King What newes from the Army Lords Please you to heare the Letter King Reade it Lords The Turke enraged with his last yeares overthrow Hath re-enforc't his Army with the choice of all his Janizars And the flowre of his whole Empire we Understand by some fugitives that he hath commanded The Generalls to returne with victory
receive you If you please to seeke safety with us King Now my Lords Alas my feares are causelesse and ungrounded Fantastick dreames and melancholike fumes Of crazie stomacks and distempered braines Has this convinc't you Mor. Sir we see Some reason you should feare but whom we know not 'T is possible these Turkes may play the Villaines Knowing the Prince the life of all our hopes Staffe of your age and pillar of your Empire And having fail'd by force may use this Art To ruine him and by their treason here To make their peace at home Now should this prove a truth when he ha's suffred Death or disgrace which are to him the same 'T will be too late to say you were mistaken And then to cry him mercy Sir we beseech you A while suspend your doome till time produce Her wonted off-spring Truth King And so expecting The event of what you thinke shall prove the experiment Of what I feare but since he is my sonne I cannot have such violent thoughts towards him As his towards me he onely shall remaine A prisoner till his death or mine enlarge him Exit Lords Man Haly. Solyman peepes in King Away away wee 're serious Sol. But not so serious to neglect your safety King Art thou in earnest Sol. Nay Sir I can be serious aswell as my betters King What 's the matter Sol. No I am an inconsiderable fellow and know nothing King Let 's heare that nothing then Sol. The Turkes Sir King What of them Sol. When they could not overcome you by force they 'le Doe it by treacherie King As how Sol. Nay I can see as farre into a milstone as another man They have corrupted some ill-affected persons King What to doe Sol. To nourish Jealousies 'twixt you and your sonce King My sonne where is he Sol. They say hee 's posting hither King Haly we are betrayed prevented looke to the Ports and let The Guards be doubled how farre 's his Army hence Is the Citie in armes to joyne with him Sol. Armes and joyne with him I understand you not King Didst thou not say the Prince was comming Sol. I heard some foolish people say you had sent for Him as a Traytor which to my apprehension was on Purpose spoken to make you odious and him desperate And so divide the people into faction A Plot of Dangerous consequence as I take it Sir King And is this all thou sawcy trifling foole Away With him Haly. Sir this seeming foole is a concealed dangerous knave Under that safe disguise he thinks he may say or doe Any thing you 'le little thinke him the chiefe conspirator The onely spy t' informe the Prince of all is done in Court King Let him be rack't and tortur'd till he confesse The whole conspiracie Sol. Rack't and tortur'd I have told you all I know and more There 's nothing more in me Sir but may be squeezed Out without racking onely a stoope or two of Wine And if there had not beene too much of that you had Not had so much of the other King That 's your cunning sirrah Sol. Cunning Sir I am no Polititian and was ever thought to have Too little wit and too much honesty for a States-man Exit King Away with him Ha. But something must be done Sir to satisfie the people 'T is not enough to say he did designe Or plot or thinke but did attempt some violence And then some strange miraculous escape For which our Prophet must have publique thankes And this false colour shall delude the eyes Of the amazed vulgar King 'T is well advis'd Enter Mess. Mess. Sir His highnesse is return'd King And unconstrain'd But with what change of countenance Did he receive the message Mess. With some amazement But such as sprung from wonder not from feare It was so unexpected King Leave us Haly I ever found thee honest truer to me Then mine owne bloud and now 's the time to shew it For thou art he my love and trust hath chosen To put in action my designe surprise him As he shall passe the Galleries I 'le place A guard behind the Arras when thou hast him Since blinded with ambition he did soare Like a seel'd Dove his crime shall be his punishment To be depriv'd of sight which see perform'd With a hot steele Now as thou lov'st my safety Be resolute and suddaine Ha. 'T is severe But yet I dare not intercede it shall be done But is that word irrevocable King I as yeares or ages past relent not if thou do'st Exit King Enter Mirvan Mir. Why so melancholy is the designe discovered Ha. No but I am made the instrument That still endeavoured to disguise my plots With borrowed lookes and make 'em walke in darkenesse To act 'em now my selfe be made the marke For all the peoples hate the Princesse curses And his sonnes rage or the old Kings inconstancy For this to Tyranny belongs To forget service but remember wrongs Mir. But could not you contrive Some fine pretence to cast it on some other Ha. No he dares trust no other had I given But the least touch of any private quarrell My malice to his sonne not care of him Had then begot this service Mir. 'T is but t'other plot my Lord you know The King by other wives had many sonnes Soffy is but a childe and you already Command the Emperours Guard procure for me The governement o' th' Citie when he dies Urge how unfortunate those States have beene Whose Princes are but children then set the Crowne Upon some others head that may acknowledge And owe the Empire to your gift Ha. It shall be done Abdall who commands The Citie is the Princes friend and therefore Must be displac't and thou shalt straight succeed him Thou art my better Genius honest Mirvan Greatnesse we owe to fortune or to fate But wisedome onely can secure that state Ex. Enter Prince at one doore and Princesse at another Princesse You 're double welcome now my Lord your comming Was so unlook't for Prince To me I 'me sure it was Know'st thou the cause for sure it was important That calls me backe so suddenly Princesse I am so ignorant I knew not you were sent for Waking I know no cause but in my sleepe My fancy still presents such dreames and terrors As did Andromache's the night before Her Hector fell but sure 't is more then fancie Either our guardian Angels or the Gods Inspire us or some naturall instinct Fore-tells approaching dangers Prince How does my father Princesse Still talkes and playes with Fatyma but his mirth Is forc't and strain'd In his looke appeares A wilde distracted fiercenesse I can reade Some dreadfull purpose in his face but where This dismall cloud will breake and spend his furie I dare not thinke pray heaven make false his feares Sometimes his anger breakes through all disguises And spares nor gods nor men and then he seemes Jealous of all the world suspects and starts And looks
Will follow us Mor. Nobly resolv'd and either wee 'le restore The Prince or perish in the brave attempt Yee Gods since what we meane to execute Is your high office to avenge the innocent Assist us with a fortune equall to The justice of our action lest the world Should thinke it selfe deluded and mistrust That you want will or power to be just Ex. Enter Haly. Ha. 'T is done and 't was my master-piece to worke My safety 'twixt two dangerous extreames Now like a skilfull sayler have I past Scylla and Charybdis I have scap't the rocke Of steepe Ambition and the gulfe of Jealousie A danger lesse avoyded 'cause lesse fear'd Enter Mirvan Mir. What 's done my Lord Ha. Enough I warrant you imprison'd and depriv'd of sight Mir. No more this but provokes him can you thinke Your selfe secure and he alive Ha. The rest o' th' businesse will doe it selfe He can aswell endure a prison as a wilde Bull the net There let him struggle and toyle himselfe to death And save us so much envy Mir. But if his father should relent such injuries Can receive no excuse or colour but to be Transfer'd upon his Counsellors and then The forfeiture of them redeemes his errour Ha. We must set a marke upon his passion And as we finde it running low What ebbes from his into our rage shall flow Why should we be more wicked Then we must needes Mir. Nay if you sticke at conscience More gallant actions have beene lost for want of being Compleatly wicked then have beene perform'd By being exactly vertuous 'T is hard to be Exact in good or excellent in ill Our will wants power or else our power wants skill Exit Enter Solyman and Tormentors Sol. But Gentlemen was the King in earnest I can scarce beleeve it Tor. You will when you feele it Sol. I pray have any of you felt it to tell me what it is Tor. No Sir but Some of your fellow Courtiers can tell you That use something like it to mend their shapes 'T will make you so straight and slender Sol. Slender because I was slender in my wits must I be drawne Slender in my waste I 'de rather grow wise And corpulent Tor. Come Sir 't is but a little stretching Sol. No no more 's hanging and sure this will be the death of me I remember my Grandmother died of Convulsion fits Tor. Come Sir prepare prepare Sol. I for another world I must repent first Tor. Quickly then Sol. Then first I repent that sinne of being a Courtier And secondly the greatest sinne one can commit in that place the speaking of truth Tor. Have you no more sinnes Sol. Some few trifles more not worth the remembring Drinking and whoring and swearing and such like But for those let 'em passe Tor. Have you done now Sol. Onely some good counsell to the standers by Tor. We thanke you for that Sir Sol. Nay Gentlemen mistake me not 'T is not that I love you but because 't is a thing of course For dying men Tor. Let 's have it then Sol. First then if any of you are fooles as I thinke that But a needlesse question be fooles still and labour still In that vocation then the worst will be but whipping Where but for seeming wise the best is racking But if you have the luck to be Court fooles those that have Either wit or honesty you may foole withall and spare not But for those that want either You 'le finde it rather dangerous then otherwise I could give you a moderne Instance or two but let that passe but if you happen to be State fooles then 't is But fooling on the right side and all 's well then you shall at least be Wise mens fellowes if not wise mens masters But of all things take heed of giving any man good counsell You see what I have got by it and yet like a foole must I be doing on 't againe Tor. Is this all Sol. All but a little in my owne behalfe Remember Gentlemen I am at my full growth and my joynts are knit and yet My sinewes are not Cables Tor. Well wee 'le remember 't Sol. But stay Gentlemen what thinke you of a bottle now Tor. I hope you are more serious Sol. If you but knew how dry a thing this sorrow is Especially meeting with my constitution which is As thirsty as any serving-mans Tor. Let him have it it may be 't will make him confesse Sol. Yes I shall I shall lay before you all that 's within me And with most fluent utterance Here 's to you all Gentlemen and let him that 's good Natur'd in his drinke pledge me Drinkes So me-thinkes I feele it in my joynts already It makes 'em supple Drinkes againe Now I feele it in my braines it makes 'em swimme As if the racke would be a shipwracke Tor. You are witty Sir Sol. This is nothing but a poore clinch I have A thousand of 'em a trick I learn't amongst the Statesmen Drinks again Tor. Hold Sir you have no measure of your selfe Sol. What doe you talke of measure you 'le take Measure of me with a vengeance Well racke I defie thee doe thy worst I would thou wert Man Gyant or Monster Gentlemen now if I happen to fall asleepe Upon this Engine pray wake me not too suddenly You see here 's good store of wine and if it be Over-rackt 't will come up with lees and all There I was with you againe and now I am for you Exeunt Enter Prince being blinde solus Prince Nature How didst thou mocke mankinde to make him free And yet to make him feare or when he lost That freedome why did he not lose his feare That feare of feares the feare of what we know not While yet we know it is in vaine to feare it Death and what followes death 't was that that stamp't A terrour on the brow of Kings that gave Fortune her deity and Jove his thunder Banish but feare of death those Gyant names Of Majestie Power Empire finding nothing To be their object will be nothing too Then he dares yet be free that dares to die May laugh at the grim face of law and scorne The cruell wrinkle of a Tyrants brow But yet to die so tamely O'recome by passion and misfortune And still unconquer'd by my foes sounds ill Below the temper of my spirit Yet to embrace a life so poore so wretched So full of deaths argues a greater dulnesse But I am dead already nor can suffer More in the other world For what is Hell But a long sleeplesse night and what 's their torment But to compare past joyes with present sorrowes And what can death deprive me of the sight Of day of children friends and hope of Empire And whatsoever others lose in death In life I am depriv'd of then I will live Onely to die reveng'd nor will I goe Downe to the shades alone Prompt me some wittie some revengefull Devill His Devill that
could make a bloudy feast Of his owne sonne and call the gods his guests Her 's that could kill her aged Sire and cast Her brothers scatter'd limbs to Wolves and Vultures Or his that slew his father to enjoy His mothers bed and greater then all those My fathers Devill Come mischiefe I embrace thee fill my soule And thou revenge ascend and beare the Scepter O're all my other passions banish thence All that are coole and tame Know old Tyrant My heart 's to big to breake I know thy feares Exceed my sufferings and my revenge Though but in hope is much a greater pleasure Then thou canst take in punishing Then my anger Sinke to the Center of my heart and there Lye close in ambush till my seeming patience Hath made the cruell Tyrant as secure Though with as little cause as now hee 's jealous Whos 's there Enter two or three I finde my nature would returne To her old course I feele an inclination To some repose welcome thou pleasing slumber A while embrace me in thy leaden armes And charme my carefull thoughts Conduct me to my bed Exit Enter King Haly and Caliph King How doe's the Prince how beares he his restraint Ha. Why Sir as all great spirits Beare great and sudden changes with such impatience As a Numidian Lyon when first caught Endures the toyle that holds him He would thinke of nothing But present death and sought all violent meanes To compasse it But time hath mitigated Those furious heats he now returnes to food And sleepe admits the conversation Of those that are about him King I would I had not So easily beleev'd my feares I was too sudden I would it were undone Cal. If you lament it That which now lookes like Justice will be thought An inconsiderate rashnesse King But there are in nature Such strong returnes that I punish't him I doe not grieve but that he was my sonne Ha. But it concernes you to beare up your passion And make it good for if the people know That you have cause to grieve for what is done They 'le thinke you had no cause at first to doe it King to the Ca. Go visit him from me and teach him patience Since neither all his furie nor my sorrow Can helpe what 's past tell him my severitie To him shall in some measure be requited By my indulgence to his children And if he desire it Let them have accesse to him endeavour to take off His thoughts from revenge by telling him of Paradise and I know not what pleasures In the other world Cal. I shall Sir Exit King and Ca. Man Ha. Enter Mirvan Ha. Mirvan the King relents and now there 's left No refuge but the last he must be poysoned And suddenly lest he survive his father Mir. But handsomely lest it appeare Ha. Appeare To whom you know there 's none about him But such as I have plac't and they shall say 'T was discontent or abstinence Mir. But at the best 'T will be suspected Ha. Why though 't be knowne Wee 'le say he poysoned himselfe Mir. But the curious will pry further Then bare report and the old Kings suspitions Have piercing eyes Ha. But those nature Will shortly close you see his old disease Growes strong upon him Mir. But if he should recover Ha. But I have cast his nativitie he cannot he must not I' th' meane time I have so besieg'd him So block't up all the passages and plac't So many Centinels and Guards upon him That no intelligence can be convey'd But by my instruments But this businesse will require More heads and hands then ours Goe you to the prison And bring the Keeper privately to me To give him his instructions Ex. severall wayes Enter Prince and Caliph Cal. Sir I am commanded by the King To visite you Prince What to give a period to my life And to his feares You 're welcome here 's a throat A heart or any other part ready to let In death and receive his commands Ca. My Lord I am no messenger nor minister of death 'T is not my function Prince I should know that voyce Ca. I am the Caliph and am come to tell you your father Is now returned to himselfe Nature ha's got The victory o're passion all his rigour Is turn'd to griefe and pitty Prince Alas good man I pitty him and his infirmities His doubts and feares and accidents of age Which first provok't his crueltie Ca. He bid me tell you His love to yours should amply recompence His cruelty to you And I dare say 't is reall For all his thoughts his pleasures and delights Are fixt on Fatyma when he is sad She comforts him when sicke shee 's his Physitian And were it not for the delight he takes In her I thinke hee 'de dye with sorrow Prince But how are his affections fixt so strangely On her alone sure 't is not in his nature For then he had lov'd me or hated her Because she came from me Ca. 'T is her desert Shee 's faire beyond comparison and witty Above her age and beares a manly spirit Above her sexe Prince But may not I admire her Is that too great a happinesse pray let her make it Her next suit to be permitted to visit me her selfe Ca. She shall Sir I joy to see your minde So well compos'd I fear'd I should have found A tempest in your soule and came to lay it I 'le to the King I know to him that newes will be Most acceptable Prince Pray doe and tell him I have cast off all my passions and am now A man againe fit for societie And conversation Ca. I will Sir Exit Prince I never knew my selfe till now how on the sudden I 'me growne an excellent dissembler to out-doe One at the first that ha's practiz'd it all his life So now I am my selfe againe what is 't I feele within me thinkes some vaste designe Now takes possession of my heart and swels My labouring thoughts above the common bounds Of humane actions something full of horror My soule hath now decreed my heart does beat As if 't were forging thunderbolts for Jove To strike the Tyrant dead so now I have it I have it 't is a gallant mischiefe Worthy my father or my fathers sonne All his delight 's in Fatyma poore innocent But not more innocent then I and yet My father loves thee and that 's crime enough By this act old Tyrant I shall be quit with thee while I was vertuous I was a stranger to thy bloud but now Sure thou wilt love me for this horrid crime It is so like thy owne In this I 'me sure Although in nothing else I am thy sonne But when 't is done I leave him yet that remedie I take my selfe Revenge but I aswell Will rob him of his anger as his joy And having sent her to the shades I 'le follow her But to returne againe and dwell In his dire thoughts for there 's
A Guard there Enter Mirvan and others King Seize him Ha. Seize them now Though 't is too late to learne yet know 'Gainst you are King again what 't is to let your Subjects Dispose all offices of trust and power The beast obeyes his keeper and looks up Not to his masters but his feeders hand And when you gave me power to dispense And make your favours mine in the same houre You made your selfe my shadow and 't was my curtesie To let you live and reigne so long King Without there Enter two or three and joyne with the others What none but Traytours Has this villaine Breath'd treason into all and with that breath Like a contagious vapour blasted loyaltie Sure hell it selfe has sent forth all her Furies T' inhabit and possesse this place Ha. Sir passions without power Like seas against a rock but lose their furie Mirvan Take these villaines and see 'em strangled 1 Bash. Farewell Sir commend us to your son let him know That since we cannot dye his servants Wee 'll dye his Martyrs King Farewell unhappie friends A long farewell and may you find rewards Great as your innocence or which is more Great as your wrongs 2 Bash. Come thou art troubled Thou dost not feare to dye 1 Bash. No but to lose my death To sell my life so cheap while this proud villaine That takes it must survive 2 Bash. We shall not lose our deaths If Heaven can heare the cries of guiltlesse bloud Which sure it must for I have heard th' are loud ones Vengeance shall overtake thee Ha. Away with 'em King Stay Haly they are innocent yet life when 't is thy gift Is worse than death I disdaine to ask it 1 Bash. And we to take it Ha. Do not ask it Sir For them to whom you owe your ruine they have undone you Had not they told you this you had liv'd secure And happie in your ignorance but this injurie Since 't is not in your nature to forgive it I must not leave it in your power to punish it King Heaven though from thee I have deserv'd this plague Be thou my Judge and witnesse from this villaine 'T is vndeserv'd Had I but felt your vengeance from some hand That first had suffer'd mine it had been justice But have you sent this sad returne of all My love my trust my favours Ha. Sir there 's a great resemblance Between your favours and my injuries Those are too great to be requited these Too great to be forgiven and therefore 'T is but in vaine to mention either King Mirza Mirza How art thou lost by my deceiv'd credulitie I 'le beg thy pardon Ha. Stay Sir not without my leave Go some of you and let the people know The King keeps state and will not come in publike If any great affaires or State addresses Bring 'em to me King How have I taught the villaine To act my part But oh my son my son Shall I not see thee Ha. For once you shall Sir But you must grant me one thing King Traytour dost thou mock my miseries What can I give but this unhappie life Ha. Alas Sir it is but that I ask and 't is my modestie To ask it it being in my power to take it When you shall see him sir to dye for pitie 'T were such a thing 't would so deceive the world And make the people think you were good natur'd 'T will look so well in storie and become The stage so handsomely King I ne're deny'd thee any thing and shall not now Deny thee this though I could stand upright Under the tyranny of age and fortune Yet the sad weight of such ingratitude Will crush me into earth Ha. Lose not your teares but keep Your lamentations for your son or sins For both deserve 'em but you must make haste sir Or hee 'll not stay your comming He looks upon a watch 'T is now about the houre the poyson Must take effect King Poyson'd oh Heaven Ha. Nay sir lose no time in wonder both of us Have much to doe if you will see your son Here 's one shall bring you to him Exit King Some unskilfull Pylot had shipwrackt here But I not only against sure And likely ills have made my selfe secure But so confirm'd and fortifi'd my state To set it safe above the reach of Fate Exit Haly. Enter Prince led servants at the other doore Princesse and Soffy Serv. Sir the Princesse and your son Prince Soffy thou comst to wonder at Thy wretched father why dost thou interrupt Thy happinesse by looking on an object So miserable Princesse My Lord me thinks there is not in your voyce The vigour that was wont nor in your look The wonted cheerfulnesse Are you well my Lord Prince No but I shall be I feele my health a comming Princesse What 's your disease my Lord Prince Nothing but I have ta'ne a Cordiall Sent by the King or Haly in requitall Of all my miseries to make me happie The pillars of this frame grow weak As if the weight of many yeares oppresse 'em My sinewes slacken and an icie stifnesse Benums my bloud Princesse Alas I feare hee 's poysoned Call all the help that Art or Herbs or Minerals Can minister Prince No 't is too late And they that gave me this are too well practiz'd In such an Art to attempt and not performe Prin. Yet trie my Lord revive your thoughts the Empire Expects you your father's dying Prince So when the ship is sinking The winds that wrackt it cease Princesse Will you be the scorne of fortune To come neere a Crowne and only neere it Prince I am not fortunes scorne but she is mine More blind than I Princesse O tyranny of Fate to bring Death in one hand and Empire in the other Only to shew us happinesse and then To snatch us from it Prince They snatch me to it My soule is on her journey do not now Divert or lead her back to lose her selfe I' th' maze and winding labyrinths o'th' world I prethee do not weep thy love is that I part with most unwillingly or otherwise I had not staid till rude necessitie Had forc'd me hence Soffy be not a man too soone And when thou art take heed of too much vertue It was thy fathers and his only crime 'T will make the King suspitious yet ere time By natures course has ripened thee to man 'T will mellow him to dust till then forget I was thy father yet forget it not My great example shall excite thy thoughts To noble actions And you deare Erythaea Give not your passions vent nor let blind furie Precipitate your thoughts nor set 'em working Till time shall lend 'em better meanes and instruments Than lost complaints Where 's prettie Fatyma She must forgive my rash ungentle passion Princesse What do you meane sir Prince I am asham'd to tell you I prethee call her Princesse I will sir I pray try If sleep will ease your