 | Phaeton : Or, The Fatal Divorce |  |
ACT II.
SCENE I.
The same Scene of the Grove continues. Enter Epaphus and Clymene.Clym.
Within this Grove, or th'adjacent Valley
You'll find your friend, my hapless Phaeton
I have us'd all perswasions of a Mother
To make him quit this cunning Samian Songstress;
But all in vain.—I hope from friendship more,
And what I cou'd not, you, perhaps, may gain.
Epa.
Clymene be sure I'll do my utmost.
Epaphus is not us'd to be deny'd
When in so just a cause he makes demand.
Clym.
I will be near to come to your Assistance,
Friendship, and filial duty join'd can't fail.
Epa.
You need not stay, but leave it all to me.
I'll free you from this Samian.
Clym.
Be not too rough.
He will not brook Command, tho to entreaty
Plyant.
Epa.
Madam retire, I hear some coming—
Leave this Affair entirely to my conduct.
Clym.
I go—but not far off, for fear he fail,
As she goes out.
There mark the strengths where friendship can't prevail,
Then against those my batt'ring Engines move,
Of Pow'r, Ambition, and a Virgins Love.
(Exit.)
Epa.
Gods! the proud Boy presumes too much, yet sure
He builds upon my former friendship for him:
He durst not else have brought this hated Greek
This Neice of hostile Argus into Egypt,
Nay ev'n into the sacred Roofs of Isis,
My great but injur'd mother. But he comes.
Enter Phaeton.
And at his sight my blood with fury boyls,
And combates fiercely with expiring friendship.
Phae.
What do I see? My friend, my Epaphus
8
Offers to embrace him but Epaphus puts him away with his Hand.
Epa.
Forbear—for tho 'tis certain you see Epaphus,
Yet whether he ought to be your friend, y had
Best consider.—if not, I press no Foe
To this true bosom.
Phae.
What can this strangeness mean?
I am not conscious to my self of ought,
That does deserve this cold, this unkind meeting.
After thy long thy most regretted Absence.
Epa.
Perhaps you hoped I never shou'd return
Phae.
O! barbarous thought for one so well belov'd,
It was my Mornings Pray'r, my daily Vow.
That thou mightst soon be here.
Epa.
You thought me tame then,
Mean, Cowardly, base enough to bear it?
Pha.
Bear it! bear what?
Epa.
Come, come, you know you've wrong'd me,
And this affected ignorance is unmanly.
Phae.
Come, come, you know I cannot wrong you.
Epa.
How! cannot wrong me?
Phae.
The brave can do no wrong.
I cannot wrong my Fee, much less my Friend.
Epa.
What e'r the brave can do, I say you've wrong'd me,
Treacherously, falsly wrong'd me.
Phae.
Wrong! Falshood!—
False to my Friend! as soon
I wou'd forego my Love my Mistress—nay—
Epa.
Mistress! what Mistress? for when I left thee,
Thou stoodst an active Candidate for Glory:
Fame was thy Mystress then, and War thy Courtship;
Thy Sword the moving eloquence that won her.
If thou art alter'd, if thou'rt faln from her,
If thou art sunk to puling Womans Love,
Thou'rt false—too chang'd to be a friend of mine.
Phae.
That I do love a Woman is most true:
But such a Woman; so unlike her Sex:
Full of such noble Virtues—
Epa.
Full of Follies,
Fall of Vice, most worthless of her Sex—
Phae.
Hold friend, no more, I charge thee say no more,
For shou'd I bear to hear her wrong'd by thee,
Thou well mightst think, I'd wrong an absent Friend.
Epa.
Name not that sacred word? a Friend is what
Thou dost not understand: for Friend to Friend
Is holy sacred, preferr'd to all but Heav'n
While thou desertest thy friend for a vile Woman,
A Toy, a Butterflye: the worst of Women too—
Phae.
No more—it is a mighty proof of Friendship,
That I can bear all this, tho ev'n from thee.—
I do prefer my friend to all but Honor,
And Honour binds me to this worthless Woman.
Epa.
Honour! what Honour canst thou challenge now
That you foorsook when you affronted me,
Affronted me in much my dearest part
9
Ægypt's protectress, the belov'd of Jove.
What honor binds you to a Vagabond,
When your friends honor, and your Mothers tears,
The safety of your native soil, and Gods
Forbid her presence, this hateful Niece, this
Limb of cursed Argus?
Pha.
I owe my life
To her.
Epa.
I'd sooner owe it to a Coward,
He has the face of Man—but to this Woman!—
Phae.
I drew her from her Father, and her Country.
Epa.
That was your Crime, now send her back then.
Pha.
'Twould be
Unjust to leave her now.
Ep.
'Tis impudence
To keep her here. Come, come, young man, you must
Forego this Samian.
Pha.
Must?
Ep.
You shall.
Pha.
Shall?
Ep.
Shall! yes shall; I come to force her from thee.
Pha.
Force her from me! ha! ha! I laugh at thee;
Thou know'st, proud Man, thou canst not force her from me.
Epa.
Proud obstinate Boy, I will.
Pha.
Ha!—By the
Bright God, m'illustrious Father—
Epa.
Name him not,
He must disown thee, a Womans Property,
A fond convenient tool for useful ends.
Do Gods get such as thee? no 'tis a Boast,
An empty groundless Boast.
Some Trader got thee, and some Strumpet bore thee,
And shuffl'd thee into the Royal Cradle.
Pha.
If I bear this, may Girls, and Eunuchs hoot me;
Cowards buffet me; Infamy drive me
From all Resorts, where manhoods to be shown.
Draws.
Draw, draw, thou noisie Talker; try whose Arm
Will best assert its Heav'nly Author.
Epaphus draws too.
Ep.
Come on.
(Clymene runs in betwixt them.
Cly.
O! hold! O! stay your furious Swords, and Arms!
Or else thro me you cut your guilty passage.
Pha.
Ha! my Mother!—Was this your cunning, Sir?
To place your Safeguard, e're you durst provoke me?
But I shall find a Time she shan't protect thee;
Thou Wordy Hero; thou Tongue—thou Woman Fighter.
Thy guilty Mother lurk'd within a Cow
So long, she fixt the dastard Spirit in thee
Of that tame Brute.
Ep.
Madam, I pray withdraw,
Or I before you shall chastise that Boy,
By your approach made bold.
Cly.
O! Epaphus!
Was this well done? was this done like a Friend?
To heap more Sorrows on me by this Quarrel?
10
Was this your Word to Merops, and to me?
Did we entrust to you our Common Darling,
To brave, insult, and quarrel with him?
Under the Friend have you conceal'd the Foe?
And made me lead you to destroy my Son?
It is unjust, inhospitable, base,
Unworthy the bright Goddess, whence you sprung!
To her I must appeal again'st her Son.
Ep.
I have been to blame and I ask your Pardon.
But thoughts of Injuries from him in Absence;
And offer'd to my Mother—from him I lov'd;
My only bosom Friend, that shou'd have made
My Cause his own; so stung my Heart before,
So wrought my fiery Temper up to Rage,
That at his sight, I scarce knew what I did.
Pha.
A poor Evasion of th'Affront you've giv'n,
To avoid its Punishment, I'll surely pay.
The Time be sure I'll find—I will—till then—
I will have naught to say to thee.
Ep.
You know I do not fear you—but I'm calm.
Cly.
O! my dear Phaeton! I do conjure thee
(I wou'd command, but you've forgot Obedience)
By all the Pains, and Fears I've felt for thee,
To give me up thy Vengeance, and thy Anger.
Ep.
I ask the same, tho not for Fear but Friendship.
Cly.
O think that both a Friend, and Mother ask you!
Pha.
He said, I was a Womans Property,
A Tool—And can a Tool have any Friend?
Ep.
I said it in my Rage, but cou'd not think it,
The Injuries of such a one, cou'd never move me.
Pha.
The wrong I did you, if I've done you wrong,
I had not thought enough, that it was so,
I was so lost in Love, else I'd not done it.
For if there be a Love, above the Love
Of Woman, sure it is the Love of Friends,
And that I had for thee in its Perfection.
If then a Fault, tho done without Design.
Because a Friends, so touch'd the Friend in thee,
How must thy bitter and reviling Words,
Move such a Friend; wound such a Friend as me?
Ep.
You were too Good, and I too rudely brutal?
You gave too much to Friendship. I too little.
Pha.
If thou think so, I gave not then enough;
I should have born more, much more, if possible!
Or else have left thee till thoudst been more calm—
But that I thought your Friend shoud not be brav'd,
Perhaps I h'd been more passive. O! my Brother!
You us'd me Harshly,—but you are my Friend—
And have a Right to chide me. O! Epaphus!
Thy name has rousd the Friend, which bears down all,
And over-runs my Soul! canst thou forgive me?
Epa.
Oh! canst thou ask it? ask it too of me?
Who have offended most? Shame and Confusion
Sink me—Oh! let me kneel, and crawl into thy Arms.
11
Till they with Tears have wash'd away my Stain.
Kneels and moves forward to him on his Knees embracing his.
Pha.
(Taking him up.)
Oh! rise my Friend, or I shall dye with shame
Cleave to my Bosom with an unfeign'd Ardor!
Thou shalt o'recome, this Samian shall be gone,
And bear this guilty Wretch away from Egypt.
Yes, I'll attone my Mother, Friend, and Country,
The Angry Gods too, with my just Exile.
Epa.
Now Heav'n forbid!
No rather let ten thousand Samians stay,
Let rather the whole Race of Argus stay,
Than Egypt shou'd lose thee, the pride of Youth,
The Soldiers Courage, and the Virgins wish!
No by the Gods! I will my self step in
'Twixt thee and Fate; appease my Mothers Rage,
Or in her Temple sacrifice her Son.
Pha.
But his Samian!—
Epa.
Now, by my Soul, do with her what thou wilt,
Give me but Friendship; firm me but thy Friend.
Pha.
(embracing.)
O! with more Joy than I wou'd grasp at Victory.
Epa.
Ha! in that Word your Native Virtue spoke.—
I wou'd not, cou'd I help it, have my Friend,
Unlike the Son of the All-seeing Sun,
Lye thus obscur'd in Shades, in Groves, and Grotto's,
Averse to Glory, and inviting Greatness!
But mount himself to th'topmost spoak of Fortune,
And meet the waiting Homages of Kings.
For as thy Father lights the world above,
So shou'd his Son rule all the World below.
Phae.
And dost thou think that Phæbus was my Father?
Epa.
Forget the barbarous Trespass of my Anger,
Or you will break my Heart. I know he is,
Your Deeds, your Virtues, and your Form confess him.
My conscious Soul is Witness that he is.
Phae.
By all his awful Beams, I swear my Friend,
A vast, and unexperienced Joy strike through me,
Fires all my Blood, and bounds thro every Vein,
Rolls in my Breast, and so exalts my Soul,
That I'm unable to contain th'Ecstasie.
To hear thee own me Son of the great Sun,
Extends my Limbs, and make me shoot aloft
To a more Godlike Stature. And now methinks
I tread in Air, and mount yon dazling, Orb,
Exert my Father, and confess the God.
O! Mother! Friend! O! lead me out to Glory.
I'll shake this downy lethargy of Love
From off my Eyes, that thus forbids my Flight.
Epa.
Ay now you do indeed exert your Father!
You look, you speak, you move, you are a God!
To fire you more, I bring you joyful News,
The Crowns of India, and of Ægypt wait you;
Stretch out your hand, and set em on your Head,
Pha.
You speak mysterious Wonders, be more plain.
12
Thus long I've stood, by joyful Wonder fixt,
To see the powerful Motions of your Friendship
Working on to this blest Union. Now
I tell yon, that your Friend, and Mother bring you
Love, untasted Beauties, and a Crown!
Lybia, my Son, the Charming Lybia!
Pha.
What?
Says my Mother? how knew you that I lov'd her?
Althea's self ne'r yet found out that secret.
Cly.
I knew not you lov'd her, but she loves you;
And I'm o'rejoy'd to find the Passion mutual.
Pha.
Oh! you attack me with such subtle Arts,
You must, you will o'recome. A Crown! and Lybia!
The Force is too resistless! But Althea!
Ep.
Let not that worthless Woman cross thy Thoughts.
Pha.
O! do not call her Worthless! She has Worth,
Eternal Love and an immortal Truth!
She sav'd me from her Fathers barbarous Rage,
And lov'd me so, she fled from him with me.
Ep.
It was a wanton Girls thoughtless Trick,
And twas her Folly what you call her Love,
To leave her Friends, to fly with a young stranger.
Clym.
It was her Crime—for she betray'd her Father,
E're she deliver'd you.
Ep.
Then add to that,
It was her Father slew your guiltless Friends,
Against all Rights, both humane and divine.
Pha.
Again, she sav'd me in Alphenor's Court,
By treacherous means, when he had bound me fast,
She snatch'd the Dagger from his lifted Hand,
And struck it to his Heart.
Ep.
She was not free. So very plain the Choice
'Twixt Age, and Youth; my Friend, and old Alphenor;
A petty Tyrant of an Asian Village,
And the young blooming Pride, and Hopes of Ægypt.
Cly.
Whate're she did, she did compell'd by Love,
You owe to Venus, what you pay to her.
Ep.
He has indeed o're paid her for a Trifle.
Thus long she has enjoy'd the Court of Egypt;
And fill'd her Bosom with a future God.
Pha.
But oh! my Children!
Ep.
Send her back with Gold
Enough to purchase a more noble Kingdom
Than was her Fathers, for her self, and Children.
Pha.
But it will break her Heart!
Ep.
O! think not so—
A Wife, and break her Heart to lose her Husband!
Cly.
You have no other way to save 'em all:
The life of Merops is bound up in Lybia,
And hers in thee.
Pha.
Ha! does she love me so?
Cly.
More, more than I can tell thee. She's impatient,
Not having seen thee now so many hours.
Pha.
O Friend! O Mother! haste, and bring me to her!
For I'm impatient too! I long, I sigh, I burn!
13
And lose an Age of Pleasure, in one moments stay.
With furious Love I'll rush into her Arms,
And rise a God from her immortal Charms.
The End of the Second Act.
| Phaeton : Or, The Fatal Divorce | |