done Exit Enter Alexandra like a page Libanio in Alexandras apparell Lib. Madame you see your page doth vndertake A costly peece of seruice for your sake For well that seruice costly may be called The ende whereof of force must cost my life For when th' Assyrian king shall vnderstand My forged habit and dissembling sex And in these female weedes shall find Libanio And Alexandra freely scapt his handes What hope but certaine death remaines for me And that with torments rare and exquisite Yet madame for the reuerence to my Lord And dutie that doth bind me to your selfe I will be Alexandra for this once and die to saue your honour and your life Alex. O trustie seruant seruant of surmounting faith Worthie to attend the person of a god Rather then daughter of poore Gobrias This sacred seruice to a sillie dame Shall be ingrauen in tables of my heart with letters and charecters so perfourmde That when this bodie is bestowde in graue No time nor yet corruption shall deface The print thereof from Alexandras breast Lab. Thankes Ladie And for your further meede Sufficeth me the honour of the deede Me thinkes I see the Assyrian stout at hand Now madame carie a couragious heart And trust your page for Alexandras part Alex. A Tragicall part I feare Libanio Enter Antiochus Seleueus Critobulus with others Ant. Bird of a traitor I presumde at last Your lot would be to light into my handes Although of cankred heart you would not yeeld Vntill your castell shaked about your eares Lib. O souereigne Lord stand gracious to this dame That neuer trespast in offence to you Ant. Thy fathers treason in reuolting backe From due alleageance to th Assyrian crowne I will reuenge vpon his daughters life Lib. What honour in a sillie virgins death That nere had power or will to harme your grace Ant. Because the plants of such corrupted stockes wil fructifie according to the roote And for Gobrias treason to his prince I will preuent like mischifes in his rase Lib. Admit Gobrias might be reclaimed Vnto his first allegiance to my Lord Would you remit the offence of his reuolt And take him to your former grace againe Ant. So let the gods stand gracious to my soule If he forsake those hatefull Persian armes And firme his faith and loyaltie to me Lib. Then prince before you wreake reuenge on me Grand passeport and safe conduite to my page That he may goe and signifie to him The desperate state wherein his daughter standes When once my father shall perceiue my plight And that my life must pay for his reuolt I know that instant houre he will returne And yeeld himselfe to mercie of my Lord Ant. Scribe giue her page safe conduct through my campe And boy when you ariue before Gobrias Tell if he returne I pardon him If other wise off goes his daughters head Alex. I will dread Lord O madam grant the gods These eyes once more may see your libertie Exit Alexander Lib. As pleaseth their dieties Libanio Ant. Dinon take you this damsell to your charge And vse her noblie though she be a thrall Dinon To vse her worse the honour were but small Exeunt omnes Enter Ctesiphon Cte. I murther Cyrus farre be such a thought Much more the execution of the deed Like as the Sunne beames to the gazers eye So is his view to daunted Ctesiphon During the rancor of my wicked minde And melting all in thoughts of sweet remorce How wise and gracious is this Persian king Who by his wisdome winnes his followers hearts Letting them march in armour wrought with gold And he girt in a coate of complete steele O Cyrus politique and liberall How honourable and magnanimious Rewarding vertue and reuenging wrongs How full of temperance and fortitude Daring to menace Fortune with his sworde Yet mercifull in all his victories Enter Cyrus See where he comes I le falle vpon the ground And aske for pardon at his highnesse feet Cyr. Rise vp Assyrian Cyrus is no God Cte. O Cyrus know Antiochus my Lord My Lord said I no I will renounce him quite Subornd me wretch with his persuasions wordes To doe a deed of such impietie As I God knowes suborne to thinke vpon It was thy death victorious Cyrus But mightie Lord your vertues conquered me And or an enemie false and trecherous Am I become a vowed friend to Cyrus health And in that resolution prest to die Cyr. Liue long to waile for thy pretended ill As free from punishment as for reward The liues of kings are garded by the gods Nor are they in the hands of mortall men Assyrian though thy sword were at my breast The gealous angell that attends on vs Would snatch it from thy hands and fling it downe And therefore muse not at this accident Cte. Seeing knightly Cyrus is thus mercifull Vouchsafe this seruice at thy vassals hands Giue me but letters from your Maiestie To signifie how faine you would haue peace And draw your legions from Assyria And bearing them vnto Antiochus In the deliuerie I will murther him So highly do I honour Cyrus name So vildlie thinke on base Antiochus Enter Gobrias with Alexandra Cyr. Thou shalt haue letters to th' Assyrian king Free libertie to passe from this our campe And conduit monie from our Treasurie Attend our leysure I will send thee straight What virgin is it that Gobrias leades Go. My daughter mightie Cyrus and your child For I commit her to your patronage Cyr. Then princely virgin welcom to our campe But why sigh you why hang you downe the head And in your pale lookes burie beauties pride T' is pitie these lookes should be stainde with teares Alex, Euen as a doue late rifeled by the Eagle Whose breast is tainted with his forked talents So stands poore Alexandra terrified And almost dead to think of her escape If thou be Cyrus of whom Asia rings Rescue O rescue poore Libanio Cyr. From whom faire madame should I rescue him Alex. O from Antiochus that bloodie king Who when he heard my father serude your grace Besiegde his fortresse with his men at armes Where onely I and that Libanio staide By whom I liue For when the hold was lost He being bondman and of a baser birth would needes constraine me to put on his weedes And he disguisde as I was woont to go would be Gobrias daughter in my stead And so was thought of king Antiochus and all the nobles of his warlike campe But I a bondman and at his request whose care was onely to preserue my life Sent hither as a messenger from him To will my father whom they thought my Lord To leaue your campe and come to Babylon Or else Libanio his beloued childe should die for his so traitorlike reuolt And die he must least Gyrus giue him life Cyr, The deed was full of honor and deceit If gold will pay his raunsome he shall liue And therefore Alexandra be not sad Gob. So shall Gobrias beat Cyrus becke