matter of no more import I le try another Yet me thinks such men As are the eyes and eares of princes should Not weigh so light such an intelligence Ser. My lord the summe you willed me to giue The captaine that did visit you to day To tell you plaine your coffers yeald it not Phi. How if they yeald it not haue I not then Apparell plate iewells why sel them And go your way dispatch and giue it him Me thinks I find the king much chaungd of late And vnto me his graces not so great Although they seeme in show all of one rate Yet by the touch I find them counterfeit For when I speake although I haue his eare Yet do I see his mind is other where And when he speakes to me I see he striues To giue a coulor vnto what is not For he must thinke that we whose states whose liues Depend vpon his grace learne not by rote T' obserue his actions and to know his trym And though indeede princes be manifold Yet haue they still such eies to waite on them As are to piercing that they can beholde And penetrate the inwards of the hart That no deuice can set so close a dore Betwixt their shewes and thoughtes but that their art Of shadowing it makes it appeare the more But many malicing my state of grace I know doo worke with all the powers they haue Vpon that easie nature to displace My fortunes and my actions to depraue And though I know they seeke t' inclose him in And faine would lock him vp and chamber him Yet will I neuer stoope and seeke to win My way by them that came not in by them And skorne to stand on any other feet Then these of mine owne worth and what my plaine And open actions cannot fairely get Basenes and soothing them shall neuer gaine And yet I know my presence and accesse Cleers all these mists which they haue raisd before Though with my back streight turnes that happinesse And they againe blow vp as much or more Thus do we role the stone of our owne toyle And men suppose our hell a heauen the while SCENA 3. Craterus Antigona ANtigona there is no remedie You needs must iustifie the speech you held With Thais who will your conf'rence verifie And therefore now it cannot be conceald Anti. O my good Lord I pray you vrge me not Thais onely of a cunning enuious wit Scorning a stranger should haue such alott Hath out of her inuention forged it Cra. Why then shall rackes and tortures force thee show Both this and other matters which we know Thinke therefore if t' were not a wiser part T' accept of rest rewards preferment grace And being perhaps so beautious as thou art Of fayre election for a neerer place To tell the truth then to be obstinate And fall with the misfortune of a man Who in his dangerous and concussed state No good to thee but ruine render Resolue thee of this choyce and let me know Thy minde at full at my returning back Ant. What shall I doo shall I betray my loue Or die disgrac'd what do I make a doubt Betray my loue O heauenly powres aboue Forbid that such a thought should issue out Of this confused brest nay rather first Let tortures death and horror do their worst But out alas this inconsidrate tongue Without my harts consent and priuitie Hath done already this vnwilling wrong And now it is no wisdome to deny No wisdome to deny yes yes that tongue That thus hath beene the traytor to my hart Shall either powrefully redeeme that wrong Or neuer more shall words of breath impart Yet what can my deniall profit him Whom they perhaps whether I tell or not Are purpos'd vpon matters knowne to them To ruinate on some discouered plot Let them do what they will Let not thy hart Seeme to be accessarie in a thought To giue the leaft aduantage of thy part To haue a part of shame in what is wrought O this were well if that my dangers could Redeeme his perill and his grace restore For which I vow my life I render would If this poore life could satisfie therefore But t is not for thy honour to forsake Thy loue for death that lou'd thee in this sort Alas what notice will the world take Of such respects in women of my sort This act may yet put on so fayre a cote Vpon my foule profession as it may Not blush t' appeare with those of cleanest note And haue as hye a place with fame as they What do I talke of fame do I not see This faction of my flesh my feares my youth Already entred and haue bent at me The ioyes of life to batter downe my truth O my subdued thoughts what haue you done To let in feare and falshood to my hart Whom though they haue surprizd they haue not won For still my loue shall hold the dearest part Crat. Antigona what are you yet resolud Ant. Resolu'd my Lord t' indure all misery Crat. And so be sure you shall if that b' your choice Ant What will you haue me doo my Lord I am Content to say what you will haue me say Crat. Then come go with me to Alexander CHORVS HOw dost thou weare and weary out thy dayes Restles ambition neuer at an end Whose trauails no Herculean pillor stayes But still beyond thy rest thy labors tend Aboue good fortune thou thy hopes dost raise Still climing and yet neuer canst ascend For when thou hast attaind vnto the top Of thy desires thou hast not yet got vp That heigh of fortune either is contrould By some more powrefull ouerlooking eie That doth the fulnesse of thy grace withhold Or counter-checkt with some concurrencie That it doth cost far more adoo to hold The higth attaind then was to get so hie Where stand thou canst not but with carefull toyle Nor loose thy hold without thy vtter spoile There dost thou struggle with thine owne distrust And others iealosies their conterplot Against some vnderworking pride that must Supplanted be or els thou standest not There wrong is paid with wrong and he that thrust Downe others comes himselfe to haue that lot The same concussion doth afflict his brest That others shooke oppression is opprest That either happines dwells not so hie Or els aboue whereto pride cannot rise And that the hy'st of mans felicity But in the region of affliction lies And that we clime but vp to misery High fortunes are but high calamities It is not in that Sphere where peace doth moue Rest dwels below it happines aboue For in this hight of fortvne are imbred Those thundring fragors that affright the earth From thence haue all distempratures their head That bringes forth desolation famine dearth There certaine order is disordered And there it is confusion hath her birth It is that high of fortune doth vndoo Both her owne quietnes and others too ACTVS TERTIVS Alex. Metron Ceballinus Craterus Perdiccas
doth speed Who kings betray first their beleife betray I would your grace had first conferrd with us Since you would needes such clemency haue showne That we might yet but haue aduisd you thus That he his danger neuer might haue knowne In faults wherein an after shame will liue T is better to conceale then to forgiue For who are brought vnto the block of death Thinke rather on the perrill they haue past Then on that grace which hath preserud their breath And more their suffrings then their mercie taste He now to plot your danger still may liue But you his guilt not alwayes to forgiue Know that a man so swolne with discontent No grace can cure nor pardon can restore He knowes how those who once haue mercie spent Can neuer hope to haue it any more But say that through remorce he calmer proue Will great Parmenio so attended on With that braue Armye fostred in his loue Be thankfull for this grace you do his sonne Some benefits are odious so is this Where men are still ashamed to confesse To haue so done as to deserue to die And euer do desire that men should gesse They rather had receiud an iniury Then life since life they know in such a case May be restord to all but not to grace Perd. And for my part my liege I hold this minde That sure he would not haue so much supprest The notice of a treason in that kinde Vnlesse he were a party with the rest Can it be thought that great Parmenios sonne The generall commander of the horse The minion of the campe the onely one Of secret counsell and of free recourse should not in three dayes space haue found the king At leasure t' heare three wordes of that import Whilst he himselfe in idle lauishing Did thousands spend t' aduance his owne report Cra. And if he gaue no credit to the youth Why did he two dayes space delay him then As if he had belieu'd it for a truth To hinder his addresse to other men If he had held it but a vaine conceipt I pray why had he not dismist him streight Men in their priuate daungers may be stoute But in th' occasions and the feares of kings We ought not to be credulous but doubt The intimation of the vainest things Alex. Well howsoeuer we will yet this night Disport and banquet in vnusuall wise That it may seeme we weigh this practise light How euer heauy here within it lies Kings may not know distrust and though they feare They must not take acquaintance of their feare SCENA 2. Antigona Thais O Y' are a secret councell-keeper Thais In troth I little thought you such a one Tha. And why Antigona what have I done Ant. You know ful well your conscience you bewraies Tha. Alas good soule would you have me conceale That which your selfe could not but needes reueile Thinke you another can be more to you In what concernes them not then you can be Whom it imports Will others hold them true When you proue false to your owne secrecie But yet this is no wonder for we see Wiser then we do lay their heads to gage For ryotous expences of their tongues Although it be a property belongs Especially to vs and euery age Can shew strange presidents what we haue ben In cases of the greatest plots of men And t is the Scene on this worlds stage we play Whose reuolution we with men conuert And are to act our parte as well as they Though commonly the weakest yet a-part For this great motion of a state we see Doth turne on many wheeles and some though smale Do yet the greater moue who in degree Stirre those who likewise turne the great'st of all For though we are not wise we see the wise By vs are made or make vs parties still In actions of the greatest quallities That they can manage be they good or ill Ant. I cannot tell but you haue made mee doo That which must euer more aflict my hart And if this be my wofull parte t' vndo my dearest loue would I had had no part How haue I sealy woman sifted bene Examind tryde flattred terrifide By Craterus the cunningest of men That neuer leaft me till I had discride What euer of Philotas I had knowne Tha. What is that all perhapps I haue thereby Done thee more good then thou canst apprehend Ant. Such good I rather you should get then I If that can be a good t' accuse my friend Th. Alas thy accusation did but quote The mergin of some text of greater note Ant. But that is more then thou or I can tell Th. Yes yes Antigona I know it well For be thou sure that alwayes those who seeke T' attack the Lyon so prouide that still Their toyles be such as that he shall not skape To turne his rage on those that wrought his ill Philotas neither was so strong nor high But malice ouerlookt him and discride Where he lay weake where was his vanity And built her contermonts vpon that side In such sorte as they would be sure to raze His fortunes with the ingins of disgrace And now maist thou perhapps come great hereby And gracious with his greatest enemie For such men thinke they haue no full succes vnles they likewise gaine the mistresses Of those they maister and succeed the place And fortunes of their loves with equall grace Ant. Loue 's out alas loue such a one as hee That seekes t' vndoo my loue and in him me Th. Tush loue his fortunes loue his state his place What euer greatnesse doth it must haue grace Ant. I weigh not greatnesse I must please mine eye Th. Th' eye nothing fairer sees then dignity Ant. But what is dignity without our loue Th. If we haue that we cannot want our loue Ant. Why that giues but the outside of delight The day-time ioy what comfort hath the night Th. If powre procure not that what can it doo Ant. I know not how that can b' attaind vnto Th. Nor will I teach thee if thou knowst it not T is vaine I see to learne an Asian wit Exit Ant. If this be that great wit that learned skill You Greekes professe let me be foolish still So I be faithfull And now being here alone Let me record the heauy notes of mone SCENA 3. Craterus Ephestion Clitus c. MY Lords you see the flexible conceipt Of our indaungered soueraigne and you know How much his perile and Philotas pride Imports the state and vs and therefore now We either must oppose against deceipt Or be vndon For now hath time discride An open passage to his farthest ends From whence if negligence now put vs back Returne we neuer can without our wrack And good my Lords since you conceiue as much And that we stand alike make not me prosecute The cause alone as if it did but touch Onely my selfe and that I did both breed And vrge these doubts out of a priuate griefe Indeed I know
the remoue Or raisd by some al'arme or some distrust I told him that the king had some distrust Why what will Nabarzanes play saith he The villaine with the king as he hath done Already with his miserable Lord I seeing he would or did not vnderstand His owne distreste told him the charge I had Wherewith he rose and rising vsd these words O Alexander now I see my foes Haue got aboue thy goodnes and preuaild Against my innocency and thy word And as we then inchain'd and fettred him Looking on that base furniture of shame Poore body said he hath so many alarme Raysd thee to bloud and danger from thy rest T' inuest thee with this armor now at last Is this the seruice I am cald to now But we that were not to attend his plaints Couering his head with a disgracefull weed Tooke and conuaid him suddainly to warde From whence he shal be instantly brought forth Here to b' arraignd before the king who sits According to the Macedonian vse In cases capitall himselfe as Iudge Sost. Well then I see who are so high aboue Are nere to lightning that are nere to Ioue SCENA 2. Alexander with al his coūcel the dead body of Dymnus the reuealers of the conspiracie Philotas THe haynous treason of some few had like T' haue rent me from you worthie soldiers But by the mercy of th' immortall Gods I liue and ioy your sight your reuerend sight Which makes mee more t' abhore those parracides Not for mine owne respect but for the wrong You had receiued if their designe had stood Since I desire but life to do you good But how will you be mou'd when you shall know Who were the men that did attempt this shame When I shall show that which I grieue to show And name such as would God I could not name But that the foulnesse of their practise now Blots out all memory of what they were And though I would suppresse them yet I know This shame of theirs will neuer but appeare Parmenio is the man a man you see Bound by so many merits both to me And to my father our ancienst frend A man of yeares experience grauity Whose wicked minister Philotas is Who here Dimetrius Luculaus and This Dymnus whose dead body here you see With others hath subornd to slaughter mee And here comes Metron with Nichomacus To whom this murthred wretch at first reueald The proiect of this whole conspiracie T' auere as much as was disclosd to him Nichomacus looke here aduise thee well What dost thou know this man that here lies dead Nic. My soueraigne Lord I know him very well It is one Dymnus who did three dayes since Bewray to me a treason practised By him and others to haue slaine your grace Al. Where or by whome or when did he report This wicked act should be accomplished Nic. He said within three dayes your maiesty Should be within your chamber murthered By speciall men of the nobillity Of whom he many namd and they were these Loceus Dimetrius and Archelopis Nicanor and Amyntas Luculous Droceus with Aphebaetus and himselfe Mot Thus much his brother Ceballinus did Reueale to me from out this youthes report Ceb. And so much with the circumstance of all Did I vnto Philotas intimate Alex. Then what hath bene his mind who did suppresse The information of so foule a traine Your selues my worthy Souldiers well may gesse Which Dymnus death declares not to be vaine Poore Ceballinus not a moment stayes To redischarge himselfe of such a waight Philotas careles fearelesse nothing weighes Nor ought reueales His silence shews deceipt And tels he was content it should be done Which though he were no party makes him one For he that knew vpon what powre he stood And saw his fathers greatnes and his owne Saw nothing in the way which now withstood His vast desires but onely this my crowne Which in respect that I am issulesse He thinkes the rather easie to b' attaind But yet Philotas is deceiud in this I haue who shall inherit all I gaind In you I haue both children kindred friends You are the heires of all my purchases And whilst you liue I am not issulesse And that these are not shadowes of my feares For I feare nought but want of enemies See what this intercepted letter beares And how Parmenio doth his sonnes aduise This showes their ends hold read it Craterus Crat. reads it My sonnes First haue a special care vnto your selues Then vnto those which do depend on you So Shall you do what you intend to doo Alex. See but how close he writes that if these lines Should come vnto his sonnes as they are sent They might incourage them in their disseignes If interpris'd might mock the ignorant But now you see what was the thing was ment You see the fathers care the sonnes intent And what if he as a conspirator Was not by Dymnus nam'd among the rest That shewes not his innocencie but his powre Whom they account too great to be supprest And rather will accuse themselues then him For that whilst he shall liue there 's hope for them And how h' hath borne himselfe in priuate sorte I will not stand to vrge it 's too well knowne Nor what hath bene his arrogant reporte T' imbase my actions and to bragge his owne Nor how he mockt my letter which I wrote To shew him of the stile bestowd on mee By th' Oracle of Ioue these things I thought But weaknesses and wordes of vanity Yet words that read the vlcers of his hart Which I supprest and neuer ceast to yeald The cheife rewards of worth and still compart the best degrees and honors of the field In hope to win his loue yet now at length There haue I danger where I lookt for strength I would to God my bloud had rather bene Powrd out the offring of an enemy Then practizd to be shed by one of mine That one of mine should haue this infamy Haue I bene so reserud from feares to fall There where I ought not to haue feard at all Haue you so oft aduisd me to regard The safety which you saw mee running from When with some hote pursute I pressed hard My foes abrode to perish thus at home But now that safty only rests in you Which you so oft haue wisht me looke vnto And now vnto your bosomes must I fly Without whose will I will not wish to liue And with your wils I cannot lesse I giue Due punishment vnto this treachery Amyn. Attarras bring the hatefull prisoner forth This traitor which hath sought t' vndoo vs all To giue vs vp to slaughter and to make Our bloud a skorne here in a barberous land That none of vs should haue retourned back Vnto our natiue country to our wiues Our aged parents kindred and our friends To make the body of this glorious host A most deformed trunke without a head Without the life or soule to guide the same Caenus O
vntimely dilligence A busy faith may giue a prince offence So that what shall wee doo if wee reueale Wee are dispis'd suspected if conceale And as for this where euer now thou bee O Alexander thou hast pardon'd me Thou hast alreadie giuen me thy hand The earnest of thy reconciled hart And therefore now ô let thy goodnes stand Vnto thy word and be thou as thou wert Yf thou beleuidst me then I am absolud Yf pardon'd me these fetters are dissolu'd What haue I els deseru'd since yester night When at thy table I such grace did finde What hainous crime hath since beene brought to light To wrong my faith and to diuert thy mind That from a restfull quiet most profound Sleeping in my misfortunes made secure Both by thy hand and by a conscience sound I must be wak't for Gyues for robes impure For all disgrace that on me wrath could lay And see the worst of shame ere I saw day When I least thought that others crueltie Should haue wrought more thē thine owne clemency Cra. Philotas whatsoeuer glosse you lay Vpon your rotten cause it is in vaine Your pride your cariage euer did bewray Your discontent your malice and disdaine You cannot palliat mischiefe but it will Th'row all the fairest couerings of deceipt Be alwaies seene we know those streames of ill Flow'd from that head that feed them with conceipt You foster malcontents you intertaine All humors you all factions must imbrace Yow vaunt your owne exploites and you disdaine The kings proceedings and his stile disgrace You promise mountaines and you draw men on With hopes of greater good then hath bene seene You braggd of late that something would be donne Whereby your Concubine should be a Queene And now we see the thing that should be donne But God be praisd we see you first vndonne Ph. Ah do not make my nature if it had So pliable a sterne of disposition To turne to euery kindnes to be bad For doing good to men of all condition Make not you charitie t' interprete all Is donne for fauor to be donne for show And that we in our bounties prodigall Vpon our ends not on mens needes bestow Let not my one daies error make you tell That all my life-time I did neuer well And that because this falles out to be ill That what I did did tend vnto this ill It is vniust to ioine t' a present fact More of time past then it hath euer had Before to doo with-all as if it lackt Sufficient matter to make it bad I doo confesse indeed I wrote somthing Against this title of the sonne of Ioue And that not of the king but to the king I freely vs'd these words out of my loue And thereby hath that dangerous liberty Of speaking truth with trust on former grace Betraid my meaning vnto emnity And drawne an argument of my disgrace So that I see though I spake what I ought It was not in that maner as I ought And God forbid that euer soldiers words Should be made lyable vnto misdeedes When fainting in their march tyrd in the fight Sick in their tent stopping their wounds that bleedes Or haut and iolly after conquest gote They shall out of their heate vse words vnkind Their deeds deserue to haue them rather thought The passion of the season then their minde For souldiers ioy or wrath is measurelesse Rapt with an instant motion and we blame We hate we prayse we pitty in excesse According as our present passions flame Sometimes to passe the Ocean we would faine Sometimes to other worlds and sometimes slack And idle with our conquests intertaine A sullen humor of returning back All which conceipts one trumpets sound doth end And each man running to his rankes doth lose What in our tents dislike vs and we spend All that conceiued wrath vpon our foes And words if they proceed of leuity Are to be skornd of madnesse pittied If out of malice or of iniury To be remiss'd or vnacknowledged For of themselues they vanish by disdaine But if pursude they will be thought not vaine Cra. But wordes according to the person way If his designes are hainous so are they They are the tinder of sedition still Wherewith you kindle fiers inflame mens will Phi. Craterus you haue th' aduantage of the day The law is yours to say what you will say And yet doth all your Glosse but beare the sence Onely of my misfortune not offence Had I pretended mischief to the king Could not I haue effected it without Dimnus did not my free accesse bring Continuall meanes t' haue brought the same about Was not I since I heard the thing discride Alone and arm'd in priuate with his grace What hindred me that then I had not tride T' haue done that mischiefe hauing time and place Cra. Philotas euen the prouidence aboue Protectresse of the sacred state of kings That neuer suffers trecherie to haue Good councell neuer in this case but bringes Confusion to the actors did vndo Your harts in what you went about to do Phi. But yet dispayre we see doth thrust men on Se'ing no way els t' vndoo er be vndon Cra. That same dispaire doth likewise let men fall In that amaze they can do nought at all Phi. Well well my Lords my seruice hath made knowne The faith I owe my Soueraigne and the state Philotas forwardnesse hath euer showne Vnto all nations at how high a rate I prizd my king and at how low my bloud To do him honor and my countrie good Eph. We blame not what y'haue bene but what you are We accuse not here your valour but your fact Not to haue bene a leader in the warre But an ill subiect in a wicked act Although we know thrust rather with the loue Of your owne glory then with duty lead You haue done much yet all your courses proue You tide still your atchievements to the head Of your owne honor when it had bin meete You had them layd downe at your soueraignes feete God giues to kings the honor to commaund To subiects all their glory to obay Who ought in time of war as rampiers stand In peace as th' ornaments of state aray The king hath recompensd your seruices With better loue then you shew thankfulnesse By grace he made you greater then you were By nature you receiu'd that which he was not tide To giue to you his guift was far more deere Then all you did in making you imployd But say your seruice hath deseru'd at all This one offence hath made it odious all And therefore here in vaine you vse that meane To plead for life which you haue canceald cleane Phi. My lord you far mistake mee if you deeme I plead for life that poore weake blast of breath From which so oft I ran with light esteeme And so well haue acquainted mee with death No no my Lords it is not that I feare It is mine honor that I seeke to cleare And which if my
disgraced cause would let The language of my hart be vnderstood Is all which I haue euer sought to get And which o leaue mee now and take my bloud Let not your enuy go beyond the bound Of what you seeke my life stands in your way That is your ayme take it and do not wounde My reputation with that wrong I pray If I must needes be made the sacrifice Of enuy and that no oblation will The wrath of Kings but onely bloud suffize Yet let me haue something left that is not ill Is there no way to get vnto our liues But first to haue our honour ouerthrowne Alas though grace of Kings all greatnesse giues It cannot giue vs vertue that 's our owne Though all be theirs our harts and hands can do Yet that by which we doo is onely ours The trophies that our blood erects vnto Their memory to glorifie their powres Let them inioy yet onely to haue done Worthy of grace let not that be vndone Let that high swelling riuer of their fame Leaue humble streames that feed them yet their name O my deare father didst thou bring that spirit Those hands of vallour that so much haue done In this great worke of Asia this to merit By dooing worthily to be vndone And hast thou made this purchase of thy sword To get so great an Empire for thy Lord And so disgrac'd a graue for thee and thine T' extinguish by thy seruice all thy line One of thy sonnes by being to valourous But fiue daies since yet ô well lost his breath Thy deare Nicanor th' halfe arch of thy house And here now the other at the barr of death Stands ouerchardgd with wrath in far worse case And is to be confounded with disgrace Thy selfe must giue th' acquitance of thy blood For others debts to whom thou hast done good Which if they would a little time afford Death would haue taken it without a sword Such the rewards of great imployments are Hate kills in peace whom fortune spares in war And this is that high grace of Kings we seeke Whose fauour and whose wrath consumes a like Eph. Lo here the misery of kings whose cause How euer iust it be how euer strong Yet in respect they may their greatnesse drawes The world to thinke they euer do the wrong But this foule fact of yours you stand vpon Philotas shall beside th' apparancy Which all the world sees plaine ere we haue done By your owne mouth be made to satisfie The most stiffe partialist that will not see Phi. My mouth will neuer proue so false I trust Vnto my hart to shew it selfe vniust And what I here do speake I know my lords I speake with mine owne mouth but other where What may be said I say may be the words Not of my breath but fame that oft doth erre Let th' oracle of Ammon be inquired About this fact who if it shall be true Will neuer suffer those who haue conspird Against Ioues sonne t' escape without their due But will reueale the truth or if this shall Not seeme conuenient why then lay on all The tortures that may force a tongue to tell The secret'st thought that could imagin ill Bel. What need we sēd to know more then we know That were to giue you time t' acquaint your friends With your estate till some combustion grow Within the camp to hasten on your ends And that the gold and all the treasury Committed to your fathers custody In Media now might arme his desp'rat troupes To come vpon vs and to cut our throtes What shall we aske of Ioue that which he hath Reueald already but let 's send to giue Thanks that by him the king hath skapt the wrath Of thee disloyall traitor and doth liue Guar. Le ts teare the wretch in peeces let vs rend With our owne hands the traitrous paracide Alex. Peace Belon silence louing souldiers You see my lords out of your iudgments graue That all excuses sickly colours haue And he that hath thus false and faithles bene Must finde out other gods and other men Whom to forsweare and whom he may deceiue No words of his can make vs more belieue His impudence and therefore seeing t is late We till the morning do dismisse the court ACTVS 5. Chorus Grecian and Persian Per. WEll then I see there is small difference Betwixt your state and ours you ciuill Greeks You great contriuers of free gouerments Whose skill the world from out all countries seekes Those whom you call your kings are but the same As are our soueraigne tirants of the East I see they onely differ but in name Th' effects they shew agree or neere at least Your great men here as our great Satrapaes I see laid prostrate are with basest shame Vpon the least suspect or iealousies Your King t' conceive or others enuyes frame Onely herein they differ that your Prince Proceeds by forme of law t' effect his end Our Persian Monarch makes his frowne conuince The strongest truth his sword the proces ends With present death and maks no more adoo He neuer stands to giue a glosse vnto His violence to make it to appeare In other hew then that it ought to beare Wherein plaine dealing best his course commends For more h' offends who by the law offends What neede hath Alexander so to striue By all these shewes of forme to find this man Guilty of treason when he doth contriue To haue him so adiudgd do what he can He must not be acquit though he be clere Th' offendor not th' offence is punisht here And what availes the fore-condemnd to speake How euer strong his cause his state is weake Gre. Ah but it satisfies the world and wee Think that well don which done by law we see Per. And yet your law serues but your priuate ends And to the compasse of your powre extends But is it for the maiesty of Kings To sit in iudgments thus themselues with you Gre. To do men iustice is the thing that bringes The greatest maiesty on earth to Kings Per. That by their subalternate ministers May be performed as well and with more grate For to command it to be don infers More glory then to doo It doth imbase Th' opinion of a powre t' inuulgar so That sacred presence which should neuer go Neuer be seene but even as Gods below Like to our Persian Kings in glorious show And who as starres affixed to their Sphere May not descend to be from what they are Gre. Where kings are so like gods there subiects are not men Per. Your king begins this course what wil you be thē Gre. Indeed since prosperous fortune gaue the raine To head-strong powre and lust I must confesse We Grecians haue lost deepely by our gayne And this our greatnesse makes vs much the lesse For by th' accession of these mighty states Which Alexander wonderously hath got He hath forgot himselfe and vs and rates His state aboue mankind and ours at noughs This hath