Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A47382
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The imperial tragedy taken out of a Latin play, and very much altered / by a gentleman ...
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Killigrew, William, Sir, 1606-1695.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing K460; ESTC R17594
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35,531
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56
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no way to scape What is become of Zeno I know not Anastasius comes in Anast. Turn this way Monster 't is the Screech Owl calls The Blockhead you contemn brings now thy fate Longi Th' art a brave Enemy singly thus To hazard what thou hast so surely gain'd They fight Longinus is slain falls is carryed off Enter Officers and Souldiers with Urbitius wounded and Zeno Prisoner Urbit. The Heav'ns do fight for Anastasius Let Anastasius be our Emperor All. Let Anastasius be our Emperor Anast. Castor to you for great Harmatius sake I do commit that blood shedder take him And when he sleeps convey him to the Vault Where all the men he murd'red are inter'd And while he sleeps there cain him to the ground That when he wakes the terror of his Deeds May some remorse beger and make him pray They carry Zeno out Urbit. Great Prince when I am dead remember me And know there be two kinds of Tyranny To do injustice when 't is understood Is the next Tyranny to shedding blood I am now paid for my presumptous guils And find that Criminals unjustly brought To Judgment though by the same arts they rise Is not by Heav'n approv'd and therefore I For doing good by evil wayes must die And thus too late I find None may contend With Princes but the God whom they offend Dies Anast. He had good principles but ill imploy'd Though I have partly prosper'd by his Arts I do not in my heart approve such frauds They put the Robes and Crown brought for Longinus on Anastasius Castor This Crown and Robes will fit our Emperor All. Let Anastasius Rule the Universe Anast. My thanks to Castor and to all the rest Since Heav'n has our Proceedings thus far blest 'T is fit we see that wicked man interr'd Alive as his own Astrologer foretold That Ceremony done the next will be To set the Empress and Eirene free The Souldiers carry off Zeno drunk and asleep Anastasius and the rest follow Exeunt The Empress Chamber is seen in it the Empress and Eirene Empress 'T is strange we hear no more of this Alarm Eirene This tumult in the Campe makes Zeno fret And stout Longinus tread unsteedy steps Empress We are now driven to great Exigents Yet 't is much better to die Innocent Than live by wicked and foul practices I doubt by condescending to those Lords I have done ill when I did them supply Who gave their words that Zeno should not die Eirene Madam could you do better than to lend Your treasure which those Lords distributed To th' Army to preserve us and the Empire But if that Zeno in his cruelty Shall still persist what would you have them do Empress I would not save my own life by his death I am much readier to die than he Eirene Nor can my heart consent to shedding blood Though my own life in competition stood But when I know that Zeno has design'd By force to take what else he cannot gain I must prevent lest he my honor stain And hope your Majesty will give me leave That I this great Impostor may deceive What hope for me what surety can remain After my Father and my Brother slain Empress I must confess when I consider well How great Harmatius and your Brother fell The various stories which each party makes Of that sad night look like a dismal guilt On both sides yet their blood was justly spilt If Zeno were assur'd of their intent He by their ruins did his own prevent Eirene In the first Failer was the crime To share the Empire was my Brothers right And Zeno when he did depose the youth First taught the Treason and discourag'd truth So that if we will raise our own Concerns Upon the fate of those who stand or fall We must take time to see the end of all And then as Heaven can better judge than we Let us observe and yield to that Decree Empress Eirene thou art happy and art blest With virtue and with judgment 'bove the rest Of our weak Sex and art no doubt the Care Of Heav'n which will secure thee from disgrace And for thy sake preserve this wicked place Eirene Madam if I have ought wherein to boast It came from you and if I be not lost In this confusion unto your virtues I owe my preservation and success For those whom you take care of Heav'n will bless Enter to them Anastasius Crown'd and his Train Anast. Madam by Zeno's and Longinus deaths This Crown plac'd by the Army on my head Takes his Crown and offers it to her Is yours and I as much your Vassal now As heretofore with these who ready stand To obey what our Empress will command Empr. weeps No Anastasius all my thoughts of State Are vanish'd all involv'd in Zeno's fare But if your words do with your hearts agree I shall believe this Crown belongs to me She takes the Crown And as my gift this and Eirene take Who did refuse this glory for my sake When Zeno us'd his power and art to stain Her honor which his Empire could not gain Anast. Madam this mighty gift would weigh me down Unless Eirene did support the Crown He receives the Crown and Eirene Eirene My joys for Anastasius are too great Empress May you be blest and happy in your love While I to a retired life remove I have too much of this World's glory seen And too long been a chief Actor in it Anast. Madam this Crown and the Imperial Throne Is by your gift mine and is still your own All go off The Scene is chang'd into a dismal Vault set round with Coffins in each a dead corps in the remote part a small Lamp burning in the front next the Stage is Zeno sleeping his leggs chain'd to the ground at one corner on the outside a Guard stands Zeno wakes Zeno. Is 't not yet day This night seems very long That little Lamp does give so faint a Light I cannot well distinguish what I see Longinus Proclus do none give attendance Is Caesar by his Servants no more fear'd Ha! where am I In Fetters and alone Either I Dream or I do dimly see A dismal Vault surrounded with dead Corps Euphemian thy Prediction is too true Would I had stab'd my self when I slew thee This is the Tomb he fatally foretold I should alive be buried in Horror Dazels my eyes or else among the dead I see Longinus in that next Coffin He 's buried too but not alive like me How I came hither is beyond my guess What ho who guards this prison of the Dead 1 Sould. They need no guards we only wait on you Zeno. Then give me drink to quench my raging thirst 2 Sould. So we may keep you company in chains Zeno. By whose command do you starve me to death 1 Sould. By th' Emperors command He sent you hither Zeno. What have you any Emperor but Zeno 2 Sould. Yes Anastasius Reigns you are in your grave Zeno. Can these Changes be since yesterday And by him I least fear'd of all mankind When died my Empress 1 Sould. Sir she is very well Zeno. The Doctor said she would die yesterday 2 Sould. No Caesar no you were out-witted there To her the Doctor was more merciful Zeno. And in these changes what 's Eirene's fate 1 Sould. She Reigns with Anastasius Zeno. Curse on Curse Light on them both Does he injoy Eirene To be despis'd and laugh'd at in my Grave Is worse than Death and to be thus Dethron'd Tortures me more than Hell it self can do Were not you Souldiers of my Guard 2 Sould. We were Zeno. I 'le make you Princes if you 'l let me out 1 Sould. We dare not trust your Promise nor your Power We remember how you serv'd Harmatius And his young Son who set you on the Throne Zeno. You reproach me justly I was misled Longinus has destroy'd himself and me Good Souldiers be so kind to Murder me 2 Sould. We shall then forfeit our Allegeance Zeno. How durst you break the Oath you made to me 1 Sould. So long as you were Emperor we were Loyal Zeno. If Heav'n and Hell would let me Reign again I would not govern as I did before With Childish mercy to spare any Man Princes whose Pleasure is their Law Must let none live who dares dispute their Will Had Anastasius and Urbitius died Castor and Proclus had not now Rebell'd Had the old Patriarck and Eirene bled I had Reign'd long and not been thus destroy'd By those whom I through love and pitty spar'd 2 Sould. You should consider where you are going Zeno. Canst thou direct me whither I must go 1 Sould. Sir I can wish that you would try to pray Zeno. For what 2 Sould. Your soul Zeno. My soul prithee what is that 2 Sould. 'T is not our Trade to Preach Zeno. Nor mine to Pray Heav'ns gate is shut 'gainst all that I can say You will not kill me then not let me out 1 Sould. No we dare not Zeno. To fall from all the Glories of the Earth Is sad but to be buried quick to starve And in this horrid Vault to linger on Here to indure the terrors which my Crimes Do now present to my affrighted Soul Is Hell it self or worse than Hell can be Oh! that the world might sink with its own weight Death where art thou I will stay no longer But boldly charge thee and out-face thee thus Zeno thrusts his Mantle into his mouth and choaks himself Enter the first Ghost drest as at first Ghost So so now my Prediction is fulfil'd And all those Monarch killers are now kild I shall descend in Peace and there remain Unless you wish to see me here again Turns to the Pit To shew the World how Vengeance does persue Those who their hands in Princes blood imbrew FINIS * The Cell is discovered and Euphemian in it
I have to live I scorn to beg a life that 's thus betray'd Yet blush to be so Childishly destroy'd After such dangers and such Battles won To place so great a Devil on the Throne My Son 't is nobler much to die with me Than to live longer here with Infamy Basilis Living I made your Actions my Examples And boldly now in Death I 'le follow you Harmat. Thou art my Son I see that canst prefer Thy honour 'bove thy life to die with me Who boldly slew one Tyrant in the field And to this Tyrant do disdain to yield Zeno. Lead them all off to Execution Exeunt Prisoners Longi Captain make hast let one Ax serve them all Zeno. That pestilent tongue does much disturb me Longi A few minutes will ease you of that pain Zeno. 'T is well and so am I for now I live Sebastian publish you Harmatius Plot Let some cajole the credulous people Who ever joyn with those that first complain Urbitius take the gold that lies within With that and all your art appease the Souldiers Who for their General 's Death will be inrag'd Bid them be Loyal to the Crown and Me. I will reward their best fidelity Urbit. I shall loose no time to serve my Royal Master Exit Urbit. Zeno. Brother you shall with me ascend the Throne That when I die you then may Rule alone But we must first remove Pelagius Longi That I 'le soon do I have a trick for him He has forsaken Christ and worships Iove There shall be Witnesses to prove it true Though he be no more guilty of 't than you Zeno. But will it look like truth as you propose't Longi Leave that to me it is my great concern Zeno. If your design succeeds the Villain dies Be sure you trust safe Agents and dispatch Longi Oh! the Destruction of my Enemy Shall neither want dispatch nor vigilance Exeunt The Fourth Act. Enter Empress Patriarck Anastasius Urbitius and Doctor Empress I Have already done what does become A wife by such addresses as did shew His safety was indanger'd by his crimes And my concern for him exprest so high That he was startled at the tears I shed And seem'd as if he were admonished Patriarck Madam the zeal and duty you have pay'd Does more inrage than mitigate a man That Warrs with Heav'n 'T is treasure that we want And only you can that supply to win The discontented Army to protect Your life the Empire and our Nation save Ere Zeno all into confusion turn Empress Does our Religion wives impower to force Their Husbands will Though Zeno's sins cry loud Can I his Scepter sway Shall I controul What Heav'n alone to Monarchs doth allow Such a presumption may create in me A greater crime than Zeno can commit Religion bids me to my Fate submit Urbit. Religion binds your Majesty and us To save our selves and our posterity From ravening Woolves that do the world annoy And such as will in time mankind destroy Anast. We do not invite your Majesty To act with us but to impart a Loan Of so much money for the publick good As may stop the effusion of more blood If our designs go higher than to set You free from Death and all from slavery Then let the Evil which your Virtue dreads With all its weight be lay'd upon our heads Patriarck I am no man of blood 't is Piety To wish that our great Monarch may As Heav'n directs his Royal Scepter sway Empress My Lords what you allege concerning me Urges my safety by Impiety If Heav'n have by a Tyrants will decreed That I must die I am content to bleed Patriarck 'T is a kind of self-slaughter to comply With Murderers not Heaven's will so to die Now you are warn'd and may your death prevent Your yielding weds his crime by your consent Empress I value not my Treasure nor my Fate Above your lives and safety of the State But doubt the event of what you safety call And fear lest Zeno by my money fall Do but secure that doubt and all I have Shall be at your command For I dare trust Your Honours that your Actions will be just While I who cannot judge so great affairs Will guard my Innocence with timely prayers Doctor Madam you will do well to fain some pain Lest Zeno find his poyson does not work And so grow jealous of my subtlety Who do perswade him 't works invisibly Empress 'T is hard to counterfeit to save my life It looks so like a crime to own a lie My blushes will discover 't though I die Exeunt Urbitius and Anastasius stay Urbit. 'T is strange how Fortune favors our design I carry Zeno's money to the Camp And in your Name bestow his Donative Now say what Oratory I must use Anast. Go and be prosp'rous say Harmatius fell By the Emperial Brothers treachery Who envying his great Actions instead Of recompense for all his services Destroy'd him and his Son and do intend Speedily to reduce their Legions too For the same cause they slew their General Incense them all you can inrage their Spirits And by these Arts invite them to revenge Then profer all my fortune with my life To justifie their General and them Urbit. I soon shall have dispatch'd all these commands Make hast to be elected by the Army Anast. Go when Pelagius comes I le follow you And bring with me another shower of gold To quicken their resolves and fix them more Exit Urbit. Did ever gale blow prosperous like this In midst of such great storms to convey me Thus to my wish'd Port Is this Fortunes work Or my own act begotten in my soul Th' effect of that bright spark of living Air That sets bold men to struggle with theie Fate And so do our own Destinies create Thus I 'le go on and raise my vulgar earth Unto the skies there like the Sun I 'le shine And Rule the World below I have been here Tramp'led upon by Men as meanly born Tyrants who let none live but those they scorn Exit Enter Castor and Souldiers at one door Urbitius at the other Castor Urbitius Urbit. Oh the plague of Tyranny Castor Why against Tyranny do you exclaim Urbit. Can Princes thirst for their best servants blood Castor By Heav'n you rack me What sad news d' ye bring Urbit. It is too big to utter all at once Castor Pray let us know it If we must grief sustain This expectation is the greater pain Urbit. Harmatius Castor How I shake What of Harmatius Urbit. Iâ— by the cruel Brothers put to death Castor Harmatius the terrour of the East Our General slain for Conquering Caesar's Foes Sure such ingratitude was never known To one that plac'd a Caesar on his Throne Urbit. 'T is so he knew no crime but serving him Castor How came Harmatius into Zeno's power Urbit. The usual way with Tyrants trechery Zeno most kindly welcom'd him to Court To entertain him there prepar'd a Masque