loose Cass. Ah! Madam that which makes you thus severe Is rather the effect of Hate than fear You hate Statira and would her remove Because she is a Rival in your love She dead your dying hopes would then revive But that destroys my hopes which makes yours thrive Should I do all you ask I soon shall see Orontes have what should be giv'n to me Roxa. 'T is true Orontes once my heart possest But hatred now has driv'n him from my Breast Of late Cassander I your Image find Making too deep impressions on my mind Your constant Love and Services I weigh And will at last my obligations pay This last effect then of your Duty show And for Reward I 'le give my self to you When you for me have this great Service done Take then your Mistress and with her a Throne Cass. There 's nothing in this World like you I prize Love ranks you equal with the Deities The great Roxana's pow'er who can withstand Mortals dispute not what the Gods command I do submit and will your Will obey And soon will snatch your Rival's Life away When your bright God sleeps in the Western Wave And will not look on those he cannot save When horrid Night arises from the deep And o're the World deep Silence shedds and sleep Then I about this dreadful work will hast And those you doom to dye shall sleep their last Roxa. Go my Cassander it is you alone Must fix Roxana on the Persian Throne No bold attempt from danger can be free 'T is still well done if it Successful be What you intend you by surprize must doe But I shall leave the Management to you Let not in vain the pretious Minutes hast Dispatch that you a Lover's Bliss may taste Think on our Joys and our Felicitie The Prize a Crown and what is greater Me. Exit with Hesione Cass. It must be done such is Roxana's Hate Her Rival's Death can only it abate And such is my great Passion I must be The Instrument of all her Crueltie I see the Danger which I cannot shun And to the Precipice run headlong on Great is the Prize Roxana and a Throne Enter a Black Mute To day this Mute was giv'en me by a Friend Oxas come near I will to you impart The most important secrets of my heart I do repose in you no Common trust You can be secret but can you be just Black bows Can you obey all that I shall Command Bows again And do what e're I bid you understand Black bows Without Remorse can you obey my Will Bows again Can you unmov'd the Blood of Women spill Thou instantly two Princesses must Kill Black starts Hah does the name of Princess make you start Hast thou a tender place about thy heart The Black bows and puts his hand to his Sword making signes it shall be done T is well anon I will Instruct you more Exeunt The SCENE The Palace of Perdicas within Babylon Enter Perdicas Statira Cleone Perd. Madam you 're safe and now many banish fear Whilst I give Orders to secure you here Roxana is unbounded in her Hate Cruel and to be mov'd no more than Fate Her bloody and her barbarous intent I must with strong and double Guards prevent Madam you will not long be here alone My Guard 's already for the Princess gone Stat. That is an Obligation I must own Perd. I might at last hope a more gentle Fate If Services could overcome your Hate Stat. My Friendship if you please you may obtain Perd. 'T is Love the Soul of Friendship I would gain Stat. Love is a Thing I have no Pow'er to give Perd. Nor is it in my Power without that Love to Live But Madam this your Hatred may remove Knowing all my Offences spring from Love Love is not Love if's Empire once decays Or if Love's Power Reason's dull Law obeys Exit Stat. On Love tho he both pure and sacred be Men without shame fling their own Infamie And when they long in wicked ways have trod All their vile Faults and Crimes lay on the God But Love thy Nature is divine and pure Thou canst no spots nor blemishes indure Tho all things do thy Mighty Pow'er obey Honour and Reason still with thee bear sway Enter Parisatis Pari. Have the Kind Gods a longer Life assign'd Embraecing Stat. If granting life be Kindness they are kind Our Tragic-Scene you see is not yet past Death will conclude our Play of Life at last In the mean time each here must act his part Mov'd by those Powers above which rule the Heart Pari. The Gods when we 're prest down yield some relief And sprinkle short-liv'd Joys among our Grief The life of every one is checquer'd still Tho mixt unequally with good and ill Which set each other off like Black and White This makes that seem more dark that this more bright So late despairing any more to meet Has made the Joys of this Embrace thus sweet Stat. Our Joys soon vanish like a Winters day Sorrows like long and tedious Nights do stay The Gods dispose our Lots as they think fit We mortals cannot Choose but must Submit Bid Charmion sing In her sweet Voice I oft have pleasure found Musick like Balm eases grief's smarting wound They sit A SONG What are all the Ioys of Life In which the mind Does never find A true content unmixt with strife They are like Clouds which in the Night Impregnate with reflected Light Appear then vanish out of Sight Our Ioys like gather'd flow'ers decay Which soon Consume Their own perfume And breath their Life in sweets away No pleasure here is permanent Nor the delights that Men invent Can to our Souls give true Content But when the Race of life is run And that to Death We yield our Breath We gain the Mansions of the Sun Then true Content the mind shall see Then all our Ioys shall perfect be And some like our bright Deitie Pari. The Night grows old 't is time to go to rest Sleep calms the passions of a troubled breast Stat. Sleep which to others a soft pleasure seems To me of late new troubles brings in Dreams My labouring Fancy there Affliction finds Not that repose sleep gives to other minds Pari. Those Images which in our Dreams abound Do but with gentle strokes our Fancy wound But Balmy sleep gives for a while relief Allays the smart and Cures the sting of grief Stat. With wakeful thoughts my Soul 's so much opprest My Eyes no sleep can find my Mind no rest I know that Death or some great danger 's nigh I 'm much afflicted yet I know not why The knowing Soul approaching ills discerns And then the Body by some signes forewarnes When to the Stars she is about to go She suddenly grows light and strangely things does know Pari. The Gods divert those evills which you fear Or give us strength the ills they send to bear Enter a Souldier of Perdicas's Guard Sold. Madam
Gallant in your Armes Roxa. Guards have him hence Exeunt Guards with Cassander Can my Orontes still inhumane be Have you no Love nor pity left for me Did'st thou the Milk of some fierce Tygress Suck Or was thy Heart cut from a Scythian Rock That thou can'st see a Queen whom Kings adore Fall at thy Feet and Love with Tears implore Kneels Can you so tender to Statira be And a cold Marble Statue still to me Oron. Roxana rise takes her up A noble Soul to Love was ne'r compell'd Bright virtue only makes brave Souls to yield But your blind passion bears such evil sway That leads you far from virtues paths astray You ask'd a Heart that was bestow'd before On Queen Statira Roxa. In vain you do on her your Love bestow Unless you 'l Court her in the shades below Oron. How Is Statira dead Ah! cruel Tygress have you slain the Queen Of all that 's fair and good have you the Murthress been Roxa. I try'd that way your Rocky Heart to move And see how soon it can be touch'd by Love Statira Lives Oron. Lives Where into her Armes I 'll fly Or tell me is she dead that I may dye Without her to the Gods I would not go Nor tread the blest Elysian Fields below Without Statira I no bliss can know But if she 's dead I 'll fly away From life and here not one short minute stay Speak is she dead you rack me with delay Roxa. This tender passion for my Rival shown My Loving Heart too on the Rack has thrown But I will be reveng'd and you shall dwell In anxious doubt and tortur'd in that Hell Oron. Stay do not thus in cruelty delight Let me not linger here Kill me out-right Tell me sh 's dead and kill me with that word Or say she lives and a reprieve afford Free me from pain or send my Soul from hence Roxa. Thy Soul shall feel the torture of suspence I will torment thee yet thou shalt not know Whether Statira is alive or no. Exit with Hesione Oron. What shall I do 't is pain and Death to Live Each Minute does ten Thousand tortures give And yet in Death I dare not seek my bliss Lest in that unknown Region I should miss The happiness I seek And lose my Queen in that World and in this O Gods What pains do you for Souls prepaire Who dare not hope yet know not to dispa're Goes in the SCENE Closes The Fifth ACT. The SCENE Babylon Enter Eumenes Lysimachus Ptolomy Thalestris Amazons and Soldiers Eume. THe City 's won and none left to oppose Within the Palace Walls are all our Foes Lysi. In vain in vain have we a Conquest made The cruel Gods have all our hopes betray'd And with them all our Earthly Joys are fled The Queen and her fair Sister too are dead This is the news which like a deadly Dart Now pierc'd my Ears and struck me through the Heart Thal. Why did the Gods such Heavenly forms Create And joyn with so much Beauty so ill Fate They give us cause their Godheads to blasphem Eume. The ways of Providence do Riddles seem And are like various Fancys in a Dream 'T is past our skill to find the Sence of them Their Murtherers let 's with Revenge pursue The Gods will aid us when their works we do Ptol. Yes brave Eumenes we will first Revenge Their Death and then the Scene of Life I 'll change Lysi. Since Love could not our Friendships know unty We will both perfect Friends and Lovers dye Embrace Ptol. Death shan't have pow'er our Souls to disunite For both shall hence together take their flight And since our Body's here the difference make Our Souls below shall but one shaddow take Lysi. Come my dear Friend let us about it strait Draw up the Army to the Palace Gate To the Soldiers Let it with all our Troops be compast round And then with Ramms oâ—rethrow it to the Ground Exeunt Omnes The SCENE The Palace Royal in Babylon Enter Roxana with Hesione Roxa. My Soul is with too great a load opprest My Eyes can find no sleep my Mind no rest For my designes will all Successless prove If I can't make the Scythian Prince to Love I 'ave sav'd his Life with hazard of my own And disoblig'd those who should guard my Thronâ— Hesi Time only can his Rebel Heart subdue Extinguish his old Flame and kindle new All your perfections he will then admire And in his Breast feel a new Amorous fire Roxa. Statira still in his great Heart does live I doubt he never will her Death forgive Hesi Time does on all a blest oblivion shed Which takes away the memory of the dead On grieving Souls it by degrees does creep And does surprize insensibly as sleep Nature at last must tyr'd and weary grow The highest Tydes of grief still ebb most low Roxa. I can't with so long expectation wait Let Love and Time like slaves attend my State I must and will have satisfaction strait When the whole East submits to my Command Shall he alone my Will and pow'er withstand shouts within Hark hark what shouts are those so loud Hesi They 're shouts of Joy and of a Multitude Shout again Rox. What can this mean It does my Soul affright The Babylonians are grown mad to night Enter an Officer of Roxana's Guards Offi. Madam the City 's taken and your Foes Have routed all who durst their force oppose Roxa. The City taken you 'ave neglectful been Offi. 'T was not Neglect but Treason let them in They enter'd at Semiramises Gate Where none oppos'd them till it was too late Thence like a Torrent they the City fill'd And all who did oppose them easily kill'd With eager shouts a Squadron this way made Your Guards and Royal Palace to invade Your routed Soldiers wheresoe're they fly For Perdicas and for Cassander cry Roxa. Hast away to your Captain run with speed And let Cassander from restraint be freed Offi. I fear 't is now too late The Foes by this are at the Palace Gate Rox. Be gone tell me not of your fears but fly Effect what I command you strait or dye Exit Officer I know not which way my hard Fate to shun Ah! cruel Fate how can this loss be born And how shall I endure Orontes scorn Hesi I hope the Gods will yet some pity show With patience wait their Wills you soon will know Roxa. Their Wills they in my ruine have made known But I 'll not stoop to theirs but to my own For since they will I shall be quite undone I 'll will it too and on my Fate will run My Death shall be th' effect of my own will For first Orontes then my self I 'le kill I then in dying shall some pleasure find To leave Orontes dead will please my mind Perhaps his Ghost below may prove more kind If not I 'le there his fierce tormenter prove Eternally I 'le kill him with my Love
'l either die or set me free Pari. That fear is just which does your soul subdue But have not I the same concern for two Two noble Friends whose virtues I approve As once in War so Rivals now in Love Your troubles Sister less than mine appear You but for one but I for two do fear Stat. Weak are those streams which in two channels run The deep and violent always flow in one You both their virtues may perhaps approve May both respect and yet but one may love Reason in love we take not for our guide Whilst things are by magnetick Nature try'd For whilst you equally their virtues prize Your Soul with one alone does sympathize Pari. So great is their united friendship grown They are no longer counted two but one One Mind one Will to them Heav'n seems to give And but one Soul does in both Bodies live And this one Soul in both breeds one desire And burns in one and the same amorous fire So I in loving both do love but one Stat. Sister the love you speak of you will find But like a flash of Lightning in your mind The end of virtuous love is to enjoy But yours unnatural must that end destroy Though you love both alike yet you 'd be loth We should believe you would enjoy them both Pari. But Sister if I can enjoy but one The Gods not I shall make that choice alone I hold the equal Ballance in my hand Where both their loves and virtues equal stand If then I should my self on one bestow I should be most unjust and partial grow Stat. Strange is your love fantastick is their fate For you destroy that happiness you create If happy in your love they seem to be Your equal mind destroys their vain felicity Enter Perdicas Perd. The Trumpets Madam me to danger call Our valiant Foes begin to scale the Wall Nothing it seems their courage can affright Nor the Moats depth nor the Walls dreadful height This desperate assault does but declare It is the last Effort of their despair But e're I go their fury to withstand Madam I 'm come to know what you 'l command Stat. You Perdicas are too imperious grown And as you please you now command the Throne For though I was your Royal Master's Wife I must my Empire quit to save my life You and Roxana now do all things sway You will not me but I must you obey Perd. Humbly before your Feet I prostrate fall I have no power you my great Queen have all What I possess to love I sacrifice And live by th' influence of those beauteous eyes How oft in vain do I your pitty crave Your mercy beg as humbly as your Slave Did I not thus with rev'rence you adore I should command what I so oft implore Stat. If I am Queen as sure I ought to be You should obey my will and set me free I with one word could all your Foes subdue Were I not by Roxana held and you For me and for my liberty they fight Whilst you detain me and oppose my Right You urge your Love but make it show like Hate For what has Love to do with tricks of State You sue to me yet let Roxana sway Pretend to love and yet can disobey Perd. Madam should I obey I were undone You quickly would leave me and Babylon This gentle force my Love 's constrain'd to choose Lest I should you fair Queen for ever loose My life is measur'd only by your stay And death approaches as you go away If with the proud Roxana I comply It is to shield you from her cruelty Pari. To Love and Duty badly he pretends Who does his Queen restrain and fights her Friends Stat. Indeed our Int'rests do but badly close When those I call my Friends he counts his Foes Perd. Those you call Friends indeed I would subdue But fight them not because they 're Friends to you They'd pluck you from my Arms and with you all That I can good or dear or happy call I should of Love but evil Symptoms show Should I submit and tamely let you go He that would have you must my Life pursue And by my death alone must purchase you Enter Souldier Sold. Your presence Sir Cassander does desire Your Souldiers beaten from the Walls retire The Enemy hath such bold fury shown The like â—ill now I think was never known They rear their scaling Ladders round the Wall Though Shot as thick as hail upon them fall With Rams and Slings the Battlements they beat And force your men with fire-balls to retreat Up their tall Ladders in thick swarms they fly And with their warlike shouts they rend the sky Perd. Let them mount up and let them enter in We'ave men enough to beat them forth ag'in Sold. The Scythian Prince his Shield over his head The way to Honour and to danger led And spite of all resistance that was made He gain'd the wall and there alone he stay'd There fighting like wild Boars with wounds enrag'd I left Cassander and that Prince engag'd Perd. Madam for your commands I only stay Stat. I 'le not command But if you will oblige me as you say Spare those that fall with in your power to day Perd. How much I love my Actions shall declare When I the Life of my lov'd Rival spare Exit with the Soldier Stat. Ye Gods above that generous Life defend Which Love alone into such danger brings Let not his Fate on our bad Fate depend Th' illustrious off-spring of so many Kings For if you have decreed that we shall dye Involve not him in our sad Raines too Grant him that peace which you to us deny And us alone with your fierce wrath pursue Pari. The Gods are just and justly all things sway Let 's then to their just wills our selves submit And without murmuring their wills obey For they best know what 's for poor Mortals fit We our own Peace and happiness destroy Whil'st we with fear and grief our selves annoy Stat. Your wise yet vain Philosophy I hear Yet see your smother'd troubles in your eye That Heart is senceless that is void of Fear When such a load of ills does on it lye Let 's to the Altars of our Gods repair And force them to be kind with Incense and with Prayer Exeunt SCENE III. The Royal Palace in Babylon Enter Roxana and Hesione Rox. This day Hesione I shall happy be If the Just Gods make good their own Decree Hesi The Oracle I do remember well Which did long since this famous Siege foretell Roxa. Such pleasing words can never be forgot For in my memory they are deeply wrot Thus spake th' inspired Priest When Babylon shall Stormed be By him whom thou dost Love That Day auspicious shall to thee Above all others Prove The Objects of thy Love and Hate Shall from thy Hands receive their Fate Those Hours which then shall smile on thee If thou know'st how to use Thou may'st for
above Will easily Pardon because Crimes of Love To kill a Rival I account no sin And I would do 't were it to do ag'in It does with such delight my Mind possess The Pleasures of a Crown would please me less She would have giv'n more tortures to my Mind Liv'd she than I shall now in Dying find In Death alas no bitterness would be But that I find I still am scorn'd by thee Perd. The Gods did long their Vengeance keep in store And now on your Curs'd Head their Thunderbolts they pour Roxa. I scorn my Mouth should my great Heart belye I both Man-kind and th' unkind Gods defye And tho with Pâ—agues they still should me pursue They never shall my ' unconquer'd Heart subdue Thus not the Gods but my own Sacrifice Lifting up the Dagger I 'le fall I must take Courage from those Eyes Pausing and looking on Orontes I 'le take one farewel-Look before I dye One more and I 'le for ever from you sly Perd. Your Wound still bleeds Oron. 'T is slight I must a greater wound prepare The World shall see the Pow'r of Death too weak The Joys of my Immortal Love to break I to my Love have made a solemn Vow By all the Gods I will perform it now Draws forth a Dagger Lysi. Brave Prince we Rivals too have Vow'd the same Ptol. Our Souls possess the like immortal flame Roxa. Ah! will Orontes dye New Joys I feel I 'le stay and watch my Princes fatal blow Then in my Breast I 'le plunge my Dagger too And at one instant both our Souls shall start Together both from our dull Bodies part And if a Spirit can a Spirit hold I will his Soul within my Soul infold Perd. The dreadful face of Death I 'ave oft beheld In all her shapes I 'ave seen her in the field There 's none will think that now I shrink for fear Or that I 'de sly tho many Deaths appear A vain fantastick place Elysium seems But you believe The Tales of Priests and idle Poets dreams The Queen's Death I 'le revenge then Altars rear To her great Name make her a Goddess here Whilst you vain Blisses seek you know not where Oron. Statira gone I nothing here can find Which can give ease to my disturbed mind You gentle Ghosts look down from Heav'n above And see th' Effects of true and faithful Love Lysi. With you Dear Souls our Bliss and Joys are fled It is no Life to Live now you are dead Ptol. Our Souls and theirs through Love were so much one Ours cannot stay behind when theirs are gone Oron. After our Loves to that blest place wee 'l go Where Love's immortal and no change does know Where Rivals cannot our long bliss destroy And where we undisturb'd each other shall enjoy Enter the Mute Arax Ah! Sir does this black Mask disguise me so You can't your own faithful Araxis know Oron. Araxis I can't Araxis find in this disguise Let me embrace you e're I dye Embraces him Ah! this has been a sad and fatal Night Arax The Day appears with clear and chearful Light Oron. About my Heart a Night of sorrow lyes Arax You will find Day in your Statira's Eyes Enter Capt. with Statira Parisatis Cleone Oron. I with the weight of my own Joys am prest They cannot be contain'd within my Breast Do I but Dream or am I truly blest Roxa. O Gods I am betray'd my Rival's here Worse than a thousand Deaths she does appear Death which before I look'd on with content Will now my torture be and punishment What can my Torment and my pain express Orontes and my Crown she will possess Stat. I live my Prince by your Araxis care Arax And by th' Assistance of this Captain here presenting the Captain to Orontes they Embrace He me disguis'd feign'd me a Mute and Slave And me a present to Cassander gave Roxa. Gods was I thus betray'd Arax The Gods were kind And wrought by me more than I had design'd They first made known Roxana's vile intent And made me then an happy Instrument The Queens most horrid Murther to prevent Stat. We went to dye but 't was no small surprize To find Araxis in this black disguise By his contrivance we our Foes deceiv'd For what they much desir'd they soon believ'd We strangl'd dead and vail'd appear'd in view Till from the place our cruel Foes withdrew Thus the kind Gods their wickedness withstood And sav'd the Reliques of Darius Blood In the mean time Lysimachus and Ptolomy Court Parisatis in dumb shew Oron. Divine Statira you 're so great a prize For you the whole World's Empire I 'de despise The Persian Crown 's to me of small esteem Compar'd to this unvaluable Gemm kissing her Hand Upon your brow the Scythian Crown shall shine And at your feet I prostrate all that 's mine Roxa. 'T is time to dye their bliss I cannot see Hell tortures and confusion follow me Harpies my Soul with cruel Tallons tear She can no longer the sad torment bear Thus I will set her free she cannot know Stabbs her self A greater Torment nor more pains below To a worse Hell than this she cannot go Stat. Rescue her life Let her repenting Live It is my Glory that I can forgive As she goes to repeat the blow the Soldiers seize her Roxa. Ye cruel Gods who thus my will oppose Who thus Enslave me to my mortal Foes And make my imperious Heart to stoop to them Whilst Life remains I 'le curse you and Blasphem But ah I hope my Soul 's from Prison free'd I feel Life gently sliding hence I bleed What thick dark fog is this before my Eyes So now my Soul to unknown Regions flyes Where is my Love see yonder where he rests Come use the softer Pillow of my Breasts Here thou mayst sleep secure from Rivals harmes Whilst I enclose thee gently in mine Armes Now undisturb'd wee 'l tast immortal blisses I 'le hush thee fast with sighes then wake thee with my kisses Stat. She raves she raves and from her sense is gon Roxa. Oh! my sick Heart I shall be well anon Where is Orontes set me on my Throne From Babylon I know I 'm wander'd far Yet I 'm a Queen my Kingdom is a Star Go fetch that Rebel bring him to my feet I 'le make at last his stubborn heart submit Let half my starry Kingdom down be hurl'd And overwhelm his little Earthly World Stat. Remove her hence Thus Gods their Judgment show That poor ambitious Mortals here may know They sit above and see and govern all below Roxana is carried off the Stage Raveing Perd. See here another Wretch that 's forc'd to sue For Justice to the Gods and greater you Madam I Love and grow distracted too Thus lowly Madam I fall down before Kneels The beauteous Image which I still adore Condemn me strait to dye and mercy shew Life will be worse than Death if I loose you Stat. No Perdicas you must not