Friend and Mother Thrice cry Curs'd Rome then from her eyes burst forth A floud of tears which usher'd on her woes Sertorius is no more she often said I saw the Fates busy about his life The thred expos'd on the immortal Sheers And all the lesser Messengers on wing This spoke she vanish'd into Air again Sert. Sure my Terentia thou but dream'd the while And this the product of thy fear Ter. Oh no. Scarce recollected viewing round the space Too true I found the Vision which out-fled Report it self a Messenger arriv'd VVith Letters which confirm the fatal chance Sert. Oh Mother art thou com to warn my Fate Left the possession of thy quiet Urn And thy distracted Spirit hovers here Speak loud you Gods for I 'm prepar'd for change VVhy all these horors is it to amate The wandring Soul when she her mansion leaves Loose all your Bolts bury me quick in Earth Rather than Rack with sounds exceeding death SCEN. III. Tribunius Crassus Norbanus Ligurius Sertorius c. Trib. Hail mighty Lord Imperial Conqueror Great in thy deeds as Phoebus is for light Give leave that we attend thee to the Feast VVhile that Perpenna of the favor proud Envies the Thrones of Friendship that we have Sert. I will not go do not inquire the cause Let it suffice it is my will Trib. 'T is true That people whisper here I find it now Sertorius doubts the constancy and faith Of men devoted wholly to his Fame Men which have sworn in death to follow thee Men which have left the Roman State for thee To ashes turn'd the Tables Sylla sent With ample restitution and full honor I see the hate thou bear'st us in thy eyes Oh would they had the pow'r of Basilisks To kill the Villain who infected thee Sert. Mistake me not Tribunius I 'm not well And do not like the fierceness of the Air. Trib. Mistake me not Sertorius nor believe Thy secret thoughts are hid I see 'em there There in thy eyes and hear 'em in thy words And curse my Stars I ever liv'd to hear Crassus Ligurius and Norbanus com Draw all your Daggers and compleat our doom To live suspected by the man we love Is worse than death Sert. What means Tribunius Trib. Thou shalt read here and glut thee with the Character Writ with these Pens of Steel upon our hearts But Oh! the wretched State of human things On what false Basis do we build our hopes Thus subject to the blast of every wind Know thou Sertorius that I hate to live Under the very Igno'miny of thought Nor. View all these Scars the badges of my love Gain'd by thy side in Battel call to mind How oft I 've interpos'd 'twixt thee and death This single arm as glorying in thy sight Has made a Lane in the opposing Foes What have I ever don to merit this What action in my life has made a crime Did I but think my Soul could harbor one Against my Friend by Heav'n I 'd stab that too Lig. Believe me General that I court thy worth A Servant to thy Virtue and this Steel Hasting to let out life when so revil'd Shall pierce as deep into a Loyal heart Nay I believe that man who loves me not Would be a pledg in Honor for my faith Bebr. Why nam'st thou me Ligurius well thou know'st When darkness summons all the World to rest You 're waking at Perpenna's loath all sleep And there confederate at such hours of Night No good can e're be hatch'd but Treason may Lig. Thou ly'st base man Now by the Thunderer Wert thou not safe within this sacred place Had'st thou as many lives as Hydra heads I 'd kill 'em one by one From hence it springs Here takes it Source and like a Plague Infects Bind me Sertorius lead me where no light E're shot its Beams and if you find it truth Invent a Torment new and terrible Exceeding all the labors of the Damn'd But till I 'm justly doom'd believe my brest Like Chrystal casts this poyson in his Teeth Sert. What thinks Terentia now how can I doubt Such Friends as these Com we will go my Fair Banish distrust and think the Prodigies Were only to amuse not to Predict Let not these men know of our inward grief Apart to Terentia But bear it with the patience of a God Ter. Yet there is something dictates in my brest This visit will be fatal and I see Like dying men prospect of mighty things From fear they cannot com to me they seem Like Meteors fix'd not flying forms of Air. Sert. Com my Bebricius do like me believe Not one of all these Romans can be false Ligurius com forgive the hasty words Age has its faults as well as fiery youth The one must bear th' other's Infirmities And credit me such is the great esteem If in the scope of Rule you cast an eye To any part which raises strong desire Command Sertorius who no Tresure knows Beyond th' intrinsic value of a Friend Exeunt SCEN. IV. PERPENNA Perp. I grow in love with mischief and the Gods Envying like me consent unto his fall If there 's a Fury greater than I feel A subtil Daemon that I have not sought Let him expand his wings and habit here Dull Fools they were that sought eternal Fame By deeds not worthy naming He that fir'd Diana's Temple or that stupid Ass Who headlong fell in flaming Aetna's womb In hopes to cheat the Vulgar lost himself I mount a Sphere above ' em As in Hell The lesser Fiends are Slaves unto their Lord And band the fiery Surges to his will So I on Earth would with this arm controul And if the disobedient Clods rebell'd Find the Connexion of the Globes above And with this Sword divide the mighty tye That headlong with its weight it sunk to Hell And made the Furies groan beneath its Orb While from the Region of the Sky I saw Its mighty dissolution unconcern'd SCEN. V. Fulvia Perpenna Ful. You seem exalted with success Perpenna Tread upon Air and breath a Soul all fire Perp. Yes and behold my Iuno fix'd by me While the connected Atoms Statue-like Know nether life nor motion till we speak Ful. How if Ixion-like we ' embrace a Cloud Perp. Why then that Cloud shall hide us both for ever Slighting the Earth we 'l put our beings off And wing for the Society of Gods I hear the noise of many feet let 's hence And meet the Victim Exeunt SCEN. VI. A Banquet At it Sertorius Perpenna Tribunius Crassus Decius Ligurius Norbanus Bebricius Attendants Perp. Such was the time in the Laâ—tean way When frightned Gods by Sons of Earth besieg'd Sat there in Council with Immortal fear Till all the fainting Pow'rs by Bacchus fir'd Forc'd Iove unto his Thunder Here we sit While Pompey's Rams are storming at our walls Whose Blows are Harmony unto our Feast Sert. It is Perpenna and a God-like sound Enough to sink the fearful into Earth
Strangers new arriv'd do beg admittance Sert. Conduct 'em in Ex. Souldier SCENE V. Cassius to Sertorius and Bebricius Cass. Art thou Sertorious Sert. Men do call me so Art thou a Roman Cass. View well my face then judge Sert. By Heav'n 't is Cassius That noble Roman who appears to me As the last remedy to dying men Or life or death attend as the effect When Rome in Sylla made me Exile Thou In my necessity the only Friend I left as Guardian to my Life my Soul Four Suns have past the Zodiack since to me They 've blest this eye with my Terentia's sight Say Cassius lives she or to blessed Shades Doom'd by the Gods to an untimely Fate Sh' has chang'd for Immortality Yet hold Cassius offers to speak Dead is the Fatal period of thy words Night is not more ally'd to Chaos than This dismal sound if utter'd is to Death Cass. She lives Sertorius lives to bless thy sight To banish into Air thy doubts and fears Sert. I ask no other Heav'n you Gods than this For joys of Paradise Elizium Shades Are Fictions to the real bliss she brings SCEN. VI. Sertorius Terentia c. So breaks the Sun from out the Artic Pole And with it Day banishing Night from thence Ter. My past misfortunes whose obdurate Sence Sat heavy here now vanish at thy sight Long absence wing'd by noblest Fire sets on And the great extasy of flowing joys Lethe past dangers with the present bliss Sert. Thou all of excellence how shall I pay The mighty debt for by my life I swear The Sence of Seeing to the Center moves And makes a mutiny of thought within The Organ of my speech Let me admire And by my Eye which greedily delights To meet each glance judge of the Pow'r Love Ter. Leave my Sertorius this Courtly Stile And in such words with which thou won'st my brest Say I am welcom Sert. Gods and Men stand mute While both to Heav'n and Earth Sertorius owns Life Health and Happiness without thy sight Dwindle to nought and fill an Airy sound Not absent Gods from their Etherial Thrones Frightned by Typhon did with greater joy Again possess their Heav'n than I my fair Ter. No Musick of the Spheres could raise my Soul Into a height like this Gods on my knees I offer up my pray'rs of Sacrifice Contemn the many dangers I have past Since from those clouds which vail'd my happiness The Sun of comfort ushers on a Calm Sert. Heav'n has restor'd the Treasure which I sougâ—â— Given o're as Shipwrack'd upon Sylla's Rock While prest with grief beneath the mighty loss A happy moment makes me bless the Day In giving back the All that I admire For by thy self on thy fair hand I swear I would not change for a Celestial Seat Ter. And by my life wound up within thy Fate They embrace The joys of Heav'n Society of Gods Are not so charming as thy best-lov'd self Bebr. Blest Lady which to Lusitania brings The peace our Country has so often sought So oft with piles of Incense fill'd the Air And with the pray'rs of Nations in the Cloud Arriv'd and gain'd acceptance from the Gods Sert. Oh Cassius this noble man has spoke At once her Virtue and thy Worth What man Was ever blest like me from Time and Chance Through the dark Labyrinths of mistic Fate To tast of joys like mine and live You Gods Allay the Extasy which grows so fast That life in motion flags to keep its pace Ter. I tread on Air and view around the Days Which fleet like Shadows tho they harbor'd Death Like Prophets lightned by the Sacred fire Forget the giddy Chance and to the God In rapture celebrate the turns of Fate Thus blest by Love I fly into thy arms Where thy sight mesures there 's the blessed place And in that Circle joys of Heav'n are found Sert. I am all Rapture and will hence remove To pay the Tribute of an ardent Love Gaze on those eyes which do these joys create And view the charming object of my Fate Then extasy'd to greater bliss I 'll fly Contemn the gaudy Mansions of the Sky And wrapt in thy embrace for ever lye Exeunt ACT. II. SCEN. I. A Noise of Mutiny PERPENNA Perp. HELL and Confusion how they rend the Air With endless clamors Angry Elements When meeting cannot form a sound that bears More horror in 't No voice but cries aloud Lead to Sertorius which the Traytress eccho From off the Hills reverberates and makes No sound but his combat the yielding Air. Oh giddy Fortune and uncertain Chance Upon whose slipp'ry path I 've trod so long Into what Maze you 've led me Must I live To see my self bereav'd of Fame to plume The Minion that I hate Ha! who art thou That bring'st a terror with thee SCEN. II. Aufidius Perpenna Auf. A Friend Perpenna Who bids his General fly or else submit To lay the Storm by your consent to march All arguments are vain wounds but inflame Their burning rage and turn into despair What hope could form Hark how the Tempest roars As if they meant to force consent from Iove By strenuous voices so impulse the Air As make Convulsions in his Starry Orb SCEN. III. A confus'd Noise within Grecinus Perpenna Aufidius Grec Cease to consider if you mean to live So breaks the Sea through the opposing banks And with its Torrent headlong rushes Fate Your Friends are to their fury Sacrific'd No argument but Swords no speech but Blows Plead resolution to go on through Fate SCEN. IV. Repeated Noises A Centurion to them Cent. Perpenna so I was commanded call thee For the incensed Souldiers swear to chuse From out the Legions Chiefs and form a Head That shall to Osca lead their Warlike Bands Metellus and young Pompey they despise And to Sertorius fame are Prosetytes Say whether Concord to the Armed croud Thou send'st in salutation or Neglect Perp. If that my memory fails not thou art he When all the Cohorts bent to mutiny In the Apulian fields killing the Slave Ambitious to be heard didst lay the Storm How art thou chang'd how lost from what thou wert Those Silver hairs wain'd in the Roman Camp Should be example of her Discipline Not head of factious Slaves against their Lord Who made 'em what they are Cent. Thus low I bow To great Perpenna as my General VVhen the rash Croud mov'd with the Face of Death Lest some Officious Slave inur'd to noise Plebeiac sport wrought up the mischief higher I took this shape upon me and must beg Hower'e the boldness they compell'd me to Relish your sense you would give way to join Whom public Fame speaks loud They all concur If you resist to give you bound and chain'd Unto the Lusitanian General Be speedy e're the happy hour is fled Auf. Necessity compels you must obey Perp. Did I not fear for I 'm my self secure My Fulvia's harm th' insulting Slaves should feel Alcides labors dwelt upon
would say but when my words Do croud for utt'rance they 're confus'd and lost I will yet I will not Death here shall rule E're I the fatal Secret do reveal Aside Your pity Madam's ill bestow'd on me Who labor under the extreams of Fate Foresee the Goal which I shall ne're arrive And languish in the sight of Heav'n I wish Yet there is somthing in your words creates A kind of quiet here and rest unknown Allays the mutiny of warring thoughts And breaks like light thorough my Chaos sense Ter. Give me your hand consider as we go If I am worthy of the secret Cause Fear not success I 'll be your Advocate Or if a Kingdom 's loss can buy your peace Sertorius to regain a Friend like you With hands profuse would slight the gaudy Rule And in th' extreams of Friendship prove a Friend Cass. Upon the utmost rim of Earth I stand And the least motion down the Precipice Headlong I fall giddy with doubts and fears I see my Fate but cannot Fate prevent Exeunt SCEN. IX Drums and Trumpets On the one side Bebricius with Lusitanians On the other Aufidius with Romans Crown'd with Garlands and Olive-Branches in their hands Aus Health to Sertorius Perpenna sends Union and Concord Palms and Olive-Crowns Trophies and Spoils ta'ne from the tawny Gauls The pledg of Friendship bonds of Unity Bebr. A Roman constancy and Faith commends The great Sertorius proud of such Ally Open the Phalanx sound the voice of War And fill the Heav'ns with Battel-harmony SCEN. X. Loud shouts a Flourish Lictors bearing Fasces Roman Officers then Sertorius attended by Cassius Norbanus Crassus Ligurius Is met in like manner by Perpenna attended by Manlius Grecinus c. They view each other Perp. Fame which to mighty deeds extends her wings Has from the Confines of wide-spreading Gaul To view a Man famous as ancient Gods Drawn me Perpenna to admire thy Fate Nor find I less than what I sought a Man Great as the Founder of Imperial Rome Who like a God does with his presence awe Give here our Standard now no more our own Lictors your Fasces prostrate at his feet And all your Chiefs which own'd me for your head Pay here Allegiance for Perpenna vows By the blest light which guilds the Day he lives Wholly devoted to Sertorius will Sert. You make me blush through all my honour'd Scars Naming my deeds which are by your's eclips'd The Starry Light to Cynthia's Orb compar'd Believe me noble Roman I 'm more proud Of this Days honour by so fam'd a man That all the glories of my life fall short When this is nam'd Bear high the Fasces still and let the lofty Eagle raise her Crest For by the loves and lives of all my Friends Sertorius bows to so much Fortitude Perp. Now by the God which bears the name of War His mighty Soul 's transplanted in thy brest The Shields of Rome are forg'd Metallic dross Thou only Patriot exil'd in a Storm Of Brutal rage Fabius Camillus all The noblest Spirits inhabit in thy mind And while I praise thy Virtue thoughts Divine Possess my Brain and elevate my Soul Sert. We 're Men Perpenna Men by Fate chose out To lanch through all the Terrors of the World Frail mortal Men subject to every Chance And while we praise our selves we rob the Gods Let it suffice I am thy Virtue 's Creature For by the Gods I covet to be thine Bebricius Cassius noblest Friends come on And with the Gordian-knot of Friendship tye Shouts and Trumpets c. They all embrace This mighty Union Now let Pompey come Metellus or the source of Civil War Sylla attended with his dire effects Like angry Gods we 'l hurl destruction down Blast all their hopes and scatter all their pow'r For Heav'n in this secures the worst of Fate And marks it out the Raising of our Swords Perp. Where e're Sertorius leads so winds break loose Both Air and Earth suffer Convulsive fits Not angry Parcae mounted on a Plague In greater numbers kill than where thy Sword Points out the fatal compass and makes way Like loudest Bolts forg'd by the Cyclops hands The mighty-weapons of an angry Iove Proud to obey the Legions stand their Chiefs Glow Aetna like and courage fills the Nerves While the hot-Will only the Signal waits Sert. When brave Perpenna leads the coldest Soul With Emulative Virtue Flames and courts The dismal'st objects and the sharpest fights And when the noble Bird of Iove soars high The Pyes and flocks of chatt'ring Jayes disperse Beat on the wing and court the Mountains womb And Rocky Cliffs for Shelter Give command The Salij enter to perform those Rites Apt to the will of Heav'n and lives of Men. SCEN. XI An Altar discover'd Enter the Flamen of Mars attended by the Salij While Sertorius and Perpenna stand on each side the Altar is Sung this SONG In Erebus and in the lowest shades Of ancient Chaos and old Kingdom Night Where the fierce Element of Fire ne'r fades Where horrors and the Terrors of the sight The Pow'rs Immortal tho secure affright Thou in the Genius of Alcides Reign'd And made the God-like Labors soon obtain'd Son of Juno God of War Who in bloud and death delights Wbich still adorn thy mighty Car And fire the brave in fiercest fights From Thrones Etherial see O see The strictest bonds of unity Through Death and Wounds offer'd to thee Here the Incense is lighted on the Altar Sertorius and Perpenna shake hands over the smoke the Salij Dancing a Warlike dance to the honor of Mars Sert. Bebricius hast to Osca Summon all The Roman Orders to the Sacred place Of Iupiter Feretrius There assembled In a full Senate tell the Conscript Fathers Sertorius leads their Pow'r to Sucron Fields And Heav'n indulgent with a mighty force Whom fam'd Perpenna to their Army joyns Eager for fight as famish'd men for food Hasts to revenge on the Tyrannic Fo. Then to Terentia thy self address Say that Sertorius invocates the hours Swiftly to move the Orb which rules the Day And fleetest Time counts tardy in his flight Till the long'd minute ushers my return Bebr. None more can covet to obey than I Tho the great Goddess I adore comes on Fiercest Bellona whom in bloud I court But such the Magic is which Friendship holds I 'll fly to Osca and neglect the Day Perp. to Auf. Yet hold thy hasty steps till Cneius speaks Bring Fulvia hither thou my best of Friends In Battel often try'd as Gold by fire But far out-stripping Plutus Mines of Ore Ex. Auf. Let me intreat the mighty man of War To Sert. When he the weakness of Perpenna knows That he 'd forget the frailty of that man Whose silent hours if such the Great can know Are fetter'd with the Charms of pow'rful Love Our Patron Mars oft from his Seat of War To Revel with the beauteous Queen of Love Forgets his best-lov'd sound for soft embrace But see