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
behinde him Enter Morat as in haste Mor. Sir with hazard of my life I 've ventur'd To tell you you are lost betray'd undone Rouze up your courage call up all your counsells And thinke on all those stratagems which nature Keepes ready to encounter sudden dangers Prince But pray my Lord by whom for what offence Mor. Is it a time for story when each minute Begets a thousand dangers the gods protect you Ex. Prince This man was ever honest and my friend And I can see in his amazed looke Something of danger but in act or thought I never did that thing should make me feare it Princesse Nay good Sir let not so secure a confidence Betray you to your ruine Prince Prethee woman Keepe to thy selfe thy feares I cannot know That there is such a thing I stand so strong Inclosed with a double guard of Vertue And Innocence that I can looke on dangers As he that stands upon a Rocke Can looke on stormes and tempests Feare and guilt Are the same thing and when our actions are not Our feares are crimes And he deserves it lesse that guilty beares A punishment then he that guiltlesse feares Ex. Enter Haly and Torturers Ha. This is the place appointed assist me courage This houre ends all my feares but pause a while Suppose I should discover to the Prince The whole conspiracie and so retort it Upon the King it were an handsome plot But full of difficulties and uncertaine And hee 's so fool'd with downe-right honesty Hee 'le ne're beleeve it and now it is too late The guards are set and now I heare him comming Enter Prince stumbles at the entrance Prince 'T is ominous but I will on destruction O'retakes as often those that fly as those that boldly meet it Ha. By your leave Prince your father greets you Prince Unhand me traytors Haly casts a scarfe over his face Ha. That title is your owne and we are sent to let you know it Is not that the voyce of Haly that thunders in my eares Ha. I vertuous Prince I come to make you exercise One vertue more your patience Heat the irons quickly Prince Insolent villaine for what cause Ha. Onely to gaze upon a while untill your eyes are out Prince O villaine shall I not see my father To aske him what 's my crime who my accusers Let me but try if I can wake his pitty From his Lethargicke sleepe Ha. It must not be Sir Prince Shall I not see my wife nor bid farewell To my deare children Ha. Your pray'rs are all in vaine Prince Thou shalt have halfe my Empire Haly let me but See the Tyrant that before my eyes are lost They may dart poys'nous flashes like the Basiliske And looke him dead These eyes that still were open Or to fore-see or to prevent his dangers Must they be closed in eternall night Cannot his thirst of bloud be satisfied With any but his owne And can his tyrannie Finde out no other object but his sonne I seeke not mercy tell him I desire To die at once not to consume an age In lingring deathes Ha. Our eares are charm'd Away with him Prince Can ye behold ye Gods a wronged innocent Or sleepes your Justice like my fathers Mercy Or are you blinde as I must be Finis Act. Tertii Actus Quartus Enter Ab. and Morat Ab. I ever fear'd the Princes too much greatnesse Would make him lesse the greatest heights are neare The greatest precipice Mor. 'T is in worldly accidents As in the world it selfe where things most distant Meet one another Thus the East and West Upon the Globe a Mathematick point Onely divides Thus happinesse and miserie And all extreames are still contiguous Ab. Or if 'twixt happinesse and miserie there be A distance 't is an Aery Vacuum Nothing to moderate or breake the fall Mor. But oh this Saint-like Devill This damned Caliph to make the King beleeve To kill his sonne 's religion Ab. Poore Princes how are they mis-led While they whose sacred office 't is to bring Kings to obey their God and men their King By these mysterious linkes to fixe and tye Them to the foot-stoole of the Deity Even by these men Religion that should be The curbe is made the spurre to tyrannie They with their double key of conscience binde The Subjects soules and leave Kings unconfin'd While their poore Vassals sacrifice their blouds T'Ambition and to Avarice their goods Blinde with Devotion They themselves esteeme Made for themselves and all the world for them While heavens great law given for their guide appeares Just or unjust but as it waytes on theirs Us'd but to give the eccho to their words Power to their wills and edges to their swords To varnish all their errors and secure The ills they act and all the world endure Thus by their arts Kings awe the world while they Religion as their mistresse seeme t' obey Yet as their slave command her while they seeme To rise to Heaven they make Heaven stoope to them Mor. Nor is this all where feign'd devotion bends The highest things to serve the lowest ends For if the many-headed beast hath broke Or shaken from his necke the royall yoake With popular rage religion doth conspire Flowes into that and swells the torrent higher Then powers first pedigree from force derives And calls to minde the old prerogatives Of free-borne man and with a saucy eye Searches the heart and soule of Majestie Then to a strict account and censure brings The actions errors and the ends of Kings Treads on authority and sacred lawes Yet all for God and his pretended cause Acting such things for him which he in them And which themselves in others will condemne And thus ingag'd nor safely can retire Nor safely stand but blindly bold aspire Forcing their hopes even through despaire to climbe To new attempts disdaine the present time Grow from disdaine to threats from threats to armes While they though sonnes of peace still sound th' alarm's Thus whether Kings or people seeke extreames Still conscience and religion are their Theams And whatsoever change the State invades The pulpit either forces or perswades Others may give the fewell or the fire But they the breath that makes the flame inspire Ab. This and much more is true but let not us Adde to our ills and aggravate misfortunes By passionate complaints nor lose our selves Because we have lost him for if the Tyrant Were to a sonne so noble so unnaturall What will he be to us who have appear'd Friends to that sonne Mor. Well thought on and in time Farewell unhappy Prince while we thy friends As strangers to our Countrey and our selves Seeke out our safety and expect with patience Heavens Justice Ab. Let 's rather act it then expect it The Princes injuries at our hands require More then our teares and patience His army is not yet disbanded And onely wants a head thither wee 'le fly And all who love the Prince or hate the Tyrant
the blacker hell Enter Messenger Mess. Sir your wife the Princesse is come to visit you Prince Conduct her in now to my disguise againe Enter Princesse Princesse Is this my Lord the Prince Prince That 's Erythaea Or some Angell voyc't like her 'T is she my strugling soule Would faine goe out to meet and welcome her Erythaea No answer but in sighes deare Erythaea Thou cam'st to comfort to support my sufferings Not to oppresse me with a greater weight To see that my unhappinesse Involves thee too Princesse My Lord in all your triumphs and your glories You call'd me into all your joyes and gave me An equall share and in this depth of miserie Can I be unconcern'd you needes must know You needs must hope I cannot or which is worse You must suspect my love for what is love But sympathie and this I make my happinesse Since both cannot be happie That we can both be miserable Prince I prithee doe not say thou lov'st me For love or findes out equals or makes 'em so But I am so cast downe and fal'ne so low I cannot rise to thee and dare not wish Thou should'st descend to me but call it pitty And I will owne it then that Kings may give To beggars and not lessen their owne greatnesse Princesse Till now I thought vertue had stood above The reach of fortune but if vertue be not Yet love's a greater Deity what ever fortune Can give or take love wants not or despises Or by his owne omnipotence supplies Then like a God with joy beholds The beauty of his owne creations Thus what we forme and image to our fancies We really possesse Prince But can thy imagination Delude it selfe to fixe upon an object So lost in miseries so old in sorrowes Palenesse and death hang on my cheeke and darknesse Dwells in my eyes more chang'd from what I was In person then in fortune Princesse Yet still the same to me Alas my Lord these outward beauties are but the props and scaffolds On which we built our love which now made perfect Stands without those supports nor is my flame So earthy as to need the dull materiall fuell Of eyes or lippes or cheekes still to be kindled And blowne by appetite or else t' expire My fires are purer and like those of Heaven Fed onely and contented with themselves Need nothing from without Prince But the disgrace that wayts upon misfortune The meere reproach the shame of being miserable Exposes men to scorne and base contempt Even from their neerest friends Princesse Love is so farre from scorning misery That he delights in 't and is so kindly cruell Sometimes to wish it that he may be alone In stead of all of fortunes honours friends which are But meere diversions from loves proper object Which onely is it selfe Prince Thou hast almost Taught me to love my miseries and forgive All my misfortunes I 'le at least forget 'em We will receive those times and in our memories Preserve and still keepe fresh like flowers in water Those happier dayes when at our eyes our soules Kindled their mutuall fires their equall beames Shot and returned till link't and twin'd in one They chain'd our hearts together Princesse And was it just that fortune should begin Her tyrannie where we began our loves No if it had why was not I blinde too I 'me sure if weeping could have don 't I had beene Prince Thinke not that I am blinde but thinke it night A season for our loves and which to lovers Ne're seemes too long and thinke of all our miseries But as some melancholy dreame which ha's awak't us To the renewing of our joyes Princesse My Lord this is a temper Worthy the old Philosophers Prince I but repeate that lesson Which I have learn't from thee All this morality Thy love hath taught me Princesse My Lord you wrong your vertue T' ascribe the effect of that to any cause Lesse noble than it selfe Prince And you your love To thinke it is lesse noble or lesse powerfull Then any the best vertue but I feare thy love Will wrong it selfe so long a stay will make The jealous King suspect we have beene plotting How doe the pledges of our former love Our Children Princesse Both happy in their Grandsires love especially The pretty Fatyma yet she According to her apprehension feeles A sence of your misfortunes Prince But let her not too much expresse it Lest she provoke his fury Princesse She onely can allay it When 't is provok't she Playes with his rage and gets above his anger As you have seene a little boat To mount and dance upon the wave that threatens To overwhelme it Prince To threaten is to save but his anger Strikes us like thunder where the blow out-flies The loud report and even prevents mens feares Princesse But then like thunder It rends a Cedar or an Oake or findes Some strong resisting matter women and children Are not Subjects worthy a Princes anger Prince Whatsoever Is worthy of their love is worth their anger Princesse Love's a more naturall motion they are angry As Princes but love as men Prince Once more I begge Make not thy love thy danger Princesse My Lord I see with what unwillingnesse You lay upon me this command and through your fares Discerne your love and therefore must obey you Exit Prince Farewell my dearest Erythaea There 's a strange musicke in her voyce the storie Of Orpheus which appeares so bold a fiction Was prophecy'd of thee thy voyce ha's tam'd The Tygres and the Lyons of my soule Enter Messenger Mes. Sir your daughter Fatyma Prince Conduct her in how strangely am I tempted With opportunity which like a sudden gust Hath swell'd my calmer thoughts into a tempest Accursed opportunitie The midwife and the bawde to all our vices That work'st our thoughts into desires desires To resolutions those being ripe and quickned Thou giv'st 'em birth and bring'st 'em forth to action Enter Fat and Moss Prince Leave us O opportunitie That when my dire and bloudy resolutions Like sicke and froward children Were rock't asleepe by reason or religion Thou like a violent noyse cam'st rushing in And mak'st 'em wake and start to new unquietnesse Come hither prettie Fatyma Thy Grandsires darling sit upon my knee He loves thee dearely Fat I father for your sake Prince And for his sake I shall requite it O vertue vertue Where art thou fled thou wert my reasons friend But that like a deposed Prince ha's yeelded His Scepter to his base usurping vassalls And like a traytor to himselfe takes pleasure In serving them Fat But father I desir'd him that you might have liberty and that He would give you your eyes againe Prince Prettie Innocent 'T is not i' th' art nor power of man to doe it Fat Must you never see againe then father Prince No not without a miracle Fat Why father I can see with one eye pray take one Of mine Prince I would her innocent prate could