forth without your leave as it belongs to you you must dispose on 't to shed it otherwise is to rob you of it Rome wants not store of generous warriours enough besides me will sustaine your Laurels henceforward let your Majestie dispense with me herein And if what I have done deserves a recompence permit great King that with this conquering arm I sacrifice me to my Glory not my Sisters cryes SCENA III. Tullus Valerius The old Horatius Horatius Sabina Julia Sab Sir hear Sabina and see in her soul the sorrows of a Sister and a Wife who wholly desolate at your sacred feet laments her Family and fears her Husband It is not that I would by any artifice endeavour to take out o' th' hand of Justice a guilty person Whatsoever he hath done for you use him as such a one and punish Sir in me this noble Criminall with my unfortunate blood wash off his crime You shall not change your Victime for all that nor shall you herein take an unjust pitie but sacrifice the dearest mosty of him The knots of marriage and his extreme love makes him live more in me then in himself and if you grant that I shall die to day he will die more in me then in himself the death which I beg and would fain obtain will raise his punishment and finish mine See the excesse Sir of my sad afflictions and the deplorable condition whereto I am reduc'd What honour is it t' embrace a man whose sword hath cut the thred of of all my family and what impiety to hate a Husband for his service to you his Country and his Friends What shall I love an arm stain'd with the blood of all my Brothers Shall I not love an Husband that doth put a period to our common miseries O Sir deliver me by an happy death both from the crimes of loving and not loving I shall esteem that Sentence a great favour My hand can give me what I crave of you but this death shall be much more sweet unto me if I can free my Husband from his shame and by my bloud appease the anger of the Gods in dying satisfie the Ghost of his offended Sister and conserve to Rome so good and glorious a Defender Old Horat. Sir it concerns me then to give an answer unto Valerius I see my children conspire with him against me and all three would ruine me they arm themselves unjustly against that little blood 's left in my house Thou that by griefs contrary to thy duty would'st leave thy Husband to go to thy Brothers go rather to consult their generous Ghosts 'T is true they are dead but they dy'd for Alba and hold them happy in 't since Heav'n would have it she should be subject if that any sentiment remaineth after life lost this misfortune seems lesse and its stroaks not so rigorous since all the honour of it falls on us All three will disapprove thy grief thy tears and sighs they will condemn the horrour which thou hast of a brave Husband Be their Sister Sabia and observe thy duty like them Valerius in vain lifts up himself 'gainst this dear Husband a first motion was never held a crime and praise is due in stead of punishment when Vertue onely produceth this first motion To love our enemies even with idolatry madly to curse the Country for their death to wish the State an everlasting ruine is that which we name crime and that which he hath punished the onely love of Rome provok'd his arm He should be innocent if he had lov'd her lesse What have I said Sir he is so and this my paternall arm had punish'd him already were he guilty I would have better used the full power I have upon him by the lawes of birth I love honour too well and am not of a quality to suffer in my blood affront or crime of this I do desire no other witnesse but Valerius he saw what rigorous entertainment I prepar'd to give my Son when ignorant as yet of half the combat I believ'd that by his flight he had betray'd the State What makes him so officiously to trouble himself with the cares of my Family What makes him to desire in spight of me to vindicate my daughter By what reason in her just death takes he an interest a father doth not meddle with He fears that after this severity to his Sister he 'll not spare others Sir we have no part but in the shame of ours and in what manner another may act what concerns us not makes us not blush Valerius thou maist weep and in Horatius sight he takes no interest but in the crimes of his race who is not of his blood can do no injury unto th' immortall Lawrels that impale his brow Ye Lawrels sacred boughs which envie would reduce to dust you that conserve his head from the confounding thunder will you leave him unto the infamous Ax that makes offenders fall underneath the executioners hands Romans will you permit that they should sacrifice a man without whom Rome had not been Rome at this time and that any Roman should traduce the glory of a Conquerour to whom all owe so fair a character Tell us Valerius tell since he must perish where thou wouldst chuse fit a place for his punishment Is it within these walls which many thousands of voyces make resound yet with the noise of his exploits Is it without the walls in the midst of those places which smoak yet with the blood of the conquer'd Curiatii between their three tombs in that field of honour the witnesse of his valour and our happinesse Thou canst not from his Victory conceal his Punishment within the walls without them all speak his glory all oppose themselves to the indeavour of thy unjust love which would with such a glorious blood defile so fair a day Alba cannot endure so sad a spectacle and Rome with her tears will put an obstacle to 't But Royall Sir you will prevent them and by a just sentence you can embrace her interest much better What he hath done for her he can yet do he can secure her still from adverse fortune despair not yet Sir of my feeble years Rome now hath seen me father of four children three in her quarrell are already dead there is but one left me keep him for her remove not from her walls so strong a prop and suffer me t' addresse my self unto him to make an end Horatius do not think the stupid people should be absolute masters of a substantiall honour their vain voice tumultnous enough makes often noise but as a moment raiseth it a moment destroyes it and whatever they contribute to our renown i'th'twinkling of an eye it vanisheth to smoak It doth belong to Kings to great ones to accomplish'd spirits to see that Vertue in its least effects be full it is from them alone that we receive true glory they alone assure the memory of the true Heroes live still in
Sr Wm Lower Pub May 21 1800 by WRichardson No 31 strond HORATIUS A ROMAN TRAGEDIE BY Sir WILLIAM LOWER KNIGHT LONDON Printed for G. BEDELL and T. COLLINS and are to be sold at their Shop at the Middle Temple Gate Fleetstreet 1656. The ACTORS TULLUS King of Rome The old HORATIUS A Roman Knight HORATIUS his Son CURIATIUS A Gentleman of Alba Lover of Camilla VALERIUS A Roman Knight in love with Camilla SABINA Wife to Horatius and Sister to Curiatius CAMILLA Mistresse to Curiatius and Sister to Horatius JULIA A Roman Lady friend to Sabina and Camilla FLAVIAN A Souldier in the Army of Alba PROCULUS A Souldier in the Army of Rome The Scene is at Rome in a Hall of Horatius house HORATIUS A ROMANE TRAGEDIE ACTUS Primus SCENA Prima Sabina Julia Sabina A Pprove my weakness and suffer my griefe It is but too just in so great a misery such storms as these ready to powr upon them will shake the stoutest courages the least dejected masc'line Spirit without disorder can't exercise its Vertue although mine receive amazement at these rude alarmes the trouble of my heart can nothing worke upon my teares and amongst all the sighs it send's to Heaven my constancy raignes still over mine eyes When one doth stop the course of the Souls sadness and affliction though it be less then man 't is more then woman in this extremity to command teares is to shew strength enough in our weake sex Julia Enough and too much for a common Soul that from the meanest danger doth expect but one misfortune a great heart doth scorne such an abasement it despaires of nothing though in occurrents doubtful the two armies stand in battalia before our walls but Rome knows not yet how to lose a field we need not fear her rather le ts applaud her since she goes forth to fight she goes to conquer then banish banish quite so vaine a fear and conceive brave desires worthy a Romane Sabina I am a Romane since my Hushands is so marriage makes me embrace Romes interest but it should hold my heart like a chain'd slave if it did make me to forget the place where I was born Alba where I began to breath my first aire Alba my deare Country and my first love when between us and thee I see the war commenc'd I feare our Victory as much as our destruction Rome if thou complain'st that I am partial herein fix upon enemies that I may hate When I see drawn up'fore thy walls both Armies my three brave Brothers in the one and my undaunted Husband in the other can I pray for thee and without impiety importune Heaven for thy felicity I know thy State yet in its infancy cannot without war fix its puissance I know it must grow great and that thy destinies will not at home be bounded with the Latins I know the Gods have promised to thee the Empire of the Earth and that thou can'st not See th' effect of it but by the war so far am I from off'ring to oppose this thirst of Glory which obeyes so readily the Gods decrees and posteth to thy greatness that I would see thy Crowned Troops already pass the Pyrenees carry thy battalions into the East plaint thy Pavillions upon the banks of Rhine make the proud columns of Hercules to shake under thy feet But love a town to whom thou owest Romulus Ingratful know that from her Kings rich blood thou tak'st thy name thy walls and thy first laws Alba is thy original stay and wisely consider that thou carryest the sword into thy Mothers bosome turn elsewhere the force of thy triumphant armes her joy will breake forth in her childrens happiness and overcome with a maternal love her prayers will be for thee if thou art not against her Julia This discourse surpriseth me since from the time that we first arm'd against her people I have seen so much indifference in you for her as if you had been born within our walls I admired in you the vertue that reduc'd your dearest interests unto your husbands and did pity you in the mid'st of your plaints as if our Rome had caused all your fears Sabina Whil'st they encountered but in light skirmishes not strong enough to cast each other down whil'st a glad hope of peace flatter'd my trouble it is true I tooke a vanity to be all Romane if I saw Rome prevail with some regret I suddenly condemn'd this secret motion again if I resented in her contrary success any malignant joy in favour of my three brothers suddenly to smother it calling my reason to me I lamented when Glory entered into their house But now alas that one of them must fall that Alba become slave or that Rome sinke and that after the battel there remaine no obstacle more to the conquerours nor hope unto the conquered I should shew an unnatural hate unto my Country if I could be all Romane yet and should ask of the Gods your triumph at the price of so much blood which is so precious to me I tye me not so strictly to the interest of a man that I should forget my Country I 'm not for Alba nor am I for Rome I am afraid for one and for the other in this last conflict and must be of that side which fortune shall afflict indifferent to both untill the Victory I will participate the ils without assuming any thing of the glory and will keep my tears in store for the conquered party and my hate for the conquerours Julia How often we see such traverses as these arise in diverse spirits diverse passions In this Camilla acts clean contrary her brother is your Husband yours her Lover but she sees with an eye far different from yours her blood in one camp and her Love in th' other when you did conserve a spirit all Romane hers irresolute and fearful incertain fear'd the storm of the least mixture of either party hated the advantage to the misfortune of the vanquished still gave her plaints and so she nourished eternal griefes but yesterday when she understood that the Armies did advance resolved to joyn battaile on her brow a sudden joy appear'd Sabina Oh Julia how I fear so quick a change Yesterday in her faire and pleasant humour she entertain'd Valerius without doubt she quits my brother for this happy rival her spirit shaken by the present objects finds nothing amiable in an absent one after two yeers But pray excuse the heat of a fraternal love the care I have of him doth make me fear all things from her I frame suspitions from too light a subject The day of battel is unfit to change with a new dart few hearts are wounded then in so great trouble one hath other thoughts But who can have such pleasant entertainments and such contentments as may equall hers Julia The causes are as obscure unto me as unto you I can't he satisfied by any thought any conjecture on 't 't is constancy
Horatius and still after them Thy name shall remain great illustrious famous though the occasion lesse high or resplendent deceives the unjust expectation of th' ignorant vulgar Hate then life no more at least live for me and to serve thy King and Country longer Sir I 've said too much but th' affair concerns you and all Rome speaks by my mouth Val. Sir suffer me Tull. Valerius it is enough your sound discourse by theirs is not defac'd I keep yet in my spirit the pressing'st reasons on 't and all your arguments are present with me still this hainous action almost before our eyes doth injure nature and even wounds the Gods A sudden motion of anger that produceth such a crime cannot excuse him lawfully the Lawes that are the least severe condemn the act and if we follow them he 's worthy death If otherwise we will look on the guilty this crime though great hainous and inexcusable proceeds from the same sword and arm that makes me now Master of two States Two Scepters in my hand and Alba subject unto Rome speak highly in the favour of his life Had it not been for him I should have yeelded obedience whereas now I give forth lawes and should be subject whereas now I am twice Soveraigne There are in all the Provinces many good subjects that by feeble prayers only acquit themselves toward their Princes all can love them but all cannot assure their States by some illustrious actions and th' art and power to establish Crowns are gifts which heav'n gives but to some choice persons such servants are the wealth and strength of Kings and also are to be above the Lawes let them be silent then let Rome dissemble what from her birth she sees in Romulus She can well suffer in her Liberator what she hath suffered in her first Authour Live then Horatius live magnanimous souldier thy Vertue sets thy glory 'bove thy crime It s generous heat produced thy offence th' effect of such a fair cause must be suffer'd Live to doe service to the State but love Valerius let not any hate nor anger remain between you and whether he follow'd or love or duty without any sentiment resolve to see him Hearken lesse Sabina unto the grief that presseth you remove from this great heart those marks of imbecilitie in drying of your tears you 'l shew your self true Sister of those Brothers you lament But we do owe to morrow to the Gods a sacrifice and should have heaven but little propitious to us if our Priests before the action finde not out the means to purge it His father shall take care on 't I believe it will not be hard for him to appease Camilla's Ghost I do deplore her fortune and to give to it what her amorous spirit may happily desire since in one day an equall heat of one and the same zeal finish'd her Lovers destinie and hers it is our will that one day as a witnesse of their two deaths may see in the earth's wombe their bodies laid and shut up in one tombe The King riseth and all follow him but Julia Jul. Camilla thus heaven well advertis'd thee what tragicall events were to succeed but alwayes it conceals a part o'th'secret even from the most refin'd and clearest spirits It seem'd to speak of thy approaching marriage it seem'd to promise all things to thy prayers and hiding so from us thy sudden death it's voyce too truly hath deceiv'd our sense Thy pray'rs are heard Alba and Rome shall be to morrow in a fair Confaederacie And thou with Curiatius shalt be joyn'd never to part So have the Gods enjoyn'd FINIS